Perth – Who Knew?
I’ve never really heard about Perth until getting the opportunity to live here through the HLB secondment program. Here are some things I’ve learned during my stay:
- No tipping at restaurants – don’t expect to add an extra 20%. Tipping is not expected and there is usually no line on the receipt for it anyway.
- The average minimum wage in Australia is over A$17 per hour (which explains why there is no tipping).
- Crossing the street – pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way here in Perth. I’ve learned this after many honks directed towards me. Jaywalking is the only way to survive.
- Coffee – Dunkin Donuts does not exist and Starbucks has not made its way to Perth yet. Essentially, all you can get is a “Flat White” or a “Long Black.” There’s a coffee/espresso shop on every corner in the city and the menu always looks the same.
- The sushi is not good – they put chicken and steak in their sushi rolls and call it “gourmet.”
- Kangaroos – Yes, there are as many kangaroos here as there are deer in New Jersey. The little ones are cute and friendly.
- The Lingo:
- Biscuits = cookies
- Lifts = elevators
- Macca’s = McDonalds
- Chips = French fries
- Rubbish = garbage
- Australians abbreviate everything
- Common terms
- Massive
- Heaps
- Reckon
- (i.e., “I reckon the concert will be massive with heaps of people” – Mindy)
- No worries
- No stress
- Cheers mate
- No Australian has ever said, “Let’s throw some shrimp on the barbie.” Australians call shrimp “prawn” anyway.
- Perth is the second most isolated city (with over one million people) in the world. The next closest city to Perth is Adelaide which is 2,138km away (approximately a three-hour flight).
- Everything in the city of Perth closes early during the week. Most retail stores close at 5:30pm, except Friday when they are open late (9pm). Only about a year ago is when Perth started opening its stores on Sundays from 11am-5pm.
By Lonnie Bloom, MBA | 609.520.1188 | [email protected]
