@@lauramartin12 The first ever car drove on the left hand side of the road --- stemming somewhat from the medieval practice of knights fighting with their right hand whilst controlling their horse from the left. As a result - we can confidently say that all Americans drive on the wrong side of the road...
When I was first driving in Australia in the early 80's we would regularly drive on the wrong side of the road.....yeah, we were young and stupid but it seemed fun at the time
technically it is the wrong side because the first real automobile was invented in Germany by Karl Benz and they decided to drive on the right side of the road, sort of like how the British invented a lot of words and the yanks spell them wrong
Before 1900 very few countries drove wagons on the right side of the road. Why any changes occurred after introduction of cars. So we drive on the correct side.
Yes its horrible. We once had a law that entertainment and media had to have more than 50% Australian-made content. Unfortunately the local entertainment industry suffers.
You might find a lot of the 'plastic to go' containers can easily be washed out and reused several times in the home setting. They are normally microwave and freezer safe and I often use them for freezing portions of stew, soup, cooked rice. After a couple of uses, they then get allocated to storing the dog/cat food in freezer then cleaned and placed in recycle bin.
They are perfect for camping because they are light weight, usually stack together and are easy to just rinse off and reuse. Just make sure what you take you return with to reuse, otherwise it defeats the purpose. They also make excellent trays to hold nails screws or anything really in the garage, seed sprouting trays and water containers for pet reptiles or bird splash for Tweety Bird.
Plastic utensils can be recycled. Same plastic as the containers only coloured. Just that no one wants to spend the effort to do it.@@aussieragdoll4840
Could you imagine getting a greasy pad thai in a "popsicle stick wood" container? hahah. although, in saying that...apparently there is a place in Melbourne that do their takeaway coffees in compostable and actually edible "oat-based" cups...or something like that. Interesting!
I love the bird life here in Australia. I don't need an alarm clock to wake me in the morning. Blackbirds sing in the dawn, followed by a cluster of chattering rainbow lorikeets in the tree outside my bedroom window. This is followed by the magpies warbling to each other. The last time I went back to southern California, it struck me how few birds I saw. Just the occasional sparrow in a tree, coughing.
When I was a kid, the teacher made the class repeat time after time “ look right, look left, look right again before crossing the road’” It obviously worked in my favour so far!
James, so many kids think that this will allow them to be safe, it's such poor teaching. They need to be taught to check for traffic: cars, trucks, buses, etc, etc.
Power plugs have switches so kids don't electrocute themselves if they stick something into them. Nothing to do with saving power, as power doesn't run in a empty socket. 😊
Exactly, and that is because our power is 240 volts, which is great for powering machines, but it is lethal, whereas most countries only have about 110 volts.
@@Rayzorgrognard Cock! It's the volts that jolts, and the mils that kills. If voltage was the killer I wouldn't has lived past ten years, and defibrillators would be banned.
I’m an Australian living in the US. American infrastructure has suffered from decades of neglect and so much of it feels like a third world country. Water, sewer treatment, storm control, transit systems, even how we pay for things in a store. And don’t get me started on politics! It’s sad to see the decline of this once great country.
‘First world’ does not mean rich. It is a term from the Cold War, meaning politically allied with the USA and Western Europe (that is, NATO). The USA will always be ‘first world’, no matter how impoverished and backward it becomes. ‘Second World’ - allied with the USSR and other Warsaw Pact nations (now defunct and meaningless). Indirectly including other communist nations, like China, Vietnam. and North Korea. ‘Third World’ -politically neutral - not aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact - like Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland and India.
Plastic containers don’t break down like cutlery does, it’s to stop marine life from having it in their ecosystem. It’s an extension of not allowing plastic straws.
Those plastic containers are re-usable multiple times - if you don't ... then you are doing the environment a true dis-service. I re-use the small plastic bags, you get at the fruit and veg, at least once. Ban them and I will have to buy them as single use plastic.
I almost got hit by a car on my first day in the US. In Australia, pedestrians have right-of-way at zebra crossings, so you expect cars to slow and stop if you're standing at one. In the US they paint zebra crossings at traffic lights, so vehicles only stop on the red.
Uhh, Kev? Here in Australia, if there are traffic lights where the pedestrian crossing is, then the cars only stop on a red light too. Just like America. It fact, a pedestrian crossing DOES NOT give pedestrians right of way! Pedestrians are supposed to wait for cars to stop before they step out onto the crossing.
🇨🇦This was so interesting to me. Nearly everything you mentioned as differences between Australia and the USA also apply to Canada, and I had no idea we were all so different. The one exception, at least here on the Pacific Coast, in Vancouver, is we can drink the tap water any time. Although some chlorine is added to it, our water comes down off snow packs from the local mountains so is very good.
The reason outlets have switches here is because we use a higher voltage (230-240 Volts) and higher amperage than the US (110-120 Volts) It's a safety thing. Nothing to do with saving energy.
It is for safety (isolation) but has nothing to do with the difference in Voltage. The Australian outlet design is based on an earlier US design, that was discontinued.
@@shaungibson2033 Yeah, it's got a little to do with safety. A shock from a US power supply, 110v, is much less likely to kill you than our 240v. Once Australia decided to follow the English system, 240V (230), extra safeguards were mandated.
But it also makes it easier to turn off devices at the wall, without needing to pull the plug out. Some plugs are hard to pull… so it saves wear & tear on the chords.
Most of the central and south coasts of New South Wales (including Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong) has a climate very similar to California (although more humid). The rest of Australia (being the same size as the continental USA) has a range of different climates. (E.g. Brisbane is like Florida, Cairns is like Hawaii, central Queensland is like Texas).
When I was recently in the US, I was shocked at how ubiquitous polystyrene takeaway cups and containers were. I don't think I have seen one of those in Australia since the early 2000s. They are SO bad for the environment :(
I live in the north west of outer Sydney. Regularly have kangaroos on my front lawn and occasionally also in the back yard. They can just jump over our fences from a standstill. They don't need a run up (hop up) to jump over the fences. I talk calmly to them and have been able to gradually move as close as a metre from them. They are the most amazing animals. I particularly like the way they can swivel their ears right around to hear something behind them. Definitely go somewhere to see kangaroos and sit to watch them for a while. 😊
@@lauramartin12 If you can take a day trip to Sydney, go to Featherdale wildlife park. You will be able to walk amongst the kangaroos and hand feed them there.
The plastic to-go containers are >50mm in two dimensions, so they can be recyclable. Cutlery is too narrow, so it can fall through the sorting grates and can't be recycled. Therefore the cutlery has to be compostable to be considered recoverable under used packaging regulations
It probably wasn't a joey you saw, but a wallaby. Wallabies are smaller species than kangaroos, and you will likely see them around Wollongong (I live just north of the Wollongong area, and I don't see any kangaroos, only wallabies). As for our media -- yes, we see a lot of American shows, which means that we know a lot more about America than Americans do about Australia. This is true for other English-speaking countries too -- there is a big imbalance between how much American media we see, versus how much non-American media Americans see. Having lived in California, I agree that California is a good comparison for Sydney, although it would be southern California. Sydney is warmer than San Francisco where I lived. California even has imported eucalyptus (Australian gum trees).
The screaming bird you thought is a screaming baby was a cockatoo. I had a UK guy told me when he woke up he herd a cockatoo and thought it was a pterodactyl. 😂
kangaroos are everywhere in Melbourne - not usually in the city (except occasionally) but the moment you go outside the city or to certain parklands (e.g. Plenty gorge in Melb.) you see roos grazing! As for koalas, I have never seen one in the wild but I have heard them in the forests along the great ocean road (in VIC). They are usually high up in the trees but they make a really gross sound. Most people don't know what they sound like and are really surprised when they learn lol.
