Things You Learn When You Backpack Around Australia

Australia; a hot favourite for backpackers to spend the year travelling, working, studying, exploring.
And it is in this time here that you begin to learn the ways of the aussie lifestyle and how to survive here. 

I saw a post a while back by An Orcadian Abroad where she described "50 signs you've been a backpacker in Australia" and they were so relatable! So it inspired me to create my own list and expand on valid points she made! 

I GUARANTEE you can relate to the majority of these things if you have ever travelled round Australia / still here now. 

Or if you're planning on coming soon, you have them to look forward to! 





Australia is actually really far away, like I knew it was far, but its like really far
And its HUGE
"Just down the road" could easily mean a few hundred KM away 
Travelling 6 hours to a destination is considered a short journey 
Australians are amongst the friendliest people in the world 
Australia is actually Straya 
It is bloody expensive guys
You refer to acquaintances are mates, and your friends as c*nts 
Australia is very backwards 
You no longer have any idea what is happening in world news outside of Australia - who won the US election in the end??
Wifi is a rare phenomenom & you find yourself in Maccas more than you'd like to take advantage of their free wifi
Maccas = McDonalds
You will never complain about the price of sunscreen at home ever again
You start to refer to some people as "bogan"
You will prefer either Melbourne or Sydney (MELBOURNE WOO
You start using phrases like "no worries" "too easy" "no dramas" 
"arvo" "avo" "bottle-o" "smoko" "barbie" 
"sweet" "sick" "lollies" "ute" "doona" "esky"
You greet people with "how ya going"
The word "crisps" is no longer in your vocabulary 
Thongs (flip-flops) are a mandatory part of your fashionwear 
Your wardrobe is a combination of Cotton On, Target, K-Mart, Big W & Vinnies 
Your collection of ankle bracelets has dramatically increased
You've had a colourful hair-wrap at least once 
You've had something pierced and got a new tattoo 
A swag is something you sleep in outside
You have been broke at least once



Never take the sun for granted in Melbourne, you never know when you'll see it again

In summer good luck trying to find a space on the beach 
When the temperature drops to 20 degrees this is now considered to be cold and anything below is freezing 
In summer have fun trying to get any sleep at night in 30 degree heat
You will never be able to even out your tan lines
Sunsets will never be the same again 
Never trust the weather forecast, it may say 35 degrees and sunny but it will likely snow, hail, hurricane winds and a bush fire all in the same day. 



Australians know how to do brunch

Smashed-Avo is religion and the reason backpackers are poor
You have tried goon at some point in your travels 
A 'goonover' is a serious condition and should not be taken lightly
You aren't fazed by drink price tags anymore
Your body becomes addicted to cans of Solo 
Dominoes $5 pizzas are an essential to backpacker life
85c bread from Coles has been a staple part of your diet
You have a favourite between shopping at Coles or Woolworths
But know NEVER to be silly enough to shop at IGA 
The hoarding of blue cool bags from Coles is natural and you own at least 27
Tim Tams are like crack & you've tried every flavour 
Chocolate bars are so much better here; mint Kitkat, orange Twirls, mint Oreo Dairy Milk
Coffee is taken very seriously in Melbourne 
Peppers are now capsicums and courgettes are now zucchinis
You use the free barbecues as much as possible
Realise that aussies don't actually put shrimp on the barbie as often as you'd think
& shrimps are called prawns 
It is perfectly normal to eat the national symbol; the kangaroo and the emu 
Meat pies are fantastic 
You know what a Golden Gaytime is and you adore them
When you discover The Reject Shop for the first time you feel like you've entered a gold mine
Allens Snakes are one of your favourite sweets 
Ordering a beer is more complicated than expected; pots, schooners, tinnies etc
$1 slushies from 7/11 are the bomb 
You do your food shop late at night to find the best "reduced" items and things on special 
You never knew there could be so many different flavour tunas tins & you've tried them all from Coles



The wildlife is next-level 

There aren't kangaroos and koalas roaming the streets 
Locals consider kangaroos as pests 
You've been in a car driving thats killed a wallaby or kangaroo 
You must learn to live in harmony with spiders
It is right of passage to take a selfie with a kangaroo
You have more selfies with kangaroos, koalas, wombats and quokkas than people
Koalas are just koalas, not koala bears
Critters that could potentially kill you no longer phase you
You have seen a deadly snake / spider in the wild and survived to tell the tale
You learn that there any other beaches in Australia other than Bondi, and its not even that nice
Swimming in the ocean and rivers in Queensland & Northern Territory is not ok, you most likely will get eaten by a croc
Magpies are bloody vicious! 
Cyclists wear spikes on their helmets to stay safe from magpies




You haven't experienced Australia until you've been to the Outback 

There are actually better places to visit in Western Australia than on the East Coast
Flies are an absolute nightmare, flynets are a must and a fashion statement 
Mozzies - they will find you whenever you go 
You have learnt to master the art of picking / sorting / packing some sort of fruit or vegetable just so you can stay an extra year
The friends you make during your farm work will be your best friends for life
You apply for and try jobs you never thought you'd do 
You have been a door-to-door sales person for at least 1 day 
You know how to fancy dress on a budget 
& glitter is the key to any costume 
You can get away without tapping on your Myki at least 90% of the time
You have wasted a lifetime waiting for the lights to change to cross the road
You have a library card to every major city public library so you could use their free internet and print off 1782 resumes 




AFL looks like the closest thing to Quidditch 
You've taken a side in State of Origin Rugby League 
Sporting events are taken very seriously in Australia
You have been to (or worked at) either the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, The Grand Prix, AFL games, Test-match cricket. 
Australia Day is basically just a drinking holiday
Christmas Day should be spent on the beach and no where else 
You have broken or smashed your phone several times & now rely on a Telstra-made brick
Phone data does not last long 
No matter how much you hate Telstra it is the only service that will give you signal 90% of the time
Never go with Vodaphone / Vodafail 
To save $50 you've chosen a 36 hour bus over a 2 hour flight
Your Instagram account will suffer massively when you leave Australia 
You don't remember what its like to have your own room 
Its the best day ever when you received a care package from home and you eat all the treats within an hour
You have mastered the art of just relaxing and not letting life stress you the F out
You get excited about small things; having a clean towel brings you so much joy 
Baths are a rare thing but when you finally find one you take full advantage 
You appreciate new friendships
But realise you enjoy your time alone too
You learn so much about yourself and how strong and confident you can be 
You realise that things aren't so important anymore
& finally your true friends and family are those who don't expect a constant update and you pick things up right where you left off <3 




I hope you enjoyed this post

 I'd love to hear which relate most to you / if you've got any others please put them in the comment box below! 

Thanks for reading & happy travels 



♡ G

Join me on Instagram @gemwills 

& follow me on my Australia Adventure! 


Im working on a "things you learn when you complete your 88 days farm work" 

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