To be a real aussie during the summer you need to know what it is like doing the well known "ahh fuck its hot " dance while crossing the lava covered road, or trying to avoid bindies hiding in the grass waiting to hitch a ride in your foot. Or racing, hopping across the sand as quick as you can to the water before your feet melt off. It get so hot the road melts and the tar sticks to your thongs... or with some people sticks to your foot. People dont go barefoot in the city. Its in the suburbs.
👍.. Join the culture brother. I couldn't give a sh!t what people wear on their feet, if they want problems with their feet from shoes, that's up to them.
Same. I grew up in the 1970s and at my little school of 50 students, only a handful ever wore any footwear to school. I only owned soccer boots and thongs. I still go barefoot as often as I can. I only wear footwear if there's a possibility I need to use a public toilet.
Hi ,in my fifties now and still barefoot everywhere, summer winter, way easier to to walk in mud and its really good for you ,haven't been sick in years, love and light to everyone from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
I only really were shoes while I'm at work or if I'm doing stuff in the garden where using tools could be a risk without them, after a few years your feet get thick I've stepped on small bits of glass or metal before and it's not gone through the calouse and the only time I can think of having any serious injury to my feet would be when I got a splinter from an unfinished floor at my mums place
If you were unaware, shoes are genuinely bad for your feet, they aren't designed to be squeezed into a little box all the time. Personally I wear thongs 90% of the time, unless I need better footwear for work or something, and I live in Melbourne where it's cold, you get used to it really quickly as long as you have decent circulation. Midsummer you don't wanna be walking about on the road barefoot, unless you enjoy literal burns on your feet, but concrete is no issue.
I live in the coastal town of Warrnambool in Victoria. So seeing people barefoot is normal. Over the last 5 days Ive seen 4 people in the supermarket going barefoot. Its optional thats all. No biggie. Its also a part of our culture from today and way back in Aboriginal culture. Im Aboriginal as well. Living on my land in Warrnambool which is Peek wurrong clan and Gunditjmara Nation country. Love your videos Brother. Am a subscriber from way back. 😊
I grew up in a fairly warm part part of Australia and honestly the only times I wear shoes are for work, or when I am walking somewhere that there are a lot of prickles, or on the bus because that is the dress code. My feet are so used to not wearing shoes that they tend to overheat when I have to wear them now, unless I’m in a cool environment. Seriously even then I rarely wear socks unless it’s a really chilly day. I think it’s just how you grow up.
I try and go barefoot as much as possible. Certainly around our block. Having vertigo it really has saved me a lot of mishaps and am constantly encouraged to do this by my rhuematolgist. It has so reduce the inflammation in my arthritic feet.
Aussie kids back in 70's, 60's and 50's especially usually grew up in 1/4 acre suburban backyards with ample lawn to run around in with a watering hose to spray at each other or run around in the lawn sprinkler. It is bred into us in our early years.
I have a home in the rainforest and, when I spent 10 years living in the desert, one of the things I missed the most was walking barefoot in the grass. Barefoot keeps you grounded...haha
I'm in Melbourne and never see ppl barefoot. It's more common in beach towns and country areas. Even in Qld where I grew up, I rarely went barefoot bc of hot bitumen, prickles & bees.
Oh good, I’m not the only person here in Melbourne who’s never gone barefoot, as a kid in the backyard or inside yes. Going out - never. Tight shoes, not for me lol, thongs, open sandal type nice ladies footwear, yeah.
I do some rock hopping at the beach , everytime I go there. No shoes. Did it as a child and do it now as a senior. I never knew that some people find that it has to have an explanation.
Haha growing up near Byron Bay in Australia it never really crossed my mind that me being barefoot all the time might be considered odd as everyone else was doing it too! Then i moved to the Gold Coast and yeah, went to the local IGA supermarket barefoot and didnt spot anyone else doing it lol
I live in rural Australia and regularly go barefoot. Just need to look down in summer for the occasional snake and the biting ants. I see barefooted people in the supermarkets all the time. It just feels so natural.
I grew up on a farm near a small town close to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Going to my small public school in the 1970's-80's, only a handful of kids wore shoes, even the girls. We all had feet like leather. The only "shoes" I actually owned was a pair of soccer boots and a pair of thongs. Schools now have shoes as compulsory for safety. Now I'm in my 50's I still prefer to be barefoot as often as I can. I grocery shop barefoot.
Growing up in the 60s we rarely wore shoes outside when playing and if we did venture further away from home maybe we would throw on a pair of thongs. Nowadays I am into my 60s and its pretty much the same except that its reversed ie. most of the time I wear thongs or sandals but in places like inside my own home or at the beach I will go barefoot. I personally wouldnt go shopping without having something on my feet but I do see people barefoot. I reckon not wearing shoes can be painful like on hot surfaces in the middle of summer, sharp gravel surfaces or when there are bindiis and catseyes in the grass etc. I have always lived close to the beach so its not something that I really thought very much about I just do it by habit. I think people who go into a shop barefooted often do it when they are doing some sort of outdoor activity just to grab something quickly. I also kick my thongs off when driving so I sometimes get out the car at a servo or a shop without putting them back on. Most people doing their weekly shop would probably wear shoes but people are free to do whatever they want as long as there are no dress rules for the place..