Yeah, New York City is one of four major cities in the world with a primary water catchment source that is completely "protected" (i.e. mammals can't access the water and therefore can't shit in it). Another one of those cities is Melbourne. This means less chlorine is needed to make the water potable and safe. I am not sure what the residential plumbing in New York is like (i.e. regulatory standards and their enforcement) though.
She is a complete ignorant airhead!… She didn’t do any research at all!… New York City water quality consistently ranks as some of the best in the world.
Kangaroos love golf. If you want to see a bunch of kangaroos, you’ll find them at almost any outer suburban golf course (especially around breakfast time, or sunset).
Hi Laura, 1. Roundabouts depend on the relative flows of the traffic at the intersection from all directions. At some locations roundabouts are being replaced by regular traffic signals. 2. Have you seen the Southern Cross in the night sky yet? You have to look to the south. 3. Most of Australia is golden brown in the summer, just like California. Sydney and Brisbane benefit from a lot of rain that runs off the Great Dividing Range keeping them green. Nice video!
When I lived in Adelaide for a few years I always loved coming back to Wollongong and seeing how green it is around Christmas after the dry brown of Adelaide in summer and feeling the humidity again instead of oven dry heat.
As children we learn a little song about crossing the street. "Look to the right, then look to the left, when you're crossing a busy street. Cars and bicycles, trucks and trams, any of these you may meet. So look to the left and look to the right, when you're crossing a busy street". Hth.😊
Interesting from an old Australian man's perspective. A lot of that was very different from when I grew up and also I shipped out of Oz in 98 , so most stuff is alien to me now. Regarding the roo's, when it's wet you'll hardly see them. When it's drought you'll see them heaps on the edges of most cities....the Gong you'll see heaps because it's a relative narrow strip of land.....they'll go to where they can find water. Glad you chose the Gong for your study portal in Oz, gives you a distinct something that others will not get. Cheers and do a part 2 4 sure :)
Roundabouts are everywhere. Left vs Right doesn't stop with traffic, our bike brakes are switched around also. On our roads you signal with your right hand if you are tuning left or right, which means your left hand is on the BACK break. I almost went head over arse so many times in the US.
Laura, I came from the UK 23 years ago. At that time, many of the tv shows were British from either the bbc or itv. We have progressively moved from this to a more US show base.
We’ve had 3 years of way above average rainfall in most parts of Australia, so everything is unusually green. The predictions are for a hot dry summer though, so things will dry out in many places. Australia is a land of extremes. Having said that, Wollongong is not all that far(in Australian terms) from The Australian Alps which have a higher average annual snowfall than the European Alps. There’s temperate rainforest, tropical rainforest which obviously get high rainfall, and obviously the deserts we’re famous for. This country is a similar size to your Lower 48, and is very varied! And. Then there’s the best state in Australia…😉 If you get the chance come down and check out Tassie! I’ve done a lot of travelling all over Australia in my 53 years and love it all, but Tassie is really unique. And no, I don’t work for Tourism Tasmania and have no part in the tourism industry! I just sound like it sometimes…🤣
For thousands of years, every country that used chariots and carts drove on the left the reigns were held in the left hand and the sword was ready in the righthand. Island countries still drive mainly on the left the traditional way because their heavy goods are mainly moved around by sea. Landlocked countries in the eighteen hundreds started using large carts with teams of horses. The driver sat on the lefthand rear horse holding the reigns in the left and whip in the right hand. This worked ok until two carts met coming in opposite directions. The drivers sitting on the left had trouble judging the distance between the two carts and often the wheels would collide causing much damage. When entering towns and areas of more congested traffic it became common for the drivers to cross to the other side of the road to better judge the distance between the passing carts. Over time driving on the right became normal for these countries. All in all, 163 countries and territories have right-hand drive traffic while 76 countries use the traditional left-side.
Roundabouts certainly everywhere but very efficient. That squawk was a Cockatoo. Birds are plentiful in Australian cities and after two months of being in Austin, Miami and SF this year I realised I had two months of bird silence. Road crossing is something that becomes muscle memory after a few weeks. Returning to Australia I got it wrong after being in US for so long. The Californian references do work well. Sydney weather is almost identical to LA with the exception being that ocean temperatures in California are measurable much colder (LA ocean temp at its warmest is roughly average for Sydney, SF at its warmest is about same as Sydney ocean temp at its coldest). Queenslanders and Floridians would both look down upon these states with significantly warmer temps again. Outback Australia is like Arizona. Weatherspark is a great site for comparing cities in this respect
Woo hoo , welcome to “the gong”! I recommend a trip to symbio wildlife park (Helensburgh) for an up close encounter with some Aussie wildlife. Have a look at the website for how to get there using public transport. I’ll check to see if u already uploaded that second video. Looking forward to seeing it. 😊 good luck with your studies and it is great having u here!
Here is one for you Laura. Many of the large Supermarkets chains no longer sell or provide plastic bags to carry your groceries home in, Yet many of the vegetables, fruits and other food stuffs they sell are packaged in plastic.
Re plastic vs wood. Birds and fish don't eat the plastic containers. Yes they might eat a broken piece of wooden utensil, but it will break down unlike the plastic alternative. Hence why they have banned those (plus plastic straws too).
If you want to see Kangaroos (in the wild and not at the zoo or wildlife parks), closest to Wollongong would probably be down towards Jervis Bay or even a bit further south, you want to go to places that don't have much housing, or newly built housing. With Koala's, you might be able to see one if you go out to Kentlyn (near Campbelltown). There are a lot in that area, but sometimes they are hard to find. Otherwise, head to Symbio Wildlife Park for a day or afternoon out, it is near Helensburgh. All of these places will probably require a car to get to.
There's a new koala colony just discovered by drone using night thermal imaging around My Keira. It's still unsure where they moved in from or if they have always existed in small numbers here
It doesn't snow in Melbourne though, unlike New York or many parts of Europe. Though in winter it's about a two hour drive to the nearest mountain where it does snow.
Wollongong Uni is really green and pleasant. And the botanical gardens are just across the road as well. Handy to the very good beaches as well, which is why my second son chose it. Kangaroos are out and about at dusk and dawn, they snooze in the shade during the day. There definitely would have been some in the wooded areas back towards the escarpment behind you. You should have spent more time bush walking than going to church. Put you more in touch with creation.
@@davidhoward4715 really? How so? honestly don't notice a difference myself. If anything I think they make it easier as there is usually a median to wait on,
@@krystleklearcentral Unlike at regular unsignalled intersections, drivers aren't required to give way to pedestrians crossing the road at roundabouts. Often in towns with roundabouts you'll see zebra crossings on all four sides to "fix" this problem...
@@zoomosis That's like saying traffic lights are bad because they have the walk and don't walk signals! The fact of the matter is, though the road rule is different regarding this, in most cases the driver is going to give way to the pedestrian anyway and when they don't usually traffic is slowed down enough for you to safely pass between cars anyway.
Nice list. I lived in Melbourne for 7 years and you can see Kangaroos in the northern suburbs of the city especially before sunset or late at night. You will see them more the further you go out of cities, but Kolas are rare to spot outdoors as they are endangered. Plus, they sleep most of the day on top of trees.
Normally I do not defend New York City but. I don’t know the condition of your taste buds but New York City water quality is considered among the best in the USA. It is so clean it does not require treatment that most city supplies get. The newest water supply pipe into Manhattan is big enough to drive a double decker bus through. I a an Aussie who lived in the New York City area for twenty years and do not usually defend the USA but for this I make an exception.
The bird that sounded like a screaming child was probably a catbird. Their call is certainly unique, and can shock you a bit the first time you hear it.
We use wooden cutlery because they use to be made from single use plastics (plastics that could only be used once). The containers are recyclable. The only time I have seen kangaroos in town is when visiting relatives who live in a very small town out west.
