Freo (Fremantle) Sights

Saturday was our day for Freo.  Winter was still trying to make a statement so while it was a little breezy, it was still sunny off and on and a nice day to be out walking and shopping in the community.  Fremantle was the original port city in this part of Australia and is older than Perth.  Once again, they have maintained and continued using the old historic buildings and the streets are beautiful.

 Early Church

 Window in the church

 Indian Ocean

 Pine tree with the needles going up instead of down.  These were all over the area.

 Round house

 Of course - who wouldn't want to go to Notre Dame in Australia???

Tomorrow is Swan Valley Winery tour.  :)

More Perth Pictures

Thursday, I took some pictures of the local buildings.  They have done a wonderful job of leaving the older buildings mixed in with the modern skyscrapers.

Pretend the gates are closed - they are to the Royal Mint.

 Perth Mint - they still make coins here.

 An old Catholic (?) church in CBD.

 St. Mary's Cathedral

 Convent

 Where little Mercedes cars go to school!  It is actually a very pretty campus!

Friday was a messy, windy day - winter making sure no one forgets her. 

Perth Images

Some of the pictures I took in the botanical garden at King's park and a few other sights...

                   A really big Boab tree

 Momma parrot going in the nest to feed.  I waited for about 20 minutes to see if she would poke her head out so I could get her face...she didn't cooperate.

                       Eternal flame memorial

                         WWI memorial

                          WWII memorial

                  Kangaroo Paw plant (the red, fuzzy flowers)

Perth from King's park- our hotel is the one WAY off in distance close to the yellow crane (if your eyes are good enough to see that!).

         I just liked the ship weather vane on this building...

         Roo family sculpture on Adelaide Terrace

It's rainy this morning...hope to get out later and take more pictures...

King's Park Perth

I spent the majority of today in King's Park which is approximately 3.5 miles from our hotel.  The park contains monuments, fountains, an art gallery, cafe, kids chasing ducks, and a botanical garden. 

I took some really good (?) pictures...too bad the cable I need to download the pictures is with my spouse.

Regardless, there was a big boab tree, kangaroo foot plants, lots of color, tons of parrots and the art gallery was interesting to look through.  I love the native art of Australia.  Can't wait to go to Freemantle on Saturday to see what is available there.  I could spend a lot of money on it.

And, of course, I had to buy a touristy koala Christmas decoration I couldn't live without in the mall I detoured to on the way home.  The shopkeeper wanted to know if I was on holiday. 

Of course I said: "Yes". 

Shopkeeper: "From where?"

I said: "Queensland". 

He didn't expect that answer.  :)

Regardless - I will probably hit the mall again before I leave.  It is an outdoor mall with lots of interesting shops!

Out and about in Perth

Our first adventure starting in Australia has commenced!  We are out and about in Perth.

And wouldn't you know my PC apparently has developed a new feature where it won't shutdown when you tell it to.

This is really handy!

I've spent a couple hours working on it and now am going to go play.  Hope to post some picture later but am not going to count on it!!

Flying Foxes

Robert and I went for a walk the other night at dusk and saw a lot of flying foxes.  Apparently, we live close to a small flying fox colony.

I would call them bats.

I have always liked the little bats, zipping around and catching bugs.  I used to see them on the company campus going to work before dark in the morning.  They would swoop by and say hi.

However, while our colony seems small, these are the largest bats I have ever seen. 

Their wingspan can grow to 1 meter and they can weigh over 2 pounds. 

I haven't been able to get a picture or identify if they are the grey headed bats or the black bats.  I do know they are big and I although am fascinated with them and the calls they make, I'm pretty sure when one of them swoops close to say "hi", I won't be as calm as I have been around other bats.

Grocery Run...Again

As a child, I remember my father commenting that it was a good thing we didn't live 20 miles out of town as my mother had to run to the grocery store every day.

Since moving here and not working, I realized today I am doing the same thing. 

