14 MORE THINGS I LEARNED LIVING IN AUSTRALIA!!! (AS AN AMERICAN)

[@mrgreeneggs6191]

something you didn't touch on and no other people seem to touch on is the overall feeling of personal safety students feel in this country. When I was working within the university structure in central Queensland it was imperative that we made all our students feel safe and secure, this was mostly achieved through encouraging the staff to behave like the kids were their kids, and to embody the feeling of home life within the programs. It's something I'm proud of to this day, and although I'm retired I still wish nothing but the best for the visitors to this country and the same for our kids.

[@chuckbeggles8858]

And guns in Australia are so very restricted, available for those who have a genuine need or interest, but not required for personal safety.

[@Terry-sj6ye]

Dr Ahmad Hasanien, a skin cancer expert explained that ‘During summer, the Earth’s orbit brings Australia closer to the sun, resulting in an additional 7% solar UV intensity. Coupled with our clearer atmospheric conditions, this means that Australians are exposed to up to 15% more UV than Europeans’. It’s so important for those in Australia (especially in summer) to ensure they’re not exposed to the sun for extended periods of time without sunscreen. The best option is to apply sunscreen whenever you plan to go outside and be diligent with reapplying throughout the day, ensuring you also protect yourself by staying in the shade where possible and wearing protective clothing such as a hat and sunglasses.

[@dutchroll]

Being a regular visitor to the USA and with family there I’ve found some significant differences in the approach to religion. Our society is generally less religious than the US and unlike in America you’ll almost never find us invoking God or prayer when speaking publicly in a non-religious setting, which would raise eyebrows. However you have a high degree of freedom to practice whatever faith you want without anyone getting too fussed, providing others aren’t dragged unwillingly into it. Aussies will always let you know if you’re doing that!

[@ultimobile]

years ago an elderly US couple were on Australian morning TV channel nine and it seemed their every second sentence started with 'we Thank God that ...' - this was just totally weird in Australia, and after they said this about nine times, the host finally broke in and said 'you were just about to Thank God again, weren't you' - the couple rocked back on their heels, and you could see them mentally going 'wow Dorothy - we're not in Kansas anymore!'

[@aidanmargarson8910]

Sunday morning .. explaining quantum mechanics to Mormons is the best fun

[@XeGhia351]

@@aidanmargarson8910or trying to convert Jehovah witness to atheism.

[@paulsz6194]

​@@XeGhia351 try it with a Muslim too next time as they are now going to public squares in city centre's preaching to the public as well- let us know here how they react to you...

[@paulsz6194]

​@@aidanmargarson8910are you a Carl Sagan fanboi ?

[@Eskay1206]

The coffee culture came from the Italians, Greek and middle eastern migrants. We love the cafe culture and wont tolerate sub standard coffee, which is why Starbuck failed here

[@lauramartin12]

I'm not a fan of Starbucks, and told every Aussie there not to go to one (as one just opened near Wollongong) cause your coffee is SO much better. I'm glad it failed!

[@R0d_1984]

Italian/French/Greek.

[@nicoleleys7818]

Italian, French, Greek,Turkish

[@seracaminiti2872]

We call it a kettle which is used for both tea and instant coffee

[@petergale9200]

In NSW there are 4 designated Agricultural high schools ( one just NW of The Gong ) , other wise it would be unusual for Ag to be compulsory to year 10.

[@L0U1SE]

Yeah not a normal thing at all do study any one thing

[@silverstreettalks343]

I live near one of the Ag High Schools, and have been aware of students coming here from all over the state for the agriculture curriculum. I went to Parramatta High, which barely had enough space for the students, let alone any agricultural pursuits.

[@zoomosis]

The effect of the ozone layer on skin cancer is minimal, particularly since the ozone hole is smaller than it used to be. The highest rates of skin cancer are in Queensland, which is closer to the equator than most of the US, and because of Earth's orbit the southern hemisphere is around 3% closer to the sun in the peak of summer compared to summer in the northern hemisphere. Also in Australia there's typically less pollution to block the sun's UV rays.

[@glennrandall7468]

Good explanation, I agree

[@lauramartin12]

That is so interesting, thanks for the info!

[@MajorMalfunction]

Depends where you are. Up north in the tropics (Queensland), there's more moisture in the atmosphere. I worked up there outdoors all day for a year and never got burnt. I came home to Melbourne toasty orange, and got burnt in 15 minutes. Wear sunscreen and a hat. You'll look younger longer. ;)

[@sheerluckholmes5468]

The ozone hole shrinks and grows, as at September 2023 it is 26.1 million km², making it the sixth largest ozone hole since the beginning of the observation period (1979). Technically you are correct in saying it is smaller than it had been previously, but that is not to say that it will keep shrinking at the same rate, or shrink at all. Source - _Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service_

[@Grumpy-sy7wr]

Correct on that point. The earth is tilted in relation to its orbit around the sun, and that orbit is elliptical, not a consistent circle, bringing us slightly closer during summer.

[@Tommy_Bee]

It has very little to do with the hole in the ozone layer over ANTARCTICA. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the Earth is at its furthest distance from the sun. Summer in the southern hemisphere is at the Earth's closest approach to the sun, which is why summer is hotter here. Additionally, the primary cause of the hole in the ozone is solar particles that are being let through by the weakening magnetosphere.

[@Eskay1206]

Dead right, and we are facing the sun straight on, rays hit us directly not at a shallow angle

[@aheat3036]

😂 Get a life pal!

