A few years ago, I left New York City and headed to Sydney.
I moved to Australia for a job opportunity and because I wanted to experience what it is like to work and live abroad.
Doing so also helped me scratch the itch I’d had since college, when I studied abroad in Italy and never wanted to leave. I always knew I’d need to live abroad again at some point.
Ultimately, I lived in Sydney for a little over two years before recently returning to the US.
Throughout my time there, I found myself surprised by cultural differences, local slang, and so much more.
Public holidays vary more by state and region than I was used to
In the US, I wasn’t used to public holidays varying so much by region. Meanwhile, in Australia, they can differ quite a bit depending on where you are.
I learned about this the hard way when I accidentally called one of my prospective clients on their state’s public holiday, turning a cold lead into an even colder one.
From then on, I made it a habit to check Google or ask colleagues about public holidays, since they can vary from state to state.
Luckily, someone gave me a heads-up about Western Australia Day, which I thought was a joke at first. I immediately imagined every US state having its own holiday, like “North Carolina Day” or “Alabama Day.”
For those who don’t know, Western Australia Day is a public state holiday marking the founding of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the British settlement that eventually turned into Perth.
Another example is Melbourne Cup Day, a public holiday in Victoria celebrated on a Tuesday in November. Essentially, locals get the day off from work for a horse race.
It’s called the “race that stops the nation,” and I can confirm that is true. Even in New South Wales, the state where Sydney is located, my whole sales team ran to the pub for a quick break and to watch horses trample each other to the finish line.
There’s also Anzac Day, April 25, which honors Australian and New Zealand service members. Many celebrate it by going to pubs, gambling, and drinking, often starting as early as 7 or 8 a.m.
But even Anzac Day can be handled differently depending on where you are. If April 25 falls on a weekend, like it did this year, whether there’s a public holiday the following Monday depends on the state.
In some ways, the work culture felt more laid-back
I moved to Sydney with the same massive media and entertainment company I worked for in New York, but my experience in each office has been very different.
The work culture in Australia felt more laid-back, in my opinion.
My coworkers seemed way more open about their personal lives, and there was less of a workplace hierarchy. Morning coffee runs across the floor were a normal daily occurrence and a great way to get to know your colleagues.
I’ve also never talked so much about politics in the office, something that felt taboo back in the US. Australians seemed to talk about American politics way more than their own — though maybe that’s just my experience as one of the few Americans in the office.
Although a lot of the office vibes were laidback, my Australian colleagues still worked really hard.
Working for a US-headquartered company and reporting into teams in both the US and the UK meant there was a constant need to demonstrate the value of the Australian business.
With fewer resources and smaller budgets, people on my Australian team often wore multiple hats within their roles and took on more responsibilities outside of their job descriptions.
Traveling from Australia didn’t look like what I expected
When I lived in Sydney, I thought I’d be able to fly from state to state or to nearby international destinations like New Zealand, Indonesia, or Fiji for a few hundred bucks, maybe $300 tops.
However, those short flights were often more expensive than I expected, often closer to double that price.
Australia’s domestic market is largely dominated by Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin, with fewer major competitors than I was used to back in the US. That limited competition, plus high demand and fuel costs, can make airfares surprisingly costly.
In my experience, many longer flights, especially around holidays, could easily run close to $1,000.
I also didn’t realize how far some Asian destinations were from Australia until I moved here. For example, Bali is about six and a half hours nonstop from Sydney, and Tokyo is almost 10 hours away.
This surprised me, but I’ve found that many Australians seemed unfazed by these flight lengths — and don’t even view them as that long — since they’re used to being so far from much of the world.
Gambling is huge here
Australia has some of the highest gambling rates in the world, and after living here, it’s easy to see how.
I found “pokies” (poker machines) in most pubs, where people can stop in after a “tipple” (drink) or two and roll the dice to see if they can win some more drinking money to bet on the “footy” (rugby).
It was wild to me that you could walk into just about any local pub, jump into a back room, and start hitting the slots — even in the middle of the day on a lunch break.
Slang is everywhere
You can’t escape the local slang no matter how hard you try.
From arvo, g’day, brekkie, and barbie to bathers, bottle-o, and spenny, I felt almost as if I was learning a new language when I first moved.
In time, I figured out that “flat out” means too busy or stretched too thin, and “chuck a sickie” means faking sick.
“Mate” is generally used to address a friend, but it can have different meanings depending on the tone of voice. When said with high energy, it can signify warmth. If the word is dragged out, it can show shock.
If “mate” is said sounding short or flat, there’s a good chance there’s some hostility behind the word, and the person saying it doesn’t consider you much of a friend at all.
If you go to Australia for a bachelorette party, it’s called a “hens weekend.” A bachelor party is called a “bucks weekend.”
I learned that an “esky” is an ice cooler, a “mozzy” is a mosquito, and a “Tassie devil” is a Tasmanian devil.
Bathing suits are “bathers,” and if you’re looking for a tight-fitting Speedo-like vibe, many men love to wear a “Budgie smuggler.”
You won’t be getting McDonald’s down unda, only “Maccas.” I even adapted my name to Sammie because Aussies love to shorten words.
The Asian food scene in Australia really impressed me
I really fell in love with the Asian food scene in Australia, and had incredible Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Korean cuisine throughout my stay.
The impressive bites could be attributed to the continents being fairly close together geographically (even if the flights between the two ended up being longer than I expected).
Much to my surprise and delight, grabbing a sushi roll in Sydney felt as easy — and cheap — as grabbing a pastry in New York City. On many occasions, I’d walk into a business that felt like a sushi bakery of sorts, choose a freshly made roll from behind the glass that only cost a few bucks, and be out the door in minutes.
Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a proper, greasy New York slice of pizza or a fresh, delicious bagel.
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