Australians have quite a relaxed approach to swearing and will often swear in every day speaking without meaning any offence. If you’re starting work in Australia, don’t be surprised if you hear it in the workplace too. To play it safe, obviously refrain from swearing in front of clients and in formal meetings.
This may sound quite obvious, but bear in mind that Australia is a vast country. When British expats make the move to Australia it’s not uncommon for them to underestimate journey times, for example, when they are exploring their new destination. To give this some perspective, the Australian outback is estimated to cover 5.3 million square kilometres. That’s 22 times bigger than the UK & NI (which cover only 241,930 square kilometres.) The outback is also home to the world’s longest stretch of straight bitumen road, 146.6 kms without a bend.
The summer sun in Australia is known to be 7% to 10% stronger than similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Scientists have found that air currents high in the atmosphere sometimes bring ozone-depleted air from Antarctica’s ozone hole to Australia, which lets even more UV through. So take it seriously and minimise the health risk by seeking shade wherever you can, wear SPF, a hat and sunglasses.
In Australia you can’t smoke within 3 metres of entrances or exits of any café or restaurant. You also can’t smoke in your own car if you have children it in. Some of the beaches are smoke free and even some entire suburbs are no smoking zones. Make yourself aware of the rules before you arrive, so if you are a smoker you won’t get caught out as it really isn’t very welcomed in the country.
When it comes to shipping your household effects to Australia, calling up on the services of a professional international removal company to arrange this for you, will be very important. An experienced company do this day in, day out for customers and are used to the rigours of dealing with the documentation and paperwork to ensure customs clearance. They can advise you on what can and can’t be shipped to Australia and will be able to send trained packing crews to make sure that your furniture is export wrapped and best prepared to make the voyage. Do your research into moving companies and choose a BAR and FIDI member for peace of mind.
A professional removal company will take every precaution when it comes to preparing your goods for shipping. However, they can never completely negate the possibility of something happening to your effects. It’s a long journey and the very nature of traveling by sea will always pose a risk to the safety of your goods. You must speak to your remover about taking out marine insurance.