[@club1fan552]

Can you elaborate? Is this because of the earth's orbit? By your comment wouldn't this mean that southern Africa and South America also have hotter summers than similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere during their summer?

[@ChineseKiwi]

2:00 - Yes and no on this - it takes 'an arm and a leg' time wise, but Australia is extremely lucky in that SE and East Asia to Australia flights are the cheapest in the world for the distance travelled and economically viable as it isn't seasonal like European or transatlantic flights. It is also 'subsidised' by the sheer number of people in Asia and lower labour costs.

[@nelliesmith5699]

We didn’t do Agriculture in my school but there were others schools in my town that did. I live in what’s considered the beef capitol of Australia, rural Queensland.

[@goldenchild4835]

Try surrendering the notion that the USA is the "normal standard' and you'll begin to understand. The rite of passage for most young Aussies is to travel overseas, sometimes for six to twelve months, so Australian tend to have 'culture shocks' knocked out of them early.

[@indiathylane2158]

Everyone in her high school, perhaps. But it's far from a compulsory subject for everyone. I think your friend is a little mistaken.

[@lucyalston3752]

I’m from rural NSW, and agriculture is an optional class for year 9 and 10 here. It is generally very popular where I’m from (including for girls) and most schools will have chickens, cattle and sheep for the ag classes to raise. In Sydney and other large cities it’s less common to have animals, and I’m not sure about ag curriculums in other states. Regarding religion I definitely agree the religious communities are much smaller. I’m 23 and the vast majority of people I have known at school and University, as well as friends of my parents, are not religious at all. Many that are religious don’t regularly attend church either. American exchange students I’ve met always seem quite surprised about that as well.

[@jetalse7974]

The attitude to religion of many Australians seems very casual. During WWII, a guy was enlisting in the army. When asked his religion, he said " what are you short of?"

[@ST-co7yt]

Great list. I enjoy watching foreigners vlog about their experiences in Australia. Hope you enjoyed your stay in Australia.

[@lauramartin12]

Thank you! I really did, I'd love to go back

[@chuckbeggles8858]

Yeah I can't explain what / why I enjoy it - who knows maybe cos I am only 34, as an Australian, I may go touring the world one day and have the internet to do research re what to see and do and where, But for some strange reason I do enjoy seeing what internationals have to say about Australian- may bb e it's seeing Australia thru another person's eyes I dunno.

[@PaulSPurves]

A couple of things. I have a Breville toaster, and it has a crumpet button. I think it’s much the same as a bagel button. It turns off the outer elements so only the top is toasted. The other is about the apparent heat from the sun. New York city is about 40 degrees North and Sydney is around 33 degrees South. If everything else was equal, the sun is going to be closer to overhead, and so going through less atmosphere in Sydney. It will feel hotter. It’s nothing to do with the ozone layer. That affects the amount of UV that can get to the surface, and yes it does affect skin cancer rates as UV exposure does increase the likelihood of skin cancer. Remember, slip, slop, slap. (I think that might be a New Zealand ad campaign).

[@michaelmclachlan1650]

Slip! Slop! Slap! is Australian, launched by the Cancer Council Victoria in 1981.

[@luborrelli8966]

Hi Laura, as an Australian, When I travel overseas during our winter, I call that period, "the year of the eternal summer". Just to clarify, the "hole in the Ozone Layer" doesn't generally extend over Australia. Other reasons cause the UV intensity in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere to do with the shape of the Earth, the Elliptical nature of the Earth's Orbit etc

[@michaelmcintyre5719]

As well as a comparatively high number of people of Irish/Scottish (pale skinned) background, esp in coastal QLD. Thus the expression: an Australian is an Irishman left out in the Sun for too long.

[@RyanLye1975]

The hole in the ozone over Australia is just a myth. Apparently there might be a hole over Antarctica but not Australia. The sun in Australia is just hotter. Maybe Australia is closer to the sun due to the orbit of the Earth and Australia's positioning.

[@michaelfink64]

I think part of the hole in the zone layer did extend to southern Australia at its peak but this has regressed with the ban on CFCs, thankfully. There is some truth the the "closer to the sun" thing. Earth's orbit is elliptical and it is slightly closer to the sun (apohelion) in January, which of course coincides with summer in the southern hemisphere. A large part of Australia is closer to the equator than many parts of the globe, so the energy emitted from the sun per square meter of land is greater. Also, the large inland desert areas contribute to reduced cloud cover.

[@user-bf8ud9vt5b]

Thank you! This myth drives me up the wall.

[@peped6158]

It’s definitely a myth, you are on the correct path in your response also. The earths rotation isn’t perfectly circular, it’s elliptic. So when the southern hemisphere’s is having summer, it reaches the closest point to the sun, and in winter it’s at furthest away. It also has to do with the earths changing tilt to a lesser degree, but mostly overall is the location of the continent on the earth. Eg relatively London would be placed well below Tasmania.

[@ajraussie]

Maybe less pollution in Australia also

[@looking8030]

Myth HahahH it’s over New Zealand and sometimes extends to Australia

[@L0U1SE]

Yeah we’re not really into the whole Happy Christian thing but people do have faiths and we let each other be with whatever we choose.

[@davidlp3019]

Stick shift in australia seems to be more common in rural areas and smaller towns such as Wollongong. Here in Sydney where the traffic is bad most cars are automatic these days. 15 years ago manuals were much more popular. I just graduated from UOW aswell and lots of people I knew had manuals aswell, mainly cause theyre cheaper to buy used and many students buy them to learn to drive on.

