Questions to Ask an Australian
Written for anyone who works, studies or shares a hostel kitchen with an Australian, or is about to fly there, and would like to get past the kangaroo jokes. The 57 questions run the way that conversation tends to go: home and distance first, then slang, food and sport, then the wildlife stories, and last the view from outside, including what a visitor should check before landing. All of them are sized for one person to answer about their own town and family, since nobody can speak for a whole continent.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Home
Which part of Australia are you from, and what do other Australians say about it?
Why ask it
What the rest of the country says about a town is rarely what the postcard shows, and the teasing version is the one worth hearing. Get the state as well, since the football, the word for a swimsuit and several later questions here turn on it.
How far is home from the nearest capital city, and would you drive it or fly?
Why ask it
Australians call the main city of each state its capital, so you are not asking only about Canberra. Notice whether the distance comes in hours or in kilometers: the capitals sit a long way from one another, and a flight that would feel like a big journey to you may be how they get to a wedding.
Which city or town does yours have a rivalry with, and what is the argument really about?
Why ask it
Sydney and Melbourne have the famous one, but nearly every place has a neighbor it looks down on or resents. The stated reason is coffee, weather or football; keep asking and it usually turns out to be about who gets noticed.
Beach, bush or suburbs: where did your weekends happen as a kid?
Why ask it
It stops you assuming a surfboard. A childhood of cul-de-sacs and Saturday sport is far more common than the tourism version, and someone raised on a farm hours inland has a different country to tell you about.
Have you been to the outback, or is it as far from you as it is from me?
Why ask it
Most of the population lives in a handful of cities near the coast, and plenty of people have never stood on red dirt. The second half lets them admit that without feeling they have failed a test, and those who have been will tell you how long the drive was before anything changed.
What did you wear to school, and was a hat part of the uniform?
Why ask it
School uniforms are common in Australia, in government schools as well as private ones, and many primary schools have a 'no hat, no play' rule that keeps a bareheaded child in the shade at lunchtime. Compare it with what you wore, then find out what happened to the kid who forgot the hat.
Which of the Big Things have you stopped at for a photo?
Why ask it
A giant banana, prawn, pineapple or sheep beside the highway is a fixture of the family road trip, and most people have a picture of themselves squinting under one. If you get a blank look, ask what their family pulled over for instead: a bakery, a lookout, a roadhouse.
How long is the flight when you go overseas, and how do you get through it?
Why ask it
Nearly every trip abroad starts with many hours in the air, which is why Australians tend to travel for weeks at a time instead of a long weekend. You will get a practiced routine, and a view on the best stopover that is held like a football allegiance.
What counts as a properly hot day where you are from, in actual degrees?
Why ask it
The number arrives in Celsius, so convert before you react. Someone from Hobart and someone from Darwin will give figures a long way apart, and if fire or flood seasons come into it, let them decide how much to say.
What time is it where you are, and does your state change its clocks for summer?
Why ask it
Meant for colleagues and long-distance friends. The country runs on more than one time zone and daylight saving is decided state by state, so ask how it works in theirs before you book a call for what turns out to be their dawn.
Slang
Which word do you use every day that nobody outside Australia understands?
Why ask it
Arvo, servo, doona and esky are the sort of thing you will get, and the translating is the fun part. Have them put it in a sentence, try it once yourself, and accept the grade you are given.
What does your name get shortened to back home?
Why ask it
Names pick up an -o or a -zza without anyone asking permission, so a Barry answers to Bazza and a John to Johnno. Find out who started it and whether they like it, and with a colleague check which version they want from you before you borrow it.
What do you call a swimsuit, and would someone from another state call it the same?
Why ask it
Togs, bathers, swimmers or cossie: the word changes as you cross state lines, and Australians can place each other by it. It is a quicker way of finding out where someone grew up than asking for a suburb you will not recognize.
When you say 'yeah, nah', which half am I supposed to listen to?
Why ask it
As a rule the last word is the answer and the first is only politeness, and 'nah, yeah' runs the other way. Worth settling early with a colleague, because you will hear it in a meeting and need to know whether your idea survived.
Who gets called 'mate', and how do I tell when it is not friendly?
Why ask it
The word covers a best friend, a stranger holding a door and someone about to lose an argument, and only the tone separates them. Ask to hear the cold version next to the warm one, since the difference is easier to hear than to explain.
Do you really say 'G'day', or is that one kept for tourists?
Why ask it
Age, town and distance from a city all change the answer, so you may get a firm yes, a firm no or 'only to my grandfather'. It is a polite way to learn which of the souvenir-shop phrases are still alive without reciting them in an accent.