A lot of Aussie men go shirtless too but it's never mentioned. Many supermarkets and other large stores require footwear for safety reasons, even if it's just thongs, but thongs are more dangerous than bare feet. And some shirtless men are seriously ugly. When I HAVE to wear shoes I wear 'barefoot' shoes but when I'm out bush I wear thorn/snake proof boots. Everywhere else it's no shoes. All my feral kids are the same, but then their father's a blackfella. 😄
As an Aussie I don't find it odd or weird at all, I have trouble walking and have to use a stick, so I wear shoes when I'm out at the shops, but around the house I rarely wear shoes. I remember as a kid coming home from the pool on a hot summers day in bare feet, the road would be melting and you'd get the asphalt stuck on your feet, It just meant you got home a bit quicker because you were running to avoid the hot road, it never occurred to me to put shoes on.
Whether or not getting around in public areas with bare feet is culturally acceptable depends a lot on where you are in Australia. Walk into an inner city pub with bare feet and you might find yourself being dragged out by the bouncer. Again with supermarkets, you might get some disapproving looks depending on where you are. In other areas and parts of the country (especially warmer, more tropical areas) it's not a big deal. In beach areas it's not uncommon at all. People who think it's always acceptable everywhere in the country obviously don't get out much!
Having had one plantar wart on the bottom of my foot I would never walk in a public place without shoes or sandals or thongs. Plantar warts hurt like hell, take 4 or 5 painful freezings over a few months to remove properly. Not to mention all the broken glass on the streets.
Love the luxurious feeling of walking on thick mown grass and the feeling of walking on the earth. Thorns, ants, splinters, etc are minor inconveniences.
I was always told that going barefoot was good for your feet; it allows your feet to breathe, which helps stop (In most cases) the onset of tinea. When I was a young lad, it just felt natural to go around barefoot; the feeling of crunching your toes in dirt feels exhilarating, and it also feels great almost primal. Just have to watch out for three corner jacks and bindies.
As a kid I used to love summer holidays. I'd kick off my shoes and run everywhere barefoot. I knew it would take about a week for my soles to toughen-up so I could walk on broken glass, hot coals, black tar, and bindi burs. :)
The more often you wear shoes, the softer your feet become. Going barefoot is good for the health of your feet, it lets the air get at them, you can feel the earth with your feet, the sand, the sea and the grass, the textures. It’s easy to wash your feet and when you need to wear shoes, you can express your personal style. It’s not a big deal to Aussies, and we know where to walk so we don’t scald our feet. We can also carry thongs, just in case. Also, our aboriginal communities and the Aussies who live near and around them, also go barefoot, even in schools. I’m always barefoot at home! BTW, the people discussing this are British as well as Aussies. The etiquette lady is not representative of Aussies! She’s too posh to identify with the vast majority!
If you go barefoot all the time, stones and hot roads don't bother you. Your feet get tough. We never wore shoes growing up. One of my cousins, who lived in QLD, never owned a pair of shoes until he was 21, and needed them for a wedding.
As a child there used to be a certain time, late spring or early summer, when I could run barefoot on gravel, because my feet had toughened up enough. After that point getting cut by treading on glass or something rarely happened. I still love getting my shoes and socks off and just wandering out the door, enjoying the feeling in the soles of my feet.
You just to be careful stepping on bees in summer when you go barefoot. The professor was right - first thing I do when I get home is take the shoes off and go barefoot - it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is.
Growing up in the northern suburbs of Perth I lived very close to the beach, under 1km. I was rarely in shoes, at the most a pair of things (flip flops) but mostly barefoot. There were days you needed some kind of footwear otherwise you'd burn your feet, but I have many memories hopping from patches of shade and grass to get somewhere to avoid burning my feet. And the times I had to jump on my beach towel because the sand was too hot. After a while the soles of your feet become thicker and tougher and you can walk on much harsher surfaces without pain and you just don't get sweaty feet. But these days my feet have softened again and I pretty much wear shoes everywhere I go, but I am barefooted inside.
It is spiritually grounding to walk barefoot on the earth or grass, helping you to absorb the Earth's energy. It's all about frequency and it has a calming , healing effect.
Definitely love going barefooted but I also have boundaries 😂 I hate the cold weather because I have to enclose my feet 🦶& I hate that sensation. Strappy sandals, with high heels or not are do-able & of course thongs for casual but wrapping up in socks & boots is only ok when I’m horse riding or working on a property. Otherwise it’s as free as possible (with boundaries), especially in urban areas ✌🏼
Well when your swimming in the pool or beach and you have to quickly go to the shop to get beer and forget the snacks or food usually between 5 to ten times a day .would you like to put your shoes and socks on 10 times and then take them off 10 times in a day ..its easier to just go bare foot..
As an Australian I have to say unless I have to drive or go to the shops I’m barefoot. I grew up barefoot. Go out to play… barefoot. Ride a bike same. Even now I hate closed in shoes.
Every other country is just jealous that Australia is clean enough that we can walk around bare foot… there’s no broken glass and needles every 2ft lol unless your in Melbourne or any of the big cities!
