I've been living in Australia for almost 20 years from Arkansas (Don't at me). Australia is amazing. Not leaving, unless they drag me out! No place like it!
@@sgtcrab2569 here we go … hahaha What about the right to leave your door unlocked 😂 What about the right for a child to walk to school and not worry about gangbangers. Comparing the gun debate between two very different countries is asinine.
The guy doing this video (Tristan I think his name is), made a comment in 1 of his other videos about how he doesn't like the way it's law here in Aus to wear a helmet when riding both motorbikes and push bikes - The thing that American's forget, is that we're a small country, who provides free health care. The cost of providing for someone, the rest of their lives, who've been hit by a car, suffered a severe brain injury, is in the millions. So we have to have laws to make sure our population grows and is cared for, to support a growing economy. It's a fact of life that people make bad decisions, but when the rest of the community are paying for your bad decision with their taxes, to support your disability needs, well, that gives our government the right to put of stop to leaving those decisions in peoples hands, and make the correct choice enforceable by law, for the good of the whole country, not just the so called "rights" of the individual - our duty to each other comes before our individual rights here in Aus, and we like it that way, it helps keep the idiots in check, and our country safer for everyone......When American's have said to me "You Australian's don't know what freedom is", I laugh and reply with "Yep, you guys have the freedom to own guns, where as in Australia, we have the right to own a gun in the right circumstances, and ALSO have the right to not live in fear of being shot". That's normally the end of the conversation while they google, and disappear
@@louiserawle8999 It makes me cringe watching video's of kids overseas not wearing helmets. One of the best things our Aus government has done for the safety of our kids, and im so glad for it.
No one calls them traffic circles here in Oz. They are roundabouts, but they are everywhere. You can’t drive anywhere without encountering a roundabout.
My wife is American, and I'm an Aussie. One thing I've learned is that Australia maintains her infrastructure really well, while America, does not. Our roads are very good, and well maintained. Our buildings are maintained, and our parks are also well maintained. That's why it looks brand new. Also, when our infrastructure starts to look dated, we upgrade, and build new ones.
@@parko1308 I don't doubt that some roads in Australia are not as good as others, but what I said was true. I live in Vic at the moment, but I've also lived in NSW, QLD, NT and WA. I've never lived in SA or Tassie, but my wife and I have traveled all around and across Australia, we know the roads well. I'm guessing you've never been to America, or traveled much of it. The roads in America are a disaster. And my American wife attest to the fact that Aussie roads are far better than American roads. She spent 45 years driving all around America. I do agree, Vic roads are much better than the roads in NSW. Even as a kid, we'd holiday in Central NSW and the difference in the roads was obvious, even back in the 60s and 70s. But on a whole, Australia doesn't have a road or a highway as bad as America. I just asked my wife if America has any good roads, and she said, there are some good spots on American roads. She says it's the potholes that are the worst part in America. Our roads might have a pothole in edge of the road, but they get fixed, and pretty often. But in America, the potholes are all over the road, and they don't fix them. Google "American road condition" and see if they are better than you NSW roads.
@LC If you've never been to America, you will never relate! Take a look at some pictures or film footage of places in America. Detroit, Seattle, New York, Chicago, any of the big cities. They are falling down, and many cities are being abandoned because of the crime and the failing infrastructure. We have nothing bad enough to compare with America. Sure, they show a lot of nice clean places in some movies. But other movies show how bad it is.
meh, that money used to go in our pockets. I'd rather control my own money than be forced by my government to hand it to a faceless corporate entity. Does that seem right to you? Aside from the obvious ethical and moral argument superannuation is also, quite literally, our government abrogating its responsibility. For generations the equation was - work hard and pay your taxes, those taxes (part of them) pay for your retirement (pension). But the Aust. government couldn't meet that obligation due to their profligate spending and so, as usual, created laws that force citizens to pay for it on top of their existing tax commitments (which in Australia were already some of the highest in the developed world). It is not the 'win' that most people believe in my opinion.
in australia . i havnt even walked into a 'dmv' for at least 10 years lol . i do everything online . rego renewal , number plates , car transfers . trailers , boats . i do my insurance online , never have to leave home for my car or bikes , and only have to renew my licence every 5 years
Same in Victoria (VicRoads)… everything done online. Recently purchased a second hand car and needed to go to VicRoads to do the transfer. Was greeted as I entered, advised what forms to have completed, with a ticket to the counter. In/out in 30mins - pleasant surprise.
I just renewed my licence for the first time in 10 years here in Sydney. I wear glasses & I did the “paperwork” online & was given a time period to attend the local RMS for the eye test. Walked in, was greeted, shown to a desk, did the eye test & out. Seriously, it took 7 minutes & that included a chat with the employee 😂 It was awesome!
The Brisbane public lagoon is amazing and it’s been there for at least 20 years. It’s always very clean. We have parks built in to most suburbs with playground equipment.
4-5 weeks paid vacation and 3 weeks paid sick leave plus all public holidays per annum are the bare minimum for full-time workers in Australia. One week off per annum is wage slavery.
Called roundabouts in Canada, as well. In France, a standing joke about government is that when they can't figure out what to do, the solution is "build another roundabout!" 😜
You should check out our money, specifically our banknotes. Australia invented the polymer (plastic) banknote which is now used all around the world. check out a video called "Secrets of the Australian Dollar" its great.
YESSSS! Australian banknotes are brilliant, not only for the high-tech security features, but because each note is a distinctly different color (and beautifully designed) and a slightly different size, so they are easy to distinguish, even for the blind. There's no way you could accidentally mistake a $100 bill for $1 in a dimly-lit bar, as you could easily do in the US.
@@joshdrayton1230 I wish we still had $1 and $2 bills I love them when I travel overseas. But I think plastic notes are best when you get wet or wash your wallet with you clothes you still have your notes afterwards
The recent issue of Australian banknotes has a special feature for blind users apart from the size. If you know where to feel for it there are raised dots to tell you the denomination of the note. $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes have respectively 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 raised dots.
I live in Perth WA and have a great work life balance. My employer pays good superannuation and we get a bonus every year. They put on big lunches and morning tea for special occassions and if we need time off for appointments or family issues, it's never an problem. I'm pretty blessed actually.
The way the 5 cent thing works is that items priced at say $2.21 or $2.22 are rounded DOWN to $2.20; items costing $2.23 or $2.24 are rounded UP to $2.25; items priced at $2.26 or $2.27 are rounded DOWN to $2.25; and items priced at $2.28 or $2.29 are rounded UP to $2.30. So there is no need for coins less than 5 cents. However this only applies to cash payment. Credit cards etc., payments are not rounded to the nearest 5 cents with the actual price being paid instead.
Regarding the two buttons in the toilet, it's totally a water-saving measure. I think you have to have it by law. It gives you the option of a lower volume of water if it's not necessary to use a full flush. Great idea and so common here I don't think anyone even notices anymore
Toilets in north America are gross.. not just the splashback but the whole bowl being slowly drained from the very top, a swirling turd broth which can too easily get clogged. Just nasty...
@@leglessinoz you actually do need to have it but you don't have to retro fit old ones if you don't want to . Every new home built in last 20 years should have dual flush . Saying that nobody is gonna kick your door down for it either
I'm looking forward to the day when the toilet can sense which waste you passed, either liquids or solids and flush automatically, accordingly. So many people still push the full flush after urinating. It doesn't need that much water
When you live on the 2nd driest continent after Antarctica you learn how to save water and with the longest drought in America's history still ongoing maybe you lot might need to learn a few ideas as well . Tristan is from Texas by the way.
Most Australians in full time employment get 4 weeks paid annual leave each year. We also get about 10 days of public holidays each year, including Christmas, New Years day, 2 days over Easter, Labour Day , Australia day, ANZAC day, Queens (now Kings) Birthday and something called "Boxing Day" (which is the 26th of December). For most of these we get the to take the next working day off, if the actual day falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) . In Australia, in most cases, our drinking water is also used to flush toilets. The "dual flush" means that we "waste" less water by being able to choose a "half" flush when we do not need the full flush. While there are many parks like the ones shown, not every suburb has ones as elaborate as those. I live about 25 Km (16 miles) outside Melbourne and we have many parks (and skate parks). Some parks are fairly small at only a few acres with a slide and a few swings. Others are very large with one having a its own miniature railway. This railway is open on weekends and children and parents to go for a ride. I think there is a cost but I am not sure how much. It is run by rail enthusiast and not the government. That particular park also has a number of playing fields. I Australia (particularly in the cities) there are many coffee shops. They are either very good or they go out of business. People have many choices so they choose the ones who make coffee the way they like it. The best survive, to poorer ones do not. It is easy to pick the goods ones, they are the ones with people queued trying to get their coffee fix .
There are one or two huge parks in vicinity of most suburb areas, with bike areas, climbing ropes, huge playgrounds, climbing walls sometimes, mini train bikes on mini rails for kids. so ye its not just new ones.
In Australia, we pay slightly higher taxes than US citizens do, and one of those "taxes" are local area council rates paid by landowners backed up by state and federal government grants. That money is spent on our parks and their facilities (among many other things) to keep them up to date, functional and looking good no matter how old the park is. Not all parks are that amazing, there are many much smaller ones (pretty much everyone in an urban/suburban area or town is within walking distance to a park of some description), and there are some city councils that neglect some of their smaller parks, but generally speaking, our parks - even the small ones - are pretty amazing. A lot of Aussies don't realise how good our parks are until they go elsewhere or it's pointed out by someone from elsewhere, because we're so used to our parks being of such a high standard, we take it for granted and many Aussies simply aren't aware that it's not a world-wide normal for parks to be that good. Most parks are maintained daily, so they're kept very clean, and the majority of Aussies will clean up after themselves and not litter and destroy stuff, and if something is wrong, people will report it to the local council and it'll get fixed (unless it's one of the neglected parks owned by a slack council that needs to be voted out). So yeah, our taxes are a little higher, but we live much better lives and have much better public facilities of all sorts because of it. Drink driving is something taken very seriously here. A cop can pull over any driver at any time for a breath test. There's no walking lines and other time wasting nonsense involved. They pull you over, go to the driver's window, ask if you've had anything to drink today and to see your licence. You show them your licence (because some licence types may have restrictions that mean you have to be under 0.02 or at 0.00 depending on the licence and what type of vehicle you're driving), and whilst they're looking at it they hold the breathalyser for you whilst you count to ten by the blower, they read it a few seconds later, and if you're under your licenced limit, you're free to go (assuming nothing else is wrong). It takes only a few minutes and keeps our roads safe.
The problem with Americas tax system is that the treasury doesn't get enough from taxes to cover their costs and so have been using US bonds to cover it. But now we are seeing more countries wanting to move away from the US petrol dollar which means some hard times are coming for America.
