My first visit of an Australian petrol station was pretty weird and I felt as if I would come from another galaxy. Monday morning, I had just got up, got into the car to drive to the office, and the first thing my tired eye saw was the blinking fuel gauge, which told me unmistakably: ” I’m empty, I need petrol!”

I thought, OK, before we stop in the middle of nowhere, we rather go and put fuel into our car. Arrived at the petrol station there was the first problem. On which side is the fuel cap? After I’ve found it, I approached the petrol pump. I took, as I am used to do at home in Vienna, the petrol tab, put in into the tank, pressed the lever in order to lock the “Zapferl” (locking device), so that the petrol pump would stop automatically when the tank is full. After innumerable attempts to lock this damn thing and therefore quite on edge, I decided to ask a nice gentleman, how the hell you get your petrol into the tank here in Perth?

Astonished he looked at me and shook his head. He took the petrol tab, held it into the tank, pressed the lever and after some delay the petrol began to flow. “Ah, I have to wait until the fuel is flowing and then I can use the locking device?” “Locking device? No, you don’t need that, this thing is actually unnecessary.”

Arrived at the office, we wanted to know from our colleagues how you refuel the tank of your car in Perth. All of them reassured us that the petrol tab wasn’t defective. You just can’t use the locking device due to safety reasons, you really have to press the tab the whole time.

When was the last time you stood next to your car, holding the petrol tab for 60 liters? I believe I can remember, it was at the beginning of the 80’s …