It might depend on geography. I live inland and not only does the ground get so hot here that walking with bare feet could cause burns but there are also lots of nasty burrs here so walking on concreted or tarred areas would be too hot and on the land itself, there are heaps of nasty burrs and things that bite… like snakes and spiders. Boots, enclosed shoes and thongs are usually worn here for work and casual wear. In my personal opinion, bare foot is more of a coastal thing.
I've ended up with glass in my feet, been on bitumen so hot it had melted and stuck to my feet, been stung and bitten by things but just always thought that was normal? I used to be barefoot unless I was at work, it was just the normal thing to do. I only just found out recently that apparently it's an Aussie and Kiwi thing!
I'm not Australian - I live in Romania, a country located in Europe. But I like to go barefoot, because I don't like to wear any kind of shoes. My bare feet are the best shoes in the world, even now at 65 years old ! 🦶🏼☺🦶🏼
Depending on where in Australia you live, most of us have burned our feet at some time in the Summer. It's not just hot, it's scorching. That moment when you're dashing between say the safety of a towel on the sand and say the ocean or your car and you realise it's too far and you are burning. As I'm older, I'm slower so I definitely wear shoes these days to avoid the pain. I once walked on really soft sand between dunes with sandals on, on a 43°C day and my feet were sinking with each step and the sand was touching the sides of my feet and burning me even with shoes on, so I had to keep putting a towel down for relief. My friend, as a teen actually had 3rd degree burns from hot pavement, it's no joke.
The vast majority do it at the beach and the adjacent shops etc. Outside of that there is a "hard core" (small) group, who do it everywhere unless expressly forbidden, the souls of their feet become very hard and tough, heat (to a point), rocks etc. no worries to them. Fortunately, for them, we keep our streets clean so dangerous stuff (glass etc.), is less common than elsewhere. I was barefoot until around 14/15 (wore them at school tho), after that only beach or suburban/city park lands. Fun video, something to try when you come.
mum used to find it pretty much impossible to keep shoes on me outside of school when i was a kid haha. I'd just kick them off every time. i usually wear shoes outdoors now, but honestly i do miss the feeling of being barefoot a bit. it's nice to be able to remove your shoes occasionally and feel the ground or the grass beneath your feet.
Matt, m8, I am sure all your Aussie subscribers can tell already that you would love it here in Australia as you would fit right in. Your attitudes are so aligned with Aussie informalities and general culture. Love your vids m8. Cheers and thanks!
I basically spent 5 years at uni in bare feet. Went to Europe on a gap year afterwards and one day while walking around Scotland my boots and socks got soaked. That night in the hostel my entire caloused sole peeled off when I took off my shoes and socks. It was about 3mm thick-just dead, calloused skin with an entire, very tender, new sole underneath. I have never again developed that level of protection but I still have getting back to being able to manage pebbled roads, hot sand and bindies without my shoes on as a life goal.
I grew up living and working on an Australian dirt farm- and went barefoot at home every summer of my childhood. Our late poet Les Murray was born 1937 in Nabiac, rural New South Wales, grew up on his father’s dairy farm at Bunyah. He minded cattle, barefoot in winter, and remembered how he got a delicious brief respite from the cold by jumping in fresh cowpats. His poems celebrate the environments of childhood, the farm and its creatures, which he loved. He wrote that he also went to primary school barefoot. as many kids then in central to northern NSW did. But we never went to school barefoot in Southern Victoria, but that was in a later era,so maybe my father did? Hot Roads Barefoot? He put it poems - The Filo Soles” earmarks the time when “tar roads came” into the speaker’s existence, when he was young and barefoot. THE FILO SOLES “When tar roads came in barefoot age crossing them was hell with the sun at full rage.” Kids learned to dip their feet in the black and quench with dust, dip again, and back in the dust, to form a dark layered crust and carry quick soles over the worst annealing their leather though many splash scornfully across, to flayed ground. My siblings and I used to do similarly on the dirt farm, only with caked-on foot-inked soles of thick mud.
I remember growing up in the 70s and getting used to the hot ground and hot sand was simply a right of passage, something you had to adapt to. It was considered whimpy to not confront and adapt, and use shoes or thongs all the time. Gotta toughen up for those Bindies too. 😉
I never even had any thongs as a child, just sandals for visiting or church, and gumgoots for breaking the winter ice puddles! I have burnt my feet on tarred roads, that's part of an Australian summer, and sometimes walked on the sides of my feet too! After standing all day on heels, I rip them off, then stand or walk on grass or a road for a few minutes, its like a massage! I once had a photographer ask to take a picture of my perfect feet - before I took up high heels for the office! Shoes are frequently a status symbol, but not healthy or practical! Except maybe Scholl's! 😁🤣😫
I used to go barefoot in Summer since I was a kid. As an adult I only did it on weekends and at home because footwear was required at work. It's more a matter of personal preference but it is healthier.