RBT's are very standard, In New South Wales we have an electronic licence. State government mobile app our licence is on that. I never bring my card licence anyplace. it's just on my mobile. Even renew a licence, all online. I only have to go into a Service NSW (DMT) every 10 years to update my photo. Lagoon well not every park, most Sydney parks don't have Lagoon, but some low-lying areas do. But that acts more of a stormwater catchment to slow floodwaters. Toilets: Because Sydney is heavily Asian culture, we have Bidet's as well (The best thing EVER!) If you drive in NSW, you probity be caught some place for speeding, we have Mobile Speed camera's, we have Police with speed guns, Fixed Camera's and Arial (Google it)
I've lived in many places in Australia across 3 states and I have never been more than a few minutes walk from at least 1 Park and local councils do update the parks regularly to reflect the local communities needs so they do often look pretty new, they're pretty great for adults too and who hasn't had a quick play on the playground on the drunken stumble home 🤷♀️🤣🤣🤣
I've seen a few Americans start to do these 'Reacting' videos to Australia - it's a pretty fertile market since we seem to love hearing about how good we are of late ;) And I just wanted to say that you are one of the very few that has some very good insights and commentary on the differences between our not as similar as you'd think societies. Some of these videos (the original ones saying how great things are here) are a bit disingenuous as, like Tristans video you are commentating on, he's showing really good/new bits in high traffic areas, and mentions nothing of the decades old infrastructure in the suburbs that isn't as shiny or new. We aren't all beachside lagoons and shiny clean electric barbeques ;) Sushi places and Coffee shops yes, they are bloody everywhere! But a lot of our suburban parks are pretty small, quiet and ordinary. A lot of new housing developments have big new shiny parks that look nice - but have a real good look. They have these big parks because their houses take up the entire block and they have no yards anymore. I prefer a decent yard where I don't have to hear my neighbours breathing or arguing, or their kids bouncing their ball all day, but I'm a bit old fashioned like that :) I'm still trying to find this 'free sunscreen' by the way ... but then again, I'm older, I rarely ever wore it unless I went to the beach for the day. The CBD is the Central Business District. I didn't realise it was an unfamiliar term to Americans. It's basically the heart/core of the city. Where you'll find all the government buildings, corporate high-rise towers, historic centre of the city etc The suburbs spread out radially from there. RBT's are fine, no-one really cares about them anymore, they aren't that much of an inconvenience and are a lot better than some of the shenanigans we see on TV from the States where they make you get out of the car, tap your nose, walk in a line etc .... you just pull over, blow into the machine and drive off (or get arrested and charged if you're over lol), but despite that, we still get plenty of morons who are over the limit or impaired and will 'get done'. Most Aussies get 4 Weeks of paid annual leave (Full Time workers). Higher paid professional occupations tend to have more individual agreements/contracts, whilst lower-paid more trades and technical oriented occupations tend to fall under Award Agreements and or Enterprise Bargaining Agreements. I'll also mention here - most of us get an extra 17% of our pay while on Annual Leave as well. These Agreements/Contracts will dictate how much paid time you are entitled to etc and some people negotiate more time off or less and balance it out with higher or lower pay. For example, I can go to 6 weeks of annual leave but at my regular rate of pay instead of 4 weeks of annual leave and my pay rate plus 17%. Australia is a very strong pro-Union/Collective Agreement nation. Our entire Left side of Politics - the Labor Party, was founded upon Unionism/Workers Rights. Aussies collectively won't put up with much shit from their employer. We have very strict labour laws and workplace entitlements, that have been hard fought for for over a century. Things like the 40 hour work week, Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity etc were won by Unions for workers here. The anti-Union crap we see from the likes of Amazon in the US wouldn't fly for a second here. Amazon would be sued out of existence in Australia if they tried half the stuff they do in the US here ;) So yeah, we have a really good work/life balance, and we enjoy it ;) Lastly - not a single Aussie calls them 'Traffic Circles'. They are called Roundabouts ;)
I'd rather them not do these videos as this shines the spotlight on us and makes them more likely to immigrate and bring their regressive values here. Although not a perfect country, we have a happy medium here and I'd like for us to keep it that way.
We have nice parks everywhere in Australia - they look new because they are well maintained and renewed often. Regarding the sunscreen, it's cheaper to subsidise sunscreen than it is to subsidise skin cancer treatment. And the sun burns different here - you can literally get third degree burns if you don't cover up or use sunscreen. The DMV thing is even better than what he described - I can register my car, renew my car licence and boat licence, all online. The only time you need to go in is if you are registering a car for the first time, or doing your licence test.
also the sunscreen in aus is better, assuming you can find sunscreen in aus that < 30 + if you wanted but standard in AUS is 30 +, but in the US suncreen was both expensive and was difficult to find 30 +. You would go in and ask for sunscreen and it was mostly "Tanning Oil" When I was working in the US I had to get about 10 litres of shipped from aus in one of our parts orders
Registered my new to me car online too! The previous owner filled out the selling my car form on his vicroads and I filled out a buying someones car form on mine and done and dusted! It was much better than I was expecting
@@richardthomson4693 Same in the UK. It's hard to find sunscreen above SPF 15 in most stores. It goes as low as SPF4 there and all I think ffs what a fast way to the grave!
I live in rural South Australia close to the border of Victoria in a town of 5000 people. We have a massive, well kept park that actually has apple trees growing around outside it for the public to pick, it has a bbq area with 4 electric bbqs and a public toilet with disability access and baby change area. we have a really nice skatepark, tennis and netball courts all along a main strip that is next to the public library and gallery/theatre. About 800mtrs from that we have what he called a lagoon but here we call it the swimming lake which has been there for 52years now, that is chlorinated and during winter months is drained and cleaned, it has a great takeaway shop next to it and a volleyball area plus the council are currently installing a new small park at the lake. It’s wonderfull!
We had a popular TV show about the random breath testing called RBT. It was a great show. Gave rise to many iconic moments such as ‘Just waiting for a mate’.
Of all the reaction channels on OZ, which seems to be a growing thing lately, I’m impressed. You are the youngest but the smartest and most genuine in your views. Well spoken too. Keep pushing mate, I think your good work will pay off! Caveat; Not dissing you iWrocker, you are the OG and the nicest of blokes on You Tube 😂
The type of videos that Tristan makes, whilst informative has to be put into context. Aussie is not immune to issues. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Aussie born and bred living in Brisbane and I’ve lived in the UK, Switzerland and New Zealand, and frankly wouldn’t live anywhere else. Living at the bottom of the world has its advantages……😀
The marketing and channel growth of channel just doing negative videos on peoples doesn’t make much sense. Also, said negative media isn’t as readily available in comparison. He will get to them, I’m sure. He has disagreed with a few things already, so he is genuine.
@@Droo75 Hi Droo75, I do agree with you 100% and its nice to see Australia in a positive light. Just saying we have to temper the good with the (not so) bad....😀
My point still stands, he will get there. Although, reaction channels are an escapism too. You can’t judge him for how he decides to run this though. I know it’s a suggestion, not busting chops. Anyway, he is a good unit. Some of the other ones are slimey ASF. Specifically Rob Reacts. Let me know if you want to hear that story. He is a cretin.
Tristan did make a balancing video about the things he does't like about Australia, or that he thought we could do better, and anther RUclips reactor slayed him in a return video, arguing with Tristan's points.
13:53 it's called RBT (Random Breath Test). They randomly block a lane of a road and grab a bunch of cars to test. when the test lane is full, they let the rest go until they free up space.
13:22 - ah yes RBTs (random breath test) the way they’re set up too is really good - you can get one anywhere any day of the week but you’ll see them more over the weekends - they set up close to areas that are likely to have a high consumption of alcohol (clubs/pubs). We also have what’s called Double Demerits. I don’t know how the US road laws work or if you have a similar thing, but full licensed drivers have 12 points on them (I think?) those points can be taken away for traffic infringements, depending on what it is. Say you get done at a red light camera (going through a red light, it’ll take a picture) you’ll get a fine and a certain amount of points off your license. If your points reach zero, your license is suspended. On special long weekends or holidays (Christmas Day, Easter long weekend) they essentially give incentive to not be a dick on the roads by doubling any points you lose over that period. So if running the red light costs you 2 demerits on a normal day, it would lose 4 on Christmas Day.
Many many years ago I was working in the steel works in Port Kembla NSW, on afternoon shift (3.20pm - 11.20pm) & a forman came up to me a said "air records say you haven't taken holliday's for 18 months, & as of tomorrow you are on holiday & you can have 2 weeks, 4weeks or 6 weeks." I thought about it for 10 seconds & said I'll take 4 weeks then in 6 months I'll take another 4 weeks. And that's what I did.
Great reaction mate. In regards to the NSW version of DMV (Services NSW), the ones in our area of Sydney (Hills District) are pretty good, if you are in there for more than 20 minutes for the longest transaction, it would be unusual. It wasn't always this way, we had our own version of DMV hell that was phased out about 20 years ago - thank goodness. Re Random breath testing, again in Sydney, they will set up and normally take 6 drivers at a time - rarely the entire road. In regards to the parks, he is showing some fairly flashy facilities, and yes, they are in many places. Again in our area, we have three major parks (each one is the size of 3 football fields) - great for exercise/sport , but we also have access to the bush (forest) with hundreds of miles of walks. In Sydney, most of the population is also within one hour of the ocean, and Sydney alone has about 100 beaches to choose from..
Totally agree with everything he said. The slang… we have lots of ‘Aussie’ terms 😂. South Bank the lagoon in Brisbane was built after Expo 88 as a gift to the people. It has developed over the years to change with the times. South Bank is amazing, there is so much to offer everyone, check it out! Every suburb in cities and every town has multiple parks.
30 years ago, the registration branch in Melbourne Australia was a nightmare, every time I had to go I should’ve bought a cut lunch because you’ll be there all day & after waiting 3 hours in one line & you finally get to the counter, they had no idea what to do then send you to the back of another line 🙄. It’s much better now.
With the alcohol testing, you can see it a mile away because they have the bus, plus another bunch of cop cars with their lights on. If you try to turn down a side street to avoid it, theres usually a cop car parked down that side street catching everyone trying to avoid the testing - they are so sneaky!!
I will also say in regards to point 11 that they do also have random stop points as well that are single cop cars. Along side that there is a whole TV series called 'RBT' where a camera crew will go to different areas and follow RBT crews who are doing their jobs and then they show the public a select few of those interactions.
I'm an Aussie living in the States at the moment, and funnily, I've lamented the lack of cut watermelon in stores (also cut cantaloupe and squash) AND sushi-train style restaurants several times!
Most of the parks are updated every few years, the play areas are updated and repaired/replaced. The water parks are fairly well maintained as part of the local government services. There’s a park in my home town that has the wild bird rehab facility in a public park that’s been there for almost 100 years. It got an entirely new playground about 10 years ago and a new rotunda that was being removed from the town center.
Those lagoons would make great skating rinks here in Canada! Roundabouts just have to be more fuel efficient, without all that stopping and starting. Quarter watermelon is sold in Canada too. I agree with you Joel about America's lack of work-life balance - workaholics - Puritan influence? I saw this with my US Army colleagues working in Canada. We had to retrain them into taking a break and having fun. Canada is more like Australia and the UK in this regard. With Australia's beauty, it would be tough to go to work anyway!!! Great video. Thanks, Joel
Canada is high on my list and the US is close to the bottom I live in Australia and have traveled to UK,Italy, Singapore, Dubai Switzerland and France Canada seems like a fun relaxed place and not paranoid like the US.
@@suncitybooksgeraldton335 As a kid we were taught that Australia was our sister country in the Commonwealth. There's more than a grain of truth in that. We have a hard time taking ourselves seriously.
@@suncitybooksgeraldton335 YES. I agree the U.S. is a very paranoid. As a tourist or transiting (5 times) nearly got shot in the U.S. Very violent country. U.S. worst country I have been in. I've been to15 countries.