No, the power switches on the power outlets arent to save energy. We have a higher voltage grid in our homes, so we are legally required to put the power outlet with a switch in, to save getting electric shocked. Safety feature. I think you have 70 volts, we have like 180 or 220volts. Literally double the voltage. Most of our power grid is underground aswell.
Yea, one of my friends once said my city, Newcastle, seems like a place where someone sneezed and they put a roundabout wherever boogers went. The plastic container thing is because the expectation is that you would reuse that container. Most of my tupperware (not the branded stuff), is stuff I got from the thai place around the corner.
My daughter in law is from Georgia but lives in LA with my son who she stole 10 years ago when she was in Melbourne studying so I can relate to much of what you have talked about. He has gone from growing up in a small country town of 3000 people to living and working in one of the most populated urban areas in the USA so he had to learn a lot and fast. The wildlife will vary depending on where you are as they have different environmental needs. If you are in "the bush" and it is thick you will find it hard to see anything as they will disappear before you get there. Kangaroos will be found in areas where you have open ground bordered by forest or bush cover and there is less urbanization. There are places in Australia where the water is ordinary with the worst capital city being Adelaide as it is the most arid capital city and most of its water comes from the end of the Murray river that is carrying a lot salt by then and is very hard due to the minerals in it as well. I don't know how much you have travelled but what you will notice is how small towns and cities are once you get away from the bigger centers and you can go very long distances without seeing houses and other signs of civilization. Outside of cities you will see much less traffic on roads than in the USA and their will be far fewer freeway type roads. The Americanization of Australia accelerated post WW2 and with the introduction of television picked up pace again but we still have our unique ways and if you get to the very beautiful country of New Zealand it will be different again. A must while you are here is Tasmania as it is unlike any other part of Australia and Hobart is our second oldest British type city. Post WW2 we have gone the LA type suburban sprawl route and even though we have more public transport we also have a big problem with traffic grid lock because of it and it shows no sign of changing. Enjoy your stay
That’s so interesting!! I have traveled quite a bit of NSW and some of Carins. I noticed the smaller town vibe when I went to the Blue Mountains for sure. I’d love to go to Tasmania and New Zealand as well if I had more time here, I’m unfortunately going home soon. I’d love to come back someday and really spend more time traveling Australia in more depth and experience all those things!
If you are from Cali, drop into the south of WA while you are here. Cool wet winter and hot dry summer. No rain in the best time of the year to screw with your plans. But spring time is the bomb. Wildflowers off their tits and mild weather while everything is still green👍 Enjoy the rest of your time here🍻
Yep, as an European I agree with: - more roundabouts (I can confirm for Melbourne) - more singing birds - wooden utensils for takeout (but still plastic containers) - I see also US influence on media - since coming from country where cars drive on right side, it's also mentally hard to change to first look right-then-left when croasing the road as it's now already automatic for me - power outlet switches were weird for me also but I got used to it. It's useful if you have plugged in something and just want to disable it without unplugging it (i.e. mozzie repellent plug in). Though power outlet is not consuming electricity just because it's not turned off. Appliances consume electricity, so if you unplug appliance it's just the same as switching it off on power outlet - so it's not a feature to save electricity. - phone dial tone is a bit strange, just didn't give it a much thought until you mentioned it now 😅 Also, - deadly things are not everywhere lurking to kill you - everyone are very polite, for example when person exits the bus, they will tank the driver - which is nice but also weird for me because in my country we necer did this (as it was driver's job to drive and open doors on the bus stop)
Yep, Koalas were listed as endangered in 2022 in large part because of the large impact of 2019 bush fires across Australia, but Koala fossil history suggests that they've been a marginal species over many millennia. Koalas are also fussy eaters; only specific species of eucalypts, so if there are no eucalypts to their liking there are no Koalas there. Parts of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria are chockers with these guys. Even if Koalas are in a tree they can be hard to spot because they spend so much of their day sleeping.
As an extension of looking looking right then left (then right again) before crossing the road is the etiquette of walking on the left hand side of the sidewalk (pavememt).
Laura, if enamoured by round-abouts visit Canberra. And while there suggest do all the National institutions like the: war memorial, Parliament House, national gallery, questacon, national museum, etc. Can easily spend a half a day at each & still not see everything.
Road crossing ... yes be careful. A work colleague's grandfather (Australian) was visiting the USA for the first time. He stepped off the kerb after looking the wrong way and unfortunately was struck by a vehicle and killed.
Australian outlets don't have switches for energy saving purposes - it's for isolation and safety - allowing you to plug in an appliance without it being immediately energized. The benefits are questionable, but it is what it is.
I think it's a great idea. Pushing an appliance's OFF switch means it's still drawing power. Pulling the plug to turn something off isn't ideal practise. Switches are convenient, safer and cost very little extra.
I been in Tassie 55 years , I still hear bless you pretty much everyday but mainly by the over 30 age group, I see kangaroos and wallabys everyday but have never seen a koala in my life , also have never seen wooden cutlery and I eat lots of take away meals , maybe it's just a city thing or hasn't caught on in Tassie yet 😃. I enjoy your videos
That is so funny, and different to my experience...I live in the suburbs of Adelaide, we always say 'bless you' when someone sneezes. Despite living in an area that is not very native animal friendly (as in just houses, busy roads, shops, schools etc), ....I have had a koala on my street that my sister and husband chased off our our busy road into a close by park. I have seen a kangaroo less than 100 metres from my house on a busy road traveling in the 'wrong direction' (towards the city rather than away) and have 2 times driven alongside kangaroos on the way to work driving through 'urban forests', which is a thing here in Adelaide's north east. So while I agree, we don't have kangaroos and koalas in our backyards.....sometimes we come close1
@annebaker9408 agree..it all depends where you live..I live in Newcastle and I've been driving to work in the morning and a mother kangaroo and joey came hopping towards me on the other side of the road and a place called Lemon Tree Passage only 40 km or so north of Newcastle you can see koalas in the trees on suburban streets.that could be due to habitat loss also,not sure though.😃✌️
I live in Launceston and have seen wooden cutlery. The first place I saw it was Morty's, the food mall, about 5ish years ago quite a few places have them. Horrible darn things leaves a terrible taste in the mouth. But better for the environment apparently but the they are wooden so possibly not. As for hearing bless you my young nieces and nephews all say bless you. They all have great manners.
Koalas only eat certain species of Eucalyptus, so even in higher numbers, you have to be in the right kind of bushland. But even where they are plentiful, they can be hard to see, because they often sleep during the day rolled up in a little grey ball high up in the trees, so binoculars and a lot of patient searching is needed. A spotlight at night will give more chances of sighting when they might be more active and lower down.
Kangaroos are busy transporting people around Sydney city - they have saddles and people can hop onto the saddle on their back and then can ride them hippity hoppity to your desired location. The ride takes a little getting used to as you move up and then down unlike say on horseback but they're reasonable to travel on.
3+ decades in the NY capital district tells me that our water is fine. I was actually motivated to move here because the water tastes better than in Worcester MA.
As you are in my city, if you want to see kangaroos etc head up to Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh about 30 mins north of the uni on the way to Sydney. There is also Shoalhaven Zoo near Nowra about 1 hour south of campus. It's so nice to hear Wollongong get a mention. As Australia's 6th largest city I'd expect to hear more but I don't. We are so close to Sydney I guess - but wth far less crowded beaches. I hope you really enjoy your time here.
Kangaroo's and Emu are mostly active at night when it's cooler, during the middle of the day they are usually in a shady spot. You do see them during the day on cooler days. You need to travel in the country to see them. Koalas you need to look in all the gum trees up very high, Damn Cats and dogs kill them for sport. I noticed that in the US the "GIVE WAY" sign say "YIELD".
