British woman Charleedownunder reveals the biggest shocks after moving to Australia
A young British woman has revealed the three things every expat should know before moving to Australia – after learning the hard way.
Charlee, 25, is “living the dream Down Under” but claims some things have left her in a deep state of shock.
Her first ‘shocking’ advice is to drop all ideas about ‘quick deliveries’.
“If you’re going out for a night in three days and you think you’re just going to order an outfit, you’re wrong,” she said.
She went on to explain that in the UK they have Asos Premiere where you can order clothes and have them delivered the next day, or buy something on Amazon Prime at 6pm and receive it within 24 hours.
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Charlee, from Britain, reveals her three complaints about Australia
“Here, deliveries must be 50 years behind and the only thing I can assume to explain this is the fact that this country is so big,” she said.
“I pay for express shipping every time I get something delivered and it still takes one to two weeks,” she added, labeling the situation a “damn crisis.”
The second is a matter of parking.
She explained in the UK that she would be able to park in a spot ‘on the wrong side of the road’, but was shocked to find it hasn’t been done here.
“It’s so illegal in this country,” she said.
“But in the UK I did it every day,” she said.
Adding to that, she considers herself a “real pro” at parking on the wrong side of the road because it’s so common at home.
The latter is also about how, or rather what, people drive.
Charlee seemed stunned to learn that most people “don’t know how to drive a manual car.”
She said that in the UK most people learn on a manual car, and this is seen as the preferred and most readily available option.
The young woman can’t believe it’s illegal to parallel park on the opposite side of the road against traffic
They (Australians) have an automatic car licence, so they can’t drive a manual car,” she said, stunned.
‘Everyone said: do you drive a manual transmission, I only have a manual transmission car. In the UK, frankly, we just have to be phenomenal drivers,” she said.
The video, which was posted on TikTok, quickly went viral and many people, including Australians, agreed on all three points.
“Aussie post uses a horse and cart,” one person wrote.
A British man said he sometimes feels like he’s “living in the 90s” when it comes to postal delays and online availability of products.
Another knows all about the ‘highly illegal’ parking: ‘I remember once parking across the road and getting BOLLOCKED! Who knows!’
‘So nothing has changed in nine years,’ laughed an ex-expat.
Others dismissed most of her comments.
‘Iconic delivers the same day. All my Amazon Prime arrives same day or next day. It’s legal to make a u-turn unless it’s over double lines,” one woman wrote.
“You can park on the other side of the road, as long as you face the traffic. And the car/man driver’s license only applies to your P’s,” she added.
“It’s insane that you would expect things to be delivered to you within a few days. Think about our planet! stop buying stuff!’ a man shot.
And some complained ‘Canada is no better’.
“I moved to Canada years ago. UK is enlightened for many things. deliveries, food costs, chatter. I miss it,’ said one woman.
Charlee lived in Sydney when she first moved to Australia, but now spends some time in the Northern Territory.