Parks are generally run by local government. They engage the community door pretty much every step of the way. Families who live near the park will be surveyed to get an understanding of what it is the community wants (some communities want water features, others want climbing features, others want ground features, others want skateboard/cycle/walking features etc). Various designs will be submitted for public feedback and a vote will be taken to determine the most desired option. There's also generally regulations that local governments will enforce that requires a certain percentage of natural habitat or flora space within the park area. This helps sustain local wildlife and can also help local children build connections with the land on which they live. For example of the park is near waterways you'll get vegetation planted that supports nesting for waterbirds, or you'll get a lagoon or stream incorporated that promotes breeding of aquatic life. Local rock type will be used for seating (sandstone for example) and trees and undergrowth will all be native to encourage local native Birdlife and other animals such as Echidna, Reptiles, possum and sugar gliders etc. We view our parks as major community assets and it's not uncommon to see them packed out every day of the week through hotter months as families will have birthday dinners at the park instead of indoors so the kids can enjoy the outdoors and the adults can relax amongst the trees and noise of nature.
Locals pay for parks out of shire rates I think in usa they county rates. Responsible for garbage bins but the rates go up every year by 5 per cent and we have had enough. The money ends up in wef.
that public lagoon he showed with the big silver fish, is in Cairns FNQ where I live and is maintained by the city council. It has a cleaning schedule once a week vacuum and every year it gets completely drained and cleaned from top to bottom. And yes 90% of Australia's parks do look like that they are constantly maintained and upgraded by the city council in which it resides
Australian here - yes mate you’re right. Living in Australia is about as close to Utopia as you’re going to get in this world. Very grateful to live here!
Our parks in Australia are very good and very well maintained so they tend to look new. And they get upgraded every so often. As a mother, I appreciate it.
New South Wales for rego on your vehicle is called Service New South Wales. I go there few times a week as I work in a car dealership. I can get 3 cars done in about 30 mins to an hour depending if busy or quiet. You can also get other types of services done hard also. Boat licence, car truck etc. Birth certificate, car, bike and heavy vehicle licences and like things of that matter. So yes to get something done and need to go in and sort it out you'll normally have it done in about 30 mins.
Great reaction video Joel. I live in Newcastle, New South Wales in Australia and a lot of what he says is totally correct. We live an ordered lifestyle where if you obey the laws you have no issues. We don’t have many people crying about their “constitutional rights being infringed” as our laws govern our behaviour. It works pretty well most of the time.
I lived in the US and believe me Americans have no clue how to use roundabouts correctly. There’s a simple law in Australia that you ‘give way’ to the right. Meaning you ‘give way’ to any car approaching from the right, you then get a turn when other cars go straight ahead or go left. It’s very efficient and practical as it makes the traffic flow faster.
The actual rule is you give way to a vehicle that is already on the roundabout. if you are approaching a roundabout and will enter the roundabout before a vehicle approaching from your right you have the right of way. Unfortunately one of the downsides of Australia is that most people do not know basic road rules such as indicating and giving way on a roundabout, zip merging and highway on ramp merging which makes driving difficult. if only a short test was required when renewing your license this would eliminate much of this ignorance. To avoid an accident knowledgeable drivers give way to the right on small roundabouts to avoid an accident with a road rules moron.
@@MrSouthernlord I thought it was obvious that if you’re already in the roundabout you don’t ‘give way’ to the right. As I said it only applies when you’re approaching/entering the roundabout.
Round-a-bouts are a good idea in theory, most people don't know how to navigate them and get nervous and hesitate a lot. We have one in Caloundra that is notorious for causing excessive amounts of traffic because people stop when they don't need to and wait for no one.
Tristan refers to lagoons as being common...actually more like public swimming pools with the occasional lagoon if you live by the sea with an inlet to replenish the lagoon. The public parks are very common, and have been around for many decades, and some of the renovated playground equipment is provided near large tenement buildings etc.
About slang: We also have different slang from city to city over here. For example, here in Adelaide/South Australia we call the clothes you swim in "bathers", whereas in other states they call it other things like togs or swimsuit.
I live inner city and Brisbane and our lagoon is always beautiful and clean. I am 5 min walk from it. It's nestled by the river, and beautiful parks and nature walks. I think with Australia being a warmer climate and outdoor life and recreation is why our parks/lagoon are so well maintained.
Just to be fair next you should do a video about some things Australia could learn from America. Though being an Australian I'm sure there aren't too many things 😜
Hi James, I hate to say this BUT I have visited African, British, European, South American and Asian countries (Thank you Army) and I can assure you that the video you propose would be fairly short. I don't mean to insult but the only two things are how expensive it is to live in Australia and how much tax we pay for all the free services we enjoy here. I encourage anyone who hasn't visited us downunder to do so, you may be impressed...
@@davidpalmer4184 absolutely they should visit. Our crocodiles are nearing the primary feeding period of the year, and they love Americans and German tourists. I wonder what tastes better? Grain, corn or grass fed vegans ?
@@davidpalmer4184 I already live here. I was born here. And having lived the entirety of my life (43 years) here, indeed I am very impressed. I think you may have missed the last part of my comment perhaps?
@@davidpalmer4184 Yeah - thats the trade off. You get all these amazing things. But you have to pay for them with taxes, and expensive service industry. Its one or the other.
The parks are very dependent on the budget of the city. Larger city's will obviously have more infrastructure and heaps more stuff to do in general. The toilets have heaps less water because most of the country is a desert and we have annual droughts. The government does not subsidise our sunscreen this is an odd thing to me as an Australian lol. Work life balance is aweosme you can also save up your leave and 8nweeks or so in a year. We also have long service leave so if you have worked at the same place for 10 years you get upto 12 weeks paid leave free as a loyalty reward. There are also police cars that will drive around and breath test you for no reason at all, They will also go over your car and find any defects and potentially tow your car and impound it
We place roundabouts on straight roads to reduce the speeding on streets as well as have flowing traffic instead of the stopping and starting. The beach pools or lagoons only are in posh places and in Brisbane. There is none in Sydney. Sunscreen in Australia is rated for us differently to others because we are so close to the equator that business have to submit their products to have the SPF number on their products. Parks and playgrounds are looked after by our local government, which get a budget for upkeep and maintenance and sometimes rebuilds. Our local grocery store like Coles and Woolworths have now implemented programs that all the leftover food that would otherwise be thrown in the bin go to charities and organisations for packages to give out to the people in need.
Try us on the American slang. We get exposed to so much stuff out of America that you might be surprised how much we know about the US compared to what people there might know about us. We have so many A list actors who can nail regional accents from New York, Boston, Texas etc. that you might be surprised. Margot Robbie in the Wolf of Wall Street is a common one Americans might refer to but there are heaps of other examples. Coincidentally, this doesn't have a lot to do with slang, but when I was at University living with a bunch of Americans the two words they though stood out in a funny way that we used regularly were "heaps" and "reckon".
Re: the public lagoons - I live in Brisbane and the lagoon at South Bank is managed to have extremely clean water; it is frequently tested by the regulator
Parks here in Australia are kept clean by the councils in that area and usually are pretty clean and respected by patrons as a peak periods. You can expect some unexplained issues with toilets and bathrooms, but most of the time can be okay as you noticed the beaches and parks are kept fairly clean as that’s how we like it
There seems to be a general consensus that American Drinking Laws are ridiculous. Not only with people I've talked with, but also from the responses to my comments. After all you can legally get married and join the military at 18, but you can't buy a drink. I'm an Aussie and I'll never forget buying my first drink at a pub (bar). I was held back a year so I was 18 when I graduated High School. My Sister and her family had come for a visit and we went for lunch at a pub. I ordered a drink and my Brother-in-law said "But you're not 18!" Replied "Yes I am as of a few days ago!" So I handed over my Student Identity Card and received my drink from the barman. It was an Aussie Classic Bundy (Bundaberg Rum) And Coke. Bundaberg is a town in Queensland where that Rum is made. There's also a Softdrink (Soda) company that makes wonderful drinks that are going over very well overseas including in America. They're brewed and they use fresh fruits etc with Cane Sugar as well much less acid. Don't be afraid to try Bundaberg Ginger Beer it won't hurt your throat. A very excited Ian from IWroker recently discovered 12 packs at your Costcos for $16. Not bad for something imported.
In Australia every suburb has planed natural walk trails. In my Suburb in Melbourne, just behind my house is an amazing walk trail along the river. You surrounded by nature and it feals like you are somewhere in the wild.
Aus government takes drink driving pretty seriously, you should check out a compilation of Australia’s scary driving PSA’s, probably not something you would want to make a video of, they’re a bit dark, but it might interest you to check a couple out on you’re own.
major cities around Australia are all build around rivers, So they really tie into the atmosphere. they also stay clean, they are filtered just like any pool, but also it is up to the citizens to keep them clean you will rarely find rubbish around because there are always bins nearby.
I am from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland (an hour north of Brisbane, but south of Cairns). If you're thinking of moving to Australia you should definitely check it out. Home to Australia Zoo and lots of beautiful beaches. Plenty of free access BBQs and parks. There is a footpath (sidewalk) that spans the entire length of the Sunshine Coast coastline. The "Sunshine Coast Pathway" is 73km long. Also, it was arguably the "safest" place in the world during the pandemic. Population of the Sunshine Coast is 345,000 as per 2021 census. There is an incredible arty culture, whatever it is you are into there is a club for and an organic / vegan / health food and fitness culture here on the Sunshine Coast.
@@heatherfruin5050 You're right, WA was the safest place to be during the pandemic. Apart from the initial lockdown we had, I think, one 5 day lockdown and a 1 or 2 day lockdown.
I'm a 42 yo Aussie from Melbourne. Im a musician and video game developer. I'm really impressed by your overall vibe and ability to see outside your own inner circle at your age. Colour me very impressed sir. Subscribing to your channel. I'd be more than happy to answer all and any question regarding our politics, lifestyle, etc here in AU. Be it just random questions or interview like. Really like your channel and your openness for constructive criticism in regards to your own culture.
yeap Booze Buses (Officially "RBT" - Random Breath Testing) is a thing (more recently drug testing too). So much so there's even a TV show about it (I think called 'RBT' - there's probably some highlights on youtube). One thing we struggle to understand is how the US testing works (we don't have physical tests like "recite the alphabet" or "stand on one leg"). There are 2 separate offences basically "Driving under the influence" and "Driving over the prescribed limit" - the first is up to the opinion of the police (but I suspect is incredibly hard to prosecute if it goes to court) the second is from registering high on a breathalyser and is harder to contest. These days all police carry a breath testing device and any time you're pulled over you can be tested (there was a lot of opposition to this - because people are afraid it would allow police to target people they don't like)....
The duel flush system for toilets has been around for about 40 years. It has more to do with water conservation than poo and pee. I am not sure about it being law, but single flush systems were phased out back in the early 90's. Some Public toilets appear to have a single button but the tanks are only 1/2 the size. The Booze Buses are my favourite. As long as you blow under 0.05 you can go happily. Blow over 0.05 and you are in trouble. PS: The "get out of the car and walk a straight line" or "Touch your nose with your finger" is stone-age mentality. Most slang is country wide but some is state or city specific.