Which word from home turned out to mean something else overseas?
Why ask it
Announcing abroad that you are wearing thongs to the beach is the classic, since at home that means flip-flops. These stories come with the embarrassment already over, so they are easy to tell and easy to answer with one of your own.
Whose accent do people overseas mistake yours for?
Why ask it
English, New Zealand and South African are the usual wrong guesses, and each one stings a different amount. Ask how they pick a New Zealander themselves; you will probably be made to say 'fish and chips'.
What does 'bring a plate' mean on an invitation?
Why ask it
It means bring food to share, and newcomers have been known to arrive holding empty crockery. If you are about to visit or move, this is the moment to ask what else an invitation leaves unsaid: when to really turn up, and what a host expects you to carry in.
Food
How do you eat Vegemite, and how would you serve it to a first-timer?
Why ask it
The standard instruction is a thin scrape over well-buttered toast. Most of the horror stories come from visitors who spread it like chocolate, so let them make yours, and tell them honestly what you thought.
Have you eaten kangaroo, and is that an ordinary dinner or a novelty?
Why ask it
You can buy kangaroo in many supermarkets there, yet a good number of Australians have tried it once or not at all, and some would rather not eat the animal on the coat of arms. Whichever way they answer, get the reason, and tell them which animal your own country would never put on a plate.
What is your order at the fish and chip shop, and what do you call the fried slice of potato?
Why ask it
Potato cake, scallop or fritter, depending on the state, and each camp thinks the other two names are absurd. Listen for chicken salt as well, a seasoning that people who move away complain they cannot find.
What was on the table at a kid's birthday party when you were small?
Why ask it
Fairy bread is the one to wait for: white bread, butter and the sprinkles they call hundreds and thousands, cut into triangles. Adults describe it with a seriousness the recipe does not earn, and if they offer to make it, say yes.
What goes on the barbecue at your place, and who is allowed to hold the tongs?
Why ask it
The 'shrimp on the barbie' line came from a tourism ad written for Americans; at home the word is prawn and the everyday item is more likely a sausage. The question about the tongs gets you the family politics, which is the better story.
Where do you run into a sausage sizzle, and what do you put on yours?
Why ask it
It is a sausage in a single slice of bread, sold to raise money outside a hardware store, at a school fair or at a polling place on election day. Onion or no onion, and which sauce, are argued over far more fiercely than the price deserves.
How do you take your coffee, and have you found a decent one overseas?
Why ask it
Coffee is a point of pride, and a flat white or a long black ordered abroad is a common source of grievance. If you are heading to Australia, ask what to order and what a cafe will quietly judge you for.
Which food does Australia fight New Zealand over?
Why ask it
Pavlova is the usual battleground and the flat white is another, with each country sure it got there first. You do not need to rule on it; the fun is in how the rivalry sounds, closer to siblings than to opponents.
Is there a correct way to eat a meat pie?
Why ask it
Out of the bag, in one hand, with tomato sauce (their word for ketchup) is the answer you are most likely to hear, often with a football ground attached. The first bite is the follow-up, because everyone has burned their mouth and has a technique for not doing it again.
What does your family eat at Christmas when it is hot outside?
Why ask it
December is summer there, so the meal may be prawns, cold ham and salads eaten outdoors, or a full roast cooked in defiance of the weather. Which one their family chose, and who complained, tells you whose traditions won.
Which snack from home do you ask visitors to pack for you?
Why ask it
From someone living abroad this produces a short, exact shopping list, usually with a chocolate biscuit on it. Ask whether they will teach you the Tim Tam Slam, which involves biting off two corners and drinking a hot drink through the middle.
Sport
When you say 'football' or 'footy', which game do you mean?
Why ask it
Start here before any other sport question. As a rough guide the southern and western states mean Australian rules and New South Wales and Queensland mean rugby league, with soccer and rugby union in the mix, but check with the person in front of you.
Who do you barrack for, and how did that get decided?
Why ask it
'Barrack' is the local word for supporting a team, and using it gets a small nod. A club normally comes down from a parent or a suburb, so how it got decided is a family story; a shrug means they do not follow sport, and you should move on.
What were the rules of backyard cricket at your house?
Why ask it
Every family has its own code: over the fence is out, one hand off a bounce counts as a catch, nobody can be dismissed first ball, the bin is the wicket. Ask who enforced it and who cheated, and you will hear about a sibling.
Where did you learn to swim, and how young were you?
Why ask it
Lessons and school swimming carnivals are an ordinary part of growing up for a lot of Australians, and people remember the cold pool early in the morning. A good lead-in if you are a weak swimmer planning a beach trip and want advice without announcing it.