I get up in the morning and ponder "what sounds good for dinner tonight."

I try to be creative and there is always 1 ingredient missing from the fridge or pantry.

For example, I am making black bean soup with jalapeno cornbread for dinner.  I have every ingredient needed, including all of the required spices...

Except for buttermilk for the cornbread.

So - off to the grocery store I go!  At least it is good for a walk!!!

And a good excuse to make buttermilk biscuits this weekend. :)

Flower update

A second flower came out during the week...

Doors

Friends in the US, think about the last time you went to a business that had doors that swing open.  Most of them open outward or swing both ways.

Here, most business doors open inward.

Just imagine what an idiot I looked like when I went to the dry cleaners and could not get inside because I kept trying to pull the door open from the outside.

It only took me a couple of weeks to break that habit.

Now I will be entertaining when I go back to the States...

Finally!

This plant has looked just like this picture since the first time I walked on the boardwalk on May 2. 

I have been patiently waiting for it to open, fully expecting it to bloom and die while I was gone in late June and July.

Then I figured it died due to stress from the nearby construction.

As it turns out, all that was needed was patience...

Now I just need to be taller to get a better picture!

Brisbane SO Rocks!

People water fountain on the left...Puppy water fountain on the right.  How cool is that!

Yoga - some days are better than others

I started yoga again over the last month.  Two to three times a week I fire up the DVD and work out for 45 minutes.  I am substituting it for weight lifting since we didn't bring the weights with us.  I know - not a good substitute but at least it does do strength work.

Regardless...some days...I (in my own mind) am a graceful yoga practitioner.  (stop laughing) I am flexible enough I can do most of the full positions and don't struggle with them.  I breathe correctly with no stress and the poses are easy and the work out relaxing and my flexibility improves.  I am ready to actually go to the park and work with a group.

Then there was today - another reality check.  Flailing left and right, no concentration and completely unable to stay in some of the positions without losing balance and stumbling across the room.  At least I haven't gone through the mirrored closet doors.  Very similar to a small child on a baseball field...there goes a butterfly...oh here's a dandelion...what baseball?

These kinds of days reinforce my decision to stay inside and practice a few more months before going to any public location to do yoga. 



 

A Swimming Koala...

Ok - this is pretty cool...
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/adventurous-koala-swims-toward-surprised-canoers-hitches-ride-191729457.html

Rugby

I LOVE watching rugby.  My entire reference point for watching the game is American football - the NFL.

Right now, my commentary includes things like, touch back, interception, backwards pitch and scrum. I am sure "scrum" is the only thing that applies to rugby (as Robert constantly reminds me).  I am also sure that at the end of the games, the players are really tired, checking for broken bones and very sore from the hits, dives, piles, etc.

I need someone to sit down with me and explain the rules and penalties while a game is going in play. The problem with that is the fans I know would rather watch the game (or play in a scrimmage) than miss it in order to explain it to me.

Oh well...I still love to watch it and with enough of it, I will learn the rules!

Color along the river...

Some of the flowers on my walk today.  We are just coming out of winter and most of these have been in bloom the entire season.  Makes me wonder what summer will hold...

Right place at the right time?

I just happened to look out my bedroom window a few minutes ago and saw something I hadn't seen before - anywhere I have lived...

Our bedroom window faces the street and there was a gentleman (?) parked by the curb standing outside of his car with his pants off.  Apparently the afternoon shift requires shorts and he was changing. 

I can't say I have never changed in a car before but it was always IN the car - not on the curb in a busy residential area by a restaurant at noon.

FWIW - he wears boxers.

Scenes from the dog park...

I walk by the dog park at least once a day and always have to stop and watch the pups for a minute.  I have been watching a (bull?) terrier recently who has to be a youngster but is pretty good sized.  He obviously hasn't reached his "nap" years yet.  :)

Anyway, the first time I watched him, he was the only dog in the park and he was trying so hard to get his master to throw a stick for him to chase.  Granted, the stick was as long as the dog was but still, he was trying to get his master interested in a game of tug-of-war or chase or something. 