[@paulsz6194]

I think Wollongong would be regarded as a regional city, just like Newcastle.

[@alankroit]

Hi. I stumbled on your previous video about things you learned that are different here in Aus and so I watched this one too. I did enjoy them. I didn't notice any comments about that fact that we don't say "Fall" . Here, it's called "Autumn" . That's the same as in English.

[@roadie3124]

Hi Laura, I thought that this was a very good, and thoughtful, description of the differences you found. Well done!

[@Davidm1956]

Hi. I think your room mate may have attended an Agricultural College. Over here High Schools can specialise - we have "Sports High Schools"; "Performing Arts High Schools"; "Agricultural High Schools" etc. If you attend a "selective" high school as they are called, I think it's compulsory to take subjects in the school's area of speciality. Good video. Experience in another country is always interesting.

[@MrkBO8]

One of the rarest things in Eastern Australia is to meet someone from Western Australia

[@dinkidink5912]

Your point about the road network is more about population density, the roads to the middle and the west of Australia are fine, it's just that there's massive areas of land where no one lives so the amount of traffic is low and you can drive for hours without passing through any towns.

[@aussie405]

If you travel the Eyre Hwy the biggest distance between service stations is less than 2 hours.

[@NoName-ds5uq]

lol, thinking Tasmania is “abroad” from Australia! 🤣 Just because we have a moat to keep the bloody Victorians out, they still get in… 🤣🇦🇺 SOME high schools in Australia have farms, but they’re not at all usual. There is just one in southern Tasmania, where there are many high schools. As for religion, I think most people just keep it to themselves here. There’s not much of an anti or pro-religion thing here. It’s my experience as a 53 year old Australian (Tasmanian😉) that nobody should push their beliefs. You’re a Christian. Cool. I’m an atheist. Cool. Whatever.

[@lauramartin12]

Yeah, I didn't know Tasmania was a part of Australlia until one of my friends told me! Good to know about the farms as well!

[@NoName-ds5uq]

@@lauramartin12 lol, not many people outside Australia seem to know much about Tasmania. I think the Warner Bros cartoons have led people astray. Tassie devils are pretty harmless too! Just noisy…🤣

[@woodrow60]

I’m a Queenslander. We too need a moat to keep the Victorians.

[@chuckbeggles8858]

​@@woodrow60- that moat is called us here in NSW - we do a horrible job at it I know. 😅

[@popliveing6476]

sorry Laura but.. It's a very common misconception, but in fact the ozone hole does not extend over Australia.. Ozone depleting substances have resulted in a thinning of ozone above Australia of about five per cent, whereas over Antarctica in spring almost complete loss of ozone is seen in some layers

[@neilcameron7705]

Evangelical Christians in Australia (I am one) do not have the same tertiary options available in the US. There are no Christian-run universities or major colleges for undergraduate study, so Christians tend to go to secular universities. And as you've found out, these secular campuses have many Christian groups operating for them. Personally I think it is better than the US system, where Christians go to Christian schools and Christian colleges. The US system encourages a real separatism between Christians and non Christians.

[@ZoeBrain]

The ACU - Australian Catholic University - is Christian by most people's definition. Most students aren't Catholic though.

[@shanemoyle2933]

australia tries not too segregate race colour religion if its not for you are in the wrong country this country was built on all countries contributing to its growth there is some hiccups but the true aussie spirit is to be fair

[@emceeboogieboots1608]

​@@ZoeBrainDead right. I do wonder if the acceptance of students into these colleges is counterproductive. A good proportion of students are not at all religious and I would think more would convert from than would convert to whatever religion the school is. Not including Islamic schools here though. Secular parents are not sending kids there for a better education 😂

[@judileeming1589]

I can’t count the number of overseas trips I have taken, but you are correct, the “tyranny” of distance doesn’t phase us. And, coffee, it’s our addiction. Australia gave up commercial drip coffee 40 years ago because espresso machines are the gold standard. Apart for one trip to the UK and France for Xmas we have only been to Europe and the States in Summer and even though I loved the white Xmas experience, I was glad to arrive home to our Summer. As to the “Christian” aspect of your life, we are a mainly Christian nation although many don’t practice their religion, but we are also one of the most multi-faith, multi-lingual (over 200 cultures) countries in the World. I would say that most Australians live the principles of their faith but don’t broadcast their religious beliefs. My own attitude is that I am a Christian and I live a Christian life, it’s part of me, but I don’t want someone knocking on my door peaching to me about another version of Christianity. We also accept everyone’s right to follow another faith or none at all as long as their “values” align with ours.

[@paulsz6194]

Matthew 24:14 is the reason why some Christian religions go door to door.

[@greghenderson6782]

​Thanks for that mate. Good to know. Cheers

[@somefatbugger]

It's brighter here and we see higher temperatures and higher UV because of the axis of the planet when facing the sun which impacts both the northern and southern hemispheres differently, not a hole in the Ozone layer.

[@dadoftwinsau]

We have 5 chickens here in the middle of Brisbane, so do our neighbours 3 houses either side. We all grow our own fruit and vegetables and share the excess with each other as well. We also did the agricultural aspect while at school too. 💫❤️💫✌🏻🇦🇺

[@lauramartin12]

That is so cool!

[@ianmaher4348]

Statistically, the US has more old cars than OZ, I think it depends on what area you live in.

