travel from united states to australia

[get me outta here]

If there are two, they usually sit together in the back, unless one of them is the Queen.

. Sit up front with taxi driver (what if there are two people to be driven?)

 

[LACE]

addon questions, cultural differences, any I should know about, been reading online, the big ones I have found so far:
taking the piss
no tipping except for excellent service
"While an Australian may say, 'G'day' or 'G'day, mate', this may sound patronizing from a foreigner."
Respect for equality
No eating drinking or smoking on public transports
Sit up front with taxi driver (what if there are two people to be driven?)

In addition to 'taking the piss' you will probably hear people say 'drinking piss' and 'getting on the piss' especially if you are at a wedding. They mean alcohol, I've seen many an Aussie come undone saying those things overseas. Also another basic one is thongs, they are footwear not underwear

If you are eating out in Ipswich tipping definitely won't be necessary. One problem with high wages and no tipping means people are less likely to give good service.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sit up front with taxi driver (what if there are two people to be driven?)

I'm not familiar with that one! is that in all states?

 

[LACE]

I'm not familiar with that one! is that in all states?

Seems to be fairly normal in Qld but as a single female passenger I usually sit in the back.

 

[clazman]

Watch out for the drop bears

 

[PLANT]

Practise putting on sunscreen or you will be the shrimp on the barbie! We don't have an ozone layer down here so a hat and sunglasses are a must and probably a long light sleeve top! Make sure you take a slab to the wedding (beer) it's offensive not too in the country (Ipswich)
Oh and tradition to give the bride a packet of tim tam's on leaving the church.....
Practise saying four x mate (xx_x) when asking for a drink.
Best $5(?) spent is getting on the Brisbane river public transport taxi/ferry for a grub/pub crawl!

Concerning the flight buy the Bose qc20 (android) or 20i (apple) headphones charge them and your flight will be more enjoyable!
Bring American dollars cash cause you will be very popular for exchanging it to AU$ with family or wedding guests at a rate that is win/win

 

[tsuris]

thanks for all the replies, found this:
Drop bear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ha
as for beer, I can handle bringing it if required (I don't know what their plans are as to the wedding yet, but I know it will be a smaller one). Im not sure I understand xx_x mate. I don't drink acohol, would this be something I need when ordering any drink (coke/pepsi or so on).

 

[jastel]

Plant is taking the piss out of you...(teasing)...very good word...has many uses.
That is another thing Aussies do a lot...to everybody. If they are doing that it means they like you.
Plant will now be pissed at me for ruining the joke.

A wedding normally will provide the food and alcohol, unless advised otherwise.
But it is polite if invited to a BBQ or party to bring a 6 pack or bottle of wine etc, usually you will drink more than that anyway but if everyone brings a bit it all helps.
The only place you will see an animal (Kangaroo, koala, crocodile etc) in the cities is at a zoo.
xx_X is a brand of beer popular in Qld, the signs are advertising beer not sex shops like tourists think, that's xx_.
Many other brands of alcohol are drunk but each state has its "local" brew.
You can sit where you like in a taxi...single people usually prefer the front seat...the LEFT front seat...lol, couples in the back.
You can say G'day, we will laugh at you but, hello or Hi may be better.
Most of us are pretty friendly and used to tourists.

 

[tsuris]

had heard about that, and i find no problem with jest, bring it on I'll see what i can dish back

 

[jastel]

Just don't trash his sporting team and you will fit in.

 

[PLANT]

Even with your dollar higher to ours.... Prepare for the shock of how expensive food, drinks, clothes and bloody gas is downunder!
Burger King is hungry jacks here. Don't expect american service in restaurants..... It's hit and miss here. Oh and left is right over here... Driving, walking across roads.
Probably best you don't drive over here and we pump gas before you pay.
Get hold of a movie called "THE CASTLE" study it as it will probably make your trip more enjoyable

 

[tsuris]

knew about hungry jacks and backwards on the sides, am currently on skype with my friend (who i am going to visit) and she strongly seconds that i MUST watch the castle

 

[dajop]

Oh on the g'day thing can seem patronising if you say g'day mate, or if you emphasis the day part of the word .. As in gidaaaay. say it as quickly as possible and it's not too bad, in fact that's almost a universal rule .... We tend to put the emphasis on the first syllable and say the second syllable as quickly as possible without the vowels - so Melbourne becomes Melbn, Brisbane is Brisbn, Darwin Darwn, Canberra Canbra etc.

 

[RooFlyer]

Have a butchers here: Australian slang dictionary

 

[Denali]

....she strongly seconds that i MUST watch the castle

Love this movie. The fact that it was my neighbourhood growing up (except the airport) makes it funnier. I still live it in some ways.

 

[LACE]

Oh on the g'day thing can seem patronising if you say g'day mate, or if you emphasis the day part of the word .. As in gidaaaay. say it as quickly as possible and it's not too bad, in fact that's almost a universal rule .... We tend to put the emphasis on the first syllable and say the second syllable as quickly as possible without the vowels - so Melbourne becomes Melbn, Brisbane is Brisbn, Darwin Darwn, Canberra Canbra etc.

You forgot the most important one Australia is Straya

 

[get me outta here]

Please try to resist any urge to tip in Straya, we are paid well don't encourage it.

 

[kevrosmith]

If someone tells you "it's your shout", it has nothing to do with yelling loudly. Start getting your wallet out to buy the next round of drinks....

 

[get me outta here]

Amusing article on where to sit in a taxi: Do you sit in the front or back of a taxi?

I'm not familiar with that one! is that in all states?

 

[ShaneN]

Ipswich 4305 is where I grew up. While I left a long time ago, I visit regularly. I agree with others that there is not a lot to do in Ipswich. There are some lovely historic houses and streets around the city centre. Queens Park is a very attractive green space with a good zoo (you can see the kangaroos and other Australian animals there) and a pretty Japanese garden. There are a small number of good restaurants, including an Indian one on Darcy Doyle Place in the city centre.

It is about 50 minutes by train from Ipswich to Brisbane CBD, with trains every 30 minutes.

I agree with previous advice that you should visit the Gold Coast and/or Sunshine Coast while staying in Ipswich. Gold Coast is an easy road trip. Sunshine Coast a bit longer because of the need to go through or around Brisbane. Both have great beaches, eating and drinking, nightlife and adrenaline charged activities.

A further suggestion, if you are interested in sport, is to try to attend a football game. There are two main totally different types of football which will be in season while you are visiting the Brisbane area. The Brisbane Broncos play at Suncorp Stadium in the National Rugby League, a game which has some vague similarities to the NFL. Brisbane Lions play at The Gabba in the Australian Football League, a game which has no similarity to anything except Gaelic Football, but is hard hitting and fast moving. I have been to both NFL and MLB games in the US and loved the atmosphere, even though I had no idea of what was happening.

I hope this helps.