I have seen him do this a couple of times but this weekend, there was a slightly different twist.

There is a new dog toy available called a Chuckit Ball Launcher where the human doesn't have to reach over and pick up the ball to throw.  You use a long plastic "wand" to grasp the ball and heave it.  This is a VERY popular item at the dog park. (Which I don't understand since part of the fun is handling the slimy tennis ball repeatedly.)

This lively terrier had somehow managed to get the plastic wand and was having a a rousing game of "chase me" with his master.  It was GREAT.  His master couldn't catch up with him.  I'm not sure that was what the owner had planned but the terrier was definitely having fun.  An all around good day at the park!

Watch those dates!

As with weights and measures, there is no agreed to world standard for writing a date numerically.  In the US, the standard practice is MM/DD/YYYY.  Here in Australia, the standard practice is DD/MM/YYYY.

If the day happens to be greater than 12, 21/8/2012, then it is obvious the day is first.

If the day is the same as the month, 3/3/2012, no problem.

I get tricked up on things like 11/8/2012 - especially in the grocery store looking at expiration dates.  Here it is, August 20 and if I were to buy something that expires on November 8th, chances are I'll use it.  If I buy something that expires on August 11th, then I've made a mistake. 

There is no doubt in my mind people wonder why I stare so long at the dates on milk, cheese, etc.  "Auto date processing" hasn't yet kicked in on the DD/MM/YYYY practice for me.

Moreton Bay Whale Watching

Wednesday was Ekka day in Brisbane.  I compare Ekka to a state fair.  There is a carnival, animal competitions, exhibits, style shows, entertainment and lots of food.  The one difference between Ekka and a state fair is Ekka day is an Australian holiday, giving people the opportunity to go to Ekka.

We decided to go whale watching from the Tangalooma Dolphin Resort in Moreton Bay. If you look at Moreton Island, we sailed around the north tip (in the Coral Sea?) and found 2 pods of southern humpback whales (7 total I think) swimming south towards Antarctica. 

It was a GREAT day for whale watching.  One of the pods spent approximately 30 minutes "playing" with our boat.  Diving under, swimming by, spyhopping (lifting their head vertically out of the water and turning around), blowing along with some tail and fluke slapping.  Very entertaining. 

There appears to be a lot of birds on the island to watch also.  They feed the pelicans and the cormorants daily.  One cheeky cormorant helped himself to the cooler of fish when the biologist wasn't watching.  :)

An Australian Pelican

 One Pied Cormorant

Beautiful Galah Cockatoos eating the freshly sown grass seed in the re-vegetation area.  (Apparently they misunderstood the keep out sign)

  Humpback waiting for a belly scratch

 Humpback just under the boat

Two humpbacks (the second one is just by the "14" in the date under water

 A dynamic duo

As always, wildlife pictures can be challenging.  Especially when others want the same picture.  I missed the spyhopping shot but did get to see them perform.  Maybe next time.

Cooking in Grams

At one point in my life, I could not cook without an exact recipe.  I have since graduated (or maybe became lazy?) and now no meal is ever duplicated.  I rarely measure and it is never exact anymore. Of course, I did bring my personal cookbook of favorites with me and I have full intention of someday putting them all online so I don't need to carry a cookbook - but that is another day. 

Being from the US, all of my recipes are in cups and ounces.   

In Australia, everything is sold in grams and liters and the the new local recipes I want to try use the metric system.

This really didn't  hit home until the other day when I was trying to make buttermilk biscuits for the first time - ever.  All of the chefs I watch generally say that when baking you do need to measure exactly or things won't come out right.

My recipe called for 1/4 cup butter.  My stick of butter was 100 grams.  Luckily there's an app for butter conversion.  Voila - I needed 56.7 grams of butter. It looks like my future holds more conversions - especially since I haven't purchased a metric scale yet. 

