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Sometimes I’ll watch a random “culture shock” video from someone visiting Australia. One thing that consistently surprises people is the public barbecues.

They can be found in public parks around the country and are usually maintained by the town councils. They’re free for anyone to use.

This seems normal to me.

in reply to Dgar

This website lets you find the nearest public barbecue in Australia.

meatinapark.com.au

in reply to Kyle Smith

@ky0les in my experience, yeah, it usually works. If it doesn’t, there’s often more than one to choose from.
in reply to Dgar

Have you read the descriptions?

This is a sample of the suspiciously AI slop-like text for a BBQ near me:

"Grounds maintain clean appearance despite some off-peak neglect suggestions occasionally. Most striking: tranquil atmosphere,crowds and chaos absent refreshingly. However, glaring oversight every parent discovers: toilet absence problematically. Family-oriented lakeside park overlooking such basic facilities baffles genuinely."

🤯🤮😂

in reply to Dgar

I don't know why folks are surprised...
... I thought it was common knowledge, especially in America, Australia is an authoritarian communist dictatorship.
in reply to Dgar

Nice!

Here is a typical public grill here in the US. I would not recommend using one.

thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/public…

in reply to Art H.

@arth we have a few of those in the off-the-beaten-track areas and remote beaches. 👍
@arth
in reply to Dgar

Love that. I also liked the public toilets under communal management found in New Zealand, which are usually very clean and well maintained. One is even a well-visited tourist attraction...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertw…
This entry was edited (9 hours ago)
in reply to mschomm

I am a #Newzealander and didn't even know about these. Now I have to visit. @Dean - Add these to the list?
in reply to Dgar

They were even woven into our national creation story:
youtu.be/tacxxzq8vNM
in reply to Dgar

not just the bbq in ozz - being outside is supported in many ways
showers & places to change sea side
public toilets in every bit of green
lovely maintained walkways (even if there only are 10 people a day)
and all of it FREE

is really different to public spaces in the Netherlands

no public showers or FREE toilets on our beaches
and a lack of public toilets in our cities or parks
no free bbq or any kind of "please eat here" space outside

in reply to Dgar

I was really impressed the first time I saw those! We occasionally get very, very basic ones in the US, but nothing so pleasant to use.
in reply to Dgar

@josh0 They have them here in Singapore as well, although they're not electric. You have to bring your own coal.

Dgar reshared this.

in reply to Dgar

Nice! We occasionally have public barbecues in some Canadian parks (eg local Britannia city park) but wow, nothing so substantial. Impressive.

Must immediately make foreign tourists utter something something 'shrimp on the barbie ' stereotypes. 😂

in reply to Ross of Ottawa

@ottaross they usually go and turn it on just to prove that it’s free to turn them on. 😄
in reply to Dgar

These exist because usually using your own BBQ is strictly forbidden to avoid the risk of the grass / vegetation catching fire and well.. you know people losing their homes and worse - It doesn't detract from the the fact that they are a good thing.

They encourage people to visit the area and enjoy time at the relevant park - so good for the local community.

They tend to be well designed for two reasons - it reduces maintance and causes people to respect them as community assets.

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in reply to abeorch

@abeorch
"...causes people to respect them..."

Oh, dammit. That means it would never work in the USA.

It SHOULD work here, but it wouldn't.

in reply to Dgar

Oh interesting! Yeah, in the US in parks occasionally you'll see they have little charcoal grills installed, but nothing at all like this.