We were taught to ‘ Look to the right, look to the left and look to the right again’ when we were kids years ago! In the US it would be Look to the left.
What will really burn your noodle .. is when your doing your grocery shop in Australia- It is standard practice to push your shopping cart down the left hand side of the shopping aisle. Likewise pavement/side-walk walking.
In Canberra, the Kangaroos often do go into more built up areas, it was very common to see them in Woden Valley at one time. This would be while walking to your office etc.
Kangaroos are probably the biggest reason you see bullbars on the front of trucks (semis) and outback 4WDs. They tend to jump out in front of cars unfortunately, mostly at dawn and dusk. There are still a lot of roos living in the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, especially the Arthurs Seat/Red Hill area.
Interesting comment on the switches, in Australia the voltage is 240v (UK 220v) and the USA is 110v . As I understand it, the USA did not want the 'deadly' voltage of the English system, whereas, the Australian folllowed the UK. The thinking behind this is/was that if you come into contact with live 240v you have a very good chance of being thrown off by muscle reaction; as opposed as the 110v thinking of that amount of voltage won't kill you.
Switches on power points are for safety as well as ability to conveniently completely turn an appliance off. The switch should be off whenever inserting/removing the plug.
European sockets have the same voltage but no switches. Switches on the socket mean you can switch off your appliances even if the appliance itself has no switch
Make a part 2, regarding koalas, I live in a semi remote area on the Tropic of Capricorn where they live. I've only seen 1 in the last 10 years. You literally have to go full scrub walking and know what you're looking for. They blend in the trees like little gum lumps. I've only seen about a dozen wild koalas in 40 years and I was a land surveyor so had ample opportunity to spot them. Often found their scats and signs but they are great at hiding.
Come to Canberra, the roundabout capital of the world. Love your use of the word 'bush'. You got it right, koalas are really rare to see in the wild, but that's because they are really far into the 'bush'.
The USA would benefit from roundabouts. The experience of cultural imperialism-the US media presence - is real. Driving on the opposite side of the road is hard at start and gets easier, but be careful when leaving petrol stations or car parks because your muscle memory takes you the wrong side. Follow other drivers. Wollongong Uni is world class. Nice campus. Good rep. Close to the beach, relatively. Regarding “bless you”, it’s an archaic but still used formulation. We are pretty secular. “Bless you “ is an imposition of a belief system on someone else.
Cultural imperialism? Nonsense. No one is forcing you to follow American media. And by the way, Rupert Murdoch was an Australian. We exported him to the US.
Agreed. We are more secular so some people don't feel comfortable saying it, I've heard more peope say gesundheit (wishing them good health to forestall bad health eg cold flu). We don't use religous phrases like the US does eg god bless america. Unfortunately our politicians some time mix the two (politics and religion) and they should never be mixed.
Hey, If you want to meet some kangaroos, wallabys etc (and pat them and feed them) plus koalas, tasmanian devils and lots of other Oz animals you can to go to Symbio Wildlife Park. It's just north of Wollongong. Take the coast road over the Seacliff bridge to Helensburgh.
9:54 you won’t really find Kangaroo’s and Koala’s in the cities here, but as soon as you get out of the cities, you’ll see them. Definitely moreso Kangaroo’s in regional (country) areas. They are everywhere. Koala’s kind of hide away.
Used to live in Wollongong 15 years ago, moved to QLD, the Gong was really nice, though was statring to get sh!t, Worked at the uni for a while, is she at uni?
The not seeing wildlife thing is definitely where you are. When you get out of the city you’ll see heaps!!! But I will warn you, koalas are very difficult to see, even when you’re looking right at them as they blend in their environment. And kangaroos are also relatively difficult to spot during the day, best times to see them is dawn and dusk. Also you won’t really see many kangaroos in the blue mountains, you’ll have to head out to the flatter country, it’s more their country of choice 😘
WE don't drive on the wrong side of the road, we drive on the opposite side of the road. It is not wrong here!
I only meant that it is the wrong side from an American perspective! Sorry for any offense
@@lauramartin12 The first ever car drove on the left hand side of the road --- stemming somewhat from the medieval practice of knights fighting with their right hand whilst controlling their horse from the left.
As a result - we can confidently say that all Americans drive on the wrong side of the road...
@@nigelhickman2274 Also cart drivers using their right hand to whip horses. Developing, apparently, better distance perception in their right eye.
When I was first driving in Australia in the early 80's we would regularly drive on the wrong side of the road.....yeah, we were young and stupid but it seemed fun at the time
technically it is the wrong side because the first real automobile was invented in Germany by Karl Benz and they decided to drive on the right side of the road, sort of like how the British invented a lot of words and the yanks spell them wrong
It's not thw WRONG side of the road it's the opposite side
Before 1900 very few countries drove wagons on the right side of the road. Why any changes occurred after introduction of cars.
So we drive on the correct side.
I only meant it is the wrong side for me, not that it is the wrong side everywhere!
This comment is one of the reasons people don’t appreciate American tourists “it’s not like back home” - exactly, you aren’t at home 😂
Why you so butthurt over a comment she said once 🤔
That’s what they meant, it’s different for you, the word, “wrong,” implies incorrect or in error.
It's sad how much our media has gone back to being so American dominated, we used to have much more of our own music, TV and movies
Well Channel 10 is owned by America's CBS.
Yes its horrible. We once had a law that entertainment and media had to have more than 50% Australian-made content. Unfortunately the local entertainment industry suffers.
@@ianmontgomery7534 and its crap!
@@paulathistleton1339 A certain government killed that requirement in return for more favourable media coverage.
@@paulathistleton1339 Fox studios are now owned by the Disney coporation too, and Movie World was never an Australian venture either
You might find a lot of the 'plastic to go' containers can easily be washed out and reused several times in the home setting. They are normally microwave and freezer safe and I often use them for freezing portions of stew, soup, cooked rice. After a couple of uses, they then get allocated to storing the dog/cat food in freezer then cleaned and placed in recycle bin.
They are perfect for camping because they are light weight, usually stack together and are easy to just rinse off and reuse. Just make sure what you take you return with to reuse, otherwise it defeats the purpose. They also make excellent trays to hold nails screws or anything really in the garage, seed sprouting trays and water containers for pet reptiles or bird splash for Tweety Bird.
They are also recyclable. Plastic utensils are not.
Plastic utensils can be recycled. Same plastic as the containers only coloured. Just that no one wants to spend the effort to do it.@@aussieragdoll4840
Could you imagine getting a greasy pad thai in a "popsicle stick wood" container? hahah. although, in saying that...apparently there is a place in Melbourne that do their takeaway coffees in compostable and actually edible "oat-based" cups...or something like that. Interesting!
I love the bird life here in Australia. I don't need an alarm clock to wake me in the morning. Blackbirds sing in the dawn, followed by a cluster of chattering rainbow lorikeets in the tree outside my bedroom window. This is followed by the magpies warbling to each other. The last time I went back to southern California, it struck me how few birds I saw. Just the occasional sparrow in a tree, coughing.
Blackbirds are not native, best described as avian vermin.
I love the birds too! I'll miss them going back
Love the birds coughing in California 😅
I just get the kookaburras waking the whole neighbourhood up just before sunrise on the tv antenna above my bedroom.
One of the things I love about coming home, I'm Aussie, is the birds morning & night, everywhere else is soo quiet.
When I was a kid, the teacher made the class repeat time after time “ look right, look left, look right again before crossing the road’”
It obviously worked in my favour so far!
That's so funny! I love that you still remember that!
James, so many kids think that this will allow them to be safe, it's such poor teaching.
They need to be taught to check for traffic: cars, trucks, buses, etc, etc.
@@AndrewBlucherThat's what you're looking FOR when you look R/L/R, the next lyrics of the song are "then if the road is clear of traffic..."
