What is worth buying at an Australian supermarket, and how do the seasons and Christmas work in the southern hemisphere?

The icons, and which are actually good

Vegemite is the yeast extract spread, and the correct way to eat it is thinly on buttered toast. A thick spread is why most visitors hate it.

Tim Tams are chocolate biscuits designed to be bitten at both ends and used as a straw for tea or coffee. There are many flavours and the original is the reference point.

Weet-Bix is the breakfast biscuit eaten with milk and sugar, and Milo is the malted drink, both genuinely part of daily life rather than novelty.

Anzac biscuits and lamingtons are the bakery items, and macadamia nuts and good honey are the things that travel best.

Christmas is hot, and the food follows

Prawns are the Christmas food, bought fresh in large quantities in the days before, and eaten cold.

Mangoes and cherries are also Christmas food, because December is their season.

The meal is often a barbecue rather than an oven roast, for obvious reasons.

This inverts what a northern-hemisphere visitor expects, and it also means the seasonal produce advice is the opposite of home.

Seasons, briefly

Summer (December to February) is stone fruit, mango, cherries and berries.

Autumn (March to May) is apples, pears and figs.

Winter (June to August) is citrus and root vegetables.

Spring (September to November) is asparagus and the start of the stone fruit.

Practical notes

Bring your own bags. Single-use plastic bags are banned in most states, and shops charge for reusable ones.

Alcohol is sold separately in many states. Supermarkets in Victoria and New South Wales can sell it, but in others you need a bottle shop or a licensed section.

Sunday trading exists but some smaller shops close early, and public holidays can shut things entirely.

Card and contactless are universal, and some places are effectively cashless.

Frequently asked questions