The differences

RP: 
I guess we've written a little about what we've done here in Australia, but we haven't really explained what it's like or how it compares to the States.

The first thing we've come to discover is that the sense of plenty we had grown accustomed to in the US (as compared to Africa) is not as abundant here as it may appear while vacationing here. Don't get me wrong, it's all available, but there is normally a price for oppulence or the extras. Actually, a simple but good example is how they charge for tomato sauce (ketchup) if you're getting any kind of take-away. While on the subject of tomato sauce... the personal packets here are far improved over the American design; they can be opened, dispensed and closed with one hand - very cool.

There are other less subtle differences that you may already be familiar with: driving on the other side of the road, drop bears (no really, look at the official Australian museum link on these carnivorous marsupials), guys wearing short shorts, "budgie smugglers" at the beach, uncensored television, sockets (240V not 110V), toilet water going down the other way, kangaroos - wtf?!, mullets (although most of them have been cut in a new-age way, so aren't too bad), no ducted air-conditioning, most cars being manual transmission, cockatoos screeching like pterodactyls, no sunblock stronger than 30+spf despite the sun here leaving you two tones darker after 20 minutes in the sun (with sunblock on), vegemite sandwiches, and much more.

So aside from the differences which I think Jenna and I are already accustomed to, it is refreshing being here from the employment perspective. The economy, although primarily supported by the coal and iron ore industry, is doing very well and looks positioned to stay fruitful in the near and mid-term future thanks to the demand in Asia and the rest of the world.

As for settling in, it's naturally been a little hard for us to entirely setup and get into a routine as the project I'm working on is only temporary. As such, we're in a limbo as the Whitsundays is a tourist destination and we're not quite locals, and we can't afford the tourist premiums on a regular basis. That said, the limbo has actually been positive in at least one way... Jenna has discovered that she is a natural squash player as we have recently become regulars at the local courts!  As the rainy season sets in, the project I'm working on may slip further behind schedule. Hopefully Jenna's license will transfer before too long allowing her to get a job here as a nurse. Once that happens I could opt for a fly-in/fly-out rotation on the project until it's done which would be quite good for the two of us.