@@Jus7aguy You know that, I know that, but the evidence is that not all kids know that.
When I worked in America I used to always walk to the wrong side of the car ie the driver side and I was the passenger
Power plugs have switches so kids don't electrocute themselves if they stick something into them. Nothing to do with saving power, as power doesn't run in a empty socket. 😊
Exactly, and that is because our power is 240 volts, which is great for powering machines, but it is lethal, whereas most countries only have about 110 volts.
it's also a lot easier - and less wearing on cords/plugs - to simply use the switch rather than having to physically unplug something
@@Rayzorgrognard Cock! It's the volts that jolts, and the mils that kills. If voltage was the killer I wouldn't has lived past ten years, and defibrillators would be banned.
I cannot believe that a supposedly first world country like America in some places you cannot drink the tap water!!😱
10000%
I’m an Australian living in the US. American infrastructure has suffered from decades of neglect and so much of it feels like a third world country. Water, sewer treatment, storm control, transit systems, even how we pay for things in a store. And don’t get me started on politics! It’s sad to see the decline of this once great country.
I know, it seems third world.
‘First world’ does not mean rich. It is a term from the Cold War, meaning politically allied with the USA and Western Europe (that is, NATO). The USA will always be ‘first world’, no matter how impoverished and backward it becomes.
‘Second World’ - allied with the USSR and other Warsaw Pact nations (now defunct and meaningless). Indirectly including other communist nations, like China, Vietnam. and North Korea.
‘Third World’ -politically neutral - not aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact - like Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland and India.
@@noelleggett5368 "First world nations are those described as highly-developed industrialized, technologically-advanced, educated, & wealthy"
Roundabouts are found all over Australia and are a great innovation.
Part 2 yes. The switches on power points can also prevent the kiddies that try and stick things in the outlet, from getting fried
Plastic containers don’t break down like cutlery does, it’s to stop marine life from having it in their ecosystem. It’s an extension of not allowing plastic straws.
Good to know!!
Those plastic containers are re-usable multiple times - if you don't ... then you are doing the environment a true dis-service.
I re-use the small plastic bags, you get at the fruit and veg, at least once.
Ban them and I will have to buy them as single use plastic.
Hear hear
Actually the 'plastic' containers are actually made from sugar cane or potato starch, so they break down equally as well as the wooden utensils
@@lauramartin12 Also you can recycle the containers, but the forks & spoons fall through the machinery as they are too small.
I almost got hit by a car on my first day in the US. In Australia, pedestrians have right-of-way at zebra crossings, so you expect cars to slow and stop if you're standing at one. In the US they paint zebra crossings at traffic lights, so vehicles only stop on the red.
Uhh, Kev? Here in Australia, if there are traffic lights where the pedestrian crossing is, then the cars only stop on a red light too. Just like America. It fact, a pedestrian crossing DOES NOT give pedestrians right of way! Pedestrians are supposed to wait for cars to stop before they step out onto the crossing.
🇨🇦This was so interesting to me. Nearly everything you mentioned as differences between Australia and the USA also apply to Canada, and I had no idea we were all so different. The one exception, at least here on the Pacific Coast, in Vancouver, is we can drink the tap water any time. Although some chlorine is added to it, our water comes down off snow packs from the local mountains so is very good.
The reason outlets have switches here is because we use a higher voltage (230-240 Volts) and higher amperage than the US (110-120 Volts) It's a safety thing. Nothing to do with saving energy.
It is for safety (isolation) but has nothing to do with the difference in Voltage. The Australian outlet design is based on an earlier US design, that was discontinued.
@@shaungibson2033 Yeah, it's got a little to do with safety. A shock from a US power supply, 110v, is much less likely to kill you than our 240v. Once Australia decided to follow the English system, 240V (230), extra safeguards were mandated.
It is also so that if a child pokes something in to the socket then they will not electrocute themselves.
But it also makes it easier to turn off devices at the wall, without needing to pull the plug out. Some plugs are hard to pull… so it saves wear & tear on the chords.
@@shaungibson2033 yes the Hubbell patent
Most of the central and south coasts of New South Wales (including Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong) has a climate very similar to California (although more humid). The rest of Australia (being the same size as the continental USA) has a range of different climates. (E.g. Brisbane is like Florida, Cairns is like Hawaii, central Queensland is like Texas).
Hobart is warmer in winter than both Washington state and NYC - but also cooler (on average) in summer.
A most temperate climate.
CQ is like Texas in more ways than one :D
@@pixiedust7659 and SEQ is like Florida in more ways than one, too. 🫤
@@noelleggett5368 Agreed. Especially with all the oldies. Dad used to call it 'gods waiting room! :D🤪
@@pixiedust7659 Retirees from colder climes - Melbourne instead of New York… and they have Trump, we have Clive Palmer
The plastic takeaway containers are generally utilised again at home. The wooden knife and forks are made from bamboo and are compostable.
In general those plastic containers they use for food are recyclable.
Yep, the recycleable symbol is clearly marked on the bottom of the containers
Yeah exactly, they are only allowed to use plastic here anymore. She is thinking they are plastic but they’re not.
When I was recently in the US, I was shocked at how ubiquitous polystyrene takeaway cups and containers were. I don't think I have seen one of those in Australia since the early 2000s. They are SO bad for the environment :(
I live in the north west of outer Sydney. Regularly have kangaroos on my front lawn and occasionally also in the back yard. They can just jump over our fences from a standstill. They don't need a run up (hop up) to jump over the fences. I talk calmly to them and have been able to gradually move as close as a metre from them. They are the most amazing animals. I particularly like the way they can swivel their ears right around to hear something behind them. Definitely go somewhere to see kangaroos and sit to watch them for a while. 😊
I saw some yesterday in Kangaroo Valley!!
@@lauramartin12 If you can take a day trip to Sydney, go to Featherdale wildlife park. You will be able to walk amongst the kangaroos and hand feed them there.
@@lauramartin12Drive at dusk or dawn west of the mountains and they'll find you soon enough.
There's actually been a new koala colony recently discovered around Mt Keira. They were only picked up by thermal imaging at night on a drone.
The plastic to-go containers are >50mm in two dimensions, so they can be recyclable. Cutlery is too narrow, so it can fall through the sorting grates and can't be recycled. Therefore the cutlery has to be compostable to be considered recoverable under used packaging regulations
Hi, Loved watching your reactions about Aussie ‘things’…..please bring on Part 2 ✌️
It probably wasn't a joey you saw, but a wallaby. Wallabies are smaller species than kangaroos, and you will likely see them around Wollongong (I live just north of the Wollongong area, and I don't see any kangaroos, only wallabies). As for our media -- yes, we see a lot of American shows, which means that we know a lot more about America than Americans do about Australia. This is true for other English-speaking countries too -- there is a big imbalance between how much American media we see, versus how much non-American media Americans see.
Having lived in California, I agree that California is a good comparison for Sydney, although it would be southern California. Sydney is warmer than San Francisco where I lived. California even has imported eucalyptus (Australian gum trees).
Switched outlets are for safety, not for conservation. An empty outlet does not draw energy even if it is on.
The screaming bird you thought is a screaming baby was a cockatoo. I had a UK guy told me when he woke up he herd a cockatoo and thought it was a pterodactyl. 😂
kangaroos are everywhere in Melbourne - not usually in the city (except occasionally) but the moment you go outside the city or to certain parklands (e.g. Plenty gorge in Melb.) you see roos grazing! As for koalas, I have never seen one in the wild but I have heard them in the forests along the great ocean road (in VIC). They are usually high up in the trees but they make a really gross sound. Most people don't know what they sound like and are really surprised when they learn lol.
In NY you can drink from the tap. We have some if the highest rated water. In fact our reservoirs are guarded because the resource is so important.