If you are at home, why on earth would you encase your feet in something that will make your feet and shoes stink because of the heat? Feet are healthier when unrestricted. As one of 8 kids with broke parents. I never owned school shoes until high school, grade 8. I also walked to school and home. We looked for the cool parts of the street, jumped over concrete or tarmac, walked on grass and found out the hard way where all the bindi's and Burrs were. Townsville was so hot that the rain steamed up straight off the roads, as soon as it fell and the nights were often just as hot. Instantly hotter, muggy, Didn't cool anything unless it rained for hours or ages. Cloud cover keeps the ground cool. Cloudless skies allow the ground to heat up which stays warm well into the evening. Air-con was not common when I was a Kid, now it is everywhere. We loved walking into a shopping centre and cooling our feet on the floor.
It’s mostly too cold to go barefoot in Melbourne… but nobody puts shoes on after the beach. Who wants sand in their shoes? I’m actually finding it weird that people think that going barefoot is weird.
The main reason why we go barefoot is because our feet get too hot. If you get too hot your feet will swell up in your shoes. Hence the need to get one's shoes off as fast as possible when one gets home. You have to remember that Australia is a very hot country in summer. Exposed dirt can easily reach 50 plus degrees Celcius and rocks, bricks, etc get even hotter as they trap heat within themselves. This alone explains why people walk on grass barefoot in summer, as the grass is way cooler than dirt. Cities are way too hot and all that concrete and bitumen traps heat, making it impossible to walk anywhere barefoot. Suburbs are more open with a lot more grassed lawns, so people can indeed go barefoot. I actually only own 2 pairs of shoes. A pair of sneakers which are waterproof - meaning they also are not breathable which means they trap heat in the shoe. Great for wearing in winter when ground temperatures are so much colder. And a pair of canvas or tennis shoes. The canvas shoes are breathable and I wear them in spring/summer/autumn when the weather is hot. I only am barefoot at home. Keeping your feet slightly chilled in the colder months is actually good for your immune system. Having one's feet squished into shoes is bad for your feet. Your toes can't spread out as they are designed to do and over time you will end up with damaged feet and bones. All of this is not thought about consciously by us down here. Its a subconscious reaction to our environment and to the needs of our feet and hence why we look down to avoid treading on bees on clover flowers in summer and try to avoid the spots with prickles in them, etc.
I’m in my mid 60’s and as an Aussie kid I spent most of my childhood barefoot to the point where we didn’t wear shoes to school either. Wasn’t till high school where it was compulsory to wear shoes. 8:51
I am on the coast in Forster NSW and footwear is optional pretty much everywhere except the Pub and Restaurants. Even in Primary School we barely wore shoes.
I live in Melbourne. It’s more common to be barefoot in public more often in warmer states further north but I never wear shoes at home, indoors or our. Who could be bothered. My husband, who is less affected by the cold than I, will regularly go barefoot around the place. He finds it more comfortable to do so, where I just get cold unless it’s summer.
Going straight from the beach in your swimming suit, wet hair and no shoes is done all the time 😂😂👏👍💕💗🇦🇺 you just have to love 💕 us. It’s the most freeing feeling ever when you get to the point of doing it without thinking 👍💕💗🇦🇺🇦🇺
I grew up in Australia but now live in Scotland. As a kid, was barefoot most of the time, and junior sports (except cricket) was always barefoot. My friends in Scotland shake their heads when they see see me barefoot at home in the middle of winter, and in summer I will try to go barefoot in parks or at beaches or lochs whenever possible. It just is.
As kids growing up in a coastal town of WA barefoot most of the time , only wore shoes if we had too. Even when at school would take off my shoes and ran around barefoot. Family visited my father's family in Rotterdam for 6mths, my brother ran around outside barefoot while there.. a neighbour come over asked mum if she would be able use these shoes that her son did not need , she had noticed that my brother never had shoes on. Lady thought we were very low income family. Mum tried to explain that it was normal in Australia for kids not wear shoes outside when playing.
I live in Sydney, Australia. I only go barefoot down at the beach or after a big night out wearing high heel shoes- that you end up taking off after a while because your feet are aching. It’s either thongs or like right now - my Ugg boots.
I’m self employed in what I guess you’d call a family business, my father signed it over to me when he supposedly retired at 65 but after a year of pottering around he turned up on the workshop doorstep and wouldn’t go away (he’s 80 now) and now he either comes out with me on jobs or help’s my brother make security screens in the workshop but one of the stories he loves to tell( like it’s the first time he’s ever told us) is when he was in primary school in Bowen Hills (basically Brisbane City) and the Queen visited their school and they all had a photograph together and that none of the kids had shoes 👞 on…..OMG he loves telling that story 🥰
I went to New York with my film school class (we're from Melbourne). We were standing outside our B&B in Brooklyn, while one of the barefoot hipsters in my class had a cigarette. And a local yelled at him "Ay! Put some some shoes on man! People sh*t on the sidewalk!" 😂🤣 ... he wore shoes the rest of the trip lol
Yep, Perth dweller here. I go barefoot whenever it's above 20 degrees or not raining. On the 40+ degree days it can be too hot on bitumen or dark surfaces like paving. But if you barefoot everywhere your feet get "tougher" and it doesn't effect them as much. Still gotta be careful in height of summer. As for places... never go barefoot to a toilet or a pub (though once seated at a table at pub can kick thongs off.) First is gross, second is for broken glass.
