• Solomon Islands!

    Solomon Islands: Looking up at palm trees. Go Now!

    Solomon Islands
    This Melanesian country is best known for its many islands and beaches... and this natural landscape (pictured) is why most people go. Don't miss out on the unique Melanesian culture and foods though! Begin Your Journey!

  • Tonga!

    Tonga: Coastline. Go Now!

    Tonga
    The heart of Polynesian culture is rooted in Tonga, but most visitors just come for the natural beauty. Explore Tonga!

  • Vanuatu!

    Vanuatu: Jetty into the ocean. Go Now!

    Vanuatu
    Picturesque serenity is a good way to describe Vanuatu, but the culture offers much more, including the inspiration for bungee jumping, which remains a rite of passage for young men. Explore Vanuatu!

  • Palau!

    Palau: "70 Islands!" Go Now!

    Palau
    Few people have even heard of this small Micronesian country, but those who have often return with stories of beauty unmatched elsewhere, such as view of the "70 Islands" (pictured). Go Now!

  • Explore the: Federated States of Micronesia!

    Federated States of Micronesia: Overlooking some islands. Go Now!

    Federated States of Micronesia
    This diverse country stretches for thousands of miles and has the diversity to prove it, including the people from Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Yap among others. Begin Your Journey!

  • Samoa!

    Samoa: A traditional home. Go Now!

    Samoa
    Among the most famous of the South Pacific's many countries, Samoa sits in the heart of Polynesia and has a culture to match. Begin Your Journey!

Social Life in Australia

Behavior

The Australians are very laid back and few things truly offend them, especially if they know you are foreign. However, being foreign shouldn't be an excuse for naivety. The Australians are fairly liberal and are quite open-minded, but they tend to be humble and act modestly.

As a visitor to Australia, try to follow local customs. The best ways to follow suite is to follow the local restrictions on dress (see below) and be aware of dining etiquette (see our Australia Food & Dining Page for more information). Perhaps more important than dressing and dining correctly is in your words as making any sort of derogatory comment towards someone for the way they are dressed, their lifestyle, their language, their religion, or race is frowned upon. Also try to avoid being loud, rude, showing off wealth, or getting drunk in public, or at least noticeably drunk in public.

Dress

The Australians tend to dress in the western-style, but some of the indigenous people have a vastly different dress. Also due to weather variations and differing occasions, the people dress in numerous ways depending on the situation and weather.

Today most of the aboriginals wear western-styled clothing, but historically they tended to wear very little and in some areas this is still the case. They generally only wore footwear (at times) and a small cloth.

Most Australians today dress in their own individual style, which varies greatly across the country and even from person to person. Despite this, there are some common fashion trends based on location and activity. Many Australians wear very casual swimwear (but generally not nude) on the beaches as swimsuits of all types are common as are flip-flops (thongs). This casual attitude seems to reflect the dress throughout Australia outside business interactions. Moving to bush country the dress is again very casual, but here the clothing is hardier as boots are common and hats are needed to protect one's self from the sun. Pants and shirts tend to be long-sleeved and are again hardy in nature. In business, the dress varies greatly as some businesses are fairly casual, while others require a suit and tie for men and a nice dress suit or the like for women. Despite the seemingly uniform dress in these situations, the style of the individual still stands out in patterns and other details.

As a visitor to Australia there will be little fuss as to how you dress unless you wear swimwear away from the beach and even then you'll not offend too many people. Dress as you would at home, even if you do not generally wear western-styled clothing as the immigrant population in Australia has made the people accepting of nearly all styles.

This page was last updated: November, 2013