Drinking and eating are a huge part of the Australian lifestyle – especially if you are in Melbourne, which has some of the best food on the planet. If you get the chance to go out and about (and I highly recommend you do), here are some basic terms to help get you by:

Your Shout

No, you aren't quite talking about shouting... This phrase you'll often hear in pubs and slightly less often in restaurants.

When it comes to Australia, one of the first things you (should) will notice about Australians is their sense of humor. Overall, most Aussies like to have a bit of fun and stir people up a bit. If you are easily offended, then Australia might not be the place for you.

Poms, Kiwis, and other Non-Aussies

Australians are the first to make fun of everyone - including themselves. Thus, it only makes sense that they come up with nicknames for people from other countries (and for each other).

Here's a quick list of what you might be called when you get to Australia.

By far, one of the things that fascinates non-Australians the most about Australia is the language. Australians speak English (mostly) so why do some of the words not make sense?

When it comes to Strine – Aussie slang, if you prefer – there are a few things you should remember:

1. Most Aussies will be polite when you first arrive and not use a lot of Strine.
2. Most Aussies like messing with people – stirring – so don’t substitute the ‘most’ in #1 with ‘all’.

If you're someone who is sensitive to rough language, then Australia might not be the place to you.

For example, based on your tone and facial expression, there are several ways to call someone a bastard. A lot of them are nice, joking ways, and some of them are the mean ways.