A British woman who moved to Australia shares the biggest cultural differences she has noticed in the country.
Victoria Whitehouse packed her bags in England to move to Sydney on a working holiday visa and has documented much of her journey on TikTok, where she amassed more than 86,000 followers under her handle @vic_whitehouse.
In a video filmed eight months after moving, the travel influencer revealed what she loves about Australia and what the UK is missing; However, there is still one thing he misses about her home.
The clip titled: “Differences I have found as a Brit living in Australia” has already been viewed by more than 91,000 people.
Read on for the TikToker’s full rundown on how life compares on the other side of the world.
Victoria Whitehouse packed her bags in England to move to Sydney on a working holiday visa and has documented much of her journey on TikTok, where she has amassed more than 86,000 followers.
Public transportation is better.
Victoria told viewers that the first thing that is better in Australia than at home is public transport.
She gushed: ‘Public transport in Australia is absolutely sensational – it’s not even close to what we have at home.
“It is much more efficient, it is cheaper and when there is a railway strike and the trains do not run, they give you buses to take you to those destinations and it costs nothing.”
The TikToker laughed: “The UK could never, but yeah, the transportation is crazy.”
Supermarkets are more efficient
Next on Victoria’s list, which she calls “absolutely brilliant”, is the way Australians are restocking their supermarket shelves.
She explained: “I don’t think it’s in every supermarket, but it’s in most of the ones I’ve seen.”
In a video filmed eight months after moving, the travel influencer revealed what she loves about Australia and what the UK is missing; However, there is still one thing he misses about her home.
‘When you’re in the refrigerator section and you open it to get, say, some milk, the refrigerators are open and there are people behind them, so people can restock from the back.
“I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it surprises me because it means you don’t have to take out all the stuff to restock, so the oldest stuff is at the front.”
“You can restock from the back of the refrigerators, how cool is that.”
Cafes close earlier
Continuing, the Brit mentions the only lifestyle difference she doesn’t like in Australia: how cafes close “very early.”
She revealed: ‘This makes me quite sad. Most cafes close between 2:00 pm and 2:30 pm to close at 3:00 pm
‘My friend and I tried to get coffee at 2pm and they told us they were closing and couldn’t serve us, which is crazy.
‘Some cafes do it really well: they open as a cafe during the day and become a bar at night, which I think is an amazing idea.
‘But yeah, sometimes I just want avocado toast after work and I can’t get it.’
You cannot buy alcohol in supermarkets.
Regarding the fourth point, Victoria explains: ‘Next is the fact that you can’t buy alcohol in supermarkets.
“Everyone has a bottle store or liquor store next to a supermarket, but you can’t buy a bottle of vodka in a regular grocery store.”
The TikToker didn’t mention whether she preferred this concept or not, but she did say she found it “really fun.”
People start the day earlier
Another thing the Brit “loves” about Sydney is how early people start their days compared to the UK.
She said: ‘You can get up at 5am and have cafes open, people going for a run, people on the beach and I love that.’
“I love that people get up so early in the morning to see the sunrise or that people get up early but not just to go to work, which I love.”
Australians abbreviate everything
Finally, Victoria talked about ‘the way Australians abbreviate everything’.
She revealed: ‘I love this because I’ve definitely adopted some of the abbreviations they use.
‘McDonald’s is ‘Maccas’, a gas station is a ‘servo’, a bottle shop or liquor store is usually a ‘bottle-o’ and what I find funny is that they also advertise that way.
“It’s not just that it’s abbreviated and people adopt it, sometimes they just call them that, that’s how they sign them outside, which I think is really fun and I love it.”
Viewers are divided in the comments section over the points Victoria highlighted, with one user writing: “They make buses here too…”
Another added: “It would take a six-month debate in the UK to get a bus instead of a train.”
Meanwhile, an Australian chimed in to explain: “Cafes open very early in the morning to serve traders, so they close mid-afternoon,” to which Victoria replied: “I just want breakfast for dinner though.”
One Brit joked: “Have you never been to London?”, and another asked: “Have you never heard of a ‘rail replacement bus service’? It literally runs every weekend in the UK.”
It comes as thousands of Brits are swapping dark, rainy skies for Australia’s sunshine.
According to Statistica, the number of UK citizens leaving the country to emigrate is the highest since 2012.
Meanwhile, research last year revealed that almost one in two Britons say they think they would be better off swapping the UK for Australia or New Zealand; Whether it’s the sunny lifestyle, better job options or more affordable housing, something is attracting people to start a new life on the other side of the world.