All posts in Life in Australia

Life in Oz: Celebrating Perth’s Heritage

by admin on December 17, 2012 in Columns, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Perth, Western Australia with No comments

November is a busy month for building huggers. It is Architecture Month and, following the lead of other great cities like London, Paris and New York, Perth had an Open House. Old buildings, new buildings, concept spaces, even an artsy public restroom were opened wide to the general public for peeking, inspiration and guffawing. A serious drawcard for the nosey public is not only going into interesting buildings but that often, if it is a guided tour, very restricted/private areas are also opened. Oh, we feel so important.

Two weeks later, Heritage Perth takes over a weekend. More buildings are opened up to the public. These aren’t necessarily brick & mortar marvels but their ghosts are more interesting and social history is on greater display. Interesting tidbits emerge like the Queen’s requirement of an exclusive private toilet in the buildings she takes a turn through, the women’s poor house turned government print office and the diva gossip dished out during behind-the-scenes tours at performance venues.

In my previous life in North America, my employment would take me to some very interesting places the general public had no access to. It was like being let in on a secret so few knew. With no such current all-access opportunity here in Perth, I look forward to the Heritage Perth weekend every year. If your community doesn’t have such events, spearhead the drive to start one. Stop looking at buildings that are in your way and start seeing them in a fresh way. Be a tourist in your own neighborhood. Bring heritage to life.

Curious About Australian Income Tax Rates? Here they are

by admin on December 17, 2012 in Life in Australia, Moving to Australia with No comments

If you’re considering a move to Australia, one thing to consider is their tax rates, which can be higher than other western countries. Here’s a breakdown of the basic income taxes – which strike me as rather high compared to the USA.

Income Tax Rates as Percentages 2012 – 2013

Taxable income	Tax Rate
$0 – $18,200	Nil
$18,201 – $37,000	19 percent
$37,001 – $80,000	32.5 percent
$80,001 – $180,000	37 percent
Over $180,000	45 percent

Actual Taxes Deducted From Your Income

Taxable income	Tax You Pay
$0 – $18,200	Nil
$18,201 – $37,000	19c for each $1 over $18,200
$37,001 – $80,000	$3,572 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $37,000
$80,001 – $180,000	$17,547 plus 37c for each $1 over $80,000
Over $180,000	$54,547 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000

Source.

Shinju Matsuri (Festival of Broome)

by admin on October 8, 2012 in Aussie Icons, Columns, Life in Australia, Places to Go, Western Australia with No comments

This is a great time of year to visit Broome in the far north of Western Australia. There is a big festival going on – the Shinju Matsuri. It is commonly referred to as the Broome Festival. This is a celebration of the Asian and Pearl culture in the area. An industry once highly dangerous for its shark-infested, oxygen-depriving ‘naked dives’ has evolved into a high-science, cultured pearl industry. With the trials and tribulations of those early days long gone, a highly diverse population embraces its past and celebrates the gold-colored nacred beauties that have put Broome on the map.

The Festival starts with a bang…literally. Firecrackers go off and the Dragon parade starts winding its way through Chinatown. Stephen “Baamba” Albert, an Aboriginal folk singer regales revelers with songs about ‘saltwater cowboys’ (that is, pearl divers) and food trucks keep us fed.

For another week and a half, the party continues with special markets, art exhibitions, athletic events, motor stampedes, musical performances including a night of Opera Under the Stars, a popular long-table luncheon and a gala ball. The big highlight, around which the Festival is always scheduled, is the Staircase To The Moon. The natural phenomenon of the Staircase to the Moon occurs between March and October when the full moon rises over the exposed mudflats of Roebuck Bay at extremely low tide creating the optical illusion of a staircase reaching for the moon. It draws big crowds, many of whom walk the low tide area which has receded from it original shoreline by almost a mile.

Another delightful phenomenon is the appearance of dragonflies. The court house market has some beautiful framed silk lightboxes , mostly with dragonfly motifs. In fact, many crafted items have the dragonfly motif on them. For Broomers, dragonflies signify the end of the rainy season. They come in like locusts , but far from pests, they eat all the mosquitoes the rainy season also brought in. Dragonfly appearances also indicate that the warm ocean currents will start bringing the whale migration and that comfortable weather is coming.