[@lauramartin12]

You're probably right!

[@phillipevans9414]

@ianmaher4348. Being a Uni student, you're gonna find the cars are generally older because that is what Uni students drive. She said "looking out the window" they seem older - yeah, if you are looking out onto the student car park, they will...if there is a seperate staff car park, it would likely be notably different (newer). Cheers!

[@roadie3124]

We do tend to keep our cars going longer than they do in the USA. Yes, there are a lot of old cars in the USA but, in my experience, most of them are clunkers that are barely roadworthy. Our fleet of maintained, roadworthy cars is quite old. My experience in the USA, admittedly some years ago and in Detroit, was that people needed to be seen driving a new car. If you were driving something five years old, it meant that you were a student or unemployed or on welfare. We tend to maintain our cars better than they do in the USA. And cars are so expensive here. I have a friend in Texas who buys a new Porsche 911 every three or four years. The total price he pays is less than the government tax we have to pay here. The worst I saw was a four year old Firebird on sale here at over four times the price it was new in the USA.

[@digitalsparky]

@@roadie3124 Yeah, we tend to treat our cars as tools as well as personal items, not as a flashy commodity similar to how mobile phones are treated by a lot of the population. (I've been guilty of this, but I'm also tech crazy, so yeah LOL)

[@awright8416]

I was once told Australia keeps cars longer because we don't salt our roads as there are not many snowy areas. Agree that students often drive older cars.

[@tonycook7679]

It's the clarity of the atmosphere that makes the sun more intense here. Nowhere else that I have been has the sky look so distant. I remember getting out of the plane in the UK and feeling claustrophobic because the sky was so low. I have spent a long time in Greece, Israel, Egypt during the summer and never was in danger of sunburn, the sun is just not as intense.

[@R0d_1984]

It's most got to do with the earth is tilted 23.5 degrees, basic geography, learnt it in year 7 40+ years ago.

[@brettevill9055]

@@R0d_1984 The whole Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees, not just Australia.

[@R0d_1984]

@@brettevill9055 Face-Palm... ''the *earth* is tilted 23.5 degrees'' Which way is it tilted genius?

[@brettevill9055]

@@R0d_1984 North pole towards 18hr right ascension, south pole towards 6hr right ascension.

[@lundi44]

The university system here is based on the one in the UK. Over the years though, there are more features from the US system that have been introduced. And ‘professor’ is a senior academic position in the AUS/UK system - most teaching staff are ‘lecturers’ here - which I’m sure you already know.

[@leosheppard8517]

3:50 hun, you will find everyone of those coffee machines are using ground coffee beans called espresso …. Not sure what the muricons call it. It’s not Starbucks. Basically each cup gets ground coffee. There is an art to it. Chat to your barista.

[@jasonfoster7403]

Great vid. Hope you enjoyed your time in Australia.

[@Danger_Mouse3619]

Yes we had Ag class. My high school in Western Sydney Jamison High has a agricultural part. They grow thingsand look after sone animals too.

[@WhhhhhhjuuuuuH]

As for the old cars that might be a bit of a Wollongong thing rather than Australian thing 😅 much like the USA how important having the latest and greatest varies depending on where you are. That being said, We no longer mass manufacture cars in Australia due to outsourcing / globalisation so it's a point of pride for many Australian's to hold onto older cars that were made in Australia simply because we dont make new ones here anymore 😢 also we absolutely love Japanese cars that are super reliable so maybe there is less incentive to upgrade if your toyota is still going strong after 20 years.

[@aheat3036]

Those are the most insignificant reasons!… The biggest reason is that things are expensive in Australia and that’s why people hold on things longer and especially more expensive things like vehicles and fuel prices are also very high down under.

[@666Wizardsleeve]

You can definitely get bagels in the Jewish parts of town but they never really took off generally. 1. There’s a hole in middle- what’s that about? 2. They seem kind of sweet.

[@freddukic8000]

Aussie here loved your thoughts and how you articulated your time in Australia

[@coraliemoller3896]

In Sydney there is James Ruse Agricultural High School & Hurlstone Agricultural High School.

[@thereseelizabethries1083]

Yeah gf we eat bagels 🥯 their just not as common. Our coffee ☕️ culture comes from Italian and Greek immigrants who have educated us about the roast of the beans, how to make great coffee ☕️, how to sit down in the café and actually enjoy your coffee ☕️ from a china cup or mug. We don't use loads of sugar filled syrups and with the environmental impact those one use plastic takeaway cups and straws have on the environment.

[@tareskisloki8579]

It's quite common for most decent sized schools here to have an agriculture department, but it's rarely a compulsory subject.

[@robynregan1096]

How old are the people you talked to? You can drive across Australia and there are places to get fuel from and food . It isn't days without seeing anyone.

[@indiathylane2158]

I drove across the Nullabor last year, soon after Covid restrictions ended. Seems half the country joined me, the highway was very busy. To me, the remote parts of the route thru SA & WA had lost their mystery, their allure, their once) sense of danger. It was so busy, it was almost like the Pacific Highway on the east coast. Almost as much traffic. Even the most fuel-hungry vehicle won't run out on the Nullabor, the servos are fairly close. Accommodation was in very short supply. But notions of danger caused by remoteness and isolation? Gone. Better service, more often, mobile phones work in most areas, lots of people to help you.

[@Keeping_it_reall]

Best comment - Newzealand is the Canada of Australia 🤣

[@johnwilson5743]

LOL. Yeah, I'm a Kiwi who has spent time in US, Canada, Oz. That statement is so true. Cheers.

