Reaction To 19 Unwritten Rules For Living In Australia 

When speed cameras first came in, the whole idea was for the police to be highly visible so people would slow down. Studies showed that over a four year period, where they were visible, deaths dropped to 1/4 of what they were. But in locations where police thought punitive was more important than preventative, or had quotas, or hid themselves to catch speeders, the death toll never changed. One of the most fascinating social experiments I've ever heard about.

In most areas in Australia the councils have outlawed cats being allowed out after dark as that’s when most small native animals are active and birds are asleep, the most damage from cats are the feral ones .

I always check my closed shoes for wildlife I’ve found spiders, small lizards, frogs and on one memorable occasion a slightly concussed bird.

And to add, if you bring beer or wine to a gathering do NOT take it with you when you leave! I've seen that done and it's a grub move.

This whole thing makes me proud to be Australian 🇦🇺

So funny as an Aussie that all of this just makes sense - like I wouldn't even think about this its just who we are lol

They are lovely people and I think they are spot on with their comments.

Lots of native birds have been hunted to dangerous levels because of feral/house cats so its definitely expected to keep your cat in

Tone matters more than content when speaking. "Mate" indicates friendship, or at least a neutral attitude to someone. Calling someone "sport", unless describing them as "a good sport", indicates a certain amount of hostility. The terms "poor" and/or "old" can indicate either friendship, respect or sympathy, depending on the situation. "Do the right thing" was a slogan back in the 80s for cleaning up Australia and anti littering campaigns in general.

Enjoyed the video and response. I have always thought I had a good sense of humor and was able to take a joke from anyone. However, on a cruise back in March this year my partner and I had a conversation with a couple from the UK. He asked what my work background was. I said that I had been in the Australian Air Force for 36 years - the RAAF. His response was = "The Royal Amateur Air Force" . It just touched a nerve - an insult to the 11,000 Australian airmen who had died in WW2 defending the UK and British interests in North Africa. It ended the conversation. I had another glass of wine and let it be.

No. There is no laws stating you can't flash your lights. HOWEVER you can be fined for incorrect usage of lights, specifically high beams, because it can cause danger to others. So in very rare cases if a cop really decides they want to charge you for flashing your lights, they might attemp to accuse you of incorrect lights usage (but neither in my entire life nor my partners, we've never once heard of a person being fined for flashing lights). Also, I've had all sorts of things in my shoes! 😂 frogs, lizards, beetles, spiders, you name it! Even indoors occasionally something might try to hide in your shoes, it's a very common rule to always check your shoes👍

The thing about flashing your headlights is that you are flashing your high beam and that is illegal when close to another car. If you were to turn your lights on and off they would be on low beam and that is perfectly okay.

This is how much pride we take in our surroundings. The councils have a nationwide running competition for the cleanest in the state ,suburban streets nation wide. 3 times my town has been voted the cleanest town in Victoria and my street the cleanest in the whole of OZ a few years back and have a street sign stating so.

I don't hear "bring a plate" much anymore these days but depending on the hosts and type of event (lunchtime BBQ, dinner, etc), they might suggest bringing a salad, or a tray of some sort of appetisers. If they want more than that they'll be more specific. Many social gatherings we attend these days are just BYO bottle or 2 of nice wine, or some beers, with hosts providing most of the food.

I've checked my shoes my entire life (well as long as I can remember). Taught this very early in life but I did mostly grow up in country towns and on farms. I never leave shoes outside, and even check shoes from inside before I put them on. I lived in the UK for 5 years and I still just had to check my shoes there - could not break that habit. Just do it without even thinking. Rarely find anything. Think I've had one spider fall out.

Cats are the number one killer of Aussie Wildlife. Its not just birds and reptiles that are their victims. We have many iconic smaller mammals that are preyed upon. Unfortunately Australia has the worst record for mammal extinctions in the world. Over 30 mammals have now been lost forever in Oz since cats arrived with European settlement. Foxes have also been involved but to a lesser extent.

There's a few little Australian bush mammals that look very mouse-like so cats will go for them, plus birds. (Not all cats are hunters though..one of mine was but the other didn't have a clue.) I have my back yard pet-netted now so nothing can get in and my cat can't get out. Cat containment is a council rule too in most areas.

I always check my shoes, inside or outside. Any gardening equipment (gloves etc) I store in a ziplock bag. I love our creatures, from a distance...