The big thing about parks, play areas, beaches, even trails in Oz compared to the US is that kids are actually encouraged to take small risks. In the US this helicopter parenting epidemic is actually dangerous. My 12-yr old grandsons travel by train to/ from school eight times a year, 1800km, 26 hours, alone. They'd be horrified if their parents insisted on accompaning them. The parks encourage pushing the limits a bit, with supervision being less obvious. Older teens generally keep a careful eye on younger grommets at surfing spots, but lifeguards are around, just less obtrusive. Look after your kids, but don't smother them seems to be the Aussie way of parenting, exemplified by how play areas are designed. Btw, it is similar in most of Europe and in NZ too.
From what I have read from Americans, the reason for the 'helicopter' parenting by normal families is because the American child services is so over- vigilant that anything that threatens a child could result in the child and siblings being removed from the family. Then there is their gun culture ....
Absolutely, I remember my mum (who works in childcare) getting my brother and I to run round and get into as much danger as possible in parks. Then we’d go through the dangers after so she could write a risk assessment. Though helicopter parenting has gotten more common here
An Aussie here from Melbourne. Just to clarify on the public parks thing, whilst I agree that us Aussies have high quality public parks across most of our cities, the lagoons which he mentions only typically appear in Queensland due to the warmer climate.
The pools in Brisbane are part of Southbank, a long stretch along the river, it has a great big playground and a good smaller one, tons of public seating, electric bbqs, grassy areas, gardens, markets on the weekends, tons of restaurants and cafes nearby, and museum, state library and 2 art galleries, and the convention centre, and Southbank often has free events, I go there often. At one end there's a walkover bridge to Griffith Uni, which is built on the edge of what is a pretty big botanic gardens for being in the middle of a city, not Central Park big, but decent. Southbank was part of the industrial sector of the city, but was transformed when Brisbane hosted the World Expo in '88, so only 34 years, but it was a massive transformation, and they're constantly improving on the space. In my experience, most parks have at least a seating area, and bbq areas and playgrounds are quite common, perfect for picnics and kids birthdays, and many parks by rivers have water play areas, and overall, are much better kept than the parks I saw during my trip to America. Sunscreen is so cheap, we recently had to throw out a ton of expired tubes, cause we keep forgetting to take it with us so we'd just by a tube for a dollar or two, and some places do provide it for free, my local shopping centre has it next to the 2 play areas, one of which also has a water play area. And yeah, the transport department is relatively painless, our drivers ed is different too. First you have to pass a road rules test, then you can get your Learners permit, or L's, then you need to log 100 hours with someone on their opens in the passenger seat (might be 200 now), first 3 hours with a driving instructor counts 30 hours to that time. Then you have your drivers test, and if you pass you get your Provisional licence, or P's, Red P's first, and Green P's after a year and a hazard perception test. You cannot drink while on your L's or P's, and after another year you can get you Open licence. Different states have different rules, like in NSW Learners have to drive at least 10km under the speed limit, but it's partially supposed to make sure everyone has enough experience before they're able to drive after a couple drinks. Overall I'd say come for a visit to see some of this stuff for yourself :)
another huge thing about pools is that the ones that are facilitated and are set up like actual swimming pools are ridiculously cheap, theres a pool nearby my house and i live near the city so its all urban surburb and its legit like a 2 dollar entry, you just chuck em a gold coin and youre good for the day
I'm from Sydney and now live in Perth - this guy is definitely talking about some stuff that's specific to Queensland, especially the beach/tourist towns. The lagoons look amazing, but I've never seen them in Sydney or Perth. Perth has so many gorgeous beaches that there's no need, and Sydney has a lot of public pools and ocean pools (basically a concrete pool tacked right on the edge of the ocean that fills with seawater - ocean swimming without the waves or depth). Free sunscreen everywhere is definitely a Queensland thing too, because they get a lot of sun. Sunscreen is very cheap nationwide though, and a lot of businesses and workplaces just have a huge sunscreen dispenser for people to use, but it's not guaranteed. I do very strongly agree that our work/life balance is great (though it varies by industry obviously). The national standard is 4 paid weeks off per year, and a lot of workplaces let you "purchase" more - for example, if you want 2 extra weeks in the year, you can sacrifice 2 weeks of pay, which is spread out over the year, so you're only missing out on a few hours of pay from each paycheck. Great if you want to go on a long trip somewhere. The "DMV" equivalent where I live is pretty great, it's almost entirely online. I haven't walked into one of their offices in 7 years. Sushi rolls are the best. My go-to quick lunch.
NSW equivalent to the DMV used to be called the RTA (Road Traffic Authority) which was pretty much as you described, being a miserable, soulless place with horrible people but now it's integrated the government departments into one and it's a lot more friendly and customer orientated with someone greeting you as you enter and seeing what you want to do whether it be doing it online or seeing someone at the counter.
Your reaction to our “Booze Buses” and RBT stops made me LOL😆😆😆 Not uncommon to be stopped at least once a month for a check. In fact, last long weekend in South Australia, we got stopped 3 times in the 1 day in a 2hr period! Another thing, if you refuse a breath test when asked, they usually arrest you and take you to the nearest police pending a blood sample to be taken. We don’t muck around here with drink/drug driving👌👌👌
@@nathanbartlett2770 WOW 8 times in a day is amazing! True, when I lived in Western Vic, I think I got stopped 3 times in 10 years. Even then the local Police would roll their eyes everytime they stopped a local🤣🤣🤣
That second playground the guy shows at 1:09 is speers point, it's a massive public park and lots of things are hosted there, been there dozens of times and that one picture doesn't even include a quater of the play area there
Walking home from Kwinana speedway one night drunk and we came across a booze bus, I was worried they would stop us and breath test us, thinking we had dumped the car somewhere 🤭
@@Trinkette__00 LMAO, yeah, the police sure love the motorplex on race night......I'm in Mandurah, and they love Pinjarra Rd and Coast Rd down here during Xmas holiday's, coz they also catch the Ravo ;pub goers on the same stretch lol
I have 3 local parks within 10min walking distance. One is a bit dated and very small, but clean and safe. The second is slightly larger, the facilities were updated slightly and is close to the local shops. It is very popular with the locals, and I frequently see people relaxing and kids playing there. Then there is the largest one in the area with a huge open space. It is well maintained, the trees are trimmed and there is a free barbeque area. This isn't any fancy suburb either, and the parks have been there my entire life, so I can confirm that parks can look that nice.
Land developers in Australia usually pay something extra to the local government towards creating parks and other facilities when they develop new residential subdivisions.
No the Shires get the money out of the annual shire rates. The Shires put rates up 5 per cent, every year it is getting ridiculous. 2,100.00 is the average. Higher value house more it cost. Park benches are only put into place if a local householder donates it.
@@denisehitchens1418 wrong, developers pay through developer contributions, in NSW its called 'Section 7.11 (of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act) Developer Contributions'. Rates will pay for maintenance, but not establishment.
In my small town we have a rather ordinary skateboard park that was built where a US Armed Forces Military Corrective Establishment stood in WWII (and we have a couple of tennis courts near some football grounds, which make it all a complex).
The spiders! ("What's wrong with Australia!?") 😄 Not just them - some of the most venomous creatures in the world live in Australia - but we've seen your reaction to spiders in other videos, and I'm with you 100 percent!
The spiders are gonna be creepy to people with a fear of them. But they really aren't that dangerous. Like zero people in the past 50 years have died from a spider bite in Australia.
The dual flush toilet was first proposed by American Victor Papanek in 1976, but the first one that actually worked was designed and built by Australian Bruce Thompson in 1980. We get droughts from time to time in Australia so it was a useful and timely invention.
The usual holiday’s here in Oz is 4 paid weeks per annum and you actually get paid 17 percent more for going on holiday. If you work for someone for 10 years you get 12 weeks paid leave. Its called long service leave. Average working week is 38 hours.
I've been living in Australia for almost 20 years from Arkansas (Don't at me). Australia is amazing. Not leaving, unless they drag me out! No place like it!
Glad you are here brother 💯👍🇦🇺
@ you
😂
Yea! But what about our second amendment?
@@sgtcrab2569 here we go … hahaha
What about the right to leave your door unlocked 😂
What about the right for a child to walk to school and not worry about gangbangers.
Comparing the gun debate between two very different countries is asinine.
@@sgtcrab2569 The Second Amendment is a good reason too leave the U.S. You find out other countries are much safer too live in!!
I'm an indigenous Australian and i am glad people like you are willing to learn and live in this beautiful sunburnt country. ❤
The guy doing this video (Tristan I think his name is), made a comment in 1 of his other videos about how he doesn't like the way it's law here in Aus to wear a helmet when riding both motorbikes and push bikes - The thing that American's forget, is that we're a small country, who provides free health care. The cost of providing for someone, the rest of their lives, who've been hit by a car, suffered a severe brain injury, is in the millions. So we have to have laws to make sure our population grows and is cared for, to support a growing economy. It's a fact of life that people make bad decisions, but when the rest of the community are paying for your bad decision with their taxes, to support your disability needs, well, that gives our government the right to put of stop to leaving those decisions in peoples hands, and make the correct choice enforceable by law, for the good of the whole country, not just the so called "rights" of the individual - our duty to each other comes before our individual rights here in Aus, and we like it that way, it helps keep the idiots in check, and our country safer for everyone......When American's have said to me "You Australian's don't know what freedom is", I laugh and reply with "Yep, you guys have the freedom to own guns, where as in Australia, we have the right to own a gun in the right circumstances, and ALSO have the right to not live in fear of being shot". That's normally the end of the conversation while they google, and disappear
Just visit a children's hospital and see what NOT wearing a Helmut can do !!!!
Helmet
@@louiserawle8999 It makes me cringe watching video's of kids overseas not wearing helmets. One of the best things our Aus government has done for the safety of our kids, and im so glad for it.
@@roslynjonsson2383 yay!! I fully agree 👍 💯
@@roslynjonsson2383 Apart from the gun laws that is!
Hear in Melbourne we also call them roundabouts, Nobody calls them traffic circles
I only heard the term traffic circles when I had a company car with an American navigation system.
That's because they are Roundabouts, Traffic Circles work differently and are not nearly as safe.
No one calls them traffic circles here in Oz. They are roundabouts, but they are everywhere. You can’t drive anywhere without encountering a roundabout.
@@Crosshead1 That's because we don't have any. They have different rules.
lol same in Brisbane
My wife is American, and I'm an Aussie. One thing I've learned is that Australia maintains her infrastructure really well, while America, does not. Our roads are very good, and well maintained. Our buildings are maintained, and our parks are also well maintained. That's why it looks brand new. Also, when our infrastructure starts to look dated, we upgrade, and build new ones.
ppfff really? where do you live in Aus?, try coming to the Far North Coast N.S.W. . The roads are phucked.
@@parko1308 I don't doubt that some roads in Australia are not as good as others, but what I said was true.
I live in Vic at the moment, but I've also lived in NSW, QLD, NT and WA. I've never lived in SA or Tassie, but my wife and I have traveled all around and across Australia, we know the roads well. I'm guessing you've never been to America, or traveled much of it. The roads in America are a disaster. And my American wife attest to the fact that Aussie roads are far better than American roads. She spent 45 years driving all around America.
I do agree, Vic roads are much better than the roads in NSW. Even as a kid, we'd holiday in Central NSW and the difference in the roads was obvious, even back in the 60s and 70s.
But on a whole, Australia doesn't have a road or a highway as bad as America.
