Okay guys, I’ve got a confession to make.
I’m not a proper Sunny Coast local. I know, I know, with my love of summer and cocktails and beaches, I could kinda pass for a Queenslander, but I’m actually a fairly recent blow-in.
Moving here from Sydney a few years ago was probably the best decision I’ve ever made, but there’s no denying it was a bit of a culture shock. So let me share some of the lessons you learn when you move to the Sunshine Coast.
1. Togs. Not swimmers or cossies or bathers. Togs.
2. You’ll consume kale at some point. Whether you mean to or not.
3. Tailgating is pretty much a way of life.
4. You still can’t keep up with when the Labour Day Long Weekend is going to be held.
5. Pretty much everywhere on the Coast is Insta-worthy.
6. Gympie isn’t nearly as scary as everyone makes it out to be.
7. You learn to studiously avoid conversations about politics with any non-Queenslander.
8. It’s still a novelty to meet people who actually grew up on the Coast.
9. Making dinner bookings for before 8pm will eventually seem normal. We promise.
10. Summer brings that eternal struggle between sleeping with the windows open or turning on the aircon and facing the electricity bill at the end of the quarter. (Yes, we always go for the instant gratification!)
11. Winter isn’t really long enough to be worth planning for.
12. You feel smug about NEVER visiting tourist spots like Hastings Street, AND make sure you tell everyone about it.
13. If you moved here from Sydney or Melbourne, you don’t even have to make any new friends—half your school buddies and former workmates live in the next town.
14. You discover that maroon is totes not your colour.
15. You can afford to live, work, go to uni, and have your favourite pub within fifteen minutes of each other.
16. Show Day? A public holiday JUST for your town, so you can go and watch kids from the local highschool parade a cow around a field? Book me in, baby!
17. Being woken by birds at 4am in summer is the price you pay for… ummm, nightfall at about 6pm. Oh just bring in Daylight Savings already!
18. You’re still not convinced that cane toads are a fair swap for cockroaches.
19. Turns out you CAN actually get good coffee outside Sydney and Melbourne. Like, seriously good.
20. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here, geckoes are still a novelty.
21. Being mistaken for a tourist is the worst thing that can happen to you. The WORST.
22. Your new home becomes the destination of choice for all reunions, get-togethers, and catch-ups with friends and family from your hometown.
23. It will take you several months to summon up the courage to ask someone what “Ekka” means.
24. You will slowly come to terms with paying $5 for a coffee.
25. You learn to do your grocery shopping before 5pm.
26. You get spoiled knowing you can leave home half an hour before your flight, park 30 seconds from the terminal, coast through security, and still make it to the gate in time.
Image Credit: Claire Plush for Metropolist