Spent 10 days in eastern Australia back in '89...Mostly Sidney and up Pacific coast highway 1 to the Gold Coast (just south of Brisbane)...My impressions, very western like, friendly to Americans and lots of beautiful scenery...Differences in the dollar aside, its not so much that things are more expensive there (as well as most other parts of the world), but rather that things generally cost much less in America. Canada is yet a similar example of this. Lots of Americans (who quite dutifully complain of high prices) take for granted that America truly is a world wide (volume) dumping ground for low cost consumer goods with electronics often considerably less costly here than even Korea or Japan. Love your Country!
Best Regards,
3 tons