What are the most unexpected, amazing or confusing things people encounter when visiting Australia for the first time?

We drive on the left side of the road.

During the Sydney Olympics, there were several motor accidents because visitors looked to the left and stepped onto the road. In Australia, the traffic approaches you from the right.

It is summer at the moment, not winter (January). Our seasons are the opposite (more or less) of those in the northern hemisphere. We start summer on 1 December, autumn on 1 March, winter on 1 June, and spring on 1 September. And we write the day before the month when we write dates: Christmas Day was 25/12/2018.

It can get cold in winter, even if it doesn’t snow. We don’t have central heating in our houses, and they were built to be cool in summer, not so much warm in winter. If you don’t have warm clothing or a heater you will be unpleasantly cold. Don’t come to Australia in July dressed in T-shirts and shorts, at least not to Sydney or anywhere further south. Even Brisbane can get cold, so they tell me.

Sydney is a huge modern city, and there are no koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, or emus running around wild here. There are no tribal Aboriginal people living in bark shelters and throwing spears. I was asked that when I lived in the US.

You probably won’t get eaten, poisoned, or stabbed by our wildlife, unless you are very adventurous. All bets are off, though, if you go swimming in random water holes in northern Australia — that is being adventurous. Check very carefully before swimming in the tropics.

The price you see on the menu is the price you pay. There are no additional state taxes nor tips, unless you are especially impressed with the service and want to leave a tip. It is voluntary and no one will chase you down the street if you don’t leave one. They have a decent minimum wage and don’t require tips to survive. We don’t tip waiters, taxis, hairdressers or barbers, or anyone else usually. Tipping is fairly foreign to us.

We don’t live immediately north of Mexico, so it is unreasonable to expect us to have the same number of Mexican restaurants as you are used to “back home”. I have actually heard this comment …

Amazing? Try a Pavlova for dessert.