Updated April 2026 by Emma with new terms and examples!
Australians technically speak English.
But show up without a slang cheat sheet and you will absolutely stand there nodding along to a conversation you do not understand at all. We've been there. It's a whole thing.
Here's every bit of Aussie slang you'll actually need, from your first hostel check-in to your first day on the job.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| No worries | You're welcome / it's fine / not a problem | "Thanks for covering my shift." "No worries, mate." |
| Yeah, nah | No | "Want to do the 6am shift?" "Yeah, nah." |
| Arvo | Afternoon | "See you this arvo." |
| Servo | Petrol station / gas station | "Pull in at the servo, we need snacks." |
| Brekky | Breakfast | "We're heading out for brekky, you coming?" |
| Maccas | McDonald's | "3am Maccas run, who's in?" |
| Thongs | Flip flops / sandals | "Grab your thongs, we're going to the beach." |
| She'll be right | It'll be fine / don't stress | "The bus is late." "She'll be right." |
| Fair dinkum | Genuine / seriously / for real | "Fair dinkum, that was the best pie I've ever eaten." |
| Goon bag | Cheap cask wine in a silver bag | "We've got $10. Goon bag it is." |
RELATED: BACKPACKING GUIDE: HOSTEL ETIQUETTE
You'll hear these within the first 10 minutes of landing. Start here.
Means: how are you? The expected response is "Yeah, good, you?" or just "Good thanks." Nobody wants the full update. This is not that kind of question.
Australia's national catchphrase. It means you're welcome, it's fine, not a problem, and don't stress, all rolled into two words.
You will say it approximately 40 times a day by week two. It just happens.
The philosophical backbone of the entire country. It means: it'll be fine, stop worrying, everything will work out somehow.
"The van's making a weird noise." "She'll be right." Used for minor inconveniences and moderately alarming situations alike. Just go with it.
Means no. We know. Just trust it. "Yeah, nah, I'm not doing that." Hear it a few times and it clicks immediately.
Means yes. The opposite of yeah, nah. "Nah, yeah, I'm keen."
Australia contains multitudes.
Genuine, real, for real. As a question ("Fair dinkum?") it means "are you serious?" As a statement it means something is the real deal. "That was fair dinkum the best pie I've ever eaten."
Think or believe. "I reckon we take the coastal road." You'll start saying it without noticing. It happens to everyone, usually around week three.
Nothing to do with urinating. (We know. We're sorry.) Taking the piss means joking around or gently mocking someone, usually out of affection.
Australians take the piss out of people they like. If it's happening to you, you're in. Congrats.
Not necessarily old. Not necessarily anyone's actual mate. Old mate is a catch-all term for basically any person: a stranger, someone you briefly interacted with, or someone whose name you've already forgotten. "Old mate at the servo gave me wrong directions."
Friend, stranger, coworker, or the person who just cut you off in traffic. Context does all the heavy lifting here.
"Cheers, mate" is warm. "Mate..." at the start of a sentence is a warning. Learn the difference fast.
Alcohol in Australia is spenny (expensive). Very spenny. Enter the goon bag: a silver foil bag of cheap cask wine pulled from a cardboard box. It's a backpacker rite of passage and we stand by it.
Bonus: the bag inflates when you open it and makes a legitimately decent travel pillow. Don't knock it until you've tried it. (The pillow thing is real. Ask anyone.)
Alcoholic beverages. "Having a few bevvies" means you're having some drinks. Having an entire goon bag to yourself also counts as a few bevvies. No judgement whatsoever.
Bring Your Own, specifically your own alcohol to a restaurant. When you see BYO on a listing, stop at a bottle shop on the way. It's a brilliant system designed specifically to save you from paying $15 for a glass of house white.
Breakfast. Australians abbreviate almost everything, and brekky is one of their better ones. "Going for brekky" is a whole social event, particularly in Melbourne where brunch is basically a religion. (A very good religion, to be fair.)
Avocado. On toast, in salads, in smoothies, basically everywhere. Smashed avo on sourdough is the national dish of Australian cafes. Worth every cent.
McDonald's. Every country has a nickname for it and Australia's is Maccas. They use it so consistently that McDonald's Australia leans into it in their own marketing. It's the 3am institution for backpackers everywhere.
Afternoon. Clean, simple, very Aussie. "See you this arvo" means this afternoon. "Sunday arvo" is peak do-nothing-and-love-it energy in Australia.
Petrol station / gas station. On long road trips (and Australian road trips get very, very long), the servo is everything: petrol, snacks, hot pies, sometimes the only food for the next 200 kilometres.
Treat it accordingly.
If someone tells you something is in Wop Wop, clear your schedule. Wop Wop means remote, rural, middle of nowhere, long drive ahead. "Where does she live?" "Wop Wop somewhere, takes forever."
On a Working Holiday Visa? These three are going to come up a lot.
A tradesperson: plumber, electrician, carpenter, builder. Tradies are a beloved part of Australian culture, known for early starts, strong opinions, and a deep commitment to smoko. Many backpackers end up doing labouring work alongside them. Learn the lingo and you'll fit right in.
A short break at work, originally a smoke break but now used for any break whether or not anyone's smoking. Grab as many smokos as you can reasonably get away with. It's practically a tradition at this point.
Call in sick when you are not actually sick. An Australian institution, especially on Fridays and Mondays. Worth knowing immediately.
Probably not worth mentioning in a job interview.
Excellent, impressive, great. "That's a ripper idea." "What a ripper of a day." One of the most satisfying words in the whole vocabulary once you get comfortable saying it out loud.
When something is absolutely great. The surf can be going off. A party can be going off. Dinner can be going off, and no, they don't mean spoiled. Going off just means really, really good. "That set was going off."
To froth something means you love it, you're excited about it, you're very into it. "I'm frothing on this coffee." Backpackers typically froth goon bags, sunny beach days, and cheap meals. You'll find your froth soon enough.
Pure enthusiasm, out loud. Mostly heard at the beach when someone catches a good wave, but genuinely applicable to any excellent moment. The correct volume is loud. That's the whole point.
Completely full. A hostel dorm can be chockers. A bus can be chockers. Your stomach after a servo pie run can absolutely be chockers. "The beach is chockers today."
A lot. Very. Loads. "That was heaps good." "There were heaps of people there." Heaps is an intensifier and once you start using it you genuinely can't stop. It goes with everything.
Suspicious or questionable. "That hostel looked a bit suss." Also works as a verb: "Suss it out" means check it out or investigate. Both forms get used constantly.
Unreliable, sketchy, low quality. "He seems dodgy." "That kebab shop looks dodgy." A dodgy situation is one you should probably leave. A dodgy pie from a regional servo is a risk you'll probably take anyway.
We're not judging. We'd do the same.
Extremely disappointed or annoyed. "I missed the last bus to Sydney, spewin'!" Nothing to do with being sick. Just pure frustration, delivered efficiently.
An exclamation of surprise or disbelief, somewhere between "wow" and "oh my god." Technically short for "God's truth." You'll hear it more from older Australians, but it still gets used and it is deeply satisfying to say. "Strewth, it's hot today."
Flip flops. Sandals. Footwear. Not underwear.
This trips up basically every first-time visitor and it's genuinely one of the most important things on this entire list. If a tour guide tells you to bring your thongs, they mean your sandals. We promise they're not being weird about it. (Probably.)
Ready to have a crack at the Aussie vocabulary? We promise you'll be right. And if you get stuck, give us a bell, we'll help you navigate any Australian related confusion!
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