Yeah, New York City is one of four major cities in the world with a primary water catchment source that is completely "protected" (i.e. mammals can't access the water and therefore can't shit in it). Another one of those cities is Melbourne. This means less chlorine is needed to make the water potable and safe. I am not sure what the residential plumbing in New York is like (i.e. regulatory standards and their enforcement) though.
She is a complete ignorant airhead!… She didn’t do any research at all!… New York City water quality consistently ranks as some of the best in the world.
Kangaroos love golf. If you want to see a bunch of kangaroos, you’ll find them at almost any outer suburban golf course (especially around breakfast time, or sunset).
You’re on the money here mate! Same up here in Brisbane. Roos on every golf course no matter where you go! 😂✌🏻
And the females even have a place to carry their clubs.
Hi Laura,
1. Roundabouts depend on the relative flows of the traffic at the intersection from all directions. At some locations roundabouts are being replaced by regular traffic signals.
2. Have you seen the Southern Cross in the night sky yet? You have to look to the south.
3. Most of Australia is golden brown in the summer, just like California. Sydney and Brisbane benefit from a lot of rain that runs off the Great Dividing Range keeping them green.
Nice video!
When I lived in Adelaide for a few years I always loved coming back to Wollongong and seeing how green it is around Christmas after the dry brown of Adelaide in summer and feeling the humidity again instead of oven dry heat.
As children we learn a little song about crossing the street. "Look to the right, then look to the left, when you're crossing a busy street. Cars and bicycles, trucks and trams, any of these you may meet. So look to the left and look to the right, when you're crossing a busy street". Hth.😊
Interesting from an old Australian man's perspective. A lot of that was very different from when I grew up and also I shipped out of Oz in 98 , so most stuff is alien to me now.
Regarding the roo's, when it's wet you'll hardly see them. When it's drought you'll see them heaps on the edges of most cities....the Gong you'll see heaps because it's a relative narrow strip of land.....they'll go to where they can find water.
Glad you chose the Gong for your study portal in Oz, gives you a distinct something that others will not get.
Cheers and do a part 2 4 sure :)
Roundabouts are everywhere. Left vs Right doesn't stop with traffic, our bike brakes are switched around also. On our roads you signal with your right hand if you are tuning left or right, which means your left hand is on the BACK break. I almost went head over arse so many times in the US.
Laura, I came from the UK 23 years ago. At that time, many of the tv shows were British from either the bbc or itv. We have progressively moved from this to a more US show base.
We’ve had 3 years of way above average rainfall in most parts of Australia, so everything is unusually green. The predictions are for a hot dry summer though, so things will dry out in many places. Australia is a land of extremes. Having said that, Wollongong is not all that far(in Australian terms) from The Australian Alps which have a higher average annual snowfall than the European Alps. There’s temperate rainforest, tropical rainforest which obviously get high rainfall, and obviously the deserts we’re famous for. This country is a similar size to your Lower 48, and is very varied!
And. Then there’s the best state in Australia…😉 If you get the chance come down and check out Tassie! I’ve done a lot of travelling all over Australia in my 53 years and love it all, but Tassie is really unique. And no, I don’t work for Tourism Tasmania and have no part in the tourism industry! I just sound like it sometimes…🤣
Roundabouts are safer than four way stops so they are everywhere.
For thousands of years, every country that used chariots and carts drove on the left the reigns were held in the left hand and the sword was ready in the righthand. Island countries still drive mainly on the left the traditional way because their heavy goods are mainly moved around by sea. Landlocked countries in the eighteen hundreds started using large carts with teams of horses. The driver sat on the lefthand rear horse holding the reigns in the left and whip in the right hand. This worked ok until two carts met coming in opposite directions. The drivers sitting on the left had trouble judging the distance between the two carts and often the wheels would collide causing much damage.
When entering towns and areas of more congested traffic it became common for the drivers to cross to the other side of the road to better judge the distance between the passing carts. Over time driving on the right became normal for these countries.
All in all, 163 countries and territories have right-hand drive traffic while 76 countries use the traditional left-side.
Roundabouts certainly everywhere but very efficient.
That squawk was a Cockatoo. Birds are plentiful in Australian cities and after two months of being in Austin, Miami and SF this year I realised I had two months of bird silence.
Road crossing is something that becomes muscle memory after a few weeks. Returning to Australia I got it wrong after being in US for so long.
The Californian references do work well. Sydney weather is almost identical to LA with the exception being that ocean temperatures in California are measurable much colder (LA ocean temp at its warmest is roughly average for Sydney, SF at its warmest is about same as Sydney ocean temp at its coldest). Queenslanders and Floridians would both look down upon these states with significantly warmer temps again.
Outback Australia is like Arizona.
Weatherspark is a great site for comparing cities in this respect
Basically anywhere in Australia you can turn on any random tap and drink it. The only exception is bore water but it'll be labelled.
Woo hoo , welcome to “the gong”! I recommend a trip to symbio wildlife park (Helensburgh) for an up close encounter with some Aussie wildlife. Have a look at the website for how to get there using public transport. I’ll check to see if u already uploaded that second video. Looking forward to seeing it. 😊 good luck with your studies and it is great having u here!
Thank you! I certainly have enjoyed it here. I’d like to try and make it up to Symbio before I go!
Here is one for you Laura. Many of the large Supermarkets chains no longer sell or provide plastic bags to carry your groceries home in, Yet many of the vegetables, fruits and other food stuffs they sell are packaged in plastic.
We don’t do that in NY either! There has been a plastic bag ban in effect for a couple years now
Re plastic vs wood. Birds and fish don't eat the plastic containers. Yes they might eat a broken piece of wooden utensil, but it will break down unlike the plastic alternative. Hence why they have banned those (plus plastic straws too).
If you want to see Kangaroos (in the wild and not at the zoo or wildlife parks), closest to Wollongong would probably be down towards Jervis Bay or even a bit further south, you want to go to places that don't have much housing, or newly built housing. With Koala's, you might be able to see one if you go out to Kentlyn (near Campbelltown). There are a lot in that area, but sometimes they are hard to find.
Otherwise, head to Symbio Wildlife Park for a day or afternoon out, it is near Helensburgh.
All of these places will probably require a car to get to.
Or even seven mile beach perhaps
Decades since I was at Mollymook (sth of ' the gong' ) and wallabies on the beach is special
I saw some in Kangaroo Valley yesterday!
@@lauramartin12 awesome! I am taking a American friend there on Wednesday, so hopefully they stay put!
There's a new koala colony just discovered by drone using night thermal imaging around My Keira. It's still unsure where they moved in from or if they have always existed in small numbers here
Sydney is like California, Melbourne is more like New York or Europe (generally).
And Brisbane is like heaven. 👍 (That's the hot one right?)
We call it Brisvegas. @@andrewdavidson665
It doesn't snow in Melbourne though, unlike New York or many parts of Europe. Though in winter it's about a two hour drive to the nearest mountain where it does snow.
Wollongong Uni is really green and pleasant. And the botanical gardens are just across the road as well.
Handy to the very good beaches as well, which is why my second son chose it.
Kangaroos are out and about at dusk and dawn, they snooze in the shade during the day. There definitely would have been some in the wooded areas back towards the escarpment behind you. You should have spent more time bush walking than going to church. Put you more in touch with creation.
roundabouts are common in most of Suburban and regional Australia, less so close to the downtown areas of Sydney and Melbourne.
Roundabouts are rubbish. They improve traffic flow but are a major obstacle for pedestrians.
@@davidhoward4715 really? How so? honestly don't notice a difference myself. If anything I think they make it easier as there is usually a median to wait on,
@@krystleklearcentral Unlike at regular unsignalled intersections, drivers aren't required to give way to pedestrians crossing the road at roundabouts. Often in towns with roundabouts you'll see zebra crossings on all four sides to "fix" this problem...