As a teenager I would go bare foot winter and summer, to the shops, to the drive in and even sometimes grape picking. Now in my fifties I suffer from cracked heels if they get too much exposure. I did think it was just normal to be barefoot a lot of the time. That woman and her opinions is up herself and does not represent rural Australia or Adelaide as I see quite a few barefoot people here in SA
Still fascinates me, I’m from Melbourne and I’ve never seen anyone go barefoot, I guess some do. I guess some do, I don’t even know anyone who goes barefoot
was visiting my dad in Spain. was a hot lazy day. Convenience store directly across the road. was met with looks of judgment upon my return for not wearing shoes in public & walking on dirty streets. I felt very Australian that day. lol
I stay barefoot, but living in the States, shoes are required for any store, restaurant, etc. I literally own 2 pairs of shoes - flip flops and a pair of rubber boots for the rain and winter months 😂
Trust me mate, if you come and live down here for any length of time you will embrace the idea of taking your shoes off for sure. It is more so a sign of freedom to take your shoes off and feel the ground under you as you walk. however, most aussies will put on their shoes when leaving the house for whatever reason and many will just put on a pair of throngs. But the freedom of walking barefoot is a great feeling we have down here because there is MUCH more sunshine, much less snow, rain etc. So walking barefoot is normal to us.
People in the American Southern states did this often during the summer. I used to do it as a child but stopped the practice after stepping on a small piece of glass . Had to be taken to the emergency room
Never knew it was a eye opener for some people. I only noticed when I did it on my many trips to Europe that people would question me about it. It seems to me that it seems to be a Sydney to Brisbane and beyond thing, I don`t think that its a Melbourne or Canberra thing. Dont know about Adelaide or Perth but here in Sydney this is been around the 50`s.
It's obvious to me that I've been missing out the last 70 odd yrs not venturing outdoors barefoot ,it's almost un Australian to have not done so . This oversight will be rectified immediately, I'm off to the shops minus shoes without delay ,and if it goes well and I feel free and invigorated next time I'll go bare arsed , I've heard it's a good way to attract Sheila's and keep flies of your face at the same time . .
Very common in warm coastal and hot areas. Not as common in the cooler southern areas like where I live cos your feet get cold but not unusual particularly in summer. The soles of your feet toughen up and sticks rocks etc dont hurt. Nothing feels better than warm grass or sand between your toes I dont wear shoes much at all unless its too cold or I have to go out somewhere. Thongs at a minimum if Im just going to the shop or to friends for a casual visit. Otherwise proper shoes to work etc. I think that bloke was talking a lot of bollocks and doesnt go far beyond inner city and university and his beach holiday when he would have either thongs or trainers at the very minimum. Local indigenous people didnt have shoes and were just fine til Europeans turned up. Shoes were also unaffordable for a long time so unless you had money they werent used 24/7. Old photos often show the kids shoeless both in cities and in the bush. Dad had the boots because he was working. Kids shoes came out for church school (if they were lucky) and visiting. So in general "we" grew up used to not wearing shoes and it was feasible because of our climate. Your feet toughen up so the worst that would happen is that they get dirty or you tread in something unfortunate. So you learn to watch where youre walking and everything washes off. Putting closed in shoes back on after going barefoot a lot is claustrophobic
Growing up in the country the ONLY time I had shoes on was for school. I'd walk and ride my bike barefoot, even through bushland. I'd find that if I had shoes on, sure, I could stand on whatever, but I felt almost like I was walking around with my eyes closed. Now as an adult I'll wear shoes in public because I don't trust what someone might have dropped, and I'll wear them hiking because I'm prone to sprained ankles, but I'll be constantly kicking things I think because my brain just doesn't realize how much more I need to lift my feet when I have shoes on. I still walk around my mum's farm barefoot, unless I'm working with my horse. Being able to properly feel the ground makes more sense to me.... and I find now if my feet are hot, the rest of me is hot, so I spend probably 95% of my time barefoot, summer, winter 🤷 I always thought it was a country kid thing, didn't realise it was an Australian thing till maybe 5 years ago. Also, especially for women, it's a good thing to be barefoot often because often women wear shoes that are very tight in the toes, causing things like bunions. Though really people, stop wearing uncomfortable shoes just because society thinks you should!
Having been born and raised in North Queensland, ( it gets bloody hot up here 🙂) you come to appreciate how cool/cold the floor tiles are in the supermarkets when your feet are HOT! lol.. Slipped off my thongs/shoes in many supermarkets (and cinemas) over the years 🙂 Air con is a wonderful thing lol Cheers from Australia 🙂
I think it comes from when we were kids our parents made us play outside a lot mostly barefoot. Climbing trees and playing footy, riding bikes. Unless you had bindis, you’d do everything barefoot. 😎
It's just so normal! For me started as a kid in the 80s houses and backyards were bigger. You would run in and out of the house, then some friends of yours would walk past you wouldn't bother putting shoes on you just join them walking to the school for a game of soccer, then you would end up at local shops and get fish and chips go walk to another mate's house someone comes up with the idea to walk through the bush and you end up at the shopping centre go see a movie. It was just so normal, you spend the whole day wondering around with no shoes, nothing bad happens. So it's never a priority to put them on. I thought it was normal until I move to Germany at 17. It's definitely not normal to leave the house even if you just go to the end of the street to put the bottles in the recycling. I had people yelling at me from their house, we also had Neighbours visit my parents to check on our welfare 😂 And I've been out in the outback with Aboriginals where I learn a trick if the ground gets too hot. They ended up pulling the long sleeves off their shirt and wrapped them around their feet. Because the Red and rocks King get to hot when it's 45 degrees when you're looking for a water hole to swim in.