[@chuckbeggles8858]

Even as an Australian who did a 2 week boys footy tour to the NZ in 2013, the concept is so true.

[@paulclapp9501]

a kettle in America at 110volts will take about 3 to4 times longer to boil water

[@keithkearns93]

Nothing to do with voltage , in depends on what current it pulls .

[@PaulSPurves]

Kettles in Aus/NZ may have 2400 watt elements, and in the US they’ll be 1500 watts. 60% more power, so quicker boil times.

[@keithkearns93]

@@PaulSPurves in the USA 20 amp outlets are found in kitchens and laundries . Using P = IE that would give you roughly 2000 W .

[@PaulSPurves]

But are there 2000W kettles available@@keithkearns93? It's more about what one can buy than what the outlets provide.

[@GaryNoone-jz3mq]

The hole in the ozone layer is over Antarctica. The ozone layer is thinner here, but that's because we are closer to the hole. Not because the hole is over us.

[@knav6680]

Australias pretty big. What part of Aus are you going to uni? Sounds like maybe somewhere in QLD. Eg in Sydney there are 4 seasons, all 3 months each season

[@dover121]

The locals are proud of their coffee culture and so they should be. Seasoned travelers often tell me that it is the best there is.

[@Eskay1206]

Its not the road system that is time consuming.....its the distance. people dont realise how huge this country is and sparsely populated

[@roadie3124]

Well ... yes ... Maybe. The USA has freeways everywhere and people drive at reasonable speeds. Here in Australia our freeways have artificially low speed limits that are rigidly enforced. And there are massive areas of the country that just have ordinary two-lane roads. It takes longer to cover the same distance.

[@indiathylane2158]

Yep, coffee's better here than in the US. It's hard to buy a bad cup here. There are any number of channels, and even more opinions, on why Starbucks failed here, but to me it was too sweet, too syrupy and the flavour too messed with. And kind of expensive, especially for what you got. I've heard people say "Starbucks tried too hard". IDK what that means, if they meant the staff, promotion (Aussies dislike pushy American marketing) or something else. We don't have sophisticated palates, but at least our coffee's pretty good.

[@roadie3124]

It sort of depends on your definition of good coffee. I think that a lot depends on what you're used to. Coffee in England in the 1960s and early 1970s was pretty bad. Coffee wasn't a big thing for me. I spent a lot of time in Detroit from 1972 to 1975 and I thought that the best coffee ever was the drip/filter machine we had in the office. I moved to Australia in 1976 and was introduced to espresso. We had a lot of post WW2 immigrants from Italy in Melbourne, and coffee bars were slowly spreading out from the city. You could still get really bad coffee in rural areas in 2000 (coffee powder with hot water), but that's changed for the better. I think that the reason that Starbucks failed in Melbourne was that Starbucks' business model is not based on selling coffee, it's based on selling the coffee shop experience. We already had hundreds of genuine coffee shops in Melbourne and an artificial, manufactured coffee shop experience couldn't compete with the real thing. The only people who went to Starbucks were American tourists and Australians who wanted to seem cool by having an American experience.

[@indiathylane2158]

@@roadie3124 I'd agree with much of that. Made two visits to Starbucks, paid too much for shit coffee and hated the experience. Still got bad coffee in a servo in WA in 2014. Powdered crap in paper cup too hot to hold. At least it was only $1. The Brits don't seem to be able to do coffee well. A cup from those tiny, tiny street front bars are so expensive and are either watery & pallid, made from syrup or both.

[@roadie3124]

@@indiathylane2158 We used to drive up the Newell Hwy every Christmas in the late 1990s until 2010. The quality of the coffee in servos and food stop places was improving all the time, but some were holdouts for a long time. A servo in Coonabarabran was still serving powdered rubbish with warm water in 2005. That experience along with waiting for a very long time at a servo food take-away in Goondiwindi for my wife's toasted raisin bread are my two strongest memories of driving that road.

[@indiathylane2158]

@@roadie3124 Haven't done that route for years. We used to continue on to Bundaberg. It was faster, avoiding traffic the Pacific & New England Highways had. 70mph almost all the way. Gradually it got sealed and widened. But even at night you could tell when you'd crossed into Qld, it went back to gravel & shit condition. Before laminated windscreens, you could count on the Newell to break one. 1960s in NSW. Just about any non-coastal highway in Qld into the 80s. I was a kid/teen so appalling roadhouse gruel was delicious.

[@roadie3124]

@@indiathylane2158 Ha! Things had changed from the 1960s. The road was still a bit of a goat track in places in 2000. I went over a bump while my CD 6-stacker was changing disks once. Jammed my 6-stacker. The NSW part was pretty good in the south and gradually got worse. The 150km or so before Dubbo was dire. Dubbo to Coonabarabran wasn't too bad. The Pilliga up to Narrabri was great. Most of the road until the QLD border was good too. But, if you took the shortest route through Warwick it was really very bad. Modern cars aren't meant to get air at 110 kmh. The slightly longer route through Millmerran and Toowoomba was much better. No matter how rough it was in QLD, it was better than going through Sydney and up the horrible Pacific Hwy. It's nearly all freeway these days and is quite civilised, but a bit boring.

[@MarcusRobertsonTwo]

The agriculture classes are really based on your school. Some schools have to do them, some don't. So glad to hear, you got hooked in with Uni Bible Group.