@@zoomosis That's like saying traffic lights are bad because they have the walk and don't walk signals!
The fact of the matter is, though the road rule is different regarding this, in most cases the driver is going to give way to the pedestrian anyway and when they don't usually traffic is slowed down enough for you to safely pass between cars anyway.
Nice list. I lived in Melbourne for 7 years and you can see Kangaroos in the northern suburbs of the city especially before sunset or late at night. You will see them more the further you go out of cities, but Kolas are rare to spot outdoors as they are endangered. Plus, they sleep most of the day on top of trees.
I'm Australian. You think it's weird that we can drink water out of the taps. I think its weird that you can't!😂
Normally I do not defend New York City but. I don’t know the condition of your taste buds but New York City water quality is considered among the best in the USA. It is so clean it does not require treatment that most city supplies get. The newest water supply pipe into Manhattan is big enough to drive a double decker bus through. I a an Aussie who lived in the New York City area for twenty years and do not usually defend the USA but for this I make an exception.
In Perth all of our takeaway containers are made from plant fibre. I bought a cutlery set that I can easily carry around and use for lunch.
The bird that sounded like a screaming child was probably a catbird. Their call is certainly unique, and can shock you a bit the first time you hear it.
Australia bought a lot of roundabouts cheapely at a garage sale at considerable good price.
We use wooden cutlery because they use to be made from single use plastics (plastics that could only be used once). The containers are recyclable. The only time I have seen kangaroos in town is when visiting relatives who live in a very small town out west.
In Canberra, it's generally a dry heat. Places like Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, it's a very humid heat.
No, the power switches on the power outlets arent to save energy. We have a higher voltage grid in our homes, so we are legally required to put the power outlet with a switch in, to save getting electric shocked. Safety feature. I think you have 70 volts, we have like 180 or 220volts. Literally double the voltage. Most of our power grid is underground aswell.
Ah! Wollongong to Kangaroo Valley is 1hr away. Early morning and nearing sunset look at grassy fields and near watering holes.
Yea, one of my friends once said my city, Newcastle, seems like a place where someone sneezed and they put a roundabout wherever boogers went.
The plastic container thing is because the expectation is that you would reuse that container. Most of my tupperware (not the branded stuff), is stuff I got from the thai place around the corner.
Yes make part 2 and more vids of thoughts and experiences while in Australia.
My daughter in law is from Georgia but lives in LA with my son who she stole 10 years ago when she was in Melbourne studying so I can relate to much of what you have talked about. He has gone from growing up in a small country town of 3000 people to living and working in one of the most populated urban areas in the USA so he had to learn a lot and fast. The wildlife will vary depending on where you are as they have different environmental needs. If you are in "the bush" and it is thick you will find it hard to see anything as they will disappear before you get there. Kangaroos will be found in areas where you have open ground bordered by forest or bush cover and there is less urbanization. There are places in Australia where the water is ordinary with the worst capital city being Adelaide as it is the most arid capital city and most of its water comes from the end of the Murray river that is carrying a lot salt by then and is very hard due to the minerals in it as well. I don't know how much you have travelled but what you will notice is how small towns and cities are once you get away from the bigger centers and you can go very long distances without seeing houses and other signs of civilization. Outside of cities you will see much less traffic on roads than in the USA and their will be far fewer freeway type roads. The Americanization of Australia accelerated post WW2 and with the introduction of television picked up pace again but we still have our unique ways and if you get to the very beautiful country of New Zealand it will be different again. A must while you are here is Tasmania as it is unlike any other part of Australia and Hobart is our second oldest British type city. Post WW2 we have gone the LA type suburban sprawl route and even though we have more public transport we also have a big problem with traffic grid lock because of it and it shows no sign of changing. Enjoy your stay
That’s so interesting!! I have traveled quite a bit of NSW and some of Carins. I noticed the smaller town vibe when I went to the Blue Mountains for sure. I’d love to go to Tasmania and New Zealand as well if I had more time here, I’m unfortunately going home soon. I’d love to come back someday and really spend more time traveling Australia in more depth and experience all those things!
If you are from Cali, drop into the south of WA while you are here. Cool wet winter and hot dry summer.
No rain in the best time of the year to screw with your plans.
But spring time is the bomb. Wildflowers off their tits and mild weather while everything is still green👍
Enjoy the rest of your time here🍻
Yep, as an European I agree with:
- more roundabouts (I can confirm for Melbourne)
- more singing birds
- wooden utensils for takeout (but still plastic containers)
- I see also US influence on media
- since coming from country where cars drive on right side, it's also mentally hard to change to first look right-then-left when croasing the road as it's now already automatic for me
- power outlet switches were weird for me also but I got used to it. It's useful if you have plugged in something and just want to disable it without unplugging it (i.e. mozzie repellent plug in). Though power outlet is not consuming electricity just because it's not turned off. Appliances consume electricity, so if you unplug appliance it's just the same as switching it off on power outlet - so it's not a feature to save electricity.
- phone dial tone is a bit strange, just didn't give it a much thought until you mentioned it now 😅
Also,
- deadly things are not everywhere lurking to kill you
- everyone are very polite, for example when person exits the bus, they will tank the driver - which is nice but also weird for me because in my country we necer did this (as it was driver's job to drive and open doors on the bus stop)
Yep, Koalas were listed as endangered in 2022 in large part because of the large impact of 2019 bush fires across Australia, but Koala fossil history suggests that they've been a marginal species over many millennia. Koalas are also fussy eaters; only specific species of eucalypts, so if there are no eucalypts to their liking there are no Koalas there. Parts of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria are chockers with these guys. Even if Koalas are in a tree they can be hard to spot because they spend so much of their day sleeping.
As an extension of looking looking right then left (then right again) before crossing the road is the etiquette of walking on the left hand side of the sidewalk (pavememt).
Use your plastic takeaway containers for food storage.They only need a rinse.
So what is your impression of the beaches and swimming in the ocean seeing as you are living in a coastal city/town.
Laura, if enamoured by round-abouts visit Canberra.
And while there suggest do all the National institutions like the: war memorial, Parliament House, national gallery, questacon, national museum, etc. Can easily spend a half a day at each & still not see everything.
Symbio Wildlife Park just before Helensburgh 15-20 minutes north of Wollongong GREAT
place to see animals
Road crossing ... yes be careful. A work colleague's grandfather (Australian) was visiting the USA for the first time. He stepped off the kerb after looking the wrong way and unfortunately was struck by a vehicle and killed.
Australian outlets don't have switches for energy saving purposes - it's for isolation and safety - allowing you to plug in an appliance without it being immediately energized. The benefits are questionable, but it is what it is.
I think it's a great idea. Pushing an appliance's OFF switch means it's still drawing power. Pulling the plug to turn something off isn't ideal practise. Switches are convenient, safer and cost very little extra.
It's also to prevent children being electrocuted if they poke things in the holes.
Power points have a switch so you don't get electrocuted as our is 240v and the US is 120v so less likely
Our electrical outlets are not just to save energy but for safety. Our outlets have way more voltage than American outlets
I been in Tassie 55 years , I still hear bless you pretty much everyday but mainly by the over 30 age group, I see kangaroos and wallabys everyday but have never seen a koala in my life , also have never seen wooden cutlery and I eat lots of take away meals , maybe it's just a city thing or hasn't caught on in Tassie yet 😃. I enjoy your videos
That is so funny, and different to my experience...I live in the suburbs of Adelaide, we always say 'bless you' when someone sneezes.