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To be a real aussie during the summer you need to know what it is like doing the well known "ahh fuck its hot " dance while crossing the lava covered road, or trying to avoid bindies hiding in the grass waiting to hitch a ride in your foot. Or racing, hopping across the sand as quick as you can to the water before your feet melt off.
It get so hot the road melts and the tar sticks to your thongs... or with some people sticks to your foot.
People dont go barefoot in the city. Its in the suburbs.
Yes the Beach sand boogie without burning your feet to get back to the car LOL
I've seen people barefoot in Adelaide's CBD in the summer.
As an Aussie, i've been doing this for 37 years, never questioned it and am just now finding out it's an "Australian culture" thing!
👍.. Join the culture brother. I couldn't give a sh!t what people wear on their feet, if they want problems with their feet from shoes, that's up to them.
Same. Any time I've been forced to wear shoes excessively, my feet end up stinking by the end of the day
Same. I grew up in the 1970s and at my little school of 50 students, only a handful ever wore any footwear to school. I only owned soccer boots and thongs. I still go barefoot as often as I can. I only wear footwear if there's a possibility I need to use a public toilet.
@@abekane7038 Yes, certainly don't have that problem with barefeet
Hell, I live in Indiana and I go barefoot every chance I get
Hi ,in my fifties now and still barefoot everywhere, summer winter, way easier to to walk in mud and its really good for you ,haven't been sick in years, love and light to everyone from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤
ancient
I'm always barefoot.. I didn't actually realize it was weird until I saw these reactions from around the world..🤣 Who knew
Because it feels good! Love doing it. In Melbourne btw.
I only really were shoes while I'm at work or if I'm doing stuff in the garden where using tools could be a risk without them, after a few years your feet get thick I've stepped on small bits of glass or metal before and it's not gone through the calouse and the only time I can think of having any serious injury to my feet would be when I got a splinter from an unfinished floor at my mums place
If you were unaware, shoes are genuinely bad for your feet, they aren't designed to be squeezed into a little box all the time.
Personally I wear thongs 90% of the time, unless I need better footwear for work or something, and I live in Melbourne where it's cold, you get used to it really quickly as long as you have decent circulation.
Midsummer you don't wanna be walking about on the road barefoot, unless you enjoy literal burns on your feet, but concrete is no issue.
@bacorable That's a horrible thing to say about your wife, mate :P
I live in the coastal town of Warrnambool in Victoria. So seeing people barefoot is normal. Over the last 5 days Ive seen 4 people in the supermarket going barefoot. Its optional thats all. No biggie. Its also a part of our culture from today and way back in Aboriginal culture. Im Aboriginal as well. Living on my land in Warrnambool which is Peek wurrong clan and Gunditjmara Nation country. Love your videos Brother. Am a subscriber from way back. 😊
I love your Country
I grew up in a fairly warm part part of Australia and honestly the only times I wear shoes are for work, or when I am walking somewhere that there are a lot of prickles, or on the bus because that is the dress code. My feet are so used to not wearing shoes that they tend to overheat when I have to wear them now, unless I’m in a cool environment. Seriously even then I rarely wear socks unless it’s a really chilly day. I think it’s just how you grow up.
Same😀
I try and go barefoot as much as possible. Certainly around our block. Having vertigo it really has saved me a lot of mishaps and am constantly encouraged to do this by my rhuematolgist. It has so reduce the inflammation in my arthritic feet.
I never thought about it....but Australia is definitely a leisure country
Aussie kids back in 70's, 60's and 50's especially usually grew up in 1/4 acre suburban backyards with ample lawn to run around in with a watering hose to spray at each other or run around in the lawn sprinkler. It is bred into us in our early years.
I have a home in the rainforest and, when I spent 10 years living in the desert, one of the things I missed the most was walking barefoot in the grass. Barefoot keeps you grounded...haha
I'm in Melbourne and never see ppl barefoot. It's more common in beach towns and country areas. Even in Qld where I grew up, I rarely went barefoot bc of hot bitumen, prickles & bees.
Oh good, I’m not the only person here in Melbourne who’s never gone barefoot, as a kid in the backyard or inside yes. Going out - never. Tight shoes, not for me lol, thongs, open sandal type nice ladies footwear, yeah.
I do some rock hopping at the beach , everytime I go there. No shoes. Did it as a child and do it now as a senior. I never knew that some people find that it has to have an explanation.
Haha growing up near Byron Bay in Australia it never really crossed my mind that me being barefoot all the time might be considered odd as everyone else was doing it too!
Then i moved to the Gold Coast and yeah, went to the local IGA supermarket barefoot and didnt spot anyone else doing it lol
I live in rural Australia and regularly go barefoot. Just need to look down in summer for the occasional snake and the biting ants. I see barefooted people in the supermarkets all the time. It just feels so natural.
