8 ways Australia has Canada beat that'll make you want to pack your bags and move
The land down under is calling! 🇦🇺
Katherine on a beach in Australia. Right: The Twelve Apostles along Great Ocean Road in Australia.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
If you've ever thought about saying goodbye to Canada and moving abroad, you may have considered Australia — and you'd be right to.
With better weather, unique food and incredible wildlife, in my opinion, Australia is like a better version of the True North.
I spent a few months travelling in Australia, visiting family and getting a taste of Aussie culture. I was shocked to find that Australia is a lot like Canada, with many of the same systems and values but with the bonus of breathtaking beaches, warm weather and (mostly) no snow!
If you've been thinking about leaving Canada, you may want to consider the land down under. Here's why I think it has Canada beat.
The weather
If you've never been to Australia, imagine a climate that's similar to Canada's, but better. Why? No snow!
OK, so this isn't 100% true — Australia does get snow, mainly in its mountainous regions, but it's a much different experience than in Canada.
While in most parts of Canada, you can pretty much expect to get walloped with multiple snowstorms during the winter season, snow is more of a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing in Australia. In other words, the average Aussie has never woken up to a slippery driveway full of snow.
As someone born and raised in Canada, not having my plans and general life impacted by snow sounds like a dream.
What's nice about Australia is that you don't have to give up the snow altogether, though. You can still enjoy things like skiing and snowboarding, but you don't necessarily have to worry about winter tires.
Besides the lack of snow, the weather is similar to Canada's in many ways. Places like Melbourne get relatively cold in the winter and heat up to the high 20s to low 30s in the summer. That said, there are also regions of Australia with very different climates (arid, tropical, etc.), so it really depends on where in the country you live.
One major benefit of Australia's climate is that its warm weather lines up perfectly with some major holidays — picture having a hot Christmas! A summery New Year's Eve! A gorgeous warm Valentine's Day.
While in Canada, these holidays often come with freezing temperatures and an abundance of snow, they take place in Australian summer, which is December to February. Imagine!
The beaches
Living in Ontario, beaches aren't super impressive here. We certainly have some nice spots like Wasaga Beach and Sauble Beach, but they're nothing compared to the beaches in Australia.
In addition to famous beaches like Bondi Beach in Sydney, I was surprised to find that even the quietest local beaches had pristine shores and gorgeous white sand.
Even if you're in an urban city, you don't need to go far to find a stunning beach. For instance, in Melbourne, you'll find the beautiful St. Kilda Beach, which feels more like a Florida beach with its theme park, boardwalk and lighthouse.
I also appreciated that the beaches I visited were all on the ocean. Again, the beaches you'd have access to would depend on where in Australia you live, but if we're comparing urban centres like Toronto and Melbourne, you can't beat access to a white sand beach on the sea.
No sales tax!
OK, this isn't really true. There are sales taxes in Australia that you as a consumer pay on top of the price of most goods and services. However, unlike in Canada, they're worked into the price of the item — meaning if you see a pair of shoes with a displayed price of $55, you're paying $55!
Living in Ontario, I'm used to having to calculate the additional 13% tax on top of the displayed price of most items I buy.
I didn't realize what a breath of fresh air it is to know exactly how much you'll have to pay, and I could definitely get used to it.
The wildlife
As a Canadian living in Ontario, I feel like I hardly see any interesting wildlife. Maybe it's because I'm used to the animals we have here, but I'm not super impressed to see Canada geese or chipmunks running around.
While I'm sure it's different if you're living in more remote parts of Canada, you're also pretty unlikely to see a moose (an iconic Canadian animal) out and about here.
In Australia, I was shocked at the wildlife that was everywhere. Even in the suburbs of Melbourne, you could look outside your window and see kangaroos grazing or a cockatoo perched on a branch.
Australia also had an abundance of animal sanctuaries where you could get up close with lots of Australian wildlife. These were different from zoos in that many animals roamed freely and you could even feed some.
While we have animal sanctuaries here in Canada, they seem to be more popular in Australia.
This is all to say that if you love wildlife, Australia is pretty much the place to be.
The food
During my time in Australia, I was introduced to a number of treats and cultural dishes that just aren't the same in Canada.
For one thing, there's pavlova, a meringue-based dessert of Australian and New Zealand origin that is commonly topped with whipped cream and fruit and served at holidays and special occasions. While I've heard of the dish in Canada, it's definitely harder to find, but in Australia, it's iconic.
The country also introduced me to chocolatey treats like Tim Tams (best enjoyed with a hot cup of tea) and Milo, a chocolate malt powder drink that can be enjoyed hot or cold.
If you like lamb, you'll be pleased to know it's an essential part of the Australian diet, and definitely a more popular red meat there than in Canada.
Another point for Australia is its tea — like Canada, Australia is a Commonwealth country with British influences that you can still feel today. Unlike Canada, it seems to have retained some of those influences more.
One thing I noticed is that it's super easy to get an incredible cup of tea almost anywhere. And as a Canadian, I'm sorry to say that the tea I had even at shop kiosks and one-off cafes in Australia was so much better than anything from Tim Hortons.
Meat pies are another British snack that's big in Australia. While you can get meat pies here in Canada, they're not quite as good — in Australia, you can get a meat pie seemingly anywhere and eat it with your hands as an on-the-go snack, though they're best enjoyed with some tomato sauce.
Even the McDonald's is better in Australia, where it's lovingly called "Macca's." On the Australian menu, you'll find onion rings; a "Big Brekkie Burger" that comes with a hash brown, cheese, bacon and an egg all on top of a beef patty; macarons; and an assortment of grilled-cheese-like "toasties."
The culture
Maybe it's because of the temperate climate, but Australians are known for having a laid-back, relaxed attitude, and I definitely felt this was the case during my time in the country.
The Aussie spirit revolves around a sense of "mateship," fairness and embracing a "no worries" attitude (literally, you'll likely hear the phrase "no worries" all the time).
You can expect warm smiles, easygoing conversations and a genuine willingness to help others, and I love this aspect of the culture.
This is not to say that Canadians aren't friendly — we're known for being nice, after all, and polite to an almost aggressive degree. But the easygoing vibes of Australia were still a refreshing change.
Better wages
Australia and Canada seem to have similar costs of living; from my experience there, food and retail prices were comparable to what they'd be in Canada.
According to Numbeo, Toronto and Melbourne (two similar urban centres) share similar costs for groceries, transportation and even rent, though Melbourne does come out on top with slightly lower costs.
However, the national minimum wage in Australia is considerably higher at $23.23 an hour, compared to Ontario's $16.55 an hour and even Canada's federal minimum wage of $17.30 per hour.
Even with Ontario's wage set to increase this fall, a minimum wage of over $20 is unheard of in Canada.
It already feels like home
There are plenty of aspects of Australian culture that reminded me of Canada — Melbourne felt like a better version of Toronto, and the countries have similar systems in terms of governance and education.
Australia is like a warmer version of Canada, with better perks like higher minimum wage and more vacation days (four weeks versus Canada's two!).
Even the money is similar, with brightly coloured banknotes just like those in Canada.
All this is to say that if you were planning to move to Australia from Canada, I don't think it would take long for you to feel right at home.