I’m an Australian living in the UK – these are the biggest differences I’ve noticed

An Australian woman who moved to Britain last year has shared a long list of the bizarre and peculiar differences she has noticed since coming here.

Kate Heaslip, 22, moved to Manchester with her friend Sarah with the intention of staying for about five months.

From accents to food, she took to social media to reveal the little things she finds different from life down there.

Her TikTok, posted under her handle @kate.heasliphas already been seen by more than 25,000 people – with fellow Australians rushing to the comments to share their own experiences.

Filming the video on a train, Kate told viewers: ‘Sarah and I just moved from Australia to the UK a month ago. We’re going to talk about the differences we’ve noticed since we’ve been here.”

Crossing the street

She revealed that the first thing she “notices a lot” actually has to do with crossing the road.

The 22-year-old explained: ‘The little green man that tells you when you can walk across the road doesn’t make a beeping noise.

“He’s also next to you, so you have to turn your head so much to know when he’s going, you can’t even just look across.”

However, a British commentator advised: ‘At the intersections there is usually also a green man opposite you. Some crossings squeak and others don’t, depending on the type of crossing I think, but not 100 percent’

The TikToker responded, “Yes, I’ve seen a few that beep. However, the beep isn’t that cute, next to a laughing emoji.

No spices

As for food, Kate expressed her disappointment at the lack of spices in Britain.

She said: ‘They don’t salt their chips. None of the chips in any eatery have salt on them, especially chicken salt, but I guess that’s South Australian, right?

This point struck a chord with other Australians who have also made the move, with one person commenting: ‘Oh my god, they don’t have salt on their chips. The whole time in Europe all I wanted was chicken salt on fries’.

Another added: ‘I cried when I first got Maccas chips (McDonald’s) and they had no salt. I was so homesick and just cried and cried.”

Meanwhile, a third wrote: ‘I’m a Kiwi in Ireland and the salt thing is the same here! What do these people have against herbs?’

Stay on the left side of the street

The third difference on the TikToker’s list is the way Britons walk down the street, without sticking to one side.

She revealed: ‘When you walk down the street this one annoys Sarah, no one stays left and right.

Adding that it should always be ‘left’ and that people should ‘stay to their left’.

In the comments, another Australian agreed, insisting: ‘Literally no reason, stay left’.

Someone else said: ‘It’s a London thing they leave in Manchester’, to which Kate shot back: ‘I can tell you first hand they definitely don’t do that hahaha I’m avoiding all day’.

Drink sizes

Kate continued: ‘One thing I notice is that Sarah doesn’t care: Coke cans or other soft drink cans are 330ml instead of 375ml.

“That’s not a big difference, but it’s the difference in the last sip when you’re done eating.”

Annoyed, the Australian joked that it “kills her every time.”

Greeting people and placing accents

A common difference that confuses people from other countries is the British slang and greetings.

The TikToker said: ‘Where we would say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ they’d say, ‘Are you OK?’ or “Are you okay?”

She admitted, “I just don’t know how to answer that.”

Similarly, the 22-year-old was also amazed by the variety of accents in Britain.

Kate told her followers: ‘I find this really fascinating. In Australia, everyone except the east coast basically sounds exactly the same.

“Some people have more of an Aussie accent, but it’s basically the same across the country.”

Speaking of Britain, she explained: ‘You go two miles away and someone has a completely different accent.’

Bedding

Regarding the bedding, she said: ‘I didn’t notice this but Sarah said there is no top sheet, people don’t use top sheets – random.’

A fellow Australian noted in the comments: ‘No top is that wrong,’ while another person added: ‘Omg no, the top. Like they shouldn’t hahahaha’.

Surprised, she also adds that she thinks it is ‘smart’ for supermarket employees to sit on a chair instead of standing.

Weather

Another surprising element of life in Britain was the weather.

Kate said: ‘The other thing that surprised me when I got here is that it’s not cold.

‘Do you know what I mean? It freezes sometimes, but I thought I would need more coats. It might get cold, I’m not going to curse that.’

One viewer joked: “You say it’s not cold lol it’s not even winter yet,” to which the TikToker responded: “I know I’m not ready yet.”

Despite the long list of quirks, Kate admitted that she “loves it here.”

Adding, “The differences are really weird, but that’s the coolest part: seeing what’s different about here and home, and I love it.”

One viewer wrote: ‘No way! These are so accurate! Moved from New Zealand this year and the fact that the green man didn’t beep shocked me!’

Meanwhile, a second joked: ‘The salt I learned living at Brit’s before I came here knew I needed salt for everything.’

A third added: ‘Differences are the best things about other countries,’ while a fourth revealed: ‘I’d love to move to Aus! I find it so funny when Aussies come here.’

Other Australians commented: ‘I agree with every one of these’ and ‘Yes to the kids who have accents! It’s strange to hear at first.’