Down Under and Backwards

Having recently moved to Australia from the US, I’ve been encountering many cultural differences that I have been forced to quickly adapt to. Not all have been so easy to grasp. Here’s just a few:

Phone numbers

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, who maintains and administers the telephone numbering plan, established a Full National Number (FNN) that is made up of 10 numbers - 0x xxxx-xxxx. The first two digits are the area code, the next four generally make up the Call Collection Area and Exchange. The last four numbers define the line number at the exchange.

Mobile numbers also have 10 digits but follow a different structure. 04yy yxx-xxx. Originally, the y digits indicated the network carrier. But now that Australia allows for Wireless Number Portability (WLNP), like the US, there is not a fixed relationship between these numbers and the mobile carrier. So giving my new mobile number out to people was bit confusing. I was always following the landline format xx xxxx-xxxx and getting a few confused looks.

Gas Types and Pricing

So much to choose from, and so little knowledge! There’s E85, ULP (Unleaded) E10 (ULP + 10% ethanol), PULP (Premium), UPULP (Ultra Premium), Diesel, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Unlike the States, who sells per gallon, Australia sells it by the liter and is priced in cents. A typical petrol price of ULP may be 135.9. Having a US pricing format embedded in my head, I was shocked at first to think that gasoline was $135 per liter, though my sense quickly rationalize this was a wrong deduction.

Date Formatting

Patterns for Labels & Indicators

Using appropriate and consistent Label & Indicator widgets will provide an alternative way to present and manipulate content hierarchically. Within this chapter, the following patterns will be discussed, based on how the human mind organizes and navigates information: