Aussie life in New York: community and culture

New Yorkers have a reputation for being rude. Most Aussies find the opposite: direct, funny and happy to help, as long as you don't stop dead at the top of the subway stairs.

The short version

The American Australian Association, founded in 1948 and based in Manhattan, runs Aussie-flavoured events, including an ANZAC Day and veterans' lunch [1][2].
The Australian Consulate-General sits on East 42nd Street, near Grand Central, with a phone line listed as available 24 hours [3].
New York runs 14 to 16 hours behind the east coast of Australia, so footy finals and family birthdays land at odd hours.
Smartraveller advises staying out of protests, including online, and being careful what you post about local politics [4].
A free IDNYC card gives you everyday ID and discounts around the city [5].

The culture shocks nobody warns you about

New York looks familiar from a thousand films, which is exactly why the small differences catch you out.

Thing	At home	In New York
Prices	Tax included on the shelf	Sales tax added at the till, tip on top at restaurants and bars
Temperature	Celsius	Fahrenheit. Your landlord's heating duty is set at 68°F, about 20°C [6]
Healthcare	Medicare at the GP	Insurance cards, networks and co-payments. Medicare doesn't apply [4]
Small talk	"How ya going?"	Shorter, faster, often skipped. It isn't personal
Getting around	Car or train, depending on the suburb	Subway first, walking second, car rarely
Seasons	Mild winters	Proper snow some winters, steamy summers

The speed

Everything moves faster here: footpaths, conversations, coffee orders. Have your order ready and step aside to wait. Nobody minds a laid-back accent, but they do mind you blocking the doorway.

The directness

New Yorkers will tell you what they think. In the office this can feel blunt to Australians used to softer feedback. The flip side is that you always know where you stand, and a "let's grab a drink" usually means it.

The workload

Long hours and short holidays are common in New York jobs, particularly in finance, law and media. Read your contract for paid leave before you start planning a trip home for Christmas.

Finding your Aussie crew

You'll hear Australian accents in every borough, but that doesn't mean you'll meet anyone. You have to go looking.

The American Australian Association

The American Australian Association is a non-profit set up by Sir Keith Murdoch in 1948 to strengthen ties between the two countries. It's headquartered at 600 Third Avenue and also has a Sydney office at the United States Studies Centre [1]. Its calendar includes a New York Benefit Dinner, the G'Day USA arts gala, and an ANZAC Day and veterans' lunch [1][2]. It also runs scholarships, an alumni network and corporate membership [1]. Some events are black-tie fundraisers, so check the format before you buy a ticket.

Online first, then in person

The easiest way in is online. Join Cooee USA, our Facebook group for Australians in the USA, and you'll find people asking about everything from Medicare-free health plans to who's hosting Christmas for the Aussies who can't fly home. Post an intro with your neighbourhood, and you'll usually find someone nearby.

Sport at strange hours

New York sits 14 to 16 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne, depending on daylight saving at each end. That makes a Saturday afternoon AFL Grand Final in Melbourne a very late Friday night or early Saturday morning here. Cricket and rugby land at similarly unsociable times. Aussies here solve it the way you'd expect: someone finds a bar that'll put the game on, and word goes round.

Building a life beyond the Aussie bubble

The Aussie network is great for the first six months. The people who settle best also make local friends.

Join something weekly. A run club, a social sports league, a climbing gym or a volunteer roster. Showing up every week does what one-off events can't.
Say yes to work drinks. New York social life is often built around work, at least at first.
Get to know your block. Your deli, your dry-cleaner, the barista. In New York, your street becomes your village.
Learn the seasons. Summer rooftops and street fairs, autumn in the parks, winter ice skating. Each brings its own way to meet people.
Host Thanksgiving, Aussie-style. It's the biggest family holiday here. Inviting other strays is a fine tradition, and pavlova travels well.

Weekends: beaches, parks and getting out

Yes, New York has beaches. Coney Island in Brooklyn and Rockaway in Queens are reachable on the subway for the standard US$3.00 fare, capped at US$35 a week on OMNY [7]. They won't replace Bondi, but on a hot August Saturday they do the job.

Closer in, Central Park, Prospect Park and the waterfront parks along the East River give you green space without leaving the city. For a proper escape, many Aussies head upstate to the Hudson Valley or out to the coast of Long Island for hiking, wineries and fresh air. Hire a car for the weekend rather than owning one.

Staying safe and staying connected to home

Safety basics

New York is a big city, and the usual big-city sense applies: watch your phone on the subway, take care late at night, and call 911 in an emergency [4]. Smartraveller also flags issues Aussies might not think about. It advises avoiding demonstrations, notes that taking part in a protest, including online, could be treated as a breach of your visa conditions, and warns that border officers may ask to inspect your phone and social media [4]. In plain terms: keep your opinions on local politics off public posts while you're on a visa.

Your consulate

The Australian Consulate-General is at 150 East 42nd Street, 34th floor, on +1 212 351 6500 [3]. Save the number in your phone now, and subscribe to Smartraveller's updates for the United States.

Keep your Aussie admin alive

Life in New York gets busy, and Australian paperwork is easy to forget until it bites. Check our guides on voting from overseas, your super while you live overseas and, if you start a family here, citizenship by descent for babies born overseas.

Get a local ID

Carrying your passport everywhere is a bad idea. IDNYC is a free New York City ID card for residents aged 10 and over, whatever their immigration status [5]. You can book an appointment through the online portal or walk in at selected centres on set days [5]. It also comes with discounts on entertainment around the city [8].

Homesickness is normal

Almost every Aussie in New York hits a wall somewhere between month three and month nine. The novelty wears off, winter arrives, and the time difference makes every call home a scheduling exercise. Plan for it. Book a call with family at a set time each week, find the one cafe that does a decent flat white, and lean on the people who've been here longer. Most of them will tell you the second year is when New York really starts to feel like home.

Aussie life in New York: finding your people in a city of eight million