Perfect for the Festival of Broome.

Life in Oz: Sunday Retail in Western Australia

by admin on October 2, 2012 in Columns, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Perth, Western Australia with No comments

Good things come to those who wait…and wait…and wait. The state of Western Australia was ‘founded’ by English colonists in 1829. Fast forward 183 years and it is only now legal to buy a loaf of bread, a pillow case or clock radio anywhere in the state on a Sunday. Welcome Sunday shopping, you were a long time coming.

I come from the land of 24-hour shopping. Odd work shifts or sleeping habits did not leave a person outside the world of consumer commerce. Imagine my surprise and culture shock when I moved to Perth just a few years ago to find that the sidewalks were rolled up at 5:30pm daily and buildings practically boarded up on Sundays. How did a working person shop? Two options: fight the crowds on Saturday mornings or go out on the government-approved Thursday Late Night Shopping. Stores stayed open until 9p.m. and it was actually a family event for many people. I could not hide my incredulity at what seemed a comical sight. Whole families slowly strolling down aisles ooohing and aaaahing the grocery shelves as if taking in the latest exhibition at the Art Gallery. Cracked me up.

Why was this so? The government was protecting the little guy from the Goliaths. Small business owners felt they could not compete against the big corporations and beseeched the state government to help them by limiting hours of commerce, especially for certain consumer goods. Slowly, over the last 25 years, this has been evolving to respond to nontraditional work and family models as well as joining contemporary business thinking. Sunday shopping and extended hours were allowed in the tourist inhabited downtown area of Perth. The tourist zone was widened into the suburbs. Certain consumer goods were excepted from the laws. And finally, the last weekend of August, the last veil dropped and all is fair in commerce and war. Great fanfare, sales, giveaways and entertainment sirened “come hither” to people not used to handling their wallets on the seventh day.

All this is still a far cry from round-the-clock cash register ecstasy, but it feels a whole lot less like Pluto here in Perth.

Life in OZ: The Men’s Shed

by admin on September 10, 2012 in Aussie Icons, Blogs, Culture, Life in Australia, Life in Oz with No comments

Secret men’s business. You heard about this in the Crocodile Dundee movies. No women allowed in these bush meetings , also called corroborees, although there are Secret Women’s Business corroborees that men are not allowed to witness. Who knows what goes on at these campfire meetings? I may never know. But then, I don’t get out in the remote bush that often, either.

Most of us live in cities and this requires a shift in venue and likely a shift in focus. Introducing the Men’s Shed. Not usually a small structure made of the corrugated metal and housing lawn mowers, weed wackers and garden tools like we all had in the corner of our backyards growing up. Men’s Sheds are solid buildings, large enough for all of the big boy toys. And the occasional female who crosses its portal as I recently did on a trip to Geraldton.

The Men’s Shed in Geraldton, Western Australia is an impressive boys clubhouse. A former liquor store, it is a cavernous place with many rooms. Fronted by a sitting area and kitchenette, each room exposes an impressive collection of wood working machines, table saws , neat storage areas, hand tools stored in an old walk-in refrigerator and a camp cot at the back in case of emergency. The 43 members , aged 25-82, occupy spare hours chatting, wood and metal working, yard work in the community and the occasional men’s health chat with a local nurse.

Their finished pieces – as small as ipod holders to chairs, cabinets and even guitars- are largely for sale and they take special orders. On display during my visit was a small scale Viking ship. A widower promised is wife a proper Nordic funeral pyre and commissioned the Men’s Shed to make the faithful reproduction. Her ashes will have a proper send off.

I’m afraid no secret men’s business was conducted while I was there with Bob, 72, giving me a tour of the place. Storming the Bastille, as it were, produced no secret revealing results, but it was an interesting snapshot into the pastime of Australian men.

