Are you looking to travel, relocate, or do business in Australia and need to know their culture? This article is here to help you enjoy your time in Australia. It’s the world’s sixth biggest country and exists in 3 different time zones.
Its capital city is Canberra, but has other big cities, like Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne. Australia’s language is English and boasts of a western culture that is mainly influenced by Britain and the unique geography of the continent.
Australia is home to the oldest cultural traditions of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people. Stick around and read on to discover more about this beautiful country’s culture and traditions.
Local Culture
Australia has mainly a western culture that originated from Britain. However, it is also influenced by the exceptional geography of the Australian continent, as well as Torres Strait Islanders, Aboriginal, and other Oceanian people.
Australia boasts of being home to the oldest remaining traditions on Earth. Their ancestors occupied Australia for approximately 40,000 to 60,000 years. They survived on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and they are the people that invented didgeridoos and the boomerangs.
Clothing
The way people dress is hugely influenced by living in a rugged country plus existence of modern leisure activities, such as surfing, swimming and beach culture.
Given Australia’s proximity to the ocean, people have adopted the use of different fabrics, like drill cotton, and mole skin, to make practical swim wear. It’s a common sight of lifesavers wearing long-sleeved wet suits or tops and sun hats for sun protection.
Even the children will be wearing long sleeved swim wear, sunglasses and hats for sun protection. Other common dress codes are singlets, surf board shorts, and shirts which have been adopted by the majority of the people.
Language
Australian people speak Australian English, which is also their first language. However, Australian English is different from other varieties of English in accent, vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The written Australian English has two language keyboard layouts: the United Kingdom and United States Layouts. Mainly, Australia uses the United States layout that lacks negation, pound sterling, and Euro currency symbols.
Customs and Etiquettes
They usually shake hands and like to use first names to introduce themselves. Australians exchange gifts on birthdays and Christmas. They also like to tip tradespeople on Christmas with a bottle of wine, cash, or a 6 pack of beer. Gifts will be opened immediately they are received as the giver observes.
Also, when you get invited for dinner or any function, remember to carry your own alcohol. It’s a good habit to call the host or hostess and ask what they would like you to bring.
Religion
Much as Australia has a strong secular government, religious organizations also play a part in the country’s public life. There are a number of Christian churches that have contributed to the development of health, education and welfare services.
While a small percentage of people attend weekly services, most students go to church-affiliated schools and Christian festivals are public holidays.
Conclusion
Regardless of what you are going to do in Australia, it’s important that you know the basics of Australian culture. It’s good practice to shake a person’s right hand and introduce them by their first names.
Also, the dressing code is generally casual, but this also depends on the occasion. Keep the above points in mind if you consider traveling to Australia in the near future, so you can be prepared and ready for a trip of fun.