I was talking to my older sister a few months ago about slang. We were brought up to talk "properly". Good diction, etc. I commented that I didn't think we talked slang. So as we spent the afternoon together, EVERY time I said something "slang" she would say "SLANG!" 🤣 Omg. And I listened for the first time to everyone else. We ALL talk slang without realising it. I dont use the C word, but frankly being called a grub is WAY worse. It's strange watching people commenting on things we take for granted. Yeah we check our shoes. We always lift the outside cushions on the chairs too to check for spiders before we sit down. It's just habit.

It's not just spiders that will make a home of your shoes. Snakes, frogs, lizards, small mammals, you name it.

I have never. Not once. In my ENTIRE life. Left a pair of shoes outside.

Always check your shoes--even if they are inside the house! I once had a spider inside my sandshoe, playing 'this little piggy' with my toes. I realised only after I had finished tying up the laces... Redback, funnel-web? My shoe was off in a flash and huge huntsman crawled out. I've got no idea how he fit in that tiny space! I love this country! Proud to be Aussie!

it's rare for me to leave my shoes outside, only if they've got quite wet and need to dry out, but yes, it's a habit to give them a good shake, bang on the ground or bang them together in case something like a spider or small snake has crawled inside.

Im Aussie and can verify all of these are true!!

When someone asks "Owsitgoinmate?"It is not the done thing to not answer, they are not however asking about your personal life details. The accepted response is something along the lines of "Yeah, good thanks. You?" or "Don't ask, I might just tell you..." Yes, you check your boots. Snakes are also a common find wand you sure as shit do not want an angry brown snake or tiger snake sharing your boot with your foot. Scorpions also. I have found funnel webs, redbacks, snakes and other unfriendlies in my boots.

You can have an entire conversation using the word “mate”. Hehe

Where I live, people flash their lights to warn of wildlife on the highway or if you have your high beam on by accident... I flashed my lights to warn of a speed camera and got busted for it, not a fine, but a warning which has made me not do it since! Yes, you need to check Roo's on the side of the road for a Joey, but most people don't.

Okay there is a big difference with QLD where they live and say Melbourne. Sydney too really. You're pretty safe with the shoes outside in Melbourne providing it's not left for days. QLD has every bug known to mankind, I hate the place. They were a bit technical on the "how's it going? it's more like, "oursitgoin," or "oursitgoinmate." Thinking about my own greeting it's usually, "ouryergoinmate." Very much the same thing. Yes, most Aussies are conditioned to throw stuff in the bin. Not everyone, especially on the highways are stopping to check dead kangaroos. (I've driven on roads where the dead kangaroos are every 30 or so metres so if you stopped every time you would never get anywhere.) However we are otherwise indeed respectful of our wildlife. Our ultimate number one prank on foreigners is drop bears. Aussies are very good at seeing through a lie. So you will get, "Oh come on mate, don't give me that BS." Those who wish to come to Australia need to be careful of the creature that kills more Australians than any other. Is that spiders? NAH, last time somebody died from a spider bite it was 44 years ago in 1979. Is it snakes? Not likely, considering about 70% of Australians have never seen a snake in the wild. So what the heck is it? Well believe it or not it's actually HORSES. 77 people died from accidents with horses mainly on country properties between 2008 and 2017. The next dangerous killer was cows. The moral of the story is don't get sucked in by idiots making videos designed to shock you about Australia's so-called dangerous creatures. Cheers mate. 🇦🇺🦘🐨

When they said to me “you are being very unAustralian” it hurts more than they just cussed me out.

I -always- give my shoes a bang if they were outside (Which is almost never) or I haven't worn them for a while. One time I didn't and I ended up with a squashed moth in my boot all day at work. It was awful. Being called a Grub is pretty insulting, it basically means you are low and dirty, the bottom of the barrel of humanity. And yes, even if someone tells me not to bring anything to an event, I always do. Alcohol or food or something of the kind. I genuinely get furious when I see people littering, and automatically pick up rubbish when I see it.

As an Aussie thats lived 20 years in the UK its interesting hearing their observations. "Mate" is common to both however in Oz we also use "mates rates" when getting a quote or purchase. UnAustralian is more often aimed at an act rather than the person. Not helping or ignoring a situation for example. A dog act is doing something nasty like damage. Stealing or violent. Banter is more UK than Oz. Old aussies get it however new Australians from Asians countries dont. Greek background will laugh at themselves. Italian's wont. White Australians are called "Skippy's or skips" from the old TV series Skippy the bush kangaroo. The word "Wog" is used a lot by some communities. Slang, even used by newsreader's, example cops for police, ambo's for ambulance and firies for fire brigade. Volunteering is big in Oz, raising funds or administration etc. Police are very strict in Oz partic against motorist. I get 1 to 2 fines a year for small speeding offenses like 5kph. We also have double the fine during public holiday periods. Flashing headlights to warn drivers of "mobile speed cameras" is Very Australian as its purely revenue raising... Bring a plate "of food" is a bit old school. However we do have communal bbq's at beaches and parks so bring your own esk to hold ice and drinks that can also be used as a seat is common. Trees are you friends, we have high AV sun which stings your skin and damages car paint etc. Looking for shade is crucial...