Life in Oz: Babysitting – a social study?

by admin on August 31, 2012 in Blogs, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Perth, Western Australia with No comments

Remember babysitting? It was likely your entry into the money making world. Never mind that it paid significantly less than minimum wage, we were wage earners and that was cool. For awhile. Then we learned that minimum wage paid three times as much per hour and couldn’t wait to older and get a real job. Imagine: $2.35 to a walloping $2.65 an hour for non kidstuff kind of work! I started out at 75¢ an hour looking after the rabbi’s kids. My older sister, Anne, raked in 35¢ an hour on her first sitting jobs.

It is so not the same today. Babysitting rates have surpassed the minimum wage. Greedy teens or is the minimum wage shockingly low? Admittedly, the avenues for teens to earn money seem to dry up as traditional jobs like paper routes are done more and more by adult contractors (‘paper adult’ sounds odd) or automation. A quick poll of friends in North America through a social network site shows that rates generally well exceed the Federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr. One friend with a single child is getting away with $6/hr but most are coughing up $10, even $12 for college kids. A much-older-than-13 former colleague wailed that some of these rates were more than he was currently getting paid.

Curiosity turned into a social study when I started asking about babysitting rates here in Perth. I expected the situation to be exactly the same but with a higher rate. The government minimum wage here is $16 an hour. And well, teenagers are teenagers the world over, so the rate must be higher, right?

Sort of. Polling people at church on Sunday came up with a big zero. None hired outside help. Junior was always watched by grandparents or the occasional switched favors with other couples. So I started asking people I did not know in church and they said pretty much the same thing. Well, all these folks are church goers and maybe that makes a difference. I accosted a few pram pushing people on the street and guess what? Pretty much the same story there also, although one suggested that I look up a particular babysitting website. Doing so came up with mature adults asking for $20-$25 /hour depending on the time of day. Not a significant jump from the $15 asked by one parishioner 20 years ago when he babysat as an older teen.

What does this mean? Do Australians have much closer knit, highly supportive families than back home or are they just too cheap to pay the neighbor kid to watch theirs? One parent posited that maybe babysitting was an American thing, but her husband was not so quick to draw such a conclusion. Western Australia is heavily populated with people from other places and not all would have moved here with extended family in tow. Those folks will have to choose between not going out or shelling out.

Whatever the situation, I’m brushing up on my diaper changing skills. Just in case…

Life in Oz: A Primer on Australian Fashion

by admin on June 28, 2012 in Blogs, Columns, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Western Australia with No comments

This is a land where the public health sirens shriek “We’re one Big Mac away from looking like Americans”. I had trouble seeing this bulging trend at first because I work in the Central Business District , which is chock-a-block with tiny women in impossibly fashion forward clothing. Besides exposing a shocking hiring bias that no western country should be caught indulging in, it masked a ‘larger’ problem. Real women are being shamelessly ignored by the fashion industry.

Near my home is a new store with white dresses displayed prominently in the window facing the main street. Drool, drool, drool. It is a new wedding dress shop. Wedding dresses for women “of size”. And this specialty makes it unusual indeed. Weddings 2 Love starts where most bridal shops leave off. Yes, leave off. Most bridal shops here in Western Australia refuse to stock dresses larger than a size 12 – which in North American sizes is a 10. Even stores run by plus-sized women unapologetically refuse to carry or order larger sizes. Unbelievable. Merchants are in complete denial about their customer base. Weddings 2 Love starts at size 14 and goes to 34. I like the way many of the styles proprietor Donna picks have lots of detailing at the top part of the dress instead of the bottom. Why draw everyone’s attention to the bride’s knees when her glowing face is above her neck? And most of the dresses have a thin chiffon ethereal look without adding weight to the overall appearance. Alas, to my tastes at least, there are too many strapless gowns. Brides love them but I think too few are done real justice by them. Nevertheless, it is a treat to walk and gawk past these ever-changing windows.

This brings up the question of fashion for the Reubenesque figure. I’ve heard women comment (and sometimes noticed myself) that whatever is in style this year in Europe and the US will take about a year or so to make to Australia. Make that two decades for larger sized clothing. Just as larger women (and pregnant ones, also) used to complain that the only clothing available seemed to be shapeless polyester with entirely too much wide elastic banding, so are Australian women left wanting. Where was the sharp business wear? The hot evening wear? The I-still-have-some-self-respect wear? The US garment industry got the message and responded. Larger Australian women wear clothing made of uneven patchwork squares (supposed to fool the eye this is) and ghastly clingy thin polyester (count my rolls of flesh, please.) I believe that online shopping from foreign countries who understand and cater to this need will shorten the fashion learning curve here in OZ.