I still swagged the 56.7 grams and according to Robert, the biscuits turned out and I should make them again.  :)

Soon the real test will begin...

Very soon, the house will finally be in order.  I will have no more "putting away", filing or purchasing to do.  The big question is...

Will I get bored?

Robert is really worried about this and that will be the "retirement test".  Can I keep myself occupied and not bother him when he retires.  (That is his true concern!) :)  OR will I always need to work.  (So far, retirement is winning.)

I have taken my time getting things in order but that would have interfered with things like walking, reading, shopping, yoga and cooking new recipes.  Something had to give.

The final deadline to have everything spic and span is when our first guests arrive in late October.  I have already been doing research, trying to find things they would like to do without putting too much "this is what I want to do" in it.

I have to admit - I am excited about having visitors.  It is fun to get their perspectives on where you live.  What do they see different that is every day for me?  Plus it is just good to have friends and family around!

Hello Quicken - You aren't Helping Any!

I have been using Quicken as an account manager for some time and I have been happy with them until recently.

This week, I tried to add our Australia checking account to the software file and it wouldn't accept it.

So, I emailed Quicken Customer Support and they told me I had to purchase an Australian software version.

I asked if there was a way to unlock only one Australian bank for the US version or if the only recourse was to run two versions on one machine.

Customer support promptly responded I couldn't run two versions on one machine.

So, I sent a note back recapping to make sure I had the requirements correct, i.e. for me to use Quicken for one additional Australian account I had to purchase software AND purchase a new computer.

Customer Support confirmed I had the requirements listed correctly.

Guess I'll do this account the old fashioned way...now where's my calculator???

Back to this Language Thing...

Conversation at the hardware store...

Robert, "Do you have grill covers?"

Clerk, " What?"

Robert, "Do you stock grill covers?"

Clerk tips head to the side totally baffled and says, "A grill cover?"

Robert, "Yes - for a two burner grill."

Clerk tips head the other direction and says, "What type of grill?"

Robert points to the grill the clerk is polishing and the clerk smiles and says, "OH - you mean a barbie!"

We found our two burner barbie cover.  If only we had some shrimp!  :)

Hang On Tight!

Koala joeys have to hang on tight when Mama is running around!  We lucked into meeting this little one Sunday at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. 

I have no idea how old he was but if the Koala's in the Kindergarten area were any indication, this guy has LOTS of growing to do to get to a year old. 

We also saw a couple of Kangaroo joeys.  They were all hiding very well though and no picture opportunities came along...

Last Furniture Delivered

The last 3 homes we have lived in had formal dining areas and of course, we had a huge dining table to fit in them.  Since our current house is about 1/2 the size, we decided we would rather sit on a couch than at a table to watch TV - we couldn't bring both...

We do have a counter but our bar stools are just a tad too tall to effectively sit and there for any other meal except breakfast. 

What is this leading to?  We bought a new dining table specifically for this house.  It is actually patio furniture and I really like it. (Once we get the other crap moved out of the way, I'll post a picture.)

The delivery men (that arrived at 7:15 A. M. this morning - thank goodness they called at 6:50 A. M. (note the emphasis placed on A.M.)) showed up and looked over to the pool wanting to know where to place the new patio furniture.

I told them inside as it was my new dining table. 

He wanted to know when the rest of the furniture was going to arrive.

I said this set was the last furniture coming. 

He thought I was crazy.

However, once it was placed and the chairs were set where I wanted them, he looked around and said...

"This actually works well in here."

Whew!

:)

Black Carpet - Never Again

Some of you know me personally and know that housekeeping isn't on my list of top ten favorite things to do.  Honestly, I don't think it is in the top 20,000 favorite things to do.  However, so far in Brisbane, I have been responsible for keeping the house clean and tidy and have not hired anyone to help. 

