Rural residents fuming over 'unspoken Aussie agreement' that's constantly ignored

"So Straya", one person commented, while another said it was so typically "us" that the online rant should be our national anthem. 

It's the unspoken rule that every Aussie knows... or so we thought!

When you arrive at a rural property that requires you to open a gate, you leave the property with the gate the same way you found it. 

The gate is shut upon arrival? You shut the gate when you leave. 

The gate is open upon arrival? You leave the gate open as you leave. 

I mean, it's a simple formula that everyone knows to follow, right? Apparently not. And Aussie property owners are completely fed up with people not following the rules!

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The unspoken rule every Aussie seems to know... or so we thought! Image: Supplied

Shut the f*cken gate!

We'll spare you some of the more offensive language used, but one very angry Aussie has taken to Reddit to air their frustration over people not closing the gate on their property when it was clearly shut when they arrived. 

"If you drive into a property and their gate is shut, f*cking shut it after you come in! If you’re picking up free furniture off Gumtree and you’ve been told to shut the f*cken gate then F*CKEN SHUT THE GATE!" they wrote, with a couple of c-bombs added in, just in case having the caps lock on didn't scream "I'm very angry about this" enough. 

The Aussie went on to give a bit of context about why they felt the need to have a public rant. 

"Don’t mind me, I just spent an hour out in the rain looking for my golden retriever and ruined my brand new Ugg boots in the process. I thought the gate thing was widely understood in this country, but apparently some people need a stern reminder," they shared. 

"Forgot to actually mention the dog is fine, I caught her in the neighbours driveway going after a rabbit. And I wore my Ugg boots out in the rain because I didn’t have time to think about my footwear when my pet’s life was potentially in danger."

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It's bush law

Over 400 people made themselves known in the comments section of the post.

One person made it perfectly clear that this has long been considered "Bush law" and that you "leave gates as you found them".

And many agreed. 

"Yeah I'm 100% with you on this one. So goddamn annoying and ignorant," one person said. 

Another person shared: "I hate people who don't shut the gate. I've had a number of people who've been playing with my dogs in the front yard, open the gate, and leave it open. The dogs (of course) run away, and they don't do anything to help. Just stand there looking like an idiot."

Others said this is such a typical Aussie rule and complaint. 

"This is so Straya... I love this country!" someone joked. 

"This should be the national anthem," another person insisted. 

Another person said it was so common knowledge that even her 14yo knew about it without them even teaching him.

"I asked my 14-year-old stepson the other day how you leave a gate and he answered ‘leave it as you found it’. Not once have I or his mother EVER told him that. If a 14-year-old can have that common sense, so can everyone else."

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Some councils will fine you

Meanwhile, others added that this wasn't just happening on rural properties. People are leaving gates open in suburban homes, day care centres, restaurants and cafes too, with plenty questioning what happened to our Aussie manners?

Some councils across the country have noticed a decline in rural property etiquette that they've had to implement a penalty for those who don't follow the rule of keeping gates closed in their area. 

In Coonamble Shire Council, a person who opens a public gate must close it immediately after use.

Failure to do so can result in a penalty of up to 10 penalty units and liability for any resulting loss or damage, according to Coonamble Shire Council.

According to the Gates and Stock Grids on Public Roads policy, published online, this rule is in place to ensure the safety of residents and live stock and prevent issues like unauthorised access or damage to adjoining properties. 

Originally published as Rural residents fuming over 'unspoken Aussie agreement' that's constantly ignored