Australia is the perfect destination for renting a campervan hire and road tripping to amazing destinations. Whether you want to get “lost” in the great outback or visit the most popular Australian cities, you won’t be disappointed.
Fortunately for you, Australia is an English-speaking country, but you may want to keep in mind that there are some words that you may not understand. That’s why we are here to teach you the best of Australian slang to make sure that you have a great time and sound as much as an Australian as possible.
Aussie slang:
- Arvo: Afternoon. You may hear someone say, “Let’s get out on the road in the arvo.”
- Barbie: “Would you like to go to a Barbie?” That, my friend, is an invitation to a barbeque-which you do want to say yes to.
- Fair Dinkum: Real and genuine-something that most Australians are.
- Chockers: Something that is very full-your campervan, your cooler, or your luggage, for example.
- Esky: A cooler, which hopefully you will have packed with a slab and goodies.
- Slab: A 24-pack of beer, a perfect match for a day at the beach with friends.
- Togs: Your swim suit, which you will want to be sure to bring to the beach.
- Mozzie: When you pack for your road trip, make sure to bring repellent to keep mozzie’s (mosquito) away from your body.
- Root: We are including this one as it can be very easy to say something that you don’t actually mean. Root is the act of intimacy-if you know what I mean.
- Bastard: If you try to say this as an insult during your time in Australia, you will be misunderstood. Bastard is a term of endearment here. I know. Just go with it.
- Big Smoke: A big city, such as Sydney. A place that you should visit, by the way.
- Figjam: Someone who thinks highly of themselves. “That guy is a real figjam.”
- Grouse: Something really good, great, or amazing.
- Moolah: Slang for money. Make sure that you bring plenty of it to Australia, eh mate?
- Mate: Friend or buddy. Hopefully you will make a lot of them during your time in the “down under.”
- Plonk: Essentially cheap wine-something that you may want to avoid during your time here.
- Shark biscuit: Someone who is new at the sport of surfing. It’s a fitting name here in Australia.
- Spit the dummy: When you get very upset at something, which would make sense if you get stuck in traffic, or robbed, or lose something. Otherwise, don’t spit the dummy, please.
- Tall poppies: Successful people, which if you are road tripping around Australia, you have most likely reached this definition in your life. Have fun tall poppy!
- Vedgies: Here, we don’t eat our vegetables. We eat our vedgies.
- Wobbly: Excited behavior. The kind of behavior that you may exhibit when you get to see kangaroos or see a crocodile in the wild.
- Yewy: A U-turn. If you get lost in Australia, you will have to make many yewies.