A long time ago (1991? 1992?), I went to Australia to teach some technical workshops with my boss.
He negotiated business class tickets in return for teaching in four cities. This was the first of "well, you've come this far, just go another thousand miles or so."
From LAX to Sydney was my first flight on Qantas. (There is no "U" after the "Q" in Qantas. Qantas is "Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Services."
We boarded the plane, found our business class seats, and the porter came to our seat to greet us. He gave us a business card (!) and said, "The bar is closed. Would you like beer or wine?" Australians have a different definition of "bar closed." So, I said "Bring me a Fosters" as it was the only Australian beer I knew. He winced, and brought me a Fosters. A while later, he asked if I wanted something else, and I asked for another Fosters. He winced again, and I said, "I'm sorry. Is there something I'm supposed to be drinking?" He said, "Oh, thank you, sir! Nobody drinks Fosters in Australia. We just make that crap for export." So, I said, "Bring me what I'm supposed to drink", and that was my introduction to Victoria Bitter.
I remember in Sydney, my boss' badge didn't work at the office and my contractor badge did.
We visited the office on a Monday to see the classroom. It was Labor Day in the States, so everyone gave us crap about having to work on a holiday.
My boss wanted to go to a restaurant on the opposite side of Sydney Harbor from our hotel, and we took a cab, which was one of the longest cab rides I have ever had. Going back, we took the water taxi and were back in half the time.
We went to a bar on the weekend and asked for a beer. The waiter said, "You must have intention of eating." So, we asked for menus and ordered appetizers. We learned what this really meant in Aukland.
My boss denies it, but we went to a bar one evening, and the bartender went down the bar, taking orders. "Beah." "Beah." "Beah." "Beah." "Beah." He got to me, I shrugged, and said, "Beah." My boss asked for a daiquiri. The bartender had to find the ingredients (and the recipe.)
I'm not really sure if this was here or Canberra, but we had dinner in a restaurant and I had a plate with kangaroo and emu. The waiter said I had eaten two-thirds of the Australian coat of arms.
We went to a restaurant for lunch and asked for a beer. The bartender said, "You must have intention of eating." (Deja vu.) So, we said, "Let us see a menu." He said, "No. You must have INTENTION of eating." Ah. "Of course, we have intention of eating." Beer served. Problem solved. Then, we felt stupid for ordering appetizers in Sydney.