I just asked my wife if America has any good roads, and she said, there are some good spots on American roads. She says it's the potholes that are the worst part in America. Our roads might have a pothole in edge of the road, but they get fixed, and pretty often. But in America, the potholes are all over the road, and they don't fix them. Google "American road condition" and see if they are better than you NSW roads.
@@crustydownunder in Australia all the roads in the last 2 years have gone the shit
With all the rain lately I can't drive 10 metres without running into a pothole, they fix em up halfassed most the time too lol
@LC If you've never been to America, you will never relate! Take a look at some pictures or film footage of places in America. Detroit, Seattle, New York, Chicago, any of the big cities. They are falling down, and many cities are being abandoned because of the crime and the failing infrastructure. We have nothing bad enough to compare with America. Sure, they show a lot of nice clean places in some movies. But other movies show how bad it is.
He forgot no 13 superannuation. Where you don’t just fund your retirement but your employer also has to contribute at least 9%
10.5% now actually and will be 11% next financial year.
meh, that money used to go in our pockets. I'd rather control my own money than be forced by my government to hand it to a faceless corporate entity. Does that seem right to you? Aside from the obvious ethical and moral argument superannuation is also, quite literally, our government abrogating its responsibility. For generations the equation was - work hard and pay your taxes, those taxes (part of them) pay for your retirement (pension). But the Aust. government couldn't meet that obligation due to their profligate spending and so, as usual, created laws that force citizens to pay for it on top of their existing tax commitments (which in Australia were already some of the highest in the developed world). It is not the 'win' that most people believe in my opinion.
@@Lwydiusgood for you, you can run your own little super fund, just make sure you do a good job of it, and never claim a pension…
@@Smokeyr67 lol, way to miss the point.
in australia . i havnt even walked into a 'dmv' for at least 10 years lol . i do everything online . rego renewal , number plates , car transfers . trailers , boats . i do my insurance online , never have to leave home for my car or bikes , and only have to renew my licence every 5 years
Same in the UK, but only have to renew driving license every ten years.
my last trip in was earlier this year and it was about 10 minutes total from the time i walked in the door to when i walked out.
Same in Victoria (VicRoads)… everything done online. Recently purchased a second hand car and needed to go to VicRoads to do the transfer. Was greeted as I entered, advised what forms to have completed, with a ticket to the counter. In/out in 30mins - pleasant surprise.
I just renewed my licence for the first time in 10 years here in Sydney. I wear glasses & I did the “paperwork” online & was given a time period to attend the local RMS for the eye test. Walked in, was greeted, shown to a desk, did the eye test & out. Seriously, it took 7 minutes & that included a chat with the employee 😂 It was awesome!
@@Reneesillycar74 good , i have mine in march lol
NZ has roundabouts everywhere. On my way to work I go through about 10. They move traffic far quicker than lights
The breathaliser bus is not typical. It's usually a couple of police cars. Yes, they are random and will stop anyone to check their alcohol level.
He could have expanded on the quarter watermelon thing you can also buy quarter cabbages , lettuces etc etc which is ultra handy if your single
The Brisbane public lagoon is amazing and it’s been there for at least 20 years. It’s always very clean. We have parks built in to most suburbs with playground equipment.
We used to take our kids to the Brissy lagoon and had fabulous times there - they are now 42, 39 and 36 so it's been there a long time!
Southbank
Opened back in 1992 can't remember exact date but remember seeing story on news re 30th anniversary of it.
@@cliffhigson7581 I thought it was 1988 for the bicentenary?
Theres showers not far from kodak beach (brisbane) to wash off sand and you can change back to regular clothes. Thats all free
4-5 weeks paid vacation and 3 weeks paid sick leave plus all public holidays per annum are the bare minimum for full-time workers in Australia. One week off per annum is wage slavery.
Britain and the EU are fairly comparable.👍
@@MrSinclairn There’s not as much sun unfortunately
Our strong trade unions are to be congratulated..same in Denmark, the happiest people..
If they gave people more holidays they would increase through internal tourism spend and have happier workers
Don't forget Long Service Leave on top!! Nowhere else has it. And as an older Australian I bloody love it.
Joel being the Honorary Brit with “Do you mean Roundabouts?” 😂
They're called roundabouts in Australia too :D
They are two different things, both go around but the way they are used is completely different. Roundabouts are much safer than Traffic Circles.
Called roundabouts in Canada, as well. In France, a standing joke about government is that when they can't figure out what to do, the solution is "build another roundabout!" 😜
Or the Honorary Aussie 😊
@@FlowerBot Yep always called them roundabouts
You should check out our money, specifically our banknotes. Australia invented the polymer (plastic) banknote which is now used all around the world. check out a video called "Secrets of the Australian Dollar" its great.
YESSSS! Australian banknotes are brilliant, not only for the high-tech security features, but because each note is a distinctly different color (and beautifully designed) and a slightly different size, so they are easy to distinguish, even for the blind. There's no way you could accidentally mistake a $100 bill for $1 in a dimly-lit bar, as you could easily do in the US.
@@joshdrayton1230 I wish we still had $1 and $2 bills I love them when I travel overseas. But I think plastic notes are best when you get wet or wash your wallet with you clothes you still have your notes afterwards
The recent issue of Australian banknotes has a special feature for blind users apart from the size. If you know where to feel for it there are raised dots to tell you the denomination of the note. $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes have respectively 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 raised dots.
Ugh I hate when my plastic money just kinda flings itself outta my wallet.
Duel flush was invented in South Australia, now they are compulsory Australia wide. Very rare to see an old fashioned toilet in old homes.
In South Australia, you can renew licences, registration, fines, even disability parking permits on line.
I live in Perth WA and have a great work life balance. My employer pays good superannuation and we get a bonus every year. They put on big lunches and morning tea for special occassions and if we need time off for appointments or family issues, it's never an problem.
I'm pretty blessed actually.
The way the 5 cent thing works is that items priced at say $2.21 or $2.22 are rounded DOWN to $2.20; items costing $2.23 or $2.24 are rounded UP to $2.25; items priced at $2.26 or $2.27 are rounded DOWN to $2.25; and items priced at $2.28 or $2.29 are rounded UP to $2.30. So there is no need for coins less than 5 cents. However this only applies to cash payment. Credit cards etc., payments are not rounded to the nearest 5 cents with the actual price being paid instead.
Regarding the two buttons in the toilet, it's totally a water-saving measure. I think you have to have it by law. It gives you the option of a lower volume of water if it's not necessary to use a full flush. Great idea and so common here I don't think anyone even notices anymore
No you don't have to have it. I have two toilets in my house and neither has dual flush.
Toilets in north America are gross.. not just the splashback but the whole bowl being slowly drained from the very top, a swirling turd broth which can too easily get clogged. Just nasty...
@@leglessinoz you actually do need to have it but you don't have to retro fit old ones if you don't want to . Every new home built in last 20 years should have dual flush . Saying that nobody is gonna kick your door down for it either
It's a good thing too, take the lid off the toilet and watch how much water is used for even a low flush. You dont realise how much is used
I'm looking forward to the day when the toilet can sense which waste you passed, either liquids or solids and flush automatically, accordingly. So many people still push the full flush after urinating. It doesn't need that much water
Our parks look new because they are constantly being improved & upgraded, great pride is taken in our communal areas.
When you live on the 2nd driest continent after Antarctica you learn how to save water and with the longest drought in America's history still ongoing maybe you lot might need to learn a few ideas as well . Tristan is from Texas by the way.
Most Australians in full time employment get 4 weeks paid annual leave each year. We also get about 10 days of public holidays each year, including Christmas, New Years day, 2 days over Easter, Labour Day , Australia day, ANZAC day, Queens (now Kings) Birthday and something called "Boxing Day" (which is the 26th of December). For most of these we get the to take the next working day off, if the actual day falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday) .
In Australia, in most cases, our drinking water is also used to flush toilets. The "dual flush" means that we "waste" less water by being able to choose a "half" flush when we do not need the full flush.
While there are many parks like the ones shown, not every suburb has ones as elaborate as those. I live about 25 Km (16 miles) outside Melbourne and we have many parks (and skate parks). Some parks are fairly small at only a few acres with a slide and a few swings. Others are very large with one having a its own miniature railway. This railway is open on weekends and children and parents to go for a ride. I think there is a cost but I am not sure how much. It is run by rail enthusiast and not the government. That particular park also has a number of playing fields.
I Australia (particularly in the cities) there are many coffee shops. They are either very good or they go out of business. People have many choices so they choose the ones who make coffee the way they like it. The best survive, to poorer ones do not. It is easy to pick the goods ones, they are the ones with people queued trying to get their coffee fix
.
There are one or two huge parks in vicinity of most suburb areas, with bike areas, climbing ropes, huge playgrounds, climbing walls sometimes, mini train bikes on mini rails for kids. so ye its not just new ones.
In Australia, we pay slightly higher taxes than US citizens do, and one of those "taxes" are local area council rates paid by landowners backed up by state and federal government grants. That money is spent on our parks and their facilities (among many other things) to keep them up to date, functional and looking good no matter how old the park is. Not all parks are that amazing, there are many much smaller ones (pretty much everyone in an urban/suburban area or town is within walking distance to a park of some description), and there are some city councils that neglect some of their smaller parks, but generally speaking, our parks - even the small ones - are pretty amazing. A lot of Aussies don't realise how good our parks are until they go elsewhere or it's pointed out by someone from elsewhere, because we're so used to our parks being of such a high standard, we take it for granted and many Aussies simply aren't aware that it's not a world-wide normal for parks to be that good. Most parks are maintained daily, so they're kept very clean, and the majority of Aussies will clean up after themselves and not litter and destroy stuff, and if something is wrong, people will report it to the local council and it'll get fixed (unless it's one of the neglected parks owned by a slack council that needs to be voted out). So yeah, our taxes are a little higher, but we live much better lives and have much better public facilities of all sorts because of it.
Drink driving is something taken very seriously here. A cop can pull over any driver at any time for a breath test. There's no walking lines and other time wasting nonsense involved. They pull you over, go to the driver's window, ask if you've had anything to drink today and to see your licence. You show them your licence (because some licence types may have restrictions that mean you have to be under 0.02 or at 0.00 depending on the licence and what type of vehicle you're driving), and whilst they're looking at it they hold the breathalyser for you whilst you count to ten by the blower, they read it a few seconds later, and if you're under your licenced limit, you're free to go (assuming nothing else is wrong). It takes only a few minutes and keeps our roads safe.
The problem with Americas tax system is that the treasury doesn't get enough from taxes to cover their costs and so have been using US bonds to cover it. But now we are seeing more countries wanting to move away from the US petrol dollar which means some hard times are coming for America.
Never thought that RBTs were uncommon in other countries lol
RBT's are very standard, In New South Wales we have an electronic licence. State government mobile app our licence is on that. I never bring my card licence anyplace. it's just on my mobile. Even renew a licence, all online. I only have to go into a Service NSW (DMT) every 10 years to update my photo.
Lagoon well not every park, most Sydney parks don't have Lagoon, but some low-lying areas do. But that acts more of a stormwater catchment to slow floodwaters.
Toilets: Because Sydney is heavily Asian culture, we have Bidet's as well (The best thing EVER!)
