Many of us who have visited this crazy paradise often leave with the tell-tale signs you have backpacked Australia. The “land down under” is unlike no other on earth and has a way of converting all who reach its shores.
Pretty soon your Flip-Flops will become your “Thongs” and your Sunglasses will become your “Sunnies”. Australia will steal your heart and make you wish your granddaddy was a criminal… only joking 😉
Let’s crack open a “Tinnie” and get on with it. Here is our 16 tell-tale signs you have backpacked Australia.
1. You Casually Walk The Streets Barefoot
First up on the list is one that most backpackers end up doing, strolling through the streets barefoot. If you make your way to places like Byron Bay and the West End in Inner Brisbane, strolling barefooted is the norm.
Imagine casually walking through London or Paris with no shoes, it wouldn’t be long before you was stopped and questioned by the police… However, most would probably think that you have been robbed.
In Aus, barefoot is the norm and is cool as f*ck 🙂
2. Drinking From a Goon Bag Is Second Nature
Dave had to stop drinking Goon after projectile vomiting all over the hostel bathroom. Kings cup can get a little messy. If you do not know what Kings cup is… carry on scrolling, you will soon find out.
Goon is Australia’s cheapest tipple. A four litre box will set you back only $11. When a pint costs at least $6, boxes of Goon are a gift from God 😀
Goon however is not for the faint hearted: this cheap disgusting concoction will have even the strongest amongst us crying on the bathroom floor. Goon of Fortune is a game that you will never forget and has destroyed many a backpacker.
3. You Can Happily Eat Domino’s Pizza Every Night If It Means More Money For Beer
Being one of the most expensive countries in the world, Australia can seriously damage your travel funds. However, Domino’s Pizza is there to save you.
Unlike in most countries, Dominos in Australia is crazy cheap. With pizzas starting at $5, prepare for your healthy diet to go out of the window.
“All hail Dominos, savior of backpackers”
4. Tim Tams Are Life…
Next up on the list of signs you have backpacked Australia is the great debate itself. Tim tams or Penguins… Those that know.. know. Those that don’t, run before it is too late 😉
5. You Have Occasional Flashbacks From Your “Farm work”
Some people love their time on the farms in Australia, others despised every minute of it. Unfortunately it seems that most fall into the latter bracket: 12 hour days, back breaking work, worries about getting your days “signed off”.
Which bracket did you fall into? Let us know how your farm work went in the comments for a post that we will write in the future.
6. You Can Walk into Coles With $12 and Walk Out With Two Bags of Food
And no, we don’t mean by the “self pay check-outs”. How Coles survives the relentless thievery of backpackers is beyond us. We knew people in Australia living on stolen steak every night of the week.
Luckily for us law abiding backpackers, Coles is cheap…dirt cheap. With bags of pasta at $1 and tins of tuna at 80 cents, this became our go-to meal. And with all of the daily deals, Coles is a great place to keep your travel budget low.
7. Most of The Clothes You Own Are From Cotton On
Cotton On is the king off clothes stores in Australia. Stylish, cheap and pretty much everywhere, Cotton On is what makes people think your are Australian even when you have headed back home.
We still have clothes from this awesome place and are thinking about ordering some new clothes to us here on Malta.
8. Flip Cup, Beer Pong & Kings Cup Are All Second Nature
If you have never played any of these drinking games, the best way to describe them is that they are designed to get you as drunk as humanly possible… Long live australia 😉
9. You Have Worked Construction & Rocked a Hi-Vis
When backpacking Australia, construction work is a great way to earn some good money. It seems like there is an endless supply of construction work in Australia and they are more than happy to take on backpackers looking for work.
Dave often lets his friends in Australia know that this is because they are all lazy bast**ds 😉
10. Your Skills of Dodging Charity Collectors Are Honed To Perfection
Bad we know, but when you are being stopped by what seems every charity on earth, these skills are needed. In places like Brisbane CBD, walking for your lunch becomes an obstacle course with “fake happy” backpackers all vying for your money.
These are skills which will stay with you for life and you can happily dodge these people in your own country also …. or are we just mean miserable people haha
11. You Now Know That Kangaroos Are Basically Rabbits On Steroids
Another of the sure signs you have backpacked Australia, is that you have added the two following points to your database of knowledge.
- First, that not only Kangaroos screw like rabbits but that they are everywhere.
- Second, they are also built like bodybuilders and could most probably knock you out.
12. You Tried to Surf & Failed: Still Posted Surfing Pic To Look Cool Back Home
One thing that you will learn quite fast in Australia is that Surfing is hard … actually, to do it like a true Aussie, is hard as f*ck!!!
Grab your board, get in the water, take your selfie… then get out as fast as you can before you are either eaten by a shark or stung by a jellyfish.
Only joking, the waters around Australia are not “that bad”, you can still die, it is just quite rare 😉
13. Words Like Servo, Arvo & Avo Have Entered Your Vocabulary
“What are you doing this Arvo mate? Just heading down to the bottle’o to grab some Tinnies, then I’m off to woolies to grab an Avo”.
If you did not understand… you have never backpacked Australia 😉
Here is a list of Aussie words and their meanings for you to learn how to speak “fluent Australian”
14. You Have Encountered at Least 5 Animals That Could Take Your Life
There are not many countries on earth where you could get stung, stabbed, bitten, eaten or poisoned, and that’s all before breakfast.
Although not as bad as the world believes, your chances of dying in Australia are far higher than in the French countryside or swimming in the Mediterranean.
However, that is the price you pay for such beauty.
- Sharks
- Spiders
- Crocodiles
- Snakes
- Jellyfish
These are just five of the deadly little bast**ds waiting for you when you visit Australia.
15. You Have Facebook Friends From All Over The World
Next up, and another of the great signs you have backpacked Australia, your Facebook is full of people from around the world.
Whether it is the French sharing memes you can not understand or the Germans angry looking status filling up your feed, having friends all around the world is a sure fire sign you have backpacked Australia.
16. You Are Planning To Move Down Under
Last up on the list of signs you have backpacked Australia, you are planning to move there. Most who visit this wonderful country fall in love with and never want to leave. In fact, many end up staying for good.
We love Australia (it is the land where we met) and one day we may even move there for good. Until then however, there is too much of the world left to see.
Watch Out For The 16 Signs You Have Backpacked Australia
Nowadays Working-Holidays in Australia are the norm, so it easy to spot those who have walked the beer soaked shores of Australia. Keep your eyes open and see how many you can spot.
What signs do you think we missed, what would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments section, we would love to hear your thoughts.
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