I grew up on a farm near a small town close to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Going to my small public school in the 1970's-80's, only a handful of kids wore shoes, even the girls. We all had feet like leather. The only "shoes" I actually owned was a pair of soccer boots and a pair of thongs. Schools now have shoes as compulsory for safety. Now I'm in my 50's I still prefer to be barefoot as often as I can. I grocery shop barefoot.
Growing up in the 60s we rarely wore shoes outside when playing and if we did venture further away from home maybe we would throw on a pair of thongs. Nowadays I am into my 60s and its pretty much the same except that its reversed ie. most of the time I wear thongs or sandals but in places like inside my own home or at the beach I will go barefoot. I personally wouldnt go shopping without having something on my feet but I do see people barefoot. I reckon not wearing shoes can be painful like on hot surfaces in the middle of summer, sharp gravel surfaces or when there are bindiis and catseyes in the grass etc. I have always lived close to the beach so its not something that I really thought very much about I just do it by habit. I think people who go into a shop barefooted often do it when they are doing some sort of outdoor activity just to grab something quickly. I also kick my thongs off when driving so I sometimes get out the car at a servo or a shop without putting them back on. Most people doing their weekly shop would probably wear shoes but people are free to do whatever they want as long as there are no dress rules for the place..
A lot of Aussie men go shirtless too but it's never mentioned. Many supermarkets and other large stores require footwear for safety reasons, even if it's just thongs, but thongs are more dangerous than bare feet. And some shirtless men are seriously ugly. When I HAVE to wear shoes I wear 'barefoot' shoes but when I'm out bush I wear thorn/snake proof boots. Everywhere else it's no shoes. All my feral kids are the same, but then their father's a blackfella. 😄
As an Aussie I don't find it odd or weird at all, I have trouble walking and have to use a stick, so I wear shoes when I'm out at the shops, but around the house I rarely wear shoes. I remember as a kid coming home from the pool on a hot summers day in bare feet, the road would be melting and you'd get the asphalt stuck on your feet, It just meant you got home a bit quicker because you were running to avoid the hot road, it never occurred to me to put shoes on.
Whether or not getting around in public areas with bare feet is culturally acceptable depends a lot on where you are in Australia. Walk into an inner city pub with bare feet and you might find yourself being dragged out by the bouncer. Again with supermarkets, you might get some disapproving looks depending on where you are. In other areas and parts of the country (especially warmer, more tropical areas) it's not a big deal. In beach areas it's not uncommon at all. People who think it's always acceptable everywhere in the country obviously don't get out much!
Having had one plantar wart on the bottom of my foot I would never walk in a public place without shoes or sandals or thongs. Plantar warts hurt like hell, take 4 or 5 painful freezings over a few months to remove properly. Not to mention all the broken glass on the streets.
Love the luxurious feeling of walking on thick mown grass and the feeling of walking on the earth. Thorns, ants, splinters, etc are minor inconveniences.
I was always told that going barefoot was good for your feet; it allows your feet to breathe, which helps stop (In most cases) the onset of tinea. When I was a young lad, it just felt natural to go around barefoot; the feeling of crunching your toes in dirt feels exhilarating, and it also feels great almost primal. Just have to watch out for three corner jacks and bindies.
As a kid I used to love summer holidays. I'd kick off my shoes and run everywhere barefoot. I knew it would take about a week for my soles to toughen-up so I could walk on broken glass, hot coals, black tar, and bindi burs. :)
I just made almost the identical comment without seeing yours first!
Wasn’t that a lovely bit of every summer as an Aussie kid?
I used to walk bare footed as a kid / teen. The bindi's always pissed me off though.
The more often you wear shoes, the softer your feet become. Going barefoot is good for the health of your feet, it lets the air get at them, you can feel the earth with your feet, the sand, the sea and the grass, the textures. It’s easy to wash your feet and when you need to wear shoes, you can express your personal style. It’s not a big deal to Aussies, and we know where to walk so we don’t scald our feet. We can also carry thongs, just in case. Also, our aboriginal communities and the Aussies who live near and around them, also go barefoot, even in schools.
I’m always barefoot at home!
BTW, the people discussing this are British as well as Aussies. The etiquette lady is not representative of Aussies! She’s too posh to identify with the vast majority!
If you go barefoot all the time, stones and hot roads don't bother you. Your feet get tough. We never wore shoes growing up. One of my cousins, who lived in QLD, never owned a pair of shoes until he was 21, and needed them for a wedding.
👍...😎...👍
As a child there used to be a certain time, late spring or early summer, when I could run barefoot on gravel, because my feet had toughened up enough. After that point getting cut by treading on glass or something rarely happened.
I still love getting my shoes and socks off and just wandering out the door, enjoying the feeling in the soles of my feet.
You just to be careful stepping on bees in summer when you go barefoot. The professor was right - first thing I do when I get home is take the shoes off and go barefoot - it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is.
