The most easterly point of mainland Australia
So my time is coming nigh here in Australia. I have really loved this country and it is a lot like Canada in size and in people. I love the Aussie sense of humour. They love to laugh at themselves and are not hung up and taboo about religion, sex and swear words. Of course anyone reading my stuff now knows that Tim Minchin is one of my favourite comedians/musicians. Having been to New Zealand first, a lot of people always try to compare the two. I guess in some ways New Zealand is to Australia as Canada is to the U.S. The small overshadowed neighbour. But as I have already said, Canada and Australia are a lot a like too. The cost of visiting Australia is extremely high. That would be my one negative. It is different when living here as one’s wages are relative to the cost. For instance the minimum wage is $15/hour however having spoken to a number of people, most adults past the age of 21 get $19 or 20 for their minimum wage. Whilst I was here, the Canadian dollar was slightly weaker than the Australian dollar, although both were stronger than the US dollar. However I noticed that identical items that I can get in Canada were approximately 20-25% more expensive in Australia.
Neo with her beloved ball
Couch surfing and house sitting were my saving graces cost wise although one should not expect either to be free completely as you want to give back to your hosts for the gift of free accommodation. I have been extremely grateful for the experiences.
The geography of Australia is certainly different than New Zealand. It is a country dominated by beaches and desert. There are not the big mountains like in New Zealand and Canada but there are still mountains and rolling countryside. I especially love the diversity of wildlife. Aside from leeches, I did not encounter any snakes or spiders. But I did get to see Kangaroos, Koalas and hear the famed Kookaburra – noisey suckers at 5 am. The weather is fairly consistently warm throughout Australia compared to Canada. There are not the same 4 seasons. Being an island, most people are located on the oceansides. Given the array of beaches and wind, it is excellent for surfing, kite surfing and wind surfing. The water was so lovely. It is great to be surrounded by water that is warm enough to swim in. Unlike Canada.
A wave crests
Given its location and size, there is a reason people visit here for extended periods. Australia also promotes temporary and seasonal work in visitors for harvesting and other such jobs. These help both parties. All in all, I would certainly come back here and the option to live and work for a year is also very enticing.
Interesting, Karly Harrington is fresh back from her trip and she made a point of stressing how she loved new zealand over Australia as it reminded her of Canada. However she is traveling in a group and seeing more of the inside of pubs till wee hours of the morning, can we remember being 18?. She was happy to be legal over there.
Oh yes from a landscape standpoint and British influence standpoint, I think New Zealand is more like Canada. But for my twisted sense of humour and from a landmass size and population size, Australia is more like Canada. So both hare correct. Most like New Zealand over Australia because of its breadth of geography in such a small place, its smaller population, quaintness and incredible mountain vistas (just look at Lord of the Rings) but from a people standpoint I prefer Australia.