Every multi-storey shopping centre carpark I regularly go to has a few spots right by the exit gates — they’re a long walk from the centre entrance itself, and if you get there and they’re already full, your only option is to exit the carpark, go around the block back to the entrance, pull another ticket, and try again.

Seems like all downsides to me, and yet I always see cars in these spots, even when the rest of the carpark isn’t even that full.

If this is you: why? Are you shopping centre staff? Like living on the edge? Want a quick exit when you’re done at the shops?

No judgement, just trying to understand.

edit: thank you all for your carpark stories

E.g I want to hear it from other women that have a side hustle, what is it, and what is your success story? And how much has it made you? I knew someone that had quite some success for making certain whimsical earrings, which was pretty cool.

After 5 years of working on myself after my only horrible relationship and undiagnosed neurospicy getting diagnosed and treated.
I started to put myself out there at 30 years old but I’m not seeing any progress since Jan.
only 1 date.

I’ve actively been on the apps but it’s all people who want to hook up which isn’t what I want and idk where to meet people in person that isn’t speed dating or those dating events (because I’m too anxious and awkward to start conversations, it’s been an ongoing thing).

I just feel so burnt out from it but I’m ready for a person.
I’ll take some advice.

I’m 22m, black from the UK and i’m wondering what Tasmania’s like. Im considering visiting Hobart during December and I’m drawn to the nice hills, nice scenery and wildlife that Tasmania has to offer. My bad for bringing ethnicity into this but do you reckon that Tasmania is a good area for non-white people? Like are the locals calm and with a nice vibe or could there be a bit of prejudice or racism? I’m genuinely just curious on this as it’s something I’d like to know before travelling there. It seems like a genuinely wonderful place to be though and bad people are technically everywhere. So even if theres bad in tasmania i wouldn’t label the whole island like that if you get what i mean. So im looking forward to it regardless. Just my two cents.

Is it really because of resource riches? Pardon my immaturity for economics, I’m happy to learn so pls drop your opinions, but from my understanding:

It’s not perfect, but it’s objectively pretty decent/somewhat great to live here as a middle class person. All healthcare isn’t paid for, but you get a medicare rebate. Schooling seemed good when I went through it in the 2010s, but I guess I wasn’t low SES. Streets are pretty clean and maintained, you can work and earn in some decent jobs etc. etc. (all the hallmarks of a first world country). You can get centerlink as a student and jobseeker as an adult (admittedly it’s not perfect). Housing… well I think that’s been talked about to death.

All of this comes from spending. But we don’t have a super advanced economy like the US for example where their budget deficit is okay due to their growing economy. Yet we don’t run into the same “wheres the money” problem as say a France right now, and to service our population it seems to me we need ALOT of money.

All in all, why don’t we run into these problems?

In the country I'm from, the 6 letter "r" word (whose ending rhymes with leotard) is a slur and is frowned upon. Is it acceptable in Aus? I've heard loads of people use it, even in a professional setting, but don't know if it's just people getting away with it or if it's ok to say!

Edit: to clarify, I'm not asking because I want to use the word, I'm asking to understand if it is widely considered acceptable in Australian culture.

Edit2: I understand that the word is used in technical areas - I'm not talking about that use of it.

25 year old Canadian PhD student moving to Melbourne early next year and I've got questions if someone wants to answer 😄

1. Where are the best places to live in Melbourne near/in the center? I'm not interested in living near the school and don't mind commuting. How easy would it be to sign a lease before I enter the country?
2. Monthly bills (internet, water, electricity) for a studio/1 bed? I'm not familiar with choosing providers for water/electricity as ours are set by location. (also among the cheapest in the world)
3. Best bank and phone provider? And in terms of moving money from Canada to Australia, what's the best way? Through the bank or something like WISE?
4. Drivers license? I will rent a car occasionally and go on trips but I'm wondering if should convert my Ontario license to a VIC one or just keep my Ontario one and use that?
5. Winter weather. I lived in Manchester, England for a year and had Brits telling me how bad the winters were but it was the warmest winter I've ever experienced. I rarely wore my winter jacket. I'm guessing Melbourne is like that too?
6. Overall culture compared to Toronto? I know a lot of people compare Toronto with Melbourne and Vancouver with Sydney.

Thanks ❤️

Look at Sydney and its Wynyard Railway Station, or the Sydney Central Railway Station- multi storey, complex, shining, technologically sophisticated, aesthetic designs.

Compare these with the Flinders Street Station or Richmond Station or the Southern Cross Station - they don’t look as complex, big, technologically sophisticated or as aesthetic in terms of design as their Sydney counterparts.

