Seven weird things I miss about Australia

You could easily guess what Aussies miss when they move abroad. But there are some unlikely things they find themselves homesick over.

You could easily bet on what Aussies miss when they live abroad. Good coffee, kookaburras laughing, beaches you don’t have to pay for, Tim Tams, and money you can swim with.

I left Australia and moved to Dubai less than six months ago – and I miss none of those things.

I’ve found good coffee, beautiful birds, and, if I was really craving them, I could buy myself some overpriced Tim Tams.

Missing my family and friends goes without saying but I was surprised to find myself missing rather odd things from Australia …

1. CANNED GOODS WITH RING-PULLS

Opening chickpeas, lentils, corn, tuna, and anything else tinned with a ring-pull is so convenient. There’s no mess, the ring hardly ever snaps off and the tin is open in six seconds flat. It is also something I’ve never given a second thought to as I’d rarely come across a flat-top tin in Australia.

Who even knew they still made cans without ring-pulls anymore?

But abroad, I’ve found myself in a pickle several times while cooking and realising I’d bought canned goods without a ring-pull, in accommodation without a can opener.

YouTube has come to the rescue and in desperate times I have opened a can with a spoon. It takes persistence and a lot of elbow grease, but it works if you’re stuck.

2. TASTY TAP WATER

I have fully taken Sydney’s finest for granted. I really miss sitting at a cafe in Australia and hydrating with some free tap water as I peruse the menu. I also miss the convenience of hanging my head under the tap after a big night out when I feel like I’ve swallowed the desert.

Aussie tap water is incredible. Picture: iStock

Not only is bottled water a total waste of money, it’s also terrible for the environment. I’ve bitterly discovered that although tap water is safe to drink in some places, it can taste terrible and bottled water is the only option.

3. SUN SAFETY IN NUMBERS

We’ve had Slip! Slop! Slap! drilled into us, and for good reason. Being sun safe was instilled into me by my mum – I wasn’t allowed in the sun between 10am and 3pm, rashies were mandatory along with sunscreen and a hat. If you’re overseas, you can guarantee anyone in a rashie is Australian. We stick out like sore thumbs compared to everyone else.

See the person constantly applying sunscreen? Yeah, they’re Aussie.

And so I have been mocked several times overseas about how “intense” I am about protecting myself from the sun. For some foreigners, coming back from a holiday with a tan is a sign of a fantastic time. Sure back home beachgoers take different levels of precautions, but I miss being on an Aussie beach blending in under a beach umbrella, seeing zinc-tinted faces and hearing parents shout ‘no hat, no play’.

4. FOOTPATHS

Having a baby means I’m often pushing a pram around. This also means I’m avoiding stairs, hunting down lifts and looking for a never-ending footpath.

I’ve never quite realised how pedestrian-friendly Australia is. Granted our cities are far from being pedestrianised like Venice or Ginza in Tokyo where the main drag of the district is closed to cars on weekends.

Australia is surprisingly friendly to pedestrians.

But in my very first month of my expat life, I was met with so many dead ends while walking. Megaprojects and new developments are popping up everywhere in the UAE – a colossal Guggenheim Museum planned for Abu Dhabi along with run-of-the-mill skyscrapers and residential suburbs. Construction sites typically engulf the footpath and during the sweat fest that is summer, everyone drives.

5. SAUSAGE SIZZLES

I hardly eat sausages, I don’t like white bread or I’m fearful of undercooked meat on huge barbecues. But there’s nothing like walking down the street, getting a whiff of caramelised onions and uncovering a sausage sizzle around the corner.

Whether it’s a democracy sausage on election day or a quick snack at Bunnings, it’s hard to walk past without buying a sausage. Onions on top or on the bottom, I don’t care.

It’s hard to walk past a sausage sizzle – especially at Bunnings.

6. ALDI

Shopping at Aldi is like a treasure hunt. Sure it can get pretty hectic at times, but it’s worth the trip for the amazing European cheese selection, award-winning booze, cheap cleaning products, and delicious frozen meals. (Add the gozleme and potato dauphinoise to your shopping list.)

Plus there’s a chance you might walk out with a coffee machine, designer pet sofa or Oktoberfest pretzels from the Special Buys section. Yes you need to pack your own bag as the checkout staff peg groceries at you, but overall I find the experience a pure delight.

Aldi really does bring me pure joy.

7. AUSSIE SARCASM

I’m discovering the hard way that Australian humour is an acquired taste. Oh how so many of my jokes have fallen flat abroad. Whether it’s the language barrier, speaking too quickly or just falling amiss, I’ve had more confused looks than laughs.

I miss fellow Aussies detecting sarcasm, but also someone responding in kind.

This article originally appeared on Escape and has been republished with permission