Every time I get the vacuum cleaner our dust rag out, I think twice about that decision.

And now we have a Black Carpet.

I remember in Houston I said I would never again have a black stove top.  That was a nightmare to keep clean. 

Why on earth did that lesson not project to a Black Carpet? 

It looked so elegant in the store. 

And when we unrolled it (an area rug with a cream border) it looked so right in this house.

Now it needs vacuumed every 3 hours.

What's up with that?

Somehow, little tiny white particles magically appear out of nowhere and park between the furniture and the coffee table.

Sadly, a housekeeper wouldn't even solve this problem. 

On the outside chance they are all bread crumbs, I need a dog.

Home Again

After spending four weeks in the states, I am back in Brisbane.  I arrived home Tuesday morning at 5 am.  As luck would have it, we were the only arriving international plane just then and immigration and customs were empty.  That made for a quick entry into the country but in the process, I was lucky enough to meet Zoe.

Zoe is a customs beagle.  She has the sweetest face and the waggiest tail.  Since it was slow, they were directing everyone to the "beagle" line and I was first in the box.   Zoe walked right by me and never stopping to say hello.  I asked her handler and petting isn't allowed when Zoe is working. 

Zoe did say hello to the two gentlemen behind me.  One set their backpack on the ground and she sat right next to it, looked up at her handler and as plain as day, the expression on her face said, "I did my job, give me a treat please."  :)

Needless to say, the two gentlemen got to go to another line to make new friends in the Australian customs department.

Arrived home by about 6am and our goods shipment was delivered at 7:30 am.  The next few days were spent unpacking.  The house is mostly in order...only things left to tackle are the office and stereo equipment. (I have managed to delay the office for just as long as I can...I hate paperwork!)

BTW - The movers performed a "density pack" with our goods, that is where the movers stuff every single area with as much stuff as possible, making the furniture extra heavy.  For example, we shipped our bar stools to Brisbane.  The moves packed them in cardboard and stuffed our shoes in the bottom of the bar stools between the seat and the floor before sealing up the bar stool box.  We found a flashlight from the garage in the filing cabinet.  At least we found it!

Working Through our History

Day 13 of cleaning and sorting.  As mentioned before, our parents grew up in the depression and were very very poor (who wasn't during those times??).  They saved everything and while it has been a dusty, grimy exercise, it has also been very interesting.   

I have also learned we have inherited the "30's depression gene".  There are so many items here and we can't possibly take everything but neither can we throw anything away that someone else may need and can use.  SO, we have schedule an estate sale this weekend. 

I am also amazed at what was picked out of the dumpsters. Here we are - thinking the items were done for - no one could possibly get any more use out of it and had been tossed in the dumpster - and someone took them.   I hope they get many long years of further use.

The hardest thing for me has been going through Daddy's desk and files.  I found every receipt for this house built in the early 60's.  All of us now have all of our grade cards from kindergarten through college.  I found our original Social Security cards, every pay stub from 194? through his retirement, every tax return, etc. etc. 

And do we ever have photographs to go through. Boxes and Boxes.  Sadly, there aren't many relatives left who can tell us the characters in the older pictures.  We are now the oldest generation and I expect we have lost some of our family history.  (Although, the entire room of genealogy documentation would beg otherwise.  :) )

I am so thankful I have siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. All have pitched in to help and to share the memories with.  This would be a 6 month job if one person had to accomplish it alone.

Speaking of which, I best get back to work before I'm busted drinking coffee and blogging...  Until next time!

Recovering from Trip

Back in Kansas for the third time this year which is considerably more than normal (or at least since we moved to Alaska in 2006).  This trip is a tough one and jet lag is kicking me once again.  West to East seems to be a lot harder than East to West. 

Anyway, starting go through Mom's house.  My siblings and I have a daunting task ahead of us.  Mom and Dad built this house by themselves in the early 60's and I'm pretty sure everything that has come through the door since then has stayed.  Fifty years of accumulated memories and treasures. 