My parents have had shoes left outside for a few weeks and they get filled with spider webs, I've also put my shoes on that were left in my bedroom and felt something on my foot which turned out to be a huntsman spider...

I haven't left my shoes outside since I was a kid. On multiple occasions I remember being interrupted by either a large huntsman or a cane toad that has found a home inside one or two of my shoes.

We tend to keep our shoes inside because we live rural. But my hubby did leave some runners on the table out the back, and yep there was a spider in one of them. 😂

Even in the city you need to check shoes.. you just bang them together to see if a spiders runs out..

Dad left his shoes outside and checked them before he put them on. He thought he felt a golf ball...but it was a spider

It's a normal habit to check my shoes so I don't really think about it

Littering and wasting water -- VERY un-Australian.

I heard someone got out of a fine for flashing lights as a warning because in court the cops had to specify if fines are a deterrent not revenue raisers. If people are flashing headlights that is also a deterrent and therefore helping the police. And now you can’t be fined for it. That’s what I heard.

You might forget once to check your shoes. But when you do find a spider in your shoes, you don't ever forget to check a second time.

People used to drive like lunatics and it was pretty common to drive without seat belts and under the influence of alcohol. There were a series of TV commercials made by the traffic authority that showed the impacts of driving recklessly which had a massive impact on the population. These days most people try to stick to the rules, not just because of the massive fines, but also because there is a real understanding of the danger on the roads and if you're not paying attention, things can go wrong really quickly.

I LOVE Australia with all my heart!

I find a good response to how are you going is to say good and yourself. This generally gets a positive response especially in service industry. It’s short and sweet and acknowledges the other person without any long drawn out answer. Anyway seems to work for me.

Calling someone un-Australian is often used in a pisstaking sense, e.g. someone might tell me I'm un-Australian because I have no interest in football. They don't mean I'm unpatriotic; just that footy is really popular and why the hell aren't I into it? 😂

We hold ‘Clean Up Australia’ Day annually. It's always the first Sunday in March - so in 2024, the official Clean Up Australia Day will be Sunday 3 March. Local areas will run local cleanup of waterways, parks, bush land, beaches, etc. Adults can do paperwork while kids & active citizens pick up litter, remove rusted cars from rivers, etc.

In NSW usually people do speed limit +10. Except in areas with lots of speed cameras and known police hiding spots.

My Mum(Irish) got caught out with the bring a plate statement, she thought they might be short on cutlery too so brought that along as well 😂😂

The thing I find a bit confusing is that they appear to have British accents and there is so much similarity between the two cultures.

The shoe one is real. When camping in the bush we had a snake go into a shoe one time and it was lucky that we checked it.

usually if someone is letting you in, on the road, they'll wave you through with their hand. but if its a truck driver, for example, they're more likely to give you a flash

We say mate a lot in many contexts, we also call our best mate a c*nt in the same context with c*nt replacing "mate" in a conversation. The deliverance of "mate" or "c*nt" in a sentence is usually determined by tone of voice and context. Both terms are used equally amongst friends quite lightly (maybe more bogan friends perhaps but it's an acceptable way of speaking with good friends/colleagues of the same nature) "Oi c*nt, how's it goin?" (greeting) "Any c*nt want a beer while I'm here?" (being polite when at the esky/fridge) A couple of examples.

Spending part of my life growing up on a property, I’ve taught my kids repeatedly to check their shoes. They rarely do it & I just shake my head & say well it’s on you & I don’t want to know if something happens 🤦🏼‍♀️😂 Regarding flashing your lights; there’s the heads up about speeding as mentioned, to let someone in/go through etc., to say thanks or a warning to let someone know they’re driving like a numpty. These guys have a good grasp of the Australian culture & seem to be happy to immerse themselves in it. Kudos to them!

