We’ve officially been in Australia long enough to start noticing all the little things that make moving here feel familiar, completely foreign, and occasionally like we’ve stepped into the Wild West.
For starters, there’s no pay-at-the-pump at all gas stations. At a lot of them, you have to estimate how much fuel you need, go inside and pay first, and then hope you guessed correctly. And once you start driving anywhere into the bush, you quickly realize why planning ahead matters. There aren’t a ton of gas stations, restaurants, or convenience stores once you get away from the more populated areas, so the Australian rule of thumb seems to be: fuel up before you go and bring snacks.
Those giant diesel vehicles with 120-liter fuel tanks suddenly make a whole lot more sense. At first, I assumed the enormous trucks and SUVs were just part of the Australian aesthetic. Turns out, there’s actually a practical reason for them. When you’re traveling long distances through remote areas, having that much fuel capacity isn’t just about looking cool. Sometimes, it’s necessary.
Restaurants are another adjustment, but in some really fun and interesting ways. There generally aren’t servers in the American sense or traditional table service. The staff bring your food and clear it away, but you typically either order via a QR code or head to the bar. Tap water is self-serve, and tipping is either nonexistent or very minimal, which is honestly one of the more refreshing parts of living in Australia. I’m very happy to retire the mental gymnastics of figuring out whether I’m supposed to tip 18%, 20%, 25%, or somehow 37% because the screen suggested it.
And the tax is already figured into the prices, so everything costs what it costs. I honestly love that part.
Internet speeds are noticeably slower than what we were used to in the US, and I’ve had more than one QR code at a restaurant fail to load while I’m trying to order my food. Oddly enough, though, I kind of like being a little less connected and available. There’s something refreshing about not having everything happen quite so instantly.
And then there’s the whole weekly payment situation.
Pretty much everything here is paid weekly, which absolutely rocked my world at first. Rent, utilities, and various other expenses that I was very accustomed to thinking about on a monthly basis are suddenly coming out every week. Thankfully, it’s not like we’re sitting around writing checks and mailing paper bills every seven days. Most things are set up through direct debit and come straight out of your bank account, so the process itself is incredibly easy. It’s just the frequency that took some getting used to. My brain is slowly adjusting to thinking in weeks instead of months.
Paying for anything is also super easy. You can pay anyone directly from your bank app instantly, kind of like Venmo, but directly from your bank and with no fees. Very logical. Very convenient.
The cost of living has also been an adjustment. Groceries are expensive. Gas is expensive. Electricity is expensive. Pretty much everything that gets delivered to your house or comes out of the ground is expensive, but what you get in return is absolutely worth the added expense in my opinion.
The produce is fantastic. It’s incredibly fresh and delicious, but there’s also less variety because you’re largely buying what’s actually in season. And there are the vocabulary adjustments. Cilantro is coriander. Ground beef is mince. And apparently anything remotely related to a pepper is a chile. I’m still trying to figure out if that last one is a Perth thing or an Australia thing.
But one thing Australia has in abundance is sunlight.
There is SO MUCH sunshine here, and honestly, it’s amazing. Our house is flooded with light for a huge part of the day, which means less need to turn on lights and more free sunshine for all of Jordan’s houseplants, which are absolutely thriving.
And then there are the sunsets.
Perth has some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some pretty amazing ones. Because Perth sits on the west coast of Australia, facing the Indian Ocean, the sun dips down into the ocean every evening and seems to put on a completely ridiculous show while it’s doing it.
The sky changes every night. Pink, orange, gold, purple, sometimes all of them at once. And somehow, it never gets old.
Every. Single. Day.
It’s one of those little things that makes you stop and think, “Oh. We really live here.”
The downside of all that sunshine?
There is no hiding from yourself.
Apparently, the dimmer, warmer lighting in American homes was doing some heavy lifting for me. I had no idea how much those soft, dark interiors were helping to downplay my gray hair and wrinkles until I moved somewhere with this much natural light. Australia said, “Good morning, here is every single pore and silver hair you’ve ever earned.”
There is no hiding from it in Oz.
