• To drop off we must cool off; body temperature and the brain’s sleep-wake cycle are closely linked. That’s why hot summer nights can cause a restless sleep. The blood flow mechanism that transfers core body heat to the skin works best between 18 and 30 degrees. But later in life, the comfort zone shrinks to between 23 and 25 degrees – one reason why older people have more sleep disorders. Worth bearing in mind if you’re not used to sleeping in warmer temperatures.
  • One of the most common (dangerous) spiders in Australia is the redback. The female is four times the size of the male (just like humans) and is the one to watch out for. They build incredibly crappy webs close to the ground that look like they were abandoned months ago and where you find such as a web, you’ll probably also find a female in a nest of dead leaves. While not the most venomous of spiders, their venom can cause death in the weak or elderly.
  • DLUG stands for double lock-up garage – no Aussie home is complete without one.
  • Electricity companies offer two tarifs for your hot water tank – one just heats up a tank overnight during the off-peak hours – the other does a second mini-recharge in the middle of the day. We’ve been running the second option for the last year and the difference to the bill is less than $20.
  • The NSW state government do not allow the police to use disguised speed cameras. The Victorian state government do. Last year the Victorian government added just under $500m to the coffers through speeding fines. In NSW that figure was just under $200m. There are 1.5m more people in NSW than Victoria.
  • In the UK, you get points added to your licence when  you are fined for a motoring offence. In Australia you start with 12 points and these are removed when you are fined for a motoring offence.
  • The equivalent of ‘Which’ in Australia is ‘Choice’.
  • Australia, founded by convicts. The homicide rate is in Australia is 1.8 per 100,000 of population. The United States was founded by religious zealots. It’s homicide rate is 6.3 per 100,000. Almost 400% greater than Australia.
  • There is no such thing as paid maternity leave.
  • Western Australia is eight hours ahead of GMT, Eastern Australia is 10 hours ahead.
  • Speed limits here are in KM/h, not MPH. 110KP/h is about 70Mph.
  • Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal, lead, sheep, wool and diamonds.
  • Beyond the nationwide ‘green slip’ (which costs about $200) you don’t actually have to insure your car to drive on Australian roads.
  • The equivalent of the AA or RAC is the NRMA.
  • You can get the BBC World Service radio on Austar and Foxtel via the ‘Air’ radio channel.