I'm Australian, Queenslander. I agree with everyone they said. 🇦🇺

I once heard of a South African women that was invited to a Barbie and told to bring a plate . She was confused and thought they mustn’t have enough . Much to her hosts amusement , it didn’t have anything on it . 🤦‍♂️

I grew up in the country in a fibro house and I was taught to always give my boots a good slap together every morning to knock out any spiders etc that had taken up residence overnight. We did the same thing with our slippers when getting out of bed in the morning. Yes, I sometimes found one. Regarding “mate”, it’s very flexible and a lot of meaning is in the way you say it, as these guys pointed out. However I wouldn’t use it for everyone, sometimes it would feel uncomfortably over-familiar and fake, and slightly disrespectful other times.

What kind of person do you have to be to think being fair to people is weird? I couldn't believe they were shocked by that.

Shoes left outside in Australia are called 'spider hotels!'. Don't leave your shoes outside and if you do, then shake them to make sure nothing in in them before putting them on.

I found a frog in my school shoe one morning when I didn't check. I was wondering why my foot felt funny, took the shoe off and there was a frog in there. Poor frog lol

Put my slippers on one morning and something bit me. It was a scorpion. Hurt like hell but nothing more. Always check shoes if they are outside!

The idea behind charging a fine for flashing your lights is that it only stops drivers from speeding for a short time until they pass the camera then they just speed up again. Not knowing that a camera is up ahead is meant to change your behaviour for the LONG TERM by not speeding at all as you don’t know when you could get a fine. This is meant to save lives but people complain just the same.

"There are some unspoken rules in Australia that go without saying.....yep that's what makes them unspoken.

funniest one i had was jehovas turn up at my door... im disabled n takes me a while to get to the door so yelled out 'who is it?' they just yelled back 'its the jehovas mate' .... only in aus xxx

Always check outdoor shoes and usually flip them upside down and bang the soles to double check.

The shoe check is a must.Frogs dangerous spiders and snakes never leave your shoes out

My brother didn’t check his boots once and got stung by a scorpion. Very painful. So I always check, give them a quick shake.

Check your boots? Most definitely. I have found scorpions, spiders and once a juvenile eastern brown snake in my boots when camping,or when leaving them outside.

It's not illegal to flash your lights unless it's between dawn and dusk and the other car is less than 200m away, been fined and had it thrown out because that's what the learner handbook says

One thing most people from overseas stumble over is how to say G'Day. It just doesn't seem to roll off their tongues as it should.

"How's it going" needs a response if you want to be seen as friendly. Just a brief, "yeah, I'm fine/ok/good" and then you ASK THEM how they are. I know this because I'm not very good at it.

If you go to a park, a beach or out in the bush, do not leave your rubbish, trash or garbage behind. Take it with you. On a divided highway, keep left, unless overtaking. If you are going to drink at a BBQ, always bring your own alcohol. I never leave my shoes outside, not ever.

13:40 Yes, always check inside ya shoes... spiders/snakes will use inside shoes as protection from the environment or predators. Yes, I had a snake (King brown) coiled up in one of my work boots...I filled the boot with a rock then used a shovel to put the boot in a pillowcase, I took the pillowcase into a reptile specialist who was able to get my boot out and relocate the snake away from homes.

Born in Australia and I think they did a pretty good job. One other thing worth mentioning is a love of sport. If you keep up with results of a few sports its a big tick. Not ubiquitously true and leans more towards men. Also if an international sporting match is on and Australia are not playing, but England is, general rule of thumb is do not support England. :)

I always check my shoes that have been inside too😂😂😂😂😂 white tails love dark spaces and shoes are the perfect hidey hole for them😂😂😂

As an Aussie I agree with this 💯. Just be real and we’ll love ya 😊

Always check my shoes - even inside the house after a period of heavy rain or extreme heat.

People don't really leave shoes outside unless they are muddy workboots. You need to check them for spiders, snakes, etc. Some places have centipedes and scorpions that are looking for shade as well. They can be deadly or at least very painful or a bad day.

I have knocked a spider out of my boot when checking. I do it with shoes inside as well if I haven't worn them for a while.

In New South Wales we flashlights to indicate you can come in to my lane or whatever. We also do the double light flash to indicate police/speed cameras ahead.

The closest things to Grub. Would be, low life or scumbag. 👍 Yep always flash the light's to warn people. Yes in times like letting in traffic ya can flash.

In Australia you would not forget to check your boots, there could be a deadly snake in them. Maybe it is unlikely but it is life and death. I was visiting Ireland a few Months age and I realised I was scared to walk through long grass from all my years of living in Australia I had become so cautious of snakes in long grass.

