30 Things You’ll Learn When You Move To Queensland

Queensland is a pretty enticing place. What, with our endless, beautiful beaches, eternal sunshine, and laidback vibes it’s pretty hard to imagine living anywhere else. If you’ve just moved here, it’s ok—we get it, honestly. Heck, we’ve been here our whole lives! Something changes when you move here though: you’re relaxed, tanned, and are suddenly OK with hitting the beach in June. Here’s a list of everything that will happen when you move to Queensland.

1. People will say ‘togs’ and you will have NFI what they’re talking about
2. Likewise, with potato scallop
3. Oh, and joggers
4. You’ll think hitting the beach in June is totally normal
5. After about six months you’ll scoff at the newbies who swim in June
6. You’ll plan your week around nothing—and we mean nothing—being open on a Sunday
7. State of Origin will actually matter to you
8. You’ll fall about six months behind the trends
9. Shoes will become optional for your trip to the shops
10. Curlews will sound like babies crying at first, but they’re just some freaky looking birds
11. The Gold Coast will seem less tacky strip of fake tan and glitter and more unexplored treasure trove of hidden eateries, hipster coffee spots and secret beaches
12. Daylight savings will (unfortunately) be a thing of the past
13. Tawny Frogmouths will scare the sh*t out of you at least once (spoiler alert: they’re not owls)
14. You’ll develop a soft spot for Queenslander houses and their ingenious design
15. The side of the river that you live on will define you
16. We get tropical fruit pretty much all year round here
17. The hinterland is just (if not more!) as beautiful as the coast
18. Swimming isn’t always an option thanks to stingers and crocs
19. The North is reaaaallllyy far from the South
20. But, day tripping it to islands is the norm
21. Snakes are everywhere
22. You will stand on a cane toad when you take the bins out. Every time.
23. Humidity hits way, way harder than the heat
24. Things will get mouldy and there will be sand everywhere
25. Summer is rainy as hell
26. The Ibis are in charge
27. ‘We Love You Queensland’ will be stuck in your head at all times
28. Icey poles are actually called ice blocks here
29. Deadly doesn’t actually mean deadly, it means cool AF
30. You’ll never want to leave

Love Queensland? You’ll only understand these things if you grew up here. 

Image credit: Brooke Darling