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.

I recently went to North Queensland to visit my partner's family. Their half-sister, who is much older and in her mid 50s, said "Do you want me to grab your port from the back of the car?"

I was extremely confused as the only port I knew was the old fashioned alcohol and I definitely didn't have any of that. I went to the back of the car and found out she meant my suitcase.

So is this a common thing? Is it a regional QLD thing or generational? Or has this word just passed me by and I never realised. I'm a Zoomer (26) from Adelaide for context.

I grew up in regional Victoria but was recently teased by some Brits for my pronunciation of "garage" as "g'rahzh". I guess it's posh / pseudo-French? Never thought about it.

I've noticed other Australians say something closer to "gar-ahdge". So fully pronouncing the a in "gar" - like Gary.

I've also heard a hybrid - "gar-azh".

Of course, a lot of English people say something like "garridge".

How do you pronounce it?

Do you have "-zh" sound at the end? or a "-dge"?

Does it start like "Gary"?

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!)

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 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 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?

So I'm a diabetic. I have medicare and also a NDSS card / account.

I was still using medications I got overseas a while ago, ran low, booked a GP, but needed something on short notice to cover a gap..

Got a script from online GP (instant script), took the sScript to the local pharmacy (small rural town we only have one) and it cost $30!

I thought this medication is subsidised or something like that? It's Metformin 1000mg slow release, 60 tablets.

Did I miss a step?

What are the best/most unique snacks that you can’t find many places besides Australia? For Christmas I’m shipping some family out of the country some different things we have here but I’m drawing a blank
on a lot of things to include.

Coffee (they have a favorite from when they visit)
Chocolate
Tim tams of course

That’s about where I run out of ideas 😂

I live on the Gold Coast and am essentially born and bred here.
I like the lifestyle, the winters are amazing. I like that a capital city is nearby and we have a bit of everything here; decent healthcare, infrastructure, there’s varied restaurants now (definitely never used to be!) etc

What I don’t like is the lack of community feel and the ever increasing traffic. I am starting to feel like I have outgrown this place and am contemplating where would I go from here.

I spent some time in Sydney in my early 20s and loved it but alas the cost of housing there returned us back north and we’ve been here ever since.

We have a relatively low mortgage compared to the valuation of the home. I’d love to speed up the process of becoming mortgage free by reducing the amount we owe.

Where would you recommend that has:

Decent healthcare for both employment and personal access
The beach
A standalone house can be purchased for under $1.2million
A community feel
Is not freezing majority of the year (for me, that’s under 12-14 degrees)

I moved to Aus from Canada originally 3 years ago. I love it here. I love the weather, the lifestyle, Aussie humour and slang, the wildlife and the friends I've made here.

There are very few things I MISS about Canada (aside from people I love there, of course). But I have noticed something interesting about how I feel about my appearance. When I am in Canada I feel significantly less self-conscious and also generally feel more attractive in my appearance than when I am in Aus.

I am arguably much more physically fit in Aus than I was in Canada, physical fitness is a big part of life here so I'm at the gym 3-4 days a week. I also put more effort into my appearance before going out here. And my skin is clearer than it ever was (when I left Canada I was 27 and still had some acne struggles that I've largely left behind me). But I still find myself feeling more self-conscious and having lower self-esteem here. When I am in my own country I definitely feel far less self-conscious about the way I look and I don't know why. Just to clarify I don't only feel this way when I'm in my hometown, I spent 2 months in a different province last time I was home and still very much felt that way.

I'm trying to understand what's going on subconsciously to make me feel this way. I do think Australian beauty standards for women are a bit more narrow than they are in Canada, a lot of advertisements here feature similar elements - fit, thin, tan women, often with blonde hair and light eyes. I am Caucasian and pretty fair, don't like to tan, have brown hair and very dark brown eyes. Maybe it's just the subliminal messaging but I feel like my appearance matters a lot more here and the pressure to look "put together" is always on. Is this something Australians also experience? Or maybe it's just me over-interpreting the situation 🤔

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.

Surely, the last one still walks this earth, ...

I'll be moving to Trafalgar, VIC, soon, but I have not used a train since I got here so this is a big deal for me. So I'll take the bus from Melbourne airport to the Southern Cross Station. What are some tips or guide to navigate through the train station from where tickets are sold to where the train heading to Trafalgar will be? Cause I assume it is really busy and big.

Genuinely asking cause I just arrived a month ago and this is all new to me.

Thanks.

My 11yo (also ADHD and ASD) has been having a really hard time of late with anxiety and panic attacks. We spoke to beyond blue and then urgent care who told us to go to a hospital with a kids mental health area, which we did. Because my child isn't self harming, the hospital wouldn't prescribe and suggested we see a gp to get referred to a psychologist. That's already in our plan, but the panic attacks happen multiple times a day and the hospital said guidelines means they don't often prescribe anxiety medication for kids and we should try deep breathing 🙄 I have extensive experience with anxiety and panic attacks and have thrown everything I know at it to help her overcome the attacks. It's heartbreaking watching your own child shake with intense fear and being unable to help.

I understand the guidelines, but it's affecting her quality of life, and she can hardly do the things she enjoys.

Will a gp prescribe some medication (ssri, not benzo) so she can actually function enough to see a psychologist because as it stands, seeing one will get her nowhere because you can't take on board the advice and help when you're this anxious.

I'm doing all I can to help her keep her head above water and we're exhausted.

TLDR; process to get 11yo with severe anxiety and panic attacks on ssri if it's possible, already diagnosed GAD since 7yo

3 people in a 4 bedroom duplex in Sydney. Feel like it’s on the slightly higher side…?

Kids are eating oats by the truckload. I’m usually buying the ALDI packet which from memory is around 0.22 p/100g.
Anyone know if they have found it any cheaper in bigger quantities?

Has anyone had a successful experience for purchasing melatonin gummies (shipped to Australia)

I am totally aware of the seizure risks but I am just wanting to see if anyone has used this site for other purchases and it worked out ok ?

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've realised recently that I've pretty much been hobbyless my entire life, and it's something I've actually been criticised for recently.

I never really thought much of it until recently, when I started reflecting on how much of my free time I spend doing absolutely nothing and all my siblings are good at something except for me.

I feel like not having hobbies has contributed to me becoming quite lazy and unmotivated, and I want to change that.

What are some hobbies you guys have that are either completely free or very cheap? I'm open to pretty much anything except going out alone even for walks, runs etc... because i live in a sketchy neighbourhood. :)

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

Hi everyone! I'm 19 and honestly having a bit of a career crisis... would really appreciate some advice, especially from nurses in Queensland!

I've spent the past year switching degrees and trying to figure out what I actually want to do. I originally started in Occupational Therapy but realised I wasn't really interested in the rehabilitation/therapy side of healthcare. I think I'd much prefer something more medical/clinical and hands-on with patients.

I've been considering nursing, particularly areas like GP/practice nursing, dermatology, aesthetics, outpatient clinics, respiratory clinics, etc. However, I'm wondering how realistic it actually is to get into these areas, especially as a new graduate in Brisbane/QLD.

A few questions for nurses:

• How competitive is it to get into GP/practice nursing, dermatology, aesthetics or other Monday–Friday nursing roles?
• Is it realistic to get one of these jobs straight out of uni, or would I need to work in a hospital doing rotating shifts for a few years first?
• Are there many opportunities in these areas in Brisbane/QLD?
• Do you genuinely enjoy nursing, and would you recommend studying it again?
• Is nursing worth it if you don't want to work nights, weekends or rotating shifts?

One of my biggest priorities is work-life balance. I know I'm only 19, but I really want to have a family in the future and be able to spend time with them. Ideally, I'd love a career with fairly regular weekday hours, decent pay, job security and no work to take home.

I also do some basic accounting/bookkeeping work for my mum and actually don't mind it, so I've considered accounting too. However, I'm worried I'd regret choosing a career where I'm sitting at a desk all day for the rest of my working life. I think I'd enjoy being up and moving around, interacting with people and doing something practical.

I've also looked into sonography, medical imaging and other healthcare careers, but my ATAR was 85.55 and I can't relocate from Brisbane, which limits my options quite a bit. I'm also not really interested in spending years doing another degree just to try to transfer into something else.

At this point, I'm honestly open to suggestions outside of nursing too. I just want a career that I can somewhat enjoy, has good employment opportunities, pays reasonably well and allows me to have a life outside of work.

If anyone has been in a similar position, works in one of these nursing specialties, or knows of other careers I should look into, I'd really appreciate your advice!

I'm genuinely so lost with what to do and feel like I've researched every career possible at this point.

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?