Australian Customs

Culture

Modern culture of Australia largely reflects its British origins, Anglo Australians are very protective of their culture and country. Australia has a large multicultural population from various nations and practicing almost every religion and lifestyle.

Over one-fifth of Australians were born to immigrant parents, and there are approximately half a million Australians of Aboriginal descent.

The most multicultural cities are Melbourne and Sydney. Both cities are renowned for the variety and quality of global foods available in their many restaurants, and Melbourne especially promotes itself as a center for the arts. Smaller rural settlements might still reflect a majority Anglo-Celtic monoculture (often with a small Aboriginal population), however virtually every large Australian city and town reflects the immigration from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific that occurred after World War II and continued into the 1970s; in the half century after the war, Australia’s population boomed from roughly 7 million to just over 20 million people.

Electricity

240V 50Hz. On paper, 230V with the introduction of AS60038-2000 in line with European countries. Outlets are of the Australian AS-3112 standard, which features two angled flat blades and a third vertical flat blade for grounding. The configuration of the electrical contacts is similar to that found in Argentina and mainland China.

Lamp sockets are predominantly bayonet (B22d), though Edison screw (E27)is used for some specialised or imported fittings. European and other travellers with 230V 50Hz appliances need only a plug adapter. U.S., Canadian and travellers from other 60Hz countries need to check whether their power adapters can handle both 230V/50Hz and 110V/60Hz. If so, they only need a plug adapter. If not then step down transformer is required. Many laptops, shavers and iPod-type chargers can handle both voltages and frequencies.

Hitchhiking

It is not illegal to hitchhike in Australia though it is an offence to obstruct traffic by “soliciting … a ride … from within the roadway“. If you stay on the footpath, you’re legally in the clear.

The great distances between towns in the Outback (or inner desert regions) can make hitchhiking difficult, but many travelers have made the coast-to-coast trek. Hitchhiking is more popular along the coastal regions (between Melbourne and Sydney, for example). During the 1990s several travellers went missing after hitchhiking along this route and were found to have been murdered by a serial killer. The perpetrator of these crimes has now been imprisoned; however, if you choose to hitchhike, you should use great caution.

The very lightly populated outback regions in Australia can provide the unique opportunity of a ride in a road train. Waits can be long and the climate harsh but the local people very warm and inviting and supportive of any venture to move around by hitchhiking (public transport is often non-existent). It is highly advisable if venturing into these regions without your own transport to carry enough food and water with you for at least a day and carry a good sun hat and warm clothes – people do die in these areas from lack of preparation.

In most Australian cities and towns, hitchhiking is often frowned upon, which can make getting a ride extremely difficult as many Australians are not generally comfortable with the idea of allowing a complete stranger to enter their car.

Purchasing

Bargaining is uncommon in Australian stores, though they are usually willing to meet or beat a quote or advertised price from a competing retailer. It’s also worth asking for a “best price” for high-margin goods or purchases involving several items. Note that often the person with whom you are dealing will not have the authority to sell items at anything other than the marked price.

Alcohol

The Australian staple drink is beer. Australia also has a very active wine industry and local consumption of wine is increasing. Drinking imported wine is a novelty; you will find that most wines for sale both in bottle shops and restaurants will be Australian wines. Young Australians are increasingly fond of mixed drinks, particularly vodka, bourbon and whisky mixers, which are often sold pre-mixed in bottles and cans. Spirits are served in pubs, but not in all restaurants.

The legal drinking age throughout Australia is 18 years. It is illegal both to purchase alcohol for yourself if you are under 18 years of age or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18 years of age. The seller will get in the most trouble for doing this and therefore many alcohol vendors will require proof of age if you appear to be under 25 (sometimes under 30) in their judgement. Acceptable proof is generally government issued photo ID with both your name and date of birth on it: in particular, a drivers licence issued by any Australian state, a photographic identity card issued by any Australian state or a passport are generally accepted. Many licenced venues do not even allow under-age people on their premises. Those that do will require that the under-age person is accompanied by someone over 18.

Tipping

In Australia, tipping is very rare and traditionally not encouraged (similar to the UK). Beyond the hospitality industry, no service providers will expect a tip (it can even be considered insulting to do so). In country towns, tipping will often even be regarded as insulting, as it is thought to suggest servitude. In the Australian English, the term “tip” is also the name used for a garbage dump, rather than having anything to do with gratuities.

When paying for a transaction with cash, it is acceptable to offer to a seller “keep the loose change” and avoid a pocket filled with coins. More common is the gesture to drop these coins into a charity tin kept near the cash register to raise money for the service club or charity. A tip is not expected when using a credit card as the total would include a service charge.

Australian employers pay a sufficient living wage and do not expect their employees to supplement their income with tips. The tipping practice of American tourists is increasingly common at some hospitality establishments in larger cities for exceptional service. In recent decades, tip jars have been sighted in some urban areas although it is still regarded by locals as a personal and optional choice.