I hope so, anyway.

Life in Oz: Get Out of Town!

by admin on May 20, 2012 in Columns, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Melbourne, Places to Go, Travel, Victoria with No comments

It is very tempting when traveling for a limited time to just stick to the big cities. They offer plenty of diversions that are fairly easy to reach and well set-up for the hordes of visitors walking in and out of their doors. But I’d like to offer the argument for getting out of town–even if you have to rent a car and drive on the wrong side of the road for a few days.

On a recent trip to Melbourne, we decided to spend a few days heading north. It is autumn, rainy, uncrowded and the road is inviting. First stop is Daylesford, a town of natural mineral spas, wombat and former mining that on this autumn day could be a movie location for somewhere in Connecticut. There are deciduous trees in these parts and the colors are vivid. There are plenty of historic pubs to stay in and the places the locals go to eat aren’t too far off the main drag. The Visitors Bureau is especially helpful in locating what interests you the most.

This area has a lot of natural mineral springs. Public water pumps push out water from its own spring with its own taste. Fortunately, few have the sulfur (or rotten egg) tinge that many people associate with such springs. Most of these have a pleasant bicarbonate tingle to them. Indeed, since ‘once upon a time’ the town of Kyneton has made a mint bottling their spring water for the souls in need of refreshment. But if you want to bathe in the natural spring, head to Hepburn Springs ["Australia's Spa Town"] and to Hepburn Spa. Bring a swimsuit to stay in the larger public pool. There is a two hour access in this partially chlorinated water for the least amount of money. But go all out for some of the special treatments. There are very private single and double bath tubs that are exclusively mineral water. The mineral deposits crusting on the end of the spigot will tell you it’s the real deal. The mineral constitution of the water is etched onto the side of the bathtub. Special luxury bath salts and moisturizers are part of the grand, one-hour experience. It’s a bit less pricey if you go mid-week.

Driving around in the country one can find surprises. Produce stands may offer just the fresh fruit you work up a taste for on the road. Chestnuts were coming into season and we bought some from the back of the farmer’s truck. Where to roast them? On the ubiquitous free electric barbeque grills found in every community park. I started to hum “Chestnuts roasting on a ‘lectric bbq, oh that misty rain it blows” while the roasting chestnuts started to burst at the X we cut into a side. Quite the fun snack.

Eventually you will come to a place with a public strip called Pall Mall complete with statue of Queen Victoria, a few mid-19th century domed buildings, shaped topiary and an idyllic air. London, England? Nope, Bendigo. Bendigo is Australian for El Dorado, I am sure. As with Ballarat, gold was discovered here. No longer lying by a tiny streambed but mined quite deep in the earth, one can take a tour of the mines. Great depths and experience require a greater admission charge but if you’ve ever wondered about this precious metal, this is the place to learn about it.

But there is more to Bendigo than deep holes. The Bendigo Pottery is quite famous and nearby. Perfect to spend a rainy morning here looking at the pottery being made, strolling through their top grade collectibles (all kinds of curios) shop and, of course, purchase an item or two of the famous pottery. Also, do make an effort to say hi to Grace Kelly at the Bendigo Art Gallery. “Grace Kelly , Style Icon“ is a highly popular exhibition of some of her most famous movie and personal outfits. We have some of the same taste in clothing. Only she looked so much better in it. The exhibition ends June 17, 2012, so hurry in.

Ah, but one must return from whence one came eventually. May I make one more suggestion before heading back? Stop in at the Beechworth Bakery. It’s Australia’s greatest bakery–it says so right on their sign. The best item to pick up to test this claim is their signature BeeSting. It looks like a cream puff with a touch of apricot jam to set it above the rest.

Ready to hit the road? I thought so.