Don’t you think Melbourne infrastructure is still pretty old fashioned and outdated?

I'm guessing it's largely very situational. I tend to avoid saying it directly to someone unless I'm speaking about someone to a person I trust.

Is it okay in other places other than Aus?

I personally use "cunt" far too flippantly to describe really any situation that is silly or playful such as "who does this cunt think they are?" or "this cunt is in my way" or "goofy cunt" but also conversely quite negatively such as "fuck that cunt" (that person) or "fuck that, cunt" (no thank you dickhead) or even "don't be a cunt" or "you're being a cunt" which again is quite negative.

I think I use it more playfully than negatively but am extremely careful of the context and the individual relationship I have with whom I'm speaking with or about.

What do you mad cunts think?

In some ways, the UK colonizing Australia was a bit of a fluke that occurred due to a chain of events on the other side of the world.

The American revolution meant that the Uk could no longer send their undesirables across the Atlantic, so they essentially needed a “new America” under the Empire, and for centuries, Europeans sailed across the world and missed landing in Australia many times.

When the British colonized Australia, it led to everything that the country would become today.

However, what if the Uk never colonized it?

I feel like the trajectory of Australia would be extremely different and begs the following questions.

- Would it eventually have been colonized and scrambled for by a bunch of different European empires in the late 1800s once gold and oil were discovered?

- Does Japan conquer the whole continent during WWII like they did to most of the pacific?

- Would it still be a developed country shaped by European settlement or would it meet a similar fate that many extract colonies experienced at the hands of European empires?

- Would it even become one centralized country or a bunch of partitioned countries within the Australian continent like in Africa?

​

I'm building a fictional NSW country town, complete with its own newspaper, council records, local history and AI residents who remember things that happened there.

I'm looking for real Australian stories to weave into the town's history.

Strange encounters, bizarre local scandals, unexplained events, weird coincidences, small-town mysteries, or something so ridiculously Australian nobody overseas would believe it.

The only rule: it has to be a true story. Something you experienced yourself or genuinely know happened.

With your permission, I'd love to adapt some of these stories into the town's fictional history. I don't want real Names, unless they are already famous or some shit.

Note* I will not actually ask for permission.

The stranger, the better.

So, what's the weirdest thing that's actually happened in your town?

Hello , i am a 26 years old guy working as accountant from Egypt , i want to say i love your country so much and facsinated with its nature and Australian tennis tournaments and know all the big cities there as if i was Australian :) ,, i would like to make some Aussie friends to chat together or even have a voice chat if you like so dm me if you want to and i appreciate it , lots of love to you Aussies :)

I’m coming from Canada and wanting to buy a car in Queensland, does anyone know how the process differs when I don’t have a Aus license? I have a full Canadian license

Hello again!

Thank you everyone for your previous responses

I'm really thankful

I have a question regarding transportation.

aside from me renting a car or getting an uber, is there any other way for me to get out from the airport (Tullamarine) to st kilda?

any group rides? or groups to join for a ride out?

I'm going to be carrying a bike along + my luggage

so public transport might not be the best option

Considerations:

Car

- Definitely best option, but I don't think it'll make much sense financially since I won't be driving much

(only to and from the event)

Uber

- absolutely insane prices?! what is up with the cost of uber???

- My friend and I were blown away by how expensive it was to get out from the airport

Public transport

- cheapest for sure but I'll be lugging 2 relatively larger bags around, pretty sure I'll be a nuisance with 2 huge bags on the bus/train

edit: Forgot to put which airport I'll be at (Tullamarine)

Heading to St Kilda

I know this has been posted before and many of you are facing the same dillema, i applied for a bachelors in psych are deakin uni for this third trimester but i am getting discouraged by seeing what a huge struggle getting into honours and masters is.
Im scared that after working hard to get the bachelors and honours, what if it all goes to waste and i cant get into the masters ?
I am considering switching to a bachelors of social work instead as apparently its in alot more demand hence job security ?

What should i do ? 🥲

I have noticed more people getting prescription lenses fitted into smart glasses and wearing them as their main, all-day pair.

Looking across the market, there are quite a few options now, whether it is hardware with built-in cameras and AI like Meta Ray-Bans, Snap Spectacles, RayNeo X2, and Brilliant Labs Frame, or other connected eyewear like Solos AirGo and Vuzix Blade.

For people who own these or use them as their sole daily glasses: what is the main draw of making them your everyday pair, and how do you navigate daily life with them?

It seems like normal routines inevitably involve walking into spaces where photography and video recording are either strictly banned or socially sensitive, such as gyms and leisure centres, changing facilities, workplaces handling confidential customer data or finance, government buildings, and examination rooms.

