Notes on Australia

Flashlights are torches.

A doona is a blanket. (Not sure how you spell it.)

Drivers are on the right side of the car, and cars drive on the left side of the road. Can't tell you how many times I've tried to get in drivers seats or looked the wrong way when crossing the road.

American food is not the same here! Compare country menus of Dominos or KFC and see the difference.

Ketchup is tomato sauce, and tomato is pronounced with a soft a. KFC charges 50 cents per packet!

Shoe string French fries are called fries, but anything thicker are chips.

Burger King is called Hungry Jacks.

If you want something to-go, you have to ask for takeaway.

Nobody has a clue what corn bread is.

Cookies are called biscuits.

Outlets have individual on/off switches.

Calendars that you hang on the wall are calendars, while calendars you can carry are diaries.

Australians eat their national animals, the kangaroo and emu.

While there is Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, there is never more than one shelf of options. Plus it's expensive.

People say fortnight often.

Washcloths are face washes.

Service people don't get tips. 

The money here is very colorful and each bill and coin is a different size. One and two dollar coins are gold, while coins under a dollar are silver.

Aluminum is Aluminium. You spell and say the extra i.

Toilets have two buttons on them. From what I have gathered, the button on the left does nothing but makes the sound of water running, while the button on the right unleashes Niagara Falls. 

While on the subject, toilets often get their very own rooms here. I have only been in a few houses that have toilets in the bathrooms.

Cheers is a term used frequently. It means many things, but mostly hello, thank you, and when drinking. It is also an effective way to confuse Americans, as we have no idea how to respond.

American TV and music is most of the entertainment here. There is some British stuff mixed in, and very little Australian. There a quite a few zookeeper fans of Jimmy Buffet over here.

The word "every" is said by fully pronouncing the letter E. It is possibly the only word I can say with an Australian accent.

Speaking of letters, the letter Z is often pronounced as "zed." A few people have corrected me when I spell my last name. 

Phone numbers are different based on if you have a land line or cell phone, and sometimes who the carrier of your cell phone is as well. Most numbers start with 0, but sometimes the 0 can be skipped. Sometimes the second number isn't needed or it is simply implied that it is a landline. I prefer the American way.

Emails are often opened with "Greetings" and signed with "Regards" or "Cheers."

"How ya goin?" is what they say instead of "How are you doing?"

"Good on ya" is a saying that I haven't quite deciphered yet. I believe it's close to "good for you."

Over all the Australian accent sounds like a British accent made slurred and southern to me, much like a thick Louisiana accent in America.