Life in Oz: Losing & Regaining My Visitor Vision

by admin on April 17, 2012 in Columns, Life in Australia, Life in Oz, Moving to Australia, Perth, Western Australia with No comments

Funny how Time can affect our vision. We see the past through rose-colored glasses (think of the movie romanticism of that maritime disaster, the sinking of the Titanic) and our current day with horse blinders on. A recent incident confirms this.

April 14: my arrival into Australia in 2008. Has it really been four years?! Where does time go? I arrived in Perth in the middle of the night and when I woke up in the morning I dashed over to the library to get my library card. (Isn’t that what everyone does in a new town?) That day, and each day for several weeks beyond, was filled with discovery and new things for the mind to digest. But even then I feared it all becoming too commonplace. Familiarity may or may not breed contempt, but it sure does promote tunnel vision. I am all too aware that I have become as quite myopic as the locals.

A few days ago, I was returning from a quick errand on our side of downtown. It was such a nice day that I decided to walk home rather than take a bus. Taking a shortcut to the bridge would have me avoid playing chicken with cars at a major traffic circle. It would also expose a piece of the city I had never seen before. From the elevated seating of a bus, this small strip of land looks like a tree-lined bike path next to a municipal parking lot. From ground level, it is a hidden park complete with an extensive playground set, Aboriginal interpretive center and a bike & kayak rental barn.

This park is but a half mile from my home. However did I miss this? I feverishly thought of excuses: tree cover keeps this hidden from commuters, my left knee keeps me from bicycling on the bike paths, it’s the “wrong side” of the river, etc. The truth is that I have put on the same blinders that so many others wear. We each follow our same path each day without variance , without seeing what we look at. A life of routine.

Routine is a voracious eater of Time. I shouldn’t wonder that four years have elapsed without me noticing. So I vow that I will get off the same over-trodden path or vary my routine on a regular basis from here on out. I am looking forward to more discoveries.

Guest Post: Expat guide to dating down under

by admin on February 1, 2012 in Aussiephilia, Life in Australia with No comments

The culture and customs of a host country take a while to get to grips with at the best of times. Happily, for those on the look-out for love, Australians are generally open and honest, making it relatively easy to form new relationships.

First contact

According to the Sydney Morning Herald’s resident advice columnist, the intimidating act of approaching strangers can be made easier by being ‘your best self’. Show your positive attributes and don’t be overly judgemental. If the conversation is a non-starter, don’t take it to heart. Move on and try again.

If the bar or nightclub scene isn’t your thing, explore other avenues. Online dating is an increasingly popular way for busy singles to meet people. And thanks to the information contained in people’s profiles, it’s relatively easy to find someone who shares similar interests.

Other options for Perth, Melbourne or Sydney singles include adverts in the classified sections of local media. Those in more remote areas could try joining local clubs and getting involved in as many activities as possible – you never know where that course in watercolour painting could lead. Try to expand your friendship group at every opportunity – friends of friends are often good sources of potential partners.

First dates

The first date can be a nerve-racking encounter – especially for the one tasked with choosing the venue or activity. Before asking someone out on a date, try to get some inkling of their likes and dislikes. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that destinations popular with tourists are dating no-nos.

For those who like a little adrenaline, or to get their hearts beating a little faster, there are loads of possibilities. If climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, learning to surf, or establishing early trust at an indoor climbing wall seem a little too strenuous, why not try a salsa night, or even a day of traditional lawn bowling.

More traditionally romantic first dates could include a picnic-based visit to a national park, a stroll around an art gallery, parking up at a drive-in, dressing up for a restaurant or trip to the theatre, or just relaxing with some drinks at a well-placed bar.

Taking it further

After an apparently successful first date, some worry about the appropriate time to re-establish contact. If the date has ended with one party promising to call, then it’s usually best to wait to receive that call. If they’re interested in furthering the relationship, they should call in a timely manner. Be wary of anyone who leaves it more than a week before getting in touch.

The one doing the calling should refrain from getting in touch the same night of the date. The afternoon of the following day is generally accepted as the earliest window of call opportunity. For those who don’t like phones, emails are acceptable but can pose problems – chiefly that the recipient may try to read between the lines and extract meaning where there may not be any.