We have talked to others that have gone through the same thing and believe there is a common theme.  People who lived through and REMEMBER the depression in the 30's don't throw anything away.  Someone, somewhere later in life may need it.

Regardless, there will be many fun memories revived over the next couple of weeks.

I Forgot One...

I forgot to post this picture yesterday of the bush turkey that thinks he's a lorikeet...

A Good Day at Lone Pine

It's a holiday...of course we had to go see the animals!

The Lorikeets hung around until the hawk came by...

Tell me this Monitor doesn't need to lay off the grain!

And a Joey showed up today!  That's his head, front feet, back feet and tail sticking out!!

And then we went to the scenic look out on Mt. Coot-tha...here's our home...

A good day was had by all!

In Search Of Ingredients

We are still in pantry stocking mode at our house.  Every time we go to the grocery store, we buy a few items which are good to have on the shelf.  Things like chicken stock, cream of mushroom soup, various spices, etc.  When I stopped by yesterday to pick up some aluminum foil, for some reason I thought of green bean casserole.  You know the one...everyone serves it at Thanksgiving and it's got french fried onions in it. A true comfort food classic!

And thus started my quest.  I checked the vegetables aisle, the soup aisle, the baking aisle - all to no avail.  No french fried onions anywhere.  Is it due the smaller store or has that product not made it to Brisbane yet?

I also haven't found anything comparable to Bisquick - guess I finally get to learn how to make biscuits from scratch as scones just aren't the same.

And where is the bleu cheese dressing kept??? 

On a brighter note, I did find a pizza dough kit, plain bread crumbs and stuffing mix.  Reading the directions I don't think it is the same as stuffing mix from home but what the heck - we have to try it!!!

Chips - the standard side dish

Having mostly removed french fries from my diet, they are now slowly (OK - maybe not so slowly) creeping back in.  Chips (ie french fries) are the default side dish for a lot of meals. Don't get me wrong, some of the seasoned chips are pretty darn tasty and I dig in like everyone else but now I have to once again find my will power to move away from the chips. 

Chips are usually served with aioli which is a garlic mayo. Sometimes the mayo is flavored differently but if you want ketchup, you must request red sauce.  Trying to fit in, I haven't had ketchup since we got here. 

Along with chips, bread is returning to my life and not at restaurants.  There are so many little bakeries around our neighborhood, it is hard to walk by and NOT buy a little something tasty for dinner.

Interestingly enough, the restaurants I have eaten at so far generally do not server an appetizer item such as bread or chips and salsa.  They are available but at additional cost. Since I am tight with money, and restaurants are already very expensive, that does help the diet.  :)

Wildlife

We purchased two books this weekend about Australian wildlife.  One of the books is specifically geared toward wildlife in and around Brisbane. 

Now, while I came fully prepared with the knowledge the world's most deadliest snakes live in Australia, I was not ready for 8 of them calling our city home. 

We are blessed with the Death Adder, Small Eyed Snake, Tiger Snake, Coastal Taipan, Spotted Black Snake, Red-Bellied Snake, Eastern Brown Snake and Rough-scaled Snake all of which can cause death if not quickly and properly treated.  (And no - I can't identify a single one of them.  I am sure the pictures in the book look nothing like a giant, killer snake I might run across in my wanderings.)

We also have 16 other venomous snakes that require medical attention if you are bitten,  but do not have the same intensity as the ones listed above.

Right now, I am glad we live on a small piece of property with no yard and that I was blissfully ignorant when out trimming the bamboo. (BTW - I am NOT sticking my hand in the pool skimmer to clean it out either.)

I spend a lot of time walking in the park under trees and along the river with lots of shrubs nearby.  In the past, I am pretty sure I would not have messed with any snake I came across, and now there is a greater possibility I will turn and go the other way in the future. 