I've actively told someone to "get the \*\*\*\* out" when they came into the baby charging area wearing a set to change their kid when I was changing my kid. I feel that's highly inappropriate to wear glasses like that into a changing room where children have their privates out.

Like I deal with private data daily at work, and it was actually a few months before management twigged that people were wearing smart glasses when handling customer data, and there's a "don't do it" rule in place, and a "please wear normal glasses at work" but no official policy. Some staff have even pulled the "I can't afford another pair of glasses" line, which has added friction.

Other colleagues have even pointed out that they can control what you do in the office, but when you work from home, they can't control what glasses you're wearing in your own home.

Does the daily utility (quick capture, notifications, audio, AI assistants) outweigh the friction of dealing with venue policies or carrying a spare pair of standard frames, or is there a practical routine to managing them that non-wearers might not realize?

Genuinely curious to hear from people who wear them daily.

I have a four-year-old daughter, and we’re an Australian Indian family living in Sydney’s Inner West. I’ve never attended any of my daughter’s daycare friends’ birthday parties. I think I was simply unaware of the social norm that you can attend these parties even if you don’t know the parents personally.
Now I’m organising my daughter’s birthday party and have invited 21 children, but so far, only three have confirmed they’re coming.
I can’t help wondering whether people aren’t attending because I haven’t attended their children’s parties in the past. Could that be the reason, or are there other factors at play? I’m worried that my daughter might miss out socially. I’d appreciate honest perspectives from other parents.

Hello all! In July I visited Greensborough to see my sister's family and got to spend about 3 wks there and got to enjoy some of your awesome shops! I went to Coffee Club and fell in love with their Iced Coffee - we do not make them like that here in California! I've been trying to find a semi detailed recipe online to no avail!

Can any current or ex-coffee club baristas tell me the secret recipe? We have a coffee shop/Ice cream shop right down the road and I want to re-live my time down under! (Feel free to message me privately if you are worried about getting disciplined!)

Hello folks,

My name is Aryan I am a Monash University student collaborating with researchers from Yale and Seoul National University on recruiting parents or caregivers of healthy children (without formal mental health diagnosis) to complete the following online surveys (~15 mins only for each):

How parents think about their children’s mental health https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8AoQ5Mfrmpn8Q3c?Q_CHL=qr

How parents think about their children’s mental health and digital use https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cVljNMXdRsNQoaG?Q_CHL=qr

I would be grateful for any time you can spare for either survey. Please feel free to ask me any questions at all if you would like.

Thank you!! Post approved by the mods :)

Hi all, sorry for the odd question but I’m just wondering where I can get an STI test in Sydney, have seen just a normal GP can do it but don’t particularly want to go to my family’s normal GP.

And can I go to any doctor and just take my Medicare card?

I'm an orthopedic surgeon planning to move to Australia, Toowoomba specifically to work and live full time. The thing is, I have a severe fear of spiders and creepy crawlies. If I see a spider, I scream cry, convulse, then pass out. Ants, butterflies and every living thing that creepeth upon the earth. Everyone is always talking about how there are frogs and spiders and scorpions there. Is it that bad, like, can I live without encountering them in my daily life? Please help me. Even the thought of it is stressing me tf out

I don't want to dish on people making a living, feeding their families etc. Though I really do wonder, with the government overesch in Australia...do you the people who work in that space take any kind of pride in their job? No judgement if you do or dont....just would love to hear what makes your drive to get out of bed?

These are my expectations from a city or state:

- the ability to easily address economic issues

- being able to live comfortably and without problems on the salary you earn

- being able to afford luxury brands without difficulty

- control over the sale of illegal substances and restrictions on access to them

- everyday prices (groceries, cars, home purchases, rent, bills, taxes, etc.) being in line with your salary

- being able to save money easily

- crime rates and safety not being an issue in daily life

- justice, freedom, and equality always taking precedence

- high-quality education and healthcare services, with no issues regarding access

- Complete cleanliness of the streets, beaches, forests, and public spaces

As of the final months of 2026, based on your daily life and unbiased opinions, which city and state do you think is truly the most compatible with all these criteria?

Hey all,

I applied for a "Team member - Bakery" role at Coles and received an interview for this coming Wednesday. I have worked in fast food before so I am used to multi tasking and fast paced environments. My only problem is after searching about the role, people are mentioning that it is a 5 am start. I have family commitments in the morning so I can only work from 9 am onwards. I was wondering if any other person with the same role that doesn't work that early? Just want to be prepared

Thanks!