Despite living in an area that is not very native animal friendly (as in just houses, busy roads, shops, schools etc), ....I have had a koala on my street that my sister and husband chased off our our busy road into a close by park. I have seen a kangaroo less than 100 metres from my house on a busy road traveling in the 'wrong direction' (towards the city rather than away) and have 2 times driven alongside kangaroos on the way to work driving through 'urban forests', which is a thing here in Adelaide's north east. So while I agree, we don't have kangaroos and koalas in our backyards.....sometimes we come close1
@annebaker9408 agree..it all depends where you live..I live in Newcastle and I've been driving to work in the morning and a mother kangaroo and joey came hopping towards me on the other side of the road and a place called Lemon Tree Passage only 40 km or so north of Newcastle you can see koalas in the trees on suburban streets.that could be due to habitat loss also,not sure though.😃✌️
I live in Launceston and have seen wooden cutlery. The first place I saw it was Morty's, the food mall, about 5ish years ago quite a few places have them. Horrible darn things leaves a terrible taste in the mouth. But better for the environment apparently but the they are wooden so possibly not.
As for hearing bless you my young nieces and nephews all say bless you. They all have great manners.
Thank you!!
Koalas only eat certain species of Eucalyptus, so even in higher numbers, you have to be in the right kind of bushland.
But even where they are plentiful, they can be hard to see, because they often sleep during the day rolled up in a little grey ball high up in the trees, so binoculars and a lot of patient searching is needed.
A spotlight at night will give more chances of sighting when they might be more active and lower down.
Kangaroos are busy transporting people around Sydney city - they have saddles and people can hop onto the saddle on their back and then can ride them hippity hoppity to your desired location. The ride takes a little getting used to as you move up and then down unlike say on horseback but they're reasonable to travel on.
3+ decades in the NY capital district tells me that our water is fine. I was actually motivated to move here because the water tastes better than in Worcester MA.
As you are in my city, if you want to see kangaroos etc head up to Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh about 30 mins north of the uni on the way to Sydney. There is also Shoalhaven Zoo near Nowra about 1 hour south of campus. It's so nice to hear Wollongong get a mention. As Australia's 6th largest city I'd expect to hear more but I don't. We are so close to Sydney I guess - but wth far less crowded beaches. I hope you really enjoy your time here.
Was it wallabies or deer that got stuck on the rocks last year at north Gong beach near Puckeys? Actually think it was deer from memory, my bad.
Kangaroo's and Emu are mostly active at night when it's cooler, during the middle of the day they are usually in a shady spot. You do see them during the day on cooler days. You need to travel in the country to see them. Koalas you need to look in all the gum trees up very high, Damn Cats and dogs kill them for sport.
I noticed that in the US the "GIVE WAY" sign say "YIELD".
We were taught to ‘ Look to the right, look to the left and look to the right again’ when we were kids years ago! In the US it would be Look to the left.
What will really burn your noodle .. is when your doing your grocery shop in Australia- It is standard practice to push your shopping cart down the left hand side of the shopping aisle.
Likewise pavement/side-walk walking.
Yes I’ve noticed that too! That also threw me off
I plan on moving to Melbourne in 6 months and I can’t wait!
In Canberra, the Kangaroos often do go into more built up areas, it was very common to see them in Woden Valley at one time. This would be while walking to your office etc.
More of your impressions of Wollongong, its my home town and its good to hear your thoughts 🤙
Will do!
Kangaroos are probably the biggest reason you see bullbars on the front of trucks (semis) and outback 4WDs. They tend to jump out in front of cars unfortunately, mostly at dawn and dusk.
There are still a lot of roos living in the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, especially the Arthurs Seat/Red Hill area.
Interesting comment on the switches, in Australia the voltage is 240v (UK 220v) and the USA is 110v . As I understand it, the USA did not want the 'deadly' voltage of the English system, whereas, the Australian folllowed the UK. The thinking behind this is/was that if you come into contact with live 240v you have a very good chance of being thrown off by muscle reaction; as opposed as the 110v thinking of that amount of voltage won't kill you.
Switches on power points are for safety as well as ability to conveniently completely turn an appliance off.
The switch should be off whenever inserting/removing the plug.
European sockets have the same voltage but no switches.
Switches on the socket mean you can switch off your appliances even if the appliance itself has no switch
Make a part 2, regarding koalas, I live in a semi remote area on the Tropic of Capricorn where they live. I've only seen 1 in the last 10 years. You literally have to go full scrub walking and know what you're looking for. They blend in the trees like little gum lumps. I've only seen about a dozen wild koalas in 40 years and I was a land surveyor so had ample opportunity to spot them. Often found their scats and signs but they are great at hiding.
Wollongong does have a lot of roundabouts, especially, near the university.
Roos are crepuscular so the best times to see them is around dawn and sunset
Come to Canberra, the roundabout capital of the world. Love your use of the word 'bush'. You got it right, koalas are really rare to see in the wild, but that's because they are really far into the 'bush'.
I found that when i moved from Victoria to Queensland, that Queenslanders don't say bless you as much.
Wooden disposable utensils are a new thing here, and they suck. Had them for a few years as plastic ones were made illegal.
Round abouts are cheaper to build and maintain than lights
We do not drive on the wrong si de of the road, we drive on the left side of the road.
Yeah, they think 'the right side' means 'the correct side' when all it means is 'not the left side'.
Laura, I am impressed with how healthy you look. Congratulations, as clearly you are not addicted to high sugar foods.
The USA would benefit from roundabouts. The experience of cultural imperialism-the US media presence - is real. Driving on the opposite side of the road is hard at start and gets easier, but be careful when leaving petrol stations or car parks because your muscle memory takes you the wrong side. Follow other drivers.
Wollongong Uni is world class. Nice campus. Good rep. Close to the beach, relatively.
Regarding “bless you”, it’s an archaic but still used formulation. We are pretty secular. “Bless you “ is an imposition of a belief system on someone else.
Roundabouts are rubbish. They help with traffic flow and but a major hazard for pedestrians.
Cultural imperialism? Nonsense. No one is forcing you to follow American media. And by the way, Rupert Murdoch was an Australian. We exported him to the US.
Agreed. We are more secular so some people don't feel comfortable saying it, I've heard more peope say gesundheit (wishing them good health to forestall bad health eg cold flu). We don't use religous phrases like the US does eg god bless america. Unfortunately our politicians some time mix the two (politics and religion) and they should never be mixed.
Hey, If you want to meet some kangaroos, wallabys etc (and pat them and feed them) plus koalas, tasmanian devils and lots of other Oz animals you can to go to Symbio Wildlife Park. It's just north of Wollongong. Take the coast road over the Seacliff bridge to Helensburgh.
I actually saw some in Kangaroo Valley yesterday!!
9:54 you won’t really find Kangaroo’s and Koala’s in the cities here, but as soon as you get out of the cities, you’ll see them. Definitely moreso Kangaroo’s in regional (country) areas. They are everywhere. Koala’s kind of hide away.
I saw some yesterday in kangaroo valley!!
Koalas are around in the bush, but you’ll have to go to their particular areas. I live in in Sydney and I have seen kangaroos in the suburbs.
the light switch thing is for enegy saving and child safety
Used to live in Wollongong 15 years ago, moved to QLD, the Gong was really nice, though was statring to get sh!t, Worked at the uni for a while, is she at uni?
Good list. An extra one is we can always go to the beach for free! And we don't have to tip!
Adelaide and the nearby hills have plenty of Koalas, as does Kangaroo Island
The not seeing wildlife thing is definitely where you are.
When you get out of the city you’ll see heaps!!!
But I will warn you, koalas are very difficult to see, even when you’re looking right at them as they blend in their environment.
And kangaroos are also relatively difficult to spot during the day, best times to see them is dawn and dusk.
Also you won’t really see many kangaroos in the blue mountains, you’ll have to head out to the flatter country, it’s more their country of choice 😘
You smile when you talk about Australia!