More than any of the other cities we visited so far, the past few days in Melbourne showed us very clearly that we are not in South Africa any more. Australia is different. There are some very everyday things that we will have to get used to, even if they don't make total sense...
Hook turns. I have mentioned these crazy go-left-when-you-want-to-turn-right maneuvers before, and they still befuddle me. I still have the urge to point and giggle every time I see someone executing such a turn, especially since no-one else seem to be surprised by it!
Maybe I need to watch some Australian TV-series. With subtitles. In English, of course.
Brisbane is East of Sydney, which is East of Melbourne. Yes, anyone looking at a map can see that. BUT, and this is where it gets a bit strange, both Melbourne and Sydney are an hour ahead in time of Brisbane. Well yes, it is only in the summer months, as they observe DST and Brisbane not. But just imagine if you live in Brisbane, and have kids. Every year, you watch the Sydney Fireworks on TV, and then only an hour later, you get to see the real ones. One day, they come to you with Google maps opened, and an expression of disillusionment on their faces. "Mommy, why does Sydney have New Year's Fireworks before us? It's not RIGHT!"
Thongs. Well, rather the fact that you can talk about your thongs in front of strangers, or kids. You can even ask your 4-year old niece if she remembered to bring hers. Because in Australia, you wear them on your feet!
Zebra crossings. In South Africa zebras roam around in game reserves, not cities. It's therefore also reasonable to expect them to cross the roads there. Black-and-white painted stripes on a road doesn't have anything to do with zebras, and therefore you are not expected to wait for anything to cross the road there. If you ARE a pedestrian, it will be rather suicidal if you just start walking and expect the traffic to magically stop for you.
And lastly, Rhinos on skateboards!
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