[@davidjabornik762]

Agriculture isn't a class in the schools of major cities. Also sun intensity even in Melbourne is stronger than any place I've been to before. I lived in China for four years and only got burnt once but here I need to apply sunscreen on almost any summer day I go outside.

[@gardenlove7750]

In Australia If you make a goal of going from anywhere to anywhere else it will take all day or you haven't gone anywhere

[@donna25871]

Hi Laura - we have bagels (you just need to know where they are). I start by looking in cafes in the predominant Jewish suburbs.

[@kellygunner7625]

You must of really gotten thown off with Christmas 🎄 being in the summer ☀️ and still listening to songs about winter ❄️ whilst sweating in 35° heat 🥵

[@oxigenarian9763]

Awesome job! I love these videos about other cultures and peoples!

[@VanessaChats]

Gold Coast "raised" for my schooling - no agriculture. I went private schooling too.

[@johnschannel449]

You cant buy guns at K mart

[@uzetaab]

I went to high school in Sydney in the 90's. My school was just starting up an agriculture class while I was there, but I didn't get an opportunity to attend. I think they had chickens and grew some crops.

[@silverstreettalks343]

On the religion question, I'm a Christian but i did my first two degrees as an evening student, so I only ever saw the footprints of on campus Christian groups. At Sydney Uni there was InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/Evangelical Union, in which evangelical Anglicans made up the largest group. I had Baptist friends who preferred the much smaller Student Christian Movement (which seemed to occupy an under stair cupboard near the entrance to the main buildings) and had a reputation for theological liberalism, but actually made room for a range of Christian opinions. A friend who participated (now, 30 years later, a pastor) said she found it very stimulating. The Australian attitude to religion makes public expression a little more complicated than it appears to no in some other places, hence the reluctance to say things like "Bless you!" when someone sneezes. I did once say, "Gesundheit!" to a man of Indian appearance, reading a Sydney newspaper in the train, causing him to nearly jump out of his seat. "Was hast du gesagt!?" he said. (What did you say?) It took me a while to calm him as he was from Düsseldorf, had only been in Australia for two weeks as a post graduate student, and only knew one Australian. Was ASIO into him for something? (Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation). Even foreign language blessings can be problematic!

[@infestedflea]

where you take your music class ? Im checking some SAE and JMC soon Thankyou

[@HenriHattar]

One thing that is incorrect is the highway system, as a HUGE country with a small population the highways have been developed to link the major cities, Melbourne to Sydney 6 hours Sydney to Surfers 7 hours..to Brisbane, 8 hours..BUT to the inland where NO one live, it is roads but not developed high ways. As to modern cars that is not true at all, used cars wind up abandoned or not saleable. That is just not true BUT one thing on this is that MOST Australians would rather own their vehicle outright than pay off a car!

[@ColinNorris-j3b]

Seriously Ag class is not in every school It’s only at select schools in regional areas

[@fairhall001]

I have to say your hair is glorious! I am a sucker for long hair and yours is totally awesome. I hope you had a great time in Australia while you were studying. The closer you go to a big city or Canberra, the less the schools concentrate on agriculture. Your university is in a fairly rural area and the students there are likely to be from more rural high schools. Coffee in Australia has improved since I was a child and by the year 2000 it had begun to hit its strides. McDonalds had to dump their old drip style coffee makers to compete with the new found sophistication of Australians. Thanks for taking the time to put your thoughts about Australia into a KZbin.

[@shirleyk7647]

🇨🇦 Your videos are so interesting. I live in Canada, but the opposite side from New York, near Seattle, and so many differences that you comment on apply to here too. I have known many Australians through the years, but they never told me about them. I had no idea about the bagels. They are such a staple here. I make my own though from an easy three ingredient recipe and find them just about as good as the best NY bagel places here. Same with the cars….the manuals aren’t that common. God Bless with finding good fellowship there!!

[@gregoryluckie1649]

The whole 'Hole in The Ozone Layer' ~ It's NOT a hole, but a depletion. This depletion is continually changing. Main reasons the Sun is hotter here in Oz is, in Summer, in the Southern Hemisphere, Earth is closer to the Sun. This is due to Earth's Axis Tilt, & Orbit at that specific time of year. Skin caner rates, because Aussies spend way TOO much time in the SUN!

[@gerardbryant1445]

Regarding the sun's heat, Sydney is about 33°South, while New York is about 40°North. So all the sun's radiation, light, heat and UV are that much stronger in Sydney than they are in New York. Enjoy yourself back in NY.

[@newbris]

Not like New York, but bagels are a thing here. Local cafes will often have a salmon bagel in the glass display as a quick option.

[@PhotogNT]

You should try Darwin tropics we only have 2 seasons April to August the dry season then August to April (over Christmas) is the wet season with storms daily.

[@VanessaChats]

Weather. Two seasons. Wet or dry. The end. (lol) I'm Australian.

