Everything I Found Out Living in Australia for 3 Months

Quick Corrections: I got some things mixed up, can't change it now but let me know if there's something I got wrong and I'll add it here -Woolworths and Coles are not the only big grocery stores in Australia. There are other big chains in Aus most notably Aldi and IGA. -Coles and Woolies do sell tabacco products however they are not allowed to be on display -Birds at 8:16 are curlews not bin chickens (Whoops) -I suggest stocking up on OTC meds you might need but customs will require you to declare these and may confiscate them if they are not available in Aus. -Stores do sell ibuprofen without needing to ask at the counter (though it will vary depending on store policy)

Ibuprofen can be purchased at Coles or Woolies. No questions, unless you're talking to yourself at the self-serve checkout. Tipping isn't a thing because employees are paid by the employer, not the customer. Paid vacation is 4 weeks in most of the country, 5 weeks in the far north. 6 weeks if very remote. The bird you called a bin chicken is a curlew. The bin chicken is a white ibis.

One last thing. If you get burnt like that again, find an aloe plant, they're a succulent, and someone around will probably have one. Break of a stem and use the clear gel like substance that they secrete. Just rub it straight onto your burnt skin and it will be soothed and heal quicker than by any other product.

We love that you’ve decided to make Aus your place. Cheers mate

Hope you’re healing well from your accident.

the majority of Australians live in the city, and the culture is quite different to Cairns which is very laid back

Actually, stocking up on pharmaceuticals might not work. If you do that, please DECLARE them on your Customs Card, which is a legal document and you can cop heavy fines for not declaring something correctly. If the items are not OTC in Australia, you definitely can’t bring them in from the US. Declare everything and there won’t be any fines. They will confiscate anything that goes against our laws, but as long as you declare everything, including all forms of food, you won’t be fined.

Many employers here hate it if you don't take your paid annual leave because it is a cash liability on their books (if you quit your job, your outstanding annual leave balance must be fully paid out by the employer and that's a big chunk of cash if you have a high leave balance). The federally mandated paid leave entitlement in Australia is 4 weeks for most full time and part-time employees, and 5 weeks if you're a shift worker. Our company will literally assign you your leave if you let too much build up. (Boss) "Hey just letting you know we're putting you on annual leave for March and April." "But I didn't want leave!" "Don't care. Don't turn up for March and April. Plan a holiday. Have a nice time."

You can get Melatonin from Health Food stores. No prescription😊

Just to be clear, when it comes to buying medication, there's 3 ways depending on the type. Some are on the shelves and some you need a prescription for. The third is kept behind the counter and although you don't need a prescription, you do need to ask the pharmacist.

Didn't really explain about tipping, it is not normal in Australia because hospitality persons are paid a livable wage unlike the US

Good video, you covered a lot. You can buy ibuprofen at supermarkets without questions but the packs are smaller. Pharmacies have bigger packs but they have a duty of care to check about drug interactions with anything else you might be on and to let you know if what you are buying is unsafe in large doses or long term. Box jellyfish are only found around the northern coast of Australia. North of Rockhampton in QLD and north of Broome in WA, most of the country doesn’t need netted areas like that.

Tobacco products are sold at Woolworths, Coles, IGA etc. Its sold at the front service counter only and is locked away from view. It is illegal to have Tobacco products on display. As for alcohol - it cannot be sold in the same business as groceries but can be sold in a "separate" business next door. BWS is owned by Woolworths and Liquorland is owned by Coles. Painkillers can be purchased at supermarkets and there are limits to how many packets can be purchased in one sale.

4 weeks of paid vacation is much more common than 5. Typically, people will combine their paid holiday leave with a public holiday, h\getting the extra time "for free" as it were. Public holidays - I can only speak of NSW, where shops normally stay open for most public holidays save for Christmas Day and Anzac Day. When I was growing up many years ago, shops would also close for Good Friday and Easter but that's long gone.

You can get nuruofen from Aldi at $1.50 AUD a box. The cashiers never gonna bat an eyelid, they just want to get the hell out of there and go home! lol

Excellent video. Keep it up. Hoping your injuries are healing or have healed and that it hasn't caused you too much distress.

Be very careful about telling people to stock up on medicines before coming to Australia. Customs and Border Security don't like people who have lots of medicines in their luggage. You have to declare it, and even then I think there's a fee for bringing in more than a certain amount. The reasoning is that they don't want people importing and then selling medicines without a medical license, and they assume that if you have more than like 3 bottles your intention is to sell or distribute them.

Very North Qld centric. Some of the stuff about self service in restaurants is ridiculous. Pubs and Cafès, sure.... But there's plenty of Good Restaurants in Melbourne etc that seat you.

Ibuprofen is readily available, no questions asked unless you want an extra strong version then you have to ask for it. My Coles has a separate shop inside the same store for alcohol and tobacco products aren't on display, but they're there. There are a lot of restaurants that you go in and sit down, someone will take your order and bring it to you.

lol, the birds chirping on that tree at night were not birds, but flying foxes. Picture a really big bat that is not really a bat. ;)