17 hours ago
Rural Aussies vent about ‘unspoken' country etiquette
If you've spent time outside the city, you've probably come across a farm gate – and hopefully, knew what to do. If you find the gate closed, then close it behind you. If it's open, leave it open.
But a recent post online has shown that not everyone knows this unspoken rule.
In a viral Reddit thread, a fed-up property owner didn't hold back when sharing a recent incident that happened on his property.
'If you drive into a property and their gate is shut, f**king shut it after you come in!' they began.
'If you're picking up free furniture off Gumtree and you've been told to shut the f**ken gate then F**KEN SHUT THE GATE,' the expletive-filled rant continued.
The resident explained that because of the person's careless act, they spent an hour in the rain 'looking for my Golden Retriever and ruined my brand new Ugg Boots in the process' – if that's not the Aussiest thing you've ever heard.
'I thought the gate thing was widely understood in this country, but apparently some people need a stern reminder,' they concluded.
Callum, whose family owns a property in Laguna in the Hunter Valley, told it's not an uncommon experience, but people need to 'do better'.
'It happens all the time with visitors,' he told 'It's like going into someone's home, you don't open the door and then leave it open.
'In the country, your house extends out to the land that it's on, and people in the city don't understand that because they don't have property.
'If you're going to visit someone's property, then at least have the respect to close the gate behind you. Otherwise, don't visit. It takes a few seconds to get out of the car and shut it.'
It seems that Redditors felt equally as passionate about obeying this bush law.
'I hate people who don't shut the gate. I've had a number of people who've been playing with my dogs in the front yard, open the gate, and leave it open. The dogs (of course) run away, and they don't do anything to help. Just stand there looking like an idiot,' said one.
'I'm 100 per cent with you on this one,' another agreed. 'So annoying and ignorant.'
Others said that following this rule is of national importance.
'This is so Straya,' said one, as another declared the person's post should be 'made into the national anthem'.
Others claimed it was simply common sense.
'I asked my 14-year-old stepson the other day how you leave a gate and he answered 'leave it as you found it'. Not once have I or his mother EVER told him that. If a 14-year-old can have that common sense, so can everyone else,' one user shared.
And it's not just bad manners – in some parts of Australia, you can even get fined.
In New South Wales, under the Inclosed Lands Protection Act 1901, anyone who enters enclosed lands and wilfully or negligently leaves a gate open can be fined up to two penalty units, which is $220.
In South Australia, recent laws have increased penalties for interfering with farm gates, with fines now up to $1500 for such offences, plus on-the-spot fines of $375 in some cases.