If you drive in NSW, you probity be caught some place for speeding, we have Mobile Speed camera's, we have Police with speed guns, Fixed Camera's and Arial (Google it)
I've lived in many places in Australia across 3 states and I have never been more than a few minutes walk from at least 1 Park and local councils do update the parks regularly to reflect the local communities needs so they do often look pretty new, they're pretty great for adults too and who hasn't had a quick play on the playground on the drunken stumble home 🤷♀️🤣🤣🤣
Yeah I have several large parks near my house.
I've seen a few Americans start to do these 'Reacting' videos to Australia - it's a pretty fertile market since we seem to love hearing about how good we are of late ;) And I just wanted to say that you are one of the very few that has some very good insights and commentary on the differences between our not as similar as you'd think societies. Some of these videos (the original ones saying how great things are here) are a bit disingenuous as, like Tristans video you are commentating on, he's showing really good/new bits in high traffic areas, and mentions nothing of the decades old infrastructure in the suburbs that isn't as shiny or new. We aren't all beachside lagoons and shiny clean electric barbeques ;) Sushi places and Coffee shops yes, they are bloody everywhere! But a lot of our suburban parks are pretty small, quiet and ordinary. A lot of new housing developments have big new shiny parks that look nice - but have a real good look. They have these big parks because their houses take up the entire block and they have no yards anymore. I prefer a decent yard where I don't have to hear my neighbours breathing or arguing, or their kids bouncing their ball all day, but I'm a bit old fashioned like that :)
I'm still trying to find this 'free sunscreen' by the way ... but then again, I'm older, I rarely ever wore it unless I went to the beach for the day.
The CBD is the Central Business District. I didn't realise it was an unfamiliar term to Americans. It's basically the heart/core of the city. Where you'll find all the government buildings, corporate high-rise towers, historic centre of the city etc The suburbs spread out radially from there.
RBT's are fine, no-one really cares about them anymore, they aren't that much of an inconvenience and are a lot better than some of the shenanigans we see on TV from the States where they make you get out of the car, tap your nose, walk in a line etc .... you just pull over, blow into the machine and drive off (or get arrested and charged if you're over lol), but despite that, we still get plenty of morons who are over the limit or impaired and will 'get done'.
Most Aussies get 4 Weeks of paid annual leave (Full Time workers). Higher paid professional occupations tend to have more individual agreements/contracts, whilst lower-paid more trades and technical oriented occupations tend to fall under Award Agreements and or Enterprise Bargaining Agreements. I'll also mention here - most of us get an extra 17% of our pay while on Annual Leave as well. These Agreements/Contracts will dictate how much paid time you are entitled to etc and some people negotiate more time off or less and balance it out with higher or lower pay. For example, I can go to 6 weeks of annual leave but at my regular rate of pay instead of 4 weeks of annual leave and my pay rate plus 17%. Australia is a very strong pro-Union/Collective Agreement nation. Our entire Left side of Politics - the Labor Party, was founded upon Unionism/Workers Rights. Aussies collectively won't put up with much shit from their employer. We have very strict labour laws and workplace entitlements, that have been hard fought for for over a century. Things like the 40 hour work week, Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity etc were won by Unions for workers here. The anti-Union crap we see from the likes of Amazon in the US wouldn't fly for a second here. Amazon would be sued out of existence in Australia if they tried half the stuff they do in the US here ;)
So yeah, we have a really good work/life balance, and we enjoy it ;)
Lastly - not a single Aussie calls them 'Traffic Circles'. They are called Roundabouts ;)
I'd rather them not do these videos as this shines the spotlight on us and makes them more likely to immigrate and bring their regressive values here.
Although not a perfect country, we have a happy medium here and I'd like for us to keep it that way.
We have nice parks everywhere in Australia - they look new because they are well maintained and renewed often.
Regarding the sunscreen, it's cheaper to subsidise sunscreen than it is to subsidise skin cancer treatment. And the sun burns different here - you can literally get third degree burns if you don't cover up or use sunscreen.
The DMV thing is even better than what he described - I can register my car, renew my car licence and boat licence, all online. The only time you need to go in is if you are registering a car for the first time, or doing your licence test.
You can now transfer cars online now to
also the sunscreen in aus is better, assuming you can find sunscreen in aus that < 30 + if you wanted but standard in AUS is 30 +, but in the US suncreen was both expensive and was difficult to find 30 +. You would go in and ask for sunscreen and it was mostly "Tanning Oil" When I was working in the US I had to get about 10 litres of shipped from aus in one of our parts orders
Registered my new to me car online too! The previous owner filled out the selling my car form on his vicroads and I filled out a buying someones car form on mine and done and dusted! It was much better than I was expecting
You know that home in the ozone? Yeah it's still there and it's above Australia so the sun literally hits different
@@richardthomson4693 Same in the UK. It's hard to find sunscreen above SPF 15 in most stores. It goes as low as SPF4 there and all I think ffs what a fast way to the grave!
We have a half flush and a full flush…
I live in rural South Australia close to the border of Victoria in a town of 5000 people. We have a massive, well kept park that actually has apple trees growing around outside it for the public to pick, it has a bbq area with 4 electric bbqs and a public toilet with disability access and baby change area. we have a really nice skatepark, tennis and netball courts all along a main strip that is next to the public library and gallery/theatre. About 800mtrs from that we have what he called a lagoon but here we call it the swimming lake which has been there for 52years now, that is chlorinated and during winter months is drained and cleaned, it has a great takeaway shop next to it and a volleyball area plus the council are currently installing a new small park at the lake. It’s wonderfull!
@Jess Townsend in Millicent, about a 4 - 4 & a 1/2 hour drive from Adelaide on the limestone coast 😊
@@Emma-hv7xf Driven past that lake and park many times and it looks awesome. Hi from vic side of the border.
We had a popular TV show about the random breath testing called RBT. It was a great show. Gave rise to many iconic moments such as ‘Just waiting for a mate’.
Of all the reaction channels on OZ, which seems to be a growing thing lately, I’m impressed.
You are the youngest but the smartest and most genuine in your views. Well spoken too.
Keep pushing mate, I think your good work will pay off!
Caveat;
Not dissing you iWrocker, you are the OG and the nicest of blokes on You Tube 😂
Love Australia, love the bigness and generosity of spirit shown by many
The type of videos that Tristan makes, whilst informative has to be put into context. Aussie is not immune to issues. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Aussie born and bred living in Brisbane and I’ve lived in the UK, Switzerland and New Zealand, and frankly wouldn’t live anywhere else. Living at the bottom of the world has its advantages……😀
The marketing and channel growth of channel just doing negative videos on peoples doesn’t make much sense. Also, said negative media isn’t as readily available in comparison. He will get to them, I’m sure.
He has disagreed with a few things already, so he is genuine.
@@Droo75 Hi Droo75, I do agree with you 100% and its nice to see Australia in a positive light. Just saying we have to temper the good with the (not so) bad....😀
My point still stands, he will get there. Although, reaction channels are an escapism too. You can’t judge him for how he decides to run this though. I know it’s a suggestion, not busting chops.
Anyway, he is a good unit. Some of the other ones are slimey ASF. Specifically Rob Reacts.
Let me know if you want to hear that story. He is a cretin.
Tristan did make a balancing video about the things he does't like about Australia, or that he thought we could do better, and anther RUclips reactor slayed him in a return video, arguing with Tristan's points.
13:53 it's called RBT (Random Breath Test). They randomly block a lane of a road and grab a bunch of cars to test. when the test lane is full, they let the rest go until they free up space.
13:22 - ah yes RBTs (random breath test) the way they’re set up too is really good - you can get one anywhere any day of the week but you’ll see them more over the weekends - they set up close to areas that are likely to have a high consumption of alcohol (clubs/pubs). We also have what’s called Double Demerits. I don’t know how the US road laws work or if you have a similar thing, but full licensed drivers have 12 points on them (I think?) those points can be taken away for traffic infringements, depending on what it is. Say you get done at a red light camera (going through a red light, it’ll take a picture) you’ll get a fine and a certain amount of points off your license. If your points reach zero, your license is suspended. On special long weekends or holidays (Christmas Day, Easter long weekend) they essentially give incentive to not be a dick on the roads by doubling any points you lose over that period. So if running the red light costs you 2 demerits on a normal day, it would lose 4 on Christmas Day.
Many many years ago I was working in the steel works in Port Kembla NSW, on afternoon shift (3.20pm - 11.20pm) & a forman came up to me a said "air records say you haven't taken holliday's for 18 months, & as of tomorrow you are on holiday & you can have 2 weeks, 4weeks or 6 weeks."
I thought about it for 10 seconds & said I'll take 4 weeks then in 6 months I'll take another 4 weeks. And that's what I did.
so true. companies demand you take the holidays you are due!!!
Great reaction mate. In regards to the NSW version of DMV (Services NSW), the ones in our area of Sydney (Hills District) are pretty good, if you are in there for more than 20 minutes for the longest transaction, it would be unusual. It wasn't always this way, we had our own version of DMV hell that was phased out about 20 years ago - thank goodness.
Re Random breath testing, again in Sydney, they will set up and normally take 6 drivers at a time - rarely the entire road.
In regards to the parks, he is showing some fairly flashy facilities, and yes, they are in many places. Again in our area, we have three major parks (each one is the size of 3 football fields) - great for exercise/sport , but we also have access to the bush (forest) with hundreds of miles of walks. In Sydney, most of the population is also within one hour of the ocean, and Sydney alone has about 100 beaches to choose from..
Totally agree with everything he said. The slang… we have lots of ‘Aussie’ terms 😂. South Bank the lagoon in Brisbane was built after Expo 88 as a gift to the people. It has developed over the years to change with the times. South Bank is amazing, there is so much to offer everyone, check it out! Every suburb in cities and every town has multiple parks.
Ahh good ole expo 88, great times were had as a kid with a season pass!
the booze bus is also done the same way in New Zealand. Road blocks are set up and every driver is checked before they can go through.
Enjoying your reactions to Australia. Come visit, it wont disappoint.
30 years ago, the registration branch in Melbourne Australia was a nightmare, every time I had to go I should’ve bought a cut lunch because you’ll be there all day & after waiting 3 hours in one line & you finally get to the counter, they had no idea what to do then send you to the back of another line 🙄.
It’s much better now.
With the alcohol testing, you can see it a mile away because they have the bus, plus another bunch of cop cars with their lights on. If you try to turn down a side street to avoid it, theres usually a cop car parked down that side street catching everyone trying to avoid the testing - they are so sneaky!!
I will also say in regards to point 11 that they do also have random stop points as well that are single cop cars. Along side that there is a whole TV series called 'RBT' where a camera crew will go to different areas and follow RBT crews who are doing their jobs and then they show the public a select few of those interactions.
I'm an Aussie living in the States at the moment, and funnily, I've lamented the lack of cut watermelon in stores (also cut cantaloupe and squash) AND sushi-train style restaurants several times!
Most of the parks are updated every few years, the play areas are updated and repaired/replaced. The water parks are fairly well maintained as part of the local government services. There’s a park in my home town that has the wild bird rehab facility in a public park that’s been there for almost 100 years. It got an entirely new playground about 10 years ago and a new rotunda that was being removed from the town center.