Which sporting moment did the whole country seem to stop for in your lifetime?
Why ask it
The answer dates them as neatly as a birth certificate: a race at the Sydney Olympics for one generation, a penalty shootout at the 2023 Women's World Cup for another. Ask where they were watching, because that part is usually remembered exactly.
Do you surf, or are you tired of being asked?
Why ask it
Many Australians live hours from a wave or never learned, and they have been explaining that to strangers for years, so the question offers the way out before they need it. A real surfer will name a break and a time of day, and the conversation looks after itself from there.
Which country do you most enjoy beating?
Why ask it
England at cricket and New Zealand at almost anything are the traditional answers. Follow with the loss that still hurts, which tends to come with a year and a scoreline attached.
Wildlife
Which animal are you honestly wary of at home?
Why ask it
Leave the choice to them and it is seldom the shark or the snake a visitor has in mind. You are more likely to hear about a bird, a jellyfish season or the kangaroo that might step onto a country road at dusk.
Have you ever been swooped by a magpie?
Why ask it
In spring, nesting magpies dive at walkers and cyclists, and nearly everyone has a story with a route they stopped taking. Ask about the cable ties people fix to bike helmets and whether they think those do anything.
What is the largest spider you have found indoors, and who dealt with it?
Why ask it
This is where the huntsman comes in, a spider known for its size and speed more than for any harm it does. The household method is the story: a container and a sheet of card, a broom, or a decision to let it stay. Skip this one with anyone who shudders at the word.
How often do you see a kangaroo, really?
Why ask it
Never, for someone in the inner city; most evenings, for someone on the edge of town or near a golf course. The honest spread between those answers corrects the picture of kangaroos on every street better than a flat denial would.
Which bird wakes you up, raids the bin or steals your lunch?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone has a grievance: cockatoos at dawn, a kookaburra with an eye on the barbecue, or the ibis that has earned the nickname 'bin chicken'. It is a cheerful subject, and people will do the calls if you ask.
Have you met a snake outside a zoo, and what did you do?
Why ask it
The usual account is short: they stopped, backed off and let it leave. If you will be walking in the bush yourself, treat their story as a story and get current advice from the park or the people who run the trail.
Have you ever seen a koala in the wild, or held one?
Why ask it
A lot of Australians have only met one at a sanctuary, which surprises visitors. Rules on handling them differ by state and by park, so if a photo is on your list, ask how it works where you are going.
Have you ever warned a tourist about drop bears?
Why ask it
The drop bear, a fierce koala relative that falls on people from trees, is a tall story kept going for visitors. Asking shows you are in on it, and the follow-up is which other inventions they have told with a straight face.
What should a visitor know before getting into the water at an Australian beach?
Why ask it
Expect to hear about swimming between the red and yellow flags and about currents long before anyone mentions sharks. Conditions and seasons are different in the tropical north and on the southern coasts, so ask about the particular beach and read the signs when you get there.
From outside
Which idea about Australia do you bother correcting, and which do you let people keep?
Why ask it
The list is familiar to both of you: deadly everything, kangaroos in the street, a capital that is not Sydney. What they choose to fix shows what they care about, and what they let stand is usually the part they find flattering.
What should I watch to understand Australian humor?
Why ask it
Expect an older comedy such as The Castle, or a children's cartoon about a family of dogs, offered without irony. Watch it and report back; quoting one line correctly will do more for you than any amount of borrowed slang.
Which song gets a whole room of Australians singing?
Why ask it
Cold Chisel's Khe Sanh, John Farnham's You're the Voice or Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses are the sort of title you will be given, usually with a verse sung on the spot. Find out where they last heard a room join in, a wedding or the last hour of a house party, and look the song up afterwards so you know the chorus next time.
How do I tell when an Australian is teasing me and when they mean it?
Why ask it
Being made fun of is often a sign you have been accepted, which is hard to believe the first time it happens at work. Get them to show you a good reply, because giving a little back is usually expected and going silent can read as offense.
What is tall poppy syndrome, and have you watched it happen?
Why ask it
It is the habit of cutting down anyone who seems too pleased with their own success. Their example explains why boasting lands badly and why praise sometimes arrives disguised as an insult, which is useful to know before you list your achievements to an Australian team.
If I could only visit one state or territory, which would you argue for?
Why ask it
Their own usually comes first, argued like a court case, followed by a runner-up they are faintly embarrassed to like. Say which month you would travel, because the answer for July may not be the answer for January.
What do first-time visitors try to fit into one trip that the map will not allow?
Why ask it
Sydney, the reef and Uluru sit side by side in a brochure and are hours of flying apart. Tell them how many days you have and let them cut your plan; the cut list is worth more than the recommendations.
