My first week in Australia is all about adjusting. The 14 hour time difference is a big part of that – but, I’m also meeting new people, being exposed to a new sign language, and enjoying the differences in every-day things that I’ve come to overlook at home. When I first exchanged US dollars for Aussy dollars, my eyes nearly fell out of my head.
Size Matters
Australia dollar bills have a number of unique features. I’m no expert, so this video includes just my observations. For a more detailed discussion, see this website.
… But Not With Coins
Coins are a bit different. One and two-dollar coins are in regular circulation. I’ve been carrying around a pocket of change, thinking they were quarters, dimes, and nickels – only to find out that many of them were dollars. The one dollar coin is larger than the two dollar coin, and the ten cent coin is larger than the two dollar coin.
One helpful feature is that coins that are worth one or two dollars are thicker than coins of denominations less than a dollar.
So, when it comes to coins in Australia, it seems that size does not matter – but girth does.
Danny McDougall, PhD, CSC — “Dr. Danny” — owns and manages TerpTheatre. Since 1986, he has interpreted in hundreds of plays, musicals and other performances on stage – most in the shadowed style. He teaches and lectures on the theory and practice of theatre interpreting. Danny is the chair of Sign Language Studies at Madonna University, and holds a PhD in Translation and Interpretation from Heriot-Watt University – where his dissertation explored the relationship between space and meaning during interpreted theatre performances.