[@redhammer9910]

That was a nice intro to who you are. Australia is a very large country and very diverse, especially it's people. Some simple advice, if you're a city girl there's a lot to explore along the east coast without ever travelling beyond the Blue Mountains. But what is beyond the Blue Mountains is a very different Australia and a very different people. Let's say more traditional Australians. A couple of things I note about young Americans who do venture beyond is how they confront such extreme isolation. For some it really scares them and that fear can be difficult to overcome. However if you're not intimidated you are in for one amazing journey. The other is one that affects everyone who travels and explores these beautiful but remote environments. Somewhere it will touch your soul. I'm not talking about some beautiful place that leaves you breathless, there's plenty of them. No, a place that reaches deep inside of you and touches your soul in the most spiritual way. This is an ancient landscape. Many geologists site the Western seaboard as one of the first places on earth where life formed. I would encourage any young American to take some time to explore Australia beyond the Blue Mountains and discover a very different world. To give you a taste tune in to a vlog by a charming young American couple who arrived in Perth, brought a car and set out on an unplanned journey around Australia, the lap! They give a fascinating insight in to how they perceive Australia, a reality check for many but none the less a warm hearted story of a young couple that discovered how Australia actually is, beyond the spiders and snakes spin. Their vlog was called the One Pack Wanderers. Take note of their decision to attempt to come down the West's Coral coast via the Kimberley instead of driving in to the interior. Their journey was blocked by a major flood and warring Aboriginie's in Kununnara. Their change of plan took them through the interior to Uluru and it is what happened there that changed young Chevey. It's just a very nice story. I do hope you enjoy your journey here down under and take home many happy memories. Good luck with your studies. On the ozone layer. I keep hearing that but it doesn't make sense. Ozone is a gas and a layer that covers the whole globe and affected by the north and South Pole vortexes. There is an anomaly in the Earth's electro magnetic field in the South Pacific but that doesn't affect the sun's heat. There are two major factors that cause the sun to be more intense. The Earth's tilt and the absence of high altitude pollution. Aircraft vapour trails for example deflect the suns light. With the exception of the Sydney, Melbourne route you won't find many vapour trails. But it's the tilt of the earth that has the biggest effect so sunscreen and a hat are a good idea.

[@lauramartin12]

You brought up many great tips, I would love to travel Australia like that if I could. It does scare me a little bit, because I do not feel like I know enough about the risks. I heard you can get stuck in the Outback on the drive to Uluru, so you have to know what you're doing. However, if I went with an aussie friend I would feel much better. Hopefully I will be able to give it a try someday!

[@shanemoyle2933]

there are great tours available@@lauramartin12

[@wireandwings4717]

Southern California is similar with the difference in temperature and sun intensity between day and night, sun and shade

[@BigReecey]

I'm not a huge coffee person but man I miss decent coffee when I'm over seas. Thank you algorithm for bringing me to this random channel

[@JBLegal09]

Oh for goodness sakes, you're reacting to the most ridiculous things. Americans are so insular.

[@bencodykirk]

I've lived in Australia for over 25 years now and I agree with most of what you said. I'm glad you have had a good experience here - it's a great place to live. I've been to NYC a few times and I really miss visiting there, but I definitely want to live here (I'm in Brisbane). Just to mention though, my daughter's high school does not have agricultural classes 😂. She is doing biology next year though, so I can't wait until she has to dissect a frog or something! 😂 One thing though: they are not "tea kettles", they're just "kettles" ie they're not just for tea. My wife makes instant coffee with ours, my daughter makes her instant noodles with it and I make tea (and coffee sometimes) ☕😁

[@tonycook7679]

I call it an electric jug, or an electric kettle. When I was a kid we had a kettle, but you heated it on the stove.

[@bencodykirk]

@@tonycook7679 Yeah, I've heard people here in Australia say "I'll put the jug on".

[@mjcussen7458]

​@@bencodykirkin previous times it was, "I'll just put the kettle on, Doreen!". I don't remember jug when I was young.

[@Tigertime.-fj1so]

The sun is much closer to the earth in its rotation around the sun during the Australian summer.

[@jaynebuchanan4612]

Melbourne has the four seasons as does Tassie.

[@lauramartin12]

That makes sense since you guys are closer to the south. Didn't make it down that far this trip, hopefully I can someday!

[@emceeboogieboots1608]

Yeah, but most places experience them over a year, not in one day😁

[@paulpetersen6539]

'We didn't get to it this week, we'll get to it next week' ... Pacific Island Time

[@camo6344]

Hey as an Aussie listening to an American we do live out in the centre of Australia come out and enjoy my guess is we are probably like American farming areas friendly not in as big a hurry as the city just trying to encourage you to check out the western parts of the eastern states and eastern parts of the western states enjoy Australia

[@justanaussie2822]

There is no hole in the Ozone layer anymore. We are tilted towards the Sun by 23 °. During the summer we are much closer.

[@newmageo9179]

Its hotter not because there is a hole in the ozone layer. That hole closed over several years ago. Its hotter because Australia in summer is closer to the sun than USA in summer is due to the lean or angle in the axis of Earth.

[@brettevill9055]

The lean or angle of the axis of the Earth is what produces the change of seasons. The thing that makes Earth slightly closer to the Sun in the southern summer than it is in the northern summer is the eccentricity of Earth’s orbit. But that’s only about a 6% difference. What makes the sunshine extra burny in Australia is (1) that Australia is closer to the tropics than the other places that English-speakers compare it to, and (2) that a lot of it is in one of the desert belts, so there’s not much moisture in the air to absorb UV etc. A fair comparison would be to Egypt or Morocco. An additional factor in our high skin cancer rate is that most Australians are much whiter-skinned than is healthy in this climate, and that since the Sixties we stopped wearing hats and long sleeves as much as would be wise.

[@DATT0]

We have a crumpet button on lots of toasters here. 👍🏽

[@lauramartin12]

No way!! Thats so cool!

