British tourist stunned by Aussie backyard details 'we just don't have'

A British tourist has shared her surprise about common items found in a typical Aussie backyard while visiting a friend’s Sydney home. Her comparisons and explanations about why the items are so different have sparked spirited a debate online.

The first stand-out item for the tourist was the prevalence of metal fences and pergolas which weren’t typically seen in the UK. "Now I think they have these to precent the spread of bushfires," she speculates.

Next, she highlighted a covered children’s trampoline with UV protection built in – something she said was unheard of in Britain, largely due to its colder, wetter climate – although she said some trampolines in the UK have lids to prevent leaves from falling on them.

Unexpected find in garden: citrus fruit trees

“You can also see here, I think it's an orange tree,” the woman continued during her tour of the garden. “Like we have fruit trees in the UK but they're generally like apples and pears. I've got the cherry tree and a plum tree, but citrus fruits? Rarer.”

Moving on to her friend’s newly installed backyard pool, she said it looked like an above ground pool but it had been dug into the ground and was almost two metres deep. The fence, which is required by law to be built around pools, was yet to be installed, she added.

The last item she found surprising was the metal grill fly screen which acted like a second door and may have been spotted by Brits on Aussie soaps Neighbours or Home & Away but certainly not on home soil.

Her video attracted almost 200 comments with many stating termites were prevalent in Australia, so metal fences were preferable over wood and also stood up to strong winds.

“The amount of prolonged, heavy rain we have in the UK, the sound of it on metal fences and verandas would be deafening,” one British commenter said.

However, another pointed out that Sydney got almost three times the amount of London’s annual rainfall, while a third added, “We have non-stop rain for weeks, sometimes very heavy too. We love the sound, it’s relaxing and makes you sleepy. Like white noise.”

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Others said the metal grill flyscreen meant you could keep your front door open without flies or intruders getting inside your house.

Aussie metal fences branded 'iconic'

One described Colorbond metal fences as “iconic”, while another pointed out they were not to prevent bushfires as the British TikToker believed, but were cheaper to build and long-lasting so a popular choice for many Aussies.

“Aussie has termites, wood fences and stuff just get eaten as well as stuffed by weather/UV. Metal lasts longer but it’s not nice to touch in summer,” one TikToker added.

Another pointed out that bushfires actually jump fences because embers fly over them so Colorbond fences don't always help.

"Your reasoning is brilliant though and makes absolute sense," one person said.

Others said that metal window frames, fences, pergolas and fly screen grills are mostly used in Australia due to their durability and price.

"Metal windows are just cheaper encasements and easier to maintain, same with the diamond fly screens," they wrote.

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