Brit living in Australia lists five things which are different to being at home
Moving to Australia is a dream for many Brits, with many choosing to move down every year.
The obvious benefits of being close to the beach in good weather, together with a more relaxed lifestyle, make for a very attractive change.
However, there are some additional cultural differences that may take some time to get used to when moving from Great Britain to Australia.
TikTok user @beaugoespro took to the platform to document the aspects of Australian life that differed most from Britain after living in Melbourne.
Firstly, Beau revealed that he was shocked by the fact that peppers are called bell peppers in Australia.
TikTok user @beaugoespro took to the platform to document the aspects of Australian life that were most different from those in Britain
He joked: “I’m not surprised this hasn’t caught on anywhere else in the world. Imagine a band called the Red Hot Chili Capsicums. There’s no reason for it.’
His next major difference was in the way hot and cold tap water is provided in Australia compared to Britain.
Beau said that he thought the tap water tasted ‘delicious, fresh’ [and] cold’ in Australia to such an extent that it reminded him of bottled water, illustrating his preference over British tap water.
He also said the hot tap was ‘piping hot’, something Brits traveling to Australia may want to bear in mind.
The vlogger’s next notable difference was the pricing of public transport, which he said was much cheaper.
He notes: ‘Public transport here is very reasonably priced. In Britain we are being ripped off. [In Melbourne] you can travel unlimitedly for $10 (£5.23) a day’.
By comparison, a travel card for every day between zones 1 and 3 on London’s transport network costs £15.20, almost three times as much.
His penultimate observation shows that he is not a fan of the time it takes to wait for the traffic lights to change Down Under.
He complained about it taking “forever” to change, joking: “You’re waiting at an intersection for five minutes. You’ll get old if you wait there.”
When listing what he thought were the biggest contrasts between life in Britain and Australia, Beau was baffled by the concept of a beer schooner.
Beau revealed he was shocked by the fact that peppers are called sweet peppers in Australia. He joked: “I’m not surprised this hasn’t caught on anywhere else in the world. Imagine a band called the Red Hot Chili Capsicums. There’s no reason for it.’
Beau branded a schooner, which is common for a beer in Australia and is the equivalent of two-thirds of a pint, as ‘pointless’ and ‘pointless’
While Australia uses imperial measurements for beer – such as pints and half-pints – in the same way as Britain, a schooner, which measures two-thirds of a pint, is also popular in Australia.
Beau concluded the video by saying, “It’s pointless to me. It’s pointless. If we’re going to have a beer, we’ll have a few beers. We’ve got at least half a pint in a novelty glass.’
Beau’s video, which has been viewed more than 750,000 times on the platform, attracted mixed reactions from viewers, with some quick to defend the concept of a schooner, arguing it made perfect sense due to the sweltering Australian heat.
One user wrote: ‘When it’s hot, a schooner is perfect!’
A second added: ‘Wait until it’s warm and schooners make sense. Pints can get warm.”
Another agreed about the quality of Melbourne’s water, writing: ‘Melbourne tap water is delicious! Unfortunately it’s not always the same in Australia.’
Beau’s observations about the quality of Melbourne’s tap water appear to be confirmed, after the city won a nationwide competition for the best tasting tap water for cities across Australia in 2022.
Melbourne Water’s Cresswell water treatment plant won the Best Tasting Tap Water competition, held in Casino, New South Wales, last November.
To determine the winner, the judges drank tap water samples in a blind taste test, judging on color, clarity, smell and taste.