"Old mate" can have a sly negative connotation depending on circumstances - calling someone old mate sometimes implies that you think they're a bit of a dickhead and you don't care to know their name, it's dismissive in a lot of contexts. Say you see someone littering or just being a bit of a gronk. You'd nudge your mate and say "have a go at old mate over there" and probably yell at them to pull their head in and act right. Also nothing, nothing bothers us like people swanning around being arrogant for any reason. You might have it better than me, but you're NOT better than me. That goes for anyone, any time, anywhere.

An exert I wrote on a piece about Feral cats on Quora. These are the official statistics: "As it’s an island continent Australian plants and animals have evolved in complete isolation. As a result, Australia is amongst the most unique and fragile ecosystems on the planet and it’s flora and Fauna lack any kind of defenses against introduced species such as the Feral cat. In a 2012 report, the Australian Federal Wildlife Conservancy estimated that each feral cat kills between five and 30 animals a day. It says taking the lower figure in that range and multiplying it by a "conservative population estimate" of 15 million feral cats gives a minimum estimate of 75 MILLION NATIVE ANIMALS KILLED BY FERAL CATS EVERY SINGLE DAY. Read that again and let it sink in. - At it’s most conservative estimation, 75 MILLION NATIVE ANIMALS ARE KILLED BY FERAL CATS EVERY SINGLE DAY."

It's common to flash your lights for trucks on the highway/freeway if they're overtaking you, in order to let them know it's safe for them to move back into your lane in front of you. We have a lot of multi carriage and very long trucks and it's not always possible for them to judge their length

Yep, always check your shoes. Even if they are inside. It's a good habit to be in cause things do get in there.

LOL.. The C word is definitely our favourite and most used word 😂

I have never heard anyone being called "Un Australian" other than in the media. The worst you can be called is a "dog". In all my years of driving around the country, which I have done a lot, I have seen hundreds of road kill roos, I actually see about 10 a week in my current job, none have a white cross on them. I have never head of anyone stopping to see if there is a Joey, I'm not saying people don't though, but I have never heard of it.. I have hit several roos and I would stop to see if they were dead, I guess it would be a good thing to check for a bubs.

You can get fined for warning other drivers to slow down if police are ahead for the pure reason that they were cheated out of charging/fining drivers. It’s all about revenue raising here.

I agree with them all, absolutely. The shoe question: yes, you will find things hiding in them. I’ve had all sorts of spiders, several frogs, a moth and a snake. Unfortunately the other day I tipped my boots, but a frog was in there and didn’t fall out. Being unaware of it’s presence I put my foot in and squashed it. 😢 So yeah, it’s really important to shake your shoes well, so no little creature gets harmed.

12:58 ALSO, if you bring grog and put it in the fridge or esky provided. DO NOT take home what is left over. It is surrendered to the person hosting. It is kinda ok if you brought your own booze in your own esky to take home. But still shunned upon. A good host will have good beverage cooling provided as part of the code of hosting a guest. This eliminates eskies everywhere all over the lawn that was just cut today

Using mate in a professional context needs to be done with care. Non-Australians and some Australians can be put out by using it in letters or emails - unexpected or unwanted familiarity.

Truck drivers or trailer/ caravan drivers will put on their right blinker when it's safe to overtake

If you leave your gumboots outside, I place a plastic bag over the top of my boots and hold with a plastic band. It stops spiders, snakes and bluetongues getting inside.

We don't leave shoes outside. But anytime before I put shoes on (that have been inside) I always tip them upside down. Spiders are inside too! It's just something I automatically do.. I have had spiders in my shoes before!

Thankfully it wasn't a spider but I've put my shoe on that I left outside over night, started walking and it felt like I had a prickle in my shoe but hurt a little more so I pulled my foot out and there was an earwig stuck in my foot.

I won't leave shoes outside. Same goes for gardening gloves, hats etc. You don't know what'll take up residence in them. And my cats are kept indoors and they have a "catio" (cat run) on the verandah. I would never let my cats roam free. We purposely built our catrun with special snake mesh wire. It's got teeny tiny squares so snakes can't get through. (We live in the country). 👍

The main reason people flash their lights is to tell you to dim your lights cause you've left them on high beam, they let you know by upping their light to high beam and they only give you a millisecond to dim before they respond.

Hmmm. Bit like when poms say ‘ya right’ for hello lol. Got me many many times

Mate just means friend. It is very versatile, though. It can go from friendly to threatening very easily lol.

Things that live in shoes here: when I was a kid I was visiting my friend, and her dad put his foot into his boot, stopped, tipped it upside down, and out hopped a cane toad!

The checking of the shoes is more so in the northern states or country places. Fining for flashing is all about the money!