Food has been one of the bigger adjustments for me. Australia is incredibly gluten-friendly, but being both gluten-free and vegetarian makes eating out considerably more complicated. My options tend to boil down to salad, gluten-free pizza, or chips (fries). I’m not even a foodie, and I am tired of eating the same things. As a result, we’re cooking at home much more and being much more intentional about what we buy.
And then there’s Mexican food.
Friends, I did not fully appreciate how much Mexican food was a part of my life until I moved to the other side of the planet. There is very little good Mexican food here, which, to be fair, makes perfect geographical sense. We are about as far from Mexico as humans can reasonably get. But it is absolutely the food I miss the most.
And Fritos.
I did not know Fritos were holding such an important place in my heart until they were suddenly unavailable. We are living in a Frito-less desert wasteland, and I am apparently not okay with it.
Driving on the left is becoming less terrifying. I still turn on my windshield wipers approximately every time I mean to use my turn signal, but we’re getting there. I haven’t had many opportunities to drive because the car I bought is still somewhere in transit. I’m not entirely sure where it is, but much like everything I’ve ever ordered online, I assume it is traveling approximately 9,000 miles to get here.
And speaking of things you encounter on the road, kangaroos really are like the deer of Australia.
Just this weekend, I saw two on the side of the road that had been hit, and it was honestly jarring how familiar the sight looked. It was basically the Australian equivalent of seeing roadkill deer back home. I’m told that it’s customary to check the pouch if you see a kangaroo that has been hit because there could be a baby joey inside.
So far, no joeys.
I’m sure there are plenty of Australians who are completely unfazed by seeing kangaroos along the road, but for me, there is still something surreal about driving down the road and realizing that the animal everyone else considers an everyday nuisance is a KANGAROO.
We have Target and Kmart, but they are definitely not the Target and Kmart we know. Think of it like if Great Value became its own store and every brand was different and there was only one option of everything. And somehow, layaway is still alive and well. Except here it’s called Layby. I haven’t tried it yet, but I really want to.
Another phrase we hear constantly is “Easy,” “Too easy,” or “Easy as.” Everyone says it. I understand the general sentiment, but I’m still not entirely sure I understand when I’m supposed to use each version. I’m hoping immersion will eventually sort that out.
But then I got my lashes filled today for the equivalent of about $28 USD, which is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than what I paid in the US, so apparently I have found the one thing Australia has decided to subsidize for me personally.
During my appointment, my lash tech and I got to talking about some of the differences between the US and Australia, including healthcare, parental leave, and the wildlife situation.
She has lived in Perth for almost 11 years now and, according to her, in all that time she has never encountered a snake or a spider.
It is far too early for me to call that a victory, but I am really hoping this is one of those Australian stereotypes that has been wildly blown out of proportion. Eleven years without a snake or spider sighting feels like pretty compelling evidence in my favor, and I am choosing to believe it.
She did, however, make one thing very clear: sharks are a very real threat.
So apparently I can stop worrying about the giant spiders hiding in my house, but I should keep an eye out in the ocean.
Noted.
We also talked about some of the differences between the US and Australia, including healthcare and parental leave. She explained that Australia has government-supported paid parental leave, including leave available to both mothers and fathers, and Medicare provides publicly funded healthcare for citizens. Hospital treatment in the public system can be very low or no cost in many circumstances, including childbirth, while private insurance is available for those who want additional coverage.
It was one of those conversations that really makes you stop and think about how differently two countries can approach the basic things of everyday life.
We’re still very much in the “everything is new” phase of living in Australia. Some things feel wonderfully refreshing. Some things make absolutely no sense to me yet. Some things are more expensive, some are cheaper, and some are just different for the sake of being different.
And honestly, that’s probably one of the most interesting parts of moving to Australia as an American expat.
It’s not just the kangaroos and beaches and beautiful scenery. It’s learning that the little, mundane parts of daily life can look completely different somewhere else.
And I think that’s what I’m enjoying most about this whole experience. We’re still figuring out what feels normal here, what we’ll eventually stop noticing, and what will probably always feel a little bit wonderfully strange.
Except maybe the sunsets.
I have a feeling I’ll never stop noticing those.
And yes, I am still mourning the Fritos.