A British tourist has shared the differences between backyards in Australia and Britain.
From the fences to screens and children’s trampolines, the woman was enthusiastic about the contrasts and was surprised by the purpose of certain elements.
In a now-viral video, she listed common Australian backyard differences she learned.
‘I’m at my friend’s house in Australia and I thought I’d show you things we don’t see in Britain: the garden edition. And when we do have them, they are not common,” she said.
First, she noticed that metal fences were common in backyards and assumed that this material was used to prevent the spread of wildfires. But Australians pointed out that metal is used to deter termites and withstand strong winds.
Metal or iron usually last longer than wood and do not rot. The aforementioned female Aussies also have metal verandas.
‘And then the trampolines with built-in UV protection. “I’ve seen a trampoline with a cover, but generally I think it’s to keep leaves from falling,” she continued with the backyard tour.
Trampolines with UV protection are unheard of in Britain due to the colder climate for most of the year.
Australian backyards often have metal fences, verandas and screen doors (stock image of Australian backyard)
‘You can see it here too, I think it’s an orange tree. We have fruit trees in Britain, but generally they look like apples and pears. I have the cherry tree and a plum tree, but citrus fruits? Rarer,” the woman added.
The woman then turned her attention to the swimming pool, an expensive part of the backyard in both Australia and Britain.
“This pool is quite big, and it looks like an above-ground pool, but they actually dug a hole. So this part of the pool here is actually seven feet deep,” she said.
The woman also noted that the pool fence has yet to be installed, which is a requirement for swimming pools in Australia to prevent drowning.
Another thing she was surprised by was the metal windows and fly screen to keep out moths and other insects.
In Britain, backyards often have wooden fences and children’s trampolines do not have British protection (stock image)
The video was viewed more than 174,000 times and many Australians joined the conversation.
“We have metal fences because they don’t deteriorate like wood. You can’t see your neighbors either which is cool,” one person wrote.
“Metal is meant to deter termites and can withstand high winds,” said another.
‘Termites are bad in Oz. They will eat your house if it is made of wood,” a third added.
Someone else commented: “And in Australia we don’t call it a ‘garden’, we say ‘backyard’.”
“Metal windows are just cheaper casings and easier to maintain, just like the diamond screens,” said another.