[@greghenderson6782]

​@@lauramartin12found a button on my crumpet. (She found one on hers.) 😮

[@emceeboogieboots1608]

Starbucks sells bagels 🤔 They should have a crack at coffee😂

[@AM-ni3sz]

Good video, I hope you continue to enjoy your stay.

[@kayelle8005]

The street I live on in Melbourne has two specialty bagel cafes but I still can’t imagine they’d be as good as a New York bagel.

[@666Wizardsleeve]

Interesting about the body craving the change in seasons. I have never lived overseas for an extended period of time. Interesting.

[@666Wizardsleeve]

I think your mate telling you about the compulsory agricultural classes might have been “feeding the chickens” or that may well have been introduced in the last decade or two.

[@666Wizardsleeve]

You will probably hear an expression describing when something hasn’t happened for a long, long time. It will be something like “that hasn’t happened since Jesus played Full Back for Jerusalem”! This is not intentionally disrespectful of religion, but it does indicate our passion for descriptive language and for not taking things too seriously.

[@neilcameron7705]

Ag studies are probably compulsory in country/rural schools. City schools don't teach it much (exception being James Ruse HS)

[@nicoleleys7818]

Agricultural collages are a thing but it is not an every school mandated subject area at all.

[@lawrencevaughan4546]

I guess that you have left our shores by now, sorry to have missed you. Just wanted to let you know that I have loved tuning in to hear your comments on our country and our education system in particular, enjoy the rest of your life wherever that may take you, goodbye.

[@belindaclarke7803]

I loved your honesty through your eyes

[@lauramartin12]

I appreciate that, thanks!

[@larissahorne9991]

Hi Laura, I'm originally from Brissie (Brisbane), but I moved to The Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, as a teenager. I did about 6 months of agriculture in grade 8. But the primary school in Brissie that I went to taught us about growing fruit and vegetables in grade 5. In grade 6, we looked after chickens. Then, in grade 7, we kept bees. I'm not sure whether or not there were other primary schools that had similar programs or not. Back in the 90s, when I was a teenager, high school in Queensland started in grade 8. Now we're like every other state, which starts in grade 7.

[@lauramartin12]

That is so cool! Thanks for sharing, I thought this was so interesting when my roommate told me. I was curious if others did it as well!

[@aussie6910]

All your "likes" lost me at 1:45. "Even just to get to L.A. it's 14hrs". That's the other side of the planet. New Zealand, Indonesia (Bali), Fiji, Thailand, Philippines are our go to places. Why go to L.A? I had to google 'bagel'. You make bread rolls shaped like donuts??? 9:30 this morning it was 42C then it sat on 44C 'til about 4:30. We live in the bush SE Qld. Thanks to global warming we haven't had a -10C for 17yrs., last winter had one -1C.

[@HenriHattar]

This girl is not dumb but wow she has a lot to learn.

[@emceeboogieboots1608]

Slight summer? Have you tried WA yet? My wife and I visited the US, mostly around the reservations in South Dakota in early late summer, early autumn which reminded me of here in WA. But the stories they had of winter😮 It gets kinda as hot as it does here in summer, but snow and ice everywhere in winter Nah, not for me. I would love to see snow, and would love to go back again but wearing gloves everywhere all the time in winter would shit me to tears

[@robparsons1527]

I hope you had a great time here, sounds like you did. I hope the Pooh Dynasty china made it back safely, all the best for what ever is in your future, hope to see you here again someday, Cheers.

[@garryfrater7536]

I have seen several Americian reactions to Australia and I have to say your funny You next time should really do more research on countries You visit.

[@garryellis3085]

I've travelled all around Australia. I love checking out the outback and getting away from the coast. Sorry about the Christianity hangup but I don't really know any practising Christians. All my family, friends and colleagues are atheists. Can't believe they have all these religious distractions at a public University. Very sad imo.

[@karenbritton4105]

Just wanted to point out that you can see koalas outside of Australian zoo's I have seen quite a few in the Noosa area and they are still seen in the Australian bush

[@Davo-i1s]

Laura before you left the US you posted a couple of videos with your friends on what you thought Australia would be like, the slang you expected etc. It would be interesting to see you review those videos with your friends and see how they react to things that you actually found compared compared to the perceptions. I have been in the US and Canada during Oct/Nov the weather was obviously completely opposite to what we would have experienced back in Australia but I dont remember constantly making those sort of mental comparisons. We knew it was going to be colder before we went there, seeng things like the changing colours of the leaves in New England & Quebec or snow on the rim of the Grand Canyon were amazing. I never really thought that back in Australia at this time of year it wouldnt be like this. We have been to and lived for times in different countries we just accept that we are going to experience things that will be completely different to back home and thats probably one iof the main reasons that we travel. You are probably going to see more older cars at a carpark at Uni because students are trying to pay for their education not wasting their money on buying new ones :) Glad that you enjoyed your stay here I hope that one day you get to come back and see more of what this continent has to offer.

[@lauramartin12]

I was actually planning on reacting to those videos soon! I knew it would be different in Australia as well, but I didn't know what little things would be different. I watched a lot of KZbin videos before I left and found people saying the same generic things like "they drive on the other side of the road", and I wanted to know what little things would be different compared to the US. Thats why I wanted to document as many little things as I could, for anyone else who was in the same spot as me before leaving who wanted to be educated on what to expect (I've had quite a few people DM me). You're probably right about the cars as well lol. Thank you for your kind comment, I would love to come back someday! :)

[@Davo-i1s]

@@lauramartin12 looking forward to you future videos stay well.