Those lagoons would make great skating rinks here in Canada! Roundabouts just have to be more fuel efficient, without all that stopping and starting. Quarter watermelon is sold in Canada too. I agree with you Joel about America's lack of work-life balance - workaholics - Puritan influence? I saw this with my US Army colleagues working in Canada. We had to retrain them into taking a break and having fun. Canada is more like Australia and the UK in this regard. With Australia's beauty, it would be tough to go to work anyway!!! Great video. Thanks, Joel
Canada is high on my list and the US is close to the bottom I live in Australia and have traveled to UK,Italy, Singapore, Dubai Switzerland and France Canada seems like a fun relaxed place and not paranoid like the US.
@@suncitybooksgeraldton335 As a kid we were taught that Australia was our sister country in the Commonwealth. There's more than a grain of truth in that. We have a hard time taking ourselves seriously.
@@suncitybooksgeraldton335 YES. I agree the U.S. is a very paranoid. As a tourist or transiting (5 times) nearly got shot in the U.S. Very violent country. U.S. worst country I have been in. I've been to15 countries.
Roundabouts are also more efficient for traffic flow in most cases
Play grounds aren’t just for kids too! Honestly enjoyable for anyone that can climb ‘em.
Parks are generally run by local government. They engage the community door pretty much every step of the way.
Families who live near the park will be surveyed to get an understanding of what it is the community wants (some communities want water features, others want climbing features, others want ground features, others want skateboard/cycle/walking features etc). Various designs will be submitted for public feedback and a vote will be taken to determine the most desired option.
There's also generally regulations that local governments will enforce that requires a certain percentage of natural habitat or flora space within the park area. This helps sustain local wildlife and can also help local children build connections with the land on which they live. For example of the park is near waterways you'll get vegetation planted that supports nesting for waterbirds, or you'll get a lagoon or stream incorporated that promotes breeding of aquatic life. Local rock type will be used for seating (sandstone for example) and trees and undergrowth will all be native to encourage local native Birdlife and other animals such as Echidna, Reptiles, possum and sugar gliders etc.
We view our parks as major community assets and it's not uncommon to see them packed out every day of the week through hotter months as families will have birthday dinners at the park instead of indoors so the kids can enjoy the outdoors and the adults can relax amongst the trees and noise of nature.
Locals pay for parks out of shire rates I think in usa they county rates. Responsible for garbage bins but the rates go up every year by 5 per cent and we have had enough. The money ends up in wef.
that public lagoon he showed with the big silver fish, is in Cairns FNQ where I live and is maintained by the city council. It has a cleaning schedule once a week vacuum and every year it gets completely drained and cleaned from top to bottom.
And yes 90% of Australia's parks do look like that they are constantly maintained and upgraded by the city council in which it resides
Australian here - yes mate you’re right. Living in Australia is about as close to Utopia as you’re going to get in this world. Very grateful to live here!
Our parks in Australia are very good and very well maintained so they tend to look new. And they get upgraded every so often. As a mother, I appreciate it.
New South Wales for rego on your vehicle is called Service New South Wales. I go there few times a week as I work in a car dealership. I can get 3 cars done in about 30 mins to an hour depending if busy or quiet. You can also get other types of services done hard also. Boat licence, car truck etc. Birth certificate, car, bike and heavy vehicle licences and like things of that matter.
So yes to get something done and need to go in and sort it out you'll normally have it done in about 30 mins.
It's called Sushi Train and it's one of the most popular places to eat in Australia.
Great reaction video Joel. I live in Newcastle, New South Wales in Australia and a lot of what he says is totally correct. We live an ordered lifestyle where if you obey the laws you have no issues. We don’t have many people crying about their “constitutional rights being infringed” as our laws govern our behaviour. It works pretty well most of the time.
Do you call roundabouts traffic circles,since when
Right in the middle of my city (Perth, Western Australia) we have 988 acres of original bushland called Kings Park. It's beautiful.
I lived in the US and believe me Americans have no clue how to use roundabouts correctly. There’s a simple law in Australia that you ‘give way’ to the right. Meaning you ‘give way’ to any car approaching from the right, you then get a turn when other cars go straight ahead or go left. It’s very efficient and practical as it makes the traffic flow faster.
The actual rule is you give way to a vehicle that is already on the roundabout. if you are approaching a roundabout and will enter the roundabout before a vehicle approaching from your right you have the right of way. Unfortunately one of the downsides of Australia is that most people do not know basic road rules such as indicating and giving way on a roundabout, zip merging and highway on ramp merging which makes driving difficult. if only a short test was required when renewing your license this would eliminate much of this ignorance. To avoid an accident knowledgeable drivers give way to the right on small roundabouts to avoid an accident with a road rules moron.
@@MrSouthernlord I thought it was obvious that if you’re already in the roundabout you don’t ‘give way’ to the right. As I said it only applies when you’re approaching/entering the roundabout.
Round-a-bouts are a good idea in theory, most people don't know how to navigate them and get nervous and hesitate a lot. We have one in Caloundra that is notorious for causing excessive amounts of traffic because people stop when they don't need to and wait for no one.
We have a very water saving conscience country because we go through drought alot :) also the public lagoons are very looked after
Tristan refers to lagoons as being common...actually more like public swimming pools with the occasional lagoon if you live by the sea with an inlet to replenish the lagoon.
The public parks are very common, and have been around for many decades, and some of the renovated playground equipment is provided near large tenement buildings etc.
About slang: We also have different slang from city to city over here. For example, here in Adelaide/South Australia we call the clothes you swim in "bathers", whereas in other states they call it other things like togs or swimsuit.
Cossie
Also boardies, budgies or swimmers.
I call em swimmers or cozzies
I live inner city and Brisbane and our lagoon is always beautiful and clean. I am 5 min walk from it. It's nestled by the river, and beautiful parks and nature walks. I think with Australia being a warmer climate and outdoor life and recreation is why our parks/lagoon are so well maintained.
Just to be fair next you should do a video about some things Australia could learn from America. Though being an Australian I'm sure there aren't too many things 😜
Hi James, I hate to say this BUT I have visited African, British, European, South American and Asian countries (Thank you Army) and I can assure you that the video you propose would be fairly short. I don't mean to insult but the only two things are how expensive it is to live in Australia and how much tax we pay for all the free services we enjoy here. I encourage anyone who hasn't visited us downunder to do so, you may be impressed...
@@davidpalmer4184 absolutely they should visit.
Our crocodiles are nearing the primary feeding period of the year, and they love Americans and German tourists.
I wonder what tastes better?
Grain, corn or grass fed vegans ?
@@davidpalmer4184 I already live here. I was born here. And having lived the entirety of my life (43 years) here, indeed I am very impressed. I think you may have missed the last part of my comment perhaps?
@@rogerramjet6429 My bets are on grass fed.
@@davidpalmer4184 Yeah - thats the trade off. You get all these amazing things. But you have to pay for them with taxes, and expensive service industry. Its one or the other.
The parks are very dependent on the budget of the city. Larger city's will obviously have more infrastructure and heaps more stuff to do in general. The toilets have heaps less water because most of the country is a desert and we have annual droughts. The government does not subsidise our sunscreen this is an odd thing to me as an Australian lol. Work life balance is aweosme you can also save up your leave and 8nweeks or so in a year. We also have long service leave so if you have worked at the same place for 10 years you get upto 12 weeks paid leave free as a loyalty reward. There are also police cars that will drive around and breath test you for no reason at all, They will also go over your car and find any defects and potentially tow your car and impound it
Even in Australian housing suburbs, parks and skateparks are put everywhere.
We place roundabouts on straight roads to reduce the speeding on streets as well as have flowing traffic instead of the stopping and starting.
The beach pools or lagoons only are in posh places and in Brisbane. There is none in Sydney.
Sunscreen in Australia is rated for us differently to others because we are so close to the equator that business have to submit their products to have the SPF number on their products.
Parks and playgrounds are looked after by our local government, which get a budget for upkeep and maintenance and sometimes rebuilds.
Our local grocery store like Coles and Woolworths have now implemented programs that all the leftover food that would otherwise be thrown in the bin go to charities and organisations for packages to give out to the people in need.
Try us on the American slang. We get exposed to so much stuff out of America that you might be surprised how much we know about the US compared to what people there might know about us. We have so many A list actors who can nail regional accents from New York, Boston, Texas etc. that you might be surprised. Margot Robbie in the Wolf of Wall Street is a common one Americans might refer to but there are heaps of other examples. Coincidentally, this doesn't have a lot to do with slang, but when I was at University living with a bunch of Americans the two words they though stood out in a funny way that we used regularly were "heaps" and "reckon".
Re: the public lagoons - I live in Brisbane and the lagoon at South Bank is managed to have extremely clean water; it is frequently tested by the regulator
Parks here in Australia are kept clean by the councils in that area and usually are pretty clean and respected by patrons as a peak periods. You can expect some unexplained issues with toilets and bathrooms, but most of the time can be okay as you noticed the beaches and parks are kept fairly clean as that’s how we like it
I love these videos. Remember there are about 300 million people in America and only 25 million in Australia. Some things are easier in Australia
It's called contraception!
There seems to be a general consensus that American Drinking Laws are ridiculous. Not only with people I've talked with, but also from the responses to my comments. After all you can legally get married and join the military at 18, but you can't buy a drink. I'm an Aussie and I'll never forget buying my first drink at a pub (bar). I was held back a year so I was 18 when I graduated High School. My Sister and her family had come for a visit and we went for lunch at a pub. I ordered a drink and my Brother-in-law said "But you're not 18!" Replied "Yes I am as of a few days ago!" So I handed over my Student Identity Card and received my drink from the barman. It was an Aussie Classic Bundy (Bundaberg Rum) And Coke. Bundaberg is a town in Queensland where that Rum is made. There's also a Softdrink (Soda) company that makes wonderful drinks that are going over very well overseas including in America. They're brewed and they use fresh fruits etc with Cane Sugar as well much less acid. Don't be afraid to try Bundaberg Ginger Beer it won't hurt your throat. A very excited Ian from IWroker recently discovered 12 packs at your Costcos for $16. Not bad for something imported.
In Australia every suburb has planed natural walk trails. In my Suburb in Melbourne, just behind my house is an amazing walk trail along the river. You surrounded by nature and it feals like you are somewhere in the wild.
Aus government takes drink driving pretty seriously, you should check out a compilation of Australia’s scary driving PSA’s, probably not something you would want to make a video of, they’re a bit dark, but it might interest you to check a couple out on you’re own.
major cities around Australia are all build around rivers, So they really tie into the atmosphere. they also stay clean, they are filtered just like any pool, but also it is up to the citizens to keep them clean you will rarely find rubbish around because there are always bins nearby.
I am from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland (an hour north of Brisbane, but south of Cairns). If you're thinking of moving to Australia you should definitely check it out. Home to Australia Zoo and lots of beautiful beaches. Plenty of free access BBQs and parks. There is a footpath (sidewalk) that spans the entire length of the Sunshine Coast coastline. The "Sunshine Coast Pathway" is 73km long. Also, it was arguably the "safest" place in the world during the pandemic. Population of the Sunshine Coast is 345,000 as per 2021 census. There is an incredible arty culture, whatever it is you are into there is a club for and an organic / vegan / health food and fitness culture here on the Sunshine Coast.
Um, I think you'll find WA was the safest place to be and it was has a very long coastline.
@@heatherfruin5050 You're right, WA was the safest place to be during the pandemic. Apart from the initial lockdown we had, I think, one 5 day lockdown and a 1 or 2 day lockdown.