What would you tell me to pack that I would never think of?
Why ask it
Give them the month and the place first, because advice for the tropical north and for a southern winter points in opposite directions. Sun protection is the likeliest answer, and something warm to wear indoors is the one that surprises visitors.
What works differently in Australia that I should ask about instead of assuming?
Why ask it
Tipping, shop hours, public holidays and road rules are the usual surprises, and several of them change from state to state. Take their answer as how it works where they live, then check again for the place you are going.
What do you know about the Traditional Owners of the place you grew up?
Why ask it
Some Australians can name the First Nations people whose Country their town stands on and some cannot, and public events there often open by acknowledging them. Ask with curiosity and let a short answer be enough, since you are talking to one person and not to a spokesperson for that history.
What is the most Australian thing you have ever seen happen?
Why ask it
A closer that asks for a story instead of a summary. You might get strangers pushing a stalled car off the road, a kookaburra leaving with a sausage, or someone barefoot in a supermarket, and each one says more about the place than a definition would.
How to talk with an Australian about Australia
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you start
Shrink the question to one town
'What are Australians like' gets a shrug or a joke. 'What was your street like in January' gets an answer, and the Home group is built from questions of that size. When a reply begins 'well, where I'm from', you have asked it the right way.
Leave the accent to them
Reciting 'G'day mate' or a line from a crocodile film in your best attempt at the accent is the greeting they have had in every country they have visited. Ask for the word, let them say it, and try it only when invited. The Slang questions are set up so that they perform and you listen.
Give an answer back
After a question about fairy bread or backyard cricket, offer what your own childhood had in its place. Trading keeps it a conversation between two people from two places, and it gives them a turn at being the curious one.
Believe the short answer
A flat 'not really' to surfing, football or the outback is a complete answer, not modesty. Move to the next group instead of rephrasing, because the person who cares about none of the famous things usually has plenty to say about coffee or birds.
Making sense of what you hear
Small words for big things
'Not bad' can be high praise, and 'a bit warm' can describe a day you would call dangerous. When a reply sounds lukewarm, ask for the number, the distance or the story behind it before deciding they do not care.
Their jokes about home are theirs
People will happily run down their own city, their football team or the national fussiness about coffee. Laugh, then ask a question. The same crack repeated by an outsider does not land the way it did coming from them.
The tall story test
If you are told that kangaroos deliver the mail, or that a certain bear drops out of gum trees, you are being checked for a sense of humor. Play along for a sentence, then ask what else visitors get told. Indignation is the only wrong move.
When two Australians disagree
Two people in the room will sometimes argue about a word, a pie or which football matters. Do not ask who is right. The argument is the information: the country is several regions with their own habits, and you have just watched the line between two of them.
Which questions for which moment
A new colleague on a call
Open with the time zone question, since the answer is useful to you both, then one from Slang such as 'yeah, nah' that will come up in meetings anyway. Keep teasing and tall poppy syndrome until you have worked together for a few weeks and the answer can come with examples from meetings you were both in.
A traveler in a hostel or on a tour
They have answered 'where are you from' all week. Go straight to Food or Wildlife, ask about the magpies or the snack they miss, and let them tell the drop bear story if they want to.
A classmate or housemate
You have months, so spend them: one question at a time, over a meal. Ask them to make the Vegemite toast properly, watch the film they name, and come back with a verdict. Following through on an answer is what turns a borrowed question into a friendship.
Before your own trip
Tell them your dates and route, then go to the last group: which state they would argue for, what will not fit in one trip, what to pack and what works differently. Add the beach question from Wildlife. Write place names down as they say them, and confirm anything about rules, seasons or bookings with the local source once you arrive, because one person's hometown is not the whole map.
Subjects to slow down on
The national day
The date of Australia Day, January 26, is argued over inside the country, and people hold strong and differing views on it. Do not open with it. If they raise it, ask what the day was like in their family and listen without choosing a side for them.
First Nations history
One question in the last group asks about the Traditional Owners of the place they grew up, and it should stay that size: what they know, and how they came to know it. Do not ask a non-Indigenous Australian to explain Aboriginal cultures for you, and do not ask an Indigenous Australian to speak for every nation on the continent.
Fire, flood and drought
Weather is small talk in most places. For someone whose town has been through a bad fire season or a flood, it may be the year the family lost a house. If the hot-day question brings out more than a number, slow down and follow their lead.
Convict jokes and other old material
Cracks about prisoners, upside-down maps and riding a kangaroo to school have been following them around since their first trip abroad. They will be taken politely, and the conversation will get a little shorter. A question nobody has put to them before does more.