I'm a Canadian living in Australia. AMA

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,670
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC

Been floating around this part of the world since 2011, I think I know enough of the basics to be able to answer a few questions. I'll attempt to explain things as Canadian as I can.

Answers may not always be serious.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,670
155
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Is everyone & everything there upside-down? Did you have to flip the above picture upside-down to you so it would be right side-up for the rest of us to view it?
Nope. You gradually adjust to it as you fly over the Pacific. It's slow enough you don't notice it.

The only thing upside-down are the constellations. It was weird seeing Orion doing a hand stand.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,670
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Do you have a pet Crocodile yet (?😳?) or did you opt for the more conventional Dingo?

If option B, does it play well with the neighbourhood children?
I grew up with so many pets as a kid, the house was a zoo. Now that I'm older, I have pets. I'm great with animals but they're too much hassle to keep in the family/house.

So no Dingos or Crocodiles. I have eaten crocodile though. It's interesting. Kinda in between chicken and fish.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Low Earth Orbit
I grew up with so many pets as a kid, the house was a zoo. Now that I'm older, I have pets. I'm great with animals but they're too much hassle to keep in the family/house.

So no Dingos or Crocodiles. I have eaten crocodile though. It's interesting. Kinda in between chicken and fish.
Ive had alligator. Taste the same way a swamp smells.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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Regina, Saskatchewan
I grew up with so many pets as a kid, the house was a zoo. Now that I'm older, I have pets. I'm great with animals but they're too much hassle to keep in the family/house.

So no Dingos or Crocodiles. I have eaten crocodile though. It's interesting. Kinda in between chicken and fish.
Ive had alligator. Taste the same way a swamp smells.
The weird one I’ve had to try and describe is dolphin. It looks and chews like pork, but you definitely know that it came out of the ocean. That was one of the weirder ones.
 
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Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,670
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Is it easy to grow Marijuana in that climate?

Is it legal?

Do people actually eat Pie Floaters?

Yes, it can grow here. No, it is still illegal here with the exception to medical purposes, which I hear is a pain in the ass to get approved and more expensive than buying off the street. They treat weed here like Meth and news reports treat busts like a Meth lab. Neighbours interviewed act all surprised like something like that could be next to their homes..... As if the fk'n place would blow up or something.

As for that food? They do like meat pies here, and sausage rolls. Very popular, but I haven't seen that specific meal before. Could be a regional thing where it's more popular in other states besides Victoria where I am.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
How long did it take to learn the language?
Still learning the lingo. I have a good understanding of most of it, but learned a new one just this past November when I had to have a major operation. Two doctors in a row after the OP said I looked a little "Ginger."

I mean, yeah I have red hair but what does that have to do with anything? It was explained to me that meant you're carrying yourself as if to protect a sore part of the body. Other than hair, I thought maybe "Gingerly" as if I was skipping around the place all happy, which I wasn't, thus the confusion.
 
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Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
The weird one I’ve had to try and describe is dolphin. It looks and chews like pork, but you definitely know that it came out of the ocean. That was one of the weirder ones.
There is a restaurant not too far from home here that's a Stone Grill place. They come to your table with a really hot stone and raw meat off to the side that you plop on and cook yourself. I prefer that honestly because I can cook it the way I like. Restaurants always get my orders wrong.

Anywho,thats where I had the croc. It was called the Aussie Platter, which came with Crocodile, Emu and Kangaroo. Emu was like Turkey, the Croc I already described and the Kangaroo I guess was like between deer and moose. My wife said Kangaroo meat is usually fed to dogs. I liked it.

Would be interesting in Dolphin. Interestingly, back in NS, fish and chips is usually haddock, but here they use Whiting. Looking it up, it looks like a typical fish, but I was also told it's shark meat. Meh, tastes like fish either way.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
10,670
155
63
Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
Ive had alligator. Taste the same way a swamp smells.
I think the difference is whether it came from fresh water or salt water. Back at Sobeys when I worked in Seafood, there was two weeks where we were selling fresh water eels. No idea who got that bright idea but there weren't many sales. Slimy as all hell, which means they're fresh, but fresh water eels tend to have that swampy taste, while if one can get salt water eel (I forget, is there such a thing?) it's actually not bad.
 

Praxius

Mass'Debater
Dec 18, 2007
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Halifax, NS & Melbourne, VIC
What is the cost of living like there?
Compared to Halifax, much much higher. It was one thing I didn't account for when I moved and a pretty chunky mistake. It's why I haven't been able to come back to see my family since 2012.

Before moving, I checked exchange rates, job opportunities and pay. Lots more jobs for my skills. Pay was double or more than what I was making in Halifax, and dollar to dollar was more or less par, so it sounded like a good move and I'd be back home once every 2 or 3 years. But the living costs are insane.

For one comparison, in 2011 when I moved, I had a 2 bedroom apartment in Bedford. Heat, hot water included, along with a fridge, laundry area, balcony and lots of space + nice area with everything in walking distance. $725 a month.

The place we moved into here in Melbourne? A concrete 1 bedroom shit hole near a noisy tram line, nothing included, no fridge, just a stove..... $350 a week. I almost shit my pants but quickly sucked it back in. Houses here have no insulation and single pane windows, so noise from outside comes in easily and electricity bills are expensive due to no retention of heat in the winter or cooling in the summer. The moment you turn anything off, heat/cooling is gone in 5 mins. And people complain about strain on the power grids and brownouts, I wonder why.

Groceries, vending machines, restaurants, everything is more expensive than what I was paying back in Canada. All in all, we're technically worse off now financially than I was back in Halifax. Due to various personal things in the family, we've been living this whole time on only my pay, which is changing soon. We get by but not much money to do anything. Compared to in Bedford, I was making about $13.50 an hour in 2011, but with just my own income, I had bills paid, food on the table no prob, and had money saving up to do whatever my wife and I wanted. Here? Not so much. She had an income while in Canada, but when she didn't, we were fine and well off. I started in 2011 at $22 an hour in Melbourne and that barely covered bills.

Im paid more now and in a good job, but you're going to certainly need two incomes coming in to live decently.

And buying a house? We're still renting. A shit hole falling down can go for a million or more. Apparently the value is in the land more than the house. Buying a new cookie cutter house that many aren't even compliant (you see a lot on TikTok from a building inspector on there), you're looking at 1 to 2 million range, then have to spend more after the fact to get it compliant because builders here are shifty fuckers. You're better off buying a 30 year old house for a million + than buying a brand new one.

And most new houses have zero yard. A nature strip at best, or maybe a back yard the size of a coffin. Houses are crammed right next to each other and privacy? Forget about it. You open your window and you're looking into the Window of your neighbour. Single pane don't forget, so everyone can hear everything..... Hope you're not shy with your sex noises.
 
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