I'm a 42 yo Aussie from Melbourne. Im a musician and video game developer. I'm really impressed by your overall vibe and ability to see outside your own inner circle at your age. Colour me very impressed sir. Subscribing to your channel. I'd be more than happy to answer all and any question regarding our politics, lifestyle, etc here in AU. Be it just random questions or interview like. Really like your channel and your openness for constructive criticism in regards to your own culture.
yeap Booze Buses (Officially "RBT" - Random Breath Testing) is a thing (more recently drug testing too). So much so there's even a TV show about it (I think called 'RBT' - there's probably some highlights on youtube).
One thing we struggle to understand is how the US testing works (we don't have physical tests like "recite the alphabet" or "stand on one leg"). There are 2 separate offences basically "Driving under the influence" and "Driving over the prescribed limit" - the first is up to the opinion of the police (but I suspect is incredibly hard to prosecute if it goes to court) the second is from registering high on a breathalyser and is harder to contest. These days all police carry a breath testing device and any time you're pulled over you can be tested (there was a lot of opposition to this - because people are afraid it would allow police to target people they don't like)....
The duel flush system for toilets has been around for about 40 years. It has more to do with water conservation than poo and pee. I am not sure about it being law, but single flush systems were phased out back in the early 90's. Some Public toilets appear to have a single button but the tanks are only 1/2 the size.
The Booze Buses are my favourite. As long as you blow under 0.05 you can go happily. Blow over 0.05 and you are in trouble. PS: The "get out of the car and walk a straight line" or "Touch your nose with your finger" is stone-age mentality.
Most slang is country wide but some is state or city specific.
All the parks are filled with things for the kids to play on, they're a great place to gather for the BBQ
Holidays and DVM/DVLA -UK. More or less similar to UK. Great video Joel liking your Australian themed videos too. Keep up the good work.
The big thing about parks, play areas, beaches, even trails in Oz compared to the US is that kids are actually encouraged to take small risks. In the US this helicopter parenting epidemic is actually dangerous. My 12-yr old grandsons travel by train to/ from school eight times a year, 1800km, 26 hours, alone. They'd be horrified if their parents insisted on accompaning them. The parks encourage pushing the limits a bit, with supervision being less obvious. Older teens generally keep a careful eye on younger grommets at surfing spots, but lifeguards are around, just less obtrusive. Look after your kids, but don't smother them seems to be the Aussie way of parenting, exemplified by how play areas are designed. Btw, it is similar in most of Europe and in NZ too.
From what I have read from Americans, the reason for the 'helicopter' parenting by normal families is because the American child services is so over- vigilant that anything that threatens a child could result in the child and siblings being removed from the family. Then there is their gun culture ....
Absolutely, I remember my mum (who works in childcare) getting my brother and I to run round and get into as much danger as possible in parks. Then we’d go through the dangers after so she could write a risk assessment. Though helicopter parenting has gotten more common here
An Aussie here from Melbourne. Just to clarify on the public parks thing, whilst I agree that us Aussies have high quality public parks across most of our cities, the lagoons which he mentions only typically appear in Queensland due to the warmer climate.
he has a point with the watermelon, i would NEVER buy a whole watermelon, no way. but I will buy a quarter.
I would buy and eat a whole melon.
The pools in Brisbane are part of Southbank, a long stretch along the river, it has a great big playground and a good smaller one, tons of public seating, electric bbqs, grassy areas, gardens, markets on the weekends, tons of restaurants and cafes nearby, and museum, state library and 2 art galleries, and the convention centre, and Southbank often has free events, I go there often. At one end there's a walkover bridge to Griffith Uni, which is built on the edge of what is a pretty big botanic gardens for being in the middle of a city, not Central Park big, but decent.
Southbank was part of the industrial sector of the city, but was transformed when Brisbane hosted the World Expo in '88, so only 34 years, but it was a massive transformation, and they're constantly improving on the space.
In my experience, most parks have at least a seating area, and bbq areas and playgrounds are quite common, perfect for picnics and kids birthdays, and many parks by rivers have water play areas, and overall, are much better kept than the parks I saw during my trip to America.
Sunscreen is so cheap, we recently had to throw out a ton of expired tubes, cause we keep forgetting to take it with us so we'd just by a tube for a dollar or two, and some places do provide it for free, my local shopping centre has it next to the 2 play areas, one of which also has a water play area.
And yeah, the transport department is relatively painless, our drivers ed is different too. First you have to pass a road rules test, then you can get your Learners permit, or L's, then you need to log 100 hours with someone on their opens in the passenger seat (might be 200 now), first 3 hours with a driving instructor counts 30 hours to that time. Then you have your drivers test, and if you pass you get your Provisional licence, or P's, Red P's first, and Green P's after a year and a hazard perception test. You cannot drink while on your L's or P's, and after another year you can get you Open licence. Different states have different rules, like in NSW Learners have to drive at least 10km under the speed limit, but it's partially supposed to make sure everyone has enough experience before they're able to drive after a couple drinks.
Overall I'd say come for a visit to see some of this stuff for yourself :)
The DMV is not something we have in the UK either. Used to be dealt with at the Post Office, but has been online for years now.
another huge thing about pools is that the ones that are facilitated and are set up like actual swimming pools are ridiculously cheap, theres a pool nearby my house and i live near the city so its all urban surburb and its legit like a 2 dollar entry, you just chuck em a gold coin and youre good for the day
4 paid weeks leave for permanent full time staff not 5. And then 3 months paid long service leave after 10 years with an employer.
I'm from Sydney and now live in Perth - this guy is definitely talking about some stuff that's specific to Queensland, especially the beach/tourist towns. The lagoons look amazing, but I've never seen them in Sydney or Perth. Perth has so many gorgeous beaches that there's no need, and Sydney has a lot of public pools and ocean pools (basically a concrete pool tacked right on the edge of the ocean that fills with seawater - ocean swimming without the waves or depth). Free sunscreen everywhere is definitely a Queensland thing too, because they get a lot of sun. Sunscreen is very cheap nationwide though, and a lot of businesses and workplaces just have a huge sunscreen dispenser for people to use, but it's not guaranteed.
I do very strongly agree that our work/life balance is great (though it varies by industry obviously). The national standard is 4 paid weeks off per year, and a lot of workplaces let you "purchase" more - for example, if you want 2 extra weeks in the year, you can sacrifice 2 weeks of pay, which is spread out over the year, so you're only missing out on a few hours of pay from each paycheck. Great if you want to go on a long trip somewhere.
The "DMV" equivalent where I live is pretty great, it's almost entirely online. I haven't walked into one of their offices in 7 years.
Sushi rolls are the best. My go-to quick lunch.
Australia is beautiful and amazing every place has downfalls but Australia is Amazing
NSW equivalent to the DMV used to be called the RTA (Road Traffic Authority) which was pretty much as you described, being a miserable, soulless place with horrible people but now it's integrated the government departments into one and it's a lot more friendly and customer orientated with someone greeting you as you enter and seeing what you want to do whether it be doing it online or seeing someone at the counter.
Your reaction to our “Booze Buses” and RBT stops made me LOL😆😆😆 Not uncommon to be stopped at least once a month for a check. In fact, last long weekend in South Australia, we got stopped 3 times in the 1 day in a 2hr period! Another thing, if you refuse a breath test when asked, they usually arrest you and take you to the nearest police pending a blood sample to be taken. We don’t muck around here with drink/drug driving👌👌👌
My record was 8 times in a day when I still lived in suburbia, once a month sounds about right to . Since I moved to the country 2 times in a decade
@@nathanbartlett2770 WOW 8 times in a day is amazing! True, when I lived in Western Vic, I think I got stopped 3 times in 10 years. Even then the local Police would roll their eyes everytime they stopped a local🤣🤣🤣
@@meredithphillips2795 I lived in western Sydney at the time and was a p plater, my car had little white tubes in it for weeks lol .
@@nathanbartlett2770 😂😂😂
As someone who lost both relatives and friends to drunk drivers, I welcomed the introduction of RBT system in Australia.
That second playground the guy shows at 1:09 is speers point, it's a massive public park and lots of things are hosted there, been there dozens of times and that one picture doesn't even include a quater of the play area there
We have Random Breath Tests all over the metropolitan areas of Australia, and he’s right, they close off an entire road and test everyone.
We also have it in regional area's in WA
@@roslynjonsson2383 G'day Roslyn how ya going ? We have them here in regional Queensland too but on a smaller scale 😃
@@Jon-cb3xy Hey there Jon, I'm great thanks, and yourself ?
Walking home from Kwinana speedway one night drunk and we came across a booze bus, I was worried they would stop us and breath test us, thinking we had dumped the car somewhere 🤭
@@Trinkette__00 LMAO, yeah, the police sure love the motorplex on race night......I'm in Mandurah, and they love Pinjarra Rd and Coast Rd down here during Xmas holiday's, coz they also catch the Ravo ;pub goers on the same stretch lol
I have 3 local parks within 10min walking distance. One is a bit dated and very small, but clean and safe. The second is slightly larger, the facilities were updated slightly and is close to the local shops. It is very popular with the locals, and I frequently see people relaxing and kids playing there. Then there is the largest one in the area with a huge open space. It is well maintained, the trees are trimmed and there is a free barbeque area. This isn't any fancy suburb either, and the parks have been there my entire life, so I can confirm that parks can look that nice.
Land developers in Australia usually pay something extra to the local government towards creating parks and other facilities when they develop new residential subdivisions.
No the Shires get the money out of the annual shire rates. The Shires put rates up 5 per cent, every year it is getting ridiculous. 2,100.00 is the average. Higher value house more it cost. Park benches are only put into place if a local householder donates it.
@@denisehitchens1418 wrong, developers pay through developer contributions, in NSW its called 'Section 7.11 (of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act) Developer Contributions'. Rates will pay for maintenance, but not establishment.
In my small town we have a rather ordinary skateboard park that was built where a US Armed Forces Military Corrective Establishment stood in WWII (and we have a couple of tennis courts near some football grounds, which make it all a complex).
The spiders! ("What's wrong with Australia!?") 😄 Not just them - some of the most venomous creatures in the world live in Australia - but we've seen your reaction to spiders in other videos, and I'm with you 100 percent!
Lol but most of us have never seen a “venomous” anything 🤷♀️
The spiders are gonna be creepy to people with a fear of them. But they really aren't that dangerous. Like zero people in the past 50 years have died from a spider bite in Australia.
I just looked it up and the last death from a spider bite in Australia was in 1979.
The dual flush toilet was first proposed by American Victor Papanek in 1976, but the first one that actually worked was designed and built by Australian Bruce Thompson in 1980. We get droughts from time to time in Australia so it was a useful and timely invention.
11:31 Joel felt that point about the DMV on a spiritual level lmao
Also, not ‘Hell’ being the common word 😂
The parks are like these.
Adelaide has huge park lands right in the city.
About the sushi thing, "Sushi" refers to the rice, not the raw fish.
The translation of Sushi is Spiced Rice
@@peterfairhall1784 actually "Sour rice". It uses a vinegared rice called "shari" or "sumeshi".
I think a lot of people confuse "sushi" with "sashimi".
The usual holiday’s here in Oz is 4 paid weeks per annum and you actually get paid 17 percent more for going on holiday. If you work for someone for 10 years you get 12 weeks paid leave. Its called long service leave. Average working week is 38 hours.