This also explains the signs at the various zoos and wildlife parks explaining what to do in case of a snake bite.  Silly me - I thought they were reminders for the attendants.  I'm not so sure now!!!

Brisbane Vernacular...

As with any area, there is a local "dialect" - similar to "y'all" when in Texas, Brisbane is no different.  We all speak English, but some of the words and phrases are slightly different, have different meanings or different pronunciations. 

Some of the items I have run across are (spelled for pronunciation):

Rosemary vs Rosemarie (the spice)
OREGano vs OreGANo
AllIANce vs ALL-e-ance

How are you vs How ya going (for a casual greeting)
To bundle up vs Rug up

Ice chests/coolers vs eskies
Cans of beer vs Stubbies
Koozies are (obviously) Stubby holders
black coffee vs long black
breakfast vs brekkie
motorcycle rider vs bikie (although this was used in reference to a gang member.  I'm not sure this is a generic term or specific to gang members???)
more expensive vs dearer

On restaurant menus, there are share plates or grazing plates (appetizers) and mains (our entree equivalent). I am not sure what an entree is yet.  It comes between grazing plates and mains.  Guess Robert needs to take me out to dinner more.  :)

And I'm not entirely sure what I said the other day other than "may I have a sack" and I was corrected and told it was called a "bag". 

It is very apparent when I open my mouth, I am not from around here. But  I have had only two people look at me and say "where are you from?" and they generally guess Canada (What's up with that?).  So - was I that hard to understand?  Did I say something really offensive?  Or do they just not get foreigners in the local stores in my neighborhood?

I hope I have accurately described things and not misrepresented the local terminology.  I honestly think it is fascinating and forces me to pay attention and listen closely when having a conversation. Not yet having had the good fortune to spend any time outside of Brisbane, I don't know if this is local to this area or standard across the continent. I plan to find out!

Tourist

There I was at the Farmer's Market this morning - one of the biggest one's in Brisbane and this little animal went running across the sidewalk in front of me.  I heard someone call it a possum.  Being the tourist that I am, I whipped out my phone and snagged this picture. 

Just wish I got  one of his face.  I am sure everyone around me thought "goofy tourist - don't they have possums where you come from?".  These appear to be a little more sleek than the possums in the US (that is if you can call a possum "sleek").

Leaning more about Consrevation

For the last three weeks, I have had a lot of time to observe various things in and around the city (ok - mostly in my neighborhood).  One thing I am consistently impressed with is the Australian commitment to conservation.  The US could learn a few things.

Mass transit here is fantastic.  You can choose between water taxi, bus, train or even easily rent a bicycle if needed.  Purchase a "GO card" with credit on it and you don't need cash to get around town.  Just scan your card when you get on and then again when you get off.  It is a very nice system that makes it easy to go into the city for dinner and you don't have to mess with parking or driving.

It is very easy to recycle - easier than anywhere else I have lived.  At your house, you are allotted a full size garbage can for recyclable materials and they accept most everything as recyclable.   Just load it up and wheel it to the curb.  Anywhere there is a trash can, just next to it is a recycle can.  Brisbane has made it simple.

People tend to carry re-usable water containers - No plastic water bottles around to discard.   Of course, bottled water is very expensive...that may also be why you don't see them in use.

Appliances are designed differently.  I now have the best dishwasher ever with regards to fitting more dishes in the racks.  Our clothes washer is "smart" enough to decide for each load based on bulk how much water is needed and how long the load will take to clean.  The  dryer has a reservoir that captures the water from the clothes.  This water can then be used for other things such as plants.

In general, cars are smaller...both engine and size wise.  Many of the streets here are narrow so the smaller size is a great thing.  I must admit, I do miss my V8 engine.  Of course I won't when I go to fill up the tank with petrol.  Last I checked, it was $1.60-ish/litre and my tank holds 54 litres. I'll have to send Robert to do that.  :)