£1500 for a McDonalds

[Marmalade]

I used to love visiting Australia.

Then it got a bit bad.
Checking rucksacks for anything vaguely wooden purchased from a third world country on the way.
Ridiculous hotel prices for substandard accommodation.
Stupid money for brothels.
And now the obsessive lawmakers have fined a guy £1500 (AU2,664) just for having a couple of McMuffins in his rucksack.
External Link/Members Only

Why go to Australia??
Answer: You can change planes from Bali to get to New Zealand. But even that might cost. 

[daviemac]

I've watched a few Australian customs programs and it isn't rocket science, you have to fill the form in on the plane so if you have something listed then don't tick no you haven't. Tick yes and they just take it off you. Ticking no so trying to smuggle it in gets you the fine not having it.

[timsussex]

Why would you have 2 McMuffins in your bag?

Most countries have a forbidden list of imports there was a case a couple of years ago when a woman entering the USA got into trouble because she had been given an apple on the plane as part of her meal and put it in her bag

[mr.bluesky]

Like daviemac says Australia are very strict on food stuff being brought into the country.  Why bring it into Australia in the first place surely they have McDonald's in Australia,  they are every where else ffs.

[lillythesavage]

Why would you take food on a trip at all other to eat on the plane , Mcd,s is cold if you eat it there and then, must be bloody awful a day later 

Rules are rules, read them and think about them and you will have no problems anywhere.

Love Australia, but the exchange rate now is a killer, Botany Bay, once the home of back packers has gone bonkers property wise, would imagine like everywhere hotels are milking it for lost business and in general price increases across the board.

Was in Sydney for the turn of the century, over 3 dollars to the pound then 

[lamboman]

Was in Sydney for the turn of the century, over 3 dollars to the pound then 

I used to live there back then 
It's not a cheap holiday destination anymore and the surprising thing I learned whilst living there was they have a fucking rule for everything when you'd think they were laid back.
If you're in business you need a permit for literally everything,they love red tape so it's no surprise customs are a nightmare.
Woe betide you if you accidently bring a bit of wood in which I did once (coat hanger),they take it off you and incinerate it.
You don't want to mess with cops there either,mind we could do with that over here.
Women are a bit ropey too.

[Thephoenix]

Australian quarantine laws are much stricter than the laws involving smuggling or importing other prohibited imports, and considering how much they rely on primary industry it's no surprise.
They haven't had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease for over 100 years and along with other pests like fruit fly they have to ensure strict biosecurity laws are complied with to also protect the county's unique environment.
For years they've had to put up with migrants wanting to bring in their favourite foods from the old country, particularly the Italians with their beloved salamis etc.
Probably New Zealand laws are just as strict.

Foot and mouth disease has recently spread from Indonesia to Bali which is a very popular holiday destination for Australians, so it's no wonder they've brought in even stricter rules.
Passengers from rural areas even have to present their footwear for steam cleaning.

Even passengers on cruise ships aren't allowed to bring fruit ashore.

 I don't think it still applies, but going back many years, passengers on flights arriving at airports would have to wait in their seats whilst a Quarantine officer walked through the aircraft spraying anti fruit fly mist.

The declaration forms are quite clear as are the warnings for failing to declare.

[ulstersubbie]

I used to live there back then 
It's not a cheap holiday destination anymore and the surprising thing I learned whilst living there was they have a fucking rule for everything when you'd think they were laid back.

I believe food and drink is very expensive over there, plus forking out for accommodation, so best be taking a small fortune with you if you're going on holiday. I must say that I have found most Aussies to be laid back but perhaps it's only the ones you meet over here.

[OakTree]

Australian customs are strict but not unreasonable. Last time we went we’d bought some chocolate this end at the airport. Aussie chocolate is a pale comparison to ours and the people we were visiting wanted us to bring some. I forgot to put it on the form. As we were queuing to go through customs I remembered and went up and told one of the customs guys and showed him it. He was fine about it and we were allowed through.

I did get pulled in New Zealand once. A banana had been left in my back pack and gone off. I’d got rid of it and thought nothing of it. As we were wandering around Auckland airport a security woman with a sniffer dog went by. The dog was suddenly all over my bag. Promptly carted off and searched and questioned. Drugs tests were done and they eventually agreed it was probably the banana which you could still smell in the bag.

[lillythesavage]

I used to live there back then 
It's not a cheap holiday destination anymore and the surprising thing I learned whilst living there was they have a fucking rule for everything when you'd think they were laid back.
If you're in business you need a permit for literally everything,they love red tape so it's no surprise customs are a nightmare.
Woe betide you if you accidently bring a bit of wood in which I did once (coat hanger),they take it off you and incinerate it.
You don't want to mess with cops there either,mind we could do with that over here.
Women are a bit ropey too.

I wandered off for a punt in Townsville, left her on the beach, fucking mission of a walk in the heat, got to the door and the return walk was more appetising  .

Went out one night with a local couple, he heard my accent in a restaurant and was into speedway, which I was involved in back in the day, walked into a pub and this lanky Aboriginal bird, taller than me, pounced, stuck her tongue down my throat, then I introduced her to the wife  , was 10.30am when that night ended.

Found everywhere, laid back happy people, could not help enough, but New Zealand was even better on that score.

[myothernameis]

I would say when you go on holiday, and traveling to a foreign country, you should should know the customs law of that country

For instance when leaving Italy, not every tourist is aware of this law, and if caught you can find your selfs in big trouble with Italian police

Buying fake goodies, like a Gucci Gag at a fraction of the price, could land you with a €10,000 fine.  I have seen one tourist a few years back, flying out from Malpensa Airport in Milan, and she had a fake bag, and was soon in cuffs

[Thephoenix]

Found everywhere, laid back happy people, could not help enough, but New Zealand was even better on that score.

The Kiwis are generally not as brash as the Aussies and funnily enough there's no love lost between them.
What I love about Australia is there's no class system to speak of.
My bloody oath!....As long as you don't mind hard yakka and you're not a bludger, drongo, mongrel or galah, well fair dinkum you'll be alright me ol' cobber.

I should know....lived, worked and Aussie friends and family.
They don't call it the lucky country for nothing.



Hidden Image/Members Only

[Marmalade]

C'mon, it was a bit of light-hearted guff to balance all the serious stuff n mudslinging (hence the emojis, duh!)

yeah, you should know the rules, fill in the forms, but Australia is the most onerous country I've visited save perhaps one or two middle east places, and I'm just imagining some young fella on a round-the world trip, stuffing some food in his rucksack to eat on the pane and forgetting about it. I personally think the fine was heavy handed but very Aussie-customs. Their rules can also be hard to follow if you've arrives with some bric a brac that's made out of some unknown wood, though of course, yes, there's always the chance to declare it anyway.

I've lived in Sydney years ago and visited a couple of times since; it used to be a much more fun place than it is now.

Go abroad. Get a life.
(And don't get caught!)


Enjoy.

[spiralnotebook]

A mate was nicked going through US customs for smuggling in cans of Heinz oxtail soup. He said they love it and couldn’t get it and so he spotted an opportunity to make a few bob.