Growing up in the northern suburbs of Perth I lived very close to the beach, under 1km. I was rarely in shoes, at the most a pair of things (flip flops) but mostly barefoot. There were days you needed some kind of footwear otherwise you'd burn your feet, but I have many memories hopping from patches of shade and grass to get somewhere to avoid burning my feet. And the times I had to jump on my beach towel because the sand was too hot. After a while the soles of your feet become thicker and tougher and you can walk on much harsher surfaces without pain and you just don't get sweaty feet. But these days my feet have softened again and I pretty much wear shoes everywhere I go, but I am barefooted inside.
Haha.. me too these days... barefooted inside.
It is spiritually grounding to walk barefoot on the earth or grass, helping you to absorb the Earth's energy. It's all about frequency and it has a calming , healing effect.
Definitely love going barefooted but I also have boundaries 😂
I hate the cold weather because I have to enclose my feet 🦶& I hate that sensation. Strappy sandals, with high heels or not are do-able & of course thongs for casual but wrapping up in socks & boots is only ok when I’m horse riding or working on a property. Otherwise it’s as free as possible (with boundaries), especially in urban areas ✌🏼
Well when your swimming in the pool or beach and you have to quickly go to the shop to get beer and forget the snacks or food usually between 5 to ten times a day .would you like to put your shoes and socks on 10 times and then take them off 10 times in a day ..its easier to just go bare foot..
As an Australian I have to say unless I have to drive or go to the shops I’m barefoot. I grew up barefoot. Go out to play… barefoot. Ride a bike same. Even now I hate closed in shoes.
Every other country is just jealous that Australia is clean enough that we can walk around bare foot… there’s no broken glass and needles every 2ft lol unless your in Melbourne or any of the big cities!
It might depend on geography. I live inland and not only does the ground get so hot here that walking with bare feet could cause burns but there are also lots of nasty burrs here so walking on concreted or tarred areas would be too hot and on the land itself, there are heaps of nasty burrs and things that bite… like snakes and spiders. Boots, enclosed shoes and thongs are usually worn here for work and casual wear. In my personal opinion, bare foot is more of a coastal thing.
I agree.
I've ended up with glass in my feet, been on bitumen so hot it had melted and stuck to my feet, been stung and bitten by things but just always thought that was normal? I used to be barefoot unless I was at work, it was just the normal thing to do. I only just found out recently that apparently it's an Aussie and Kiwi thing!
I'm not Australian - I live in Romania, a country located in Europe. But I like to go barefoot, because I don't like to wear any kind of shoes. My bare feet are the best shoes in the world, even now at 65 years old ! 🦶🏼☺🦶🏼
Depending on where in Australia you live, most of us have burned our feet at some time in the Summer. It's not just hot, it's scorching. That moment when you're dashing between say the safety of a towel on the sand and say the ocean or your car and you realise it's too far and you are burning. As I'm older, I'm slower so I definitely wear shoes these days to avoid the pain. I once walked on really soft sand between dunes with sandals on, on a 43°C day and my feet were sinking with each step and the sand was touching the sides of my feet and burning me even with shoes on, so I had to keep putting a towel down for relief. My friend, as a teen actually had 3rd degree burns from hot pavement, it's no joke.
The vast majority do it at the beach and the adjacent shops etc. Outside of that there is a "hard core" (small) group, who do it everywhere unless expressly forbidden, the souls of their feet become very hard and tough, heat (to a point), rocks etc. no worries to them. Fortunately, for them, we keep our streets clean so dangerous stuff (glass etc.), is less common than elsewhere. I was barefoot until around 14/15 (wore them at school tho), after that only beach or suburban/city park lands. Fun video, something to try when you come.
mum used to find it pretty much impossible to keep shoes on me outside of school when i was a kid haha. I'd just kick them off every time.
i usually wear shoes outdoors now, but honestly i do miss the feeling of being barefoot a bit. it's nice to be able to remove your shoes occasionally and feel the ground or the grass beneath your feet.
I love going barefoot. Your feet feel free and comfortable. We don't care where you want to go barefoot. Heaps of people go to supermarket barefoot.
Matt, m8, I am sure all your Aussie subscribers can tell already that you would love it here in Australia as you would fit right in. Your attitudes are so aligned with Aussie informalities and general culture.
Love your vids m8.
Cheers and thanks!
I only go barefoot at home.
Nearly 63 Aussie
Because we played outside barefoot as kids. If it's hot weather, why not😅
I basically spent 5 years at uni in bare feet.
Went to Europe on a gap year afterwards and one day while walking around Scotland my boots and socks got soaked. That night in the hostel my entire caloused sole peeled off when I took off my shoes and socks. It was about 3mm thick-just dead, calloused skin with an entire, very tender, new sole underneath.
I have never again developed that level of protection but I still have getting back to being able to manage pebbled roads, hot sand and bindies without my shoes on as a life goal.
In suburban Perth (Australia's fourth largest city) it is very common to see people of all ages walking bare footed.
Not just in Australia I do it too cos my feet get hot so hate shoes in summer
I grew up living and working on an Australian dirt farm- and went barefoot at home every summer of my childhood. Our late poet Les Murray was born 1937 in Nabiac, rural New South Wales, grew up on his father’s dairy farm at Bunyah. He minded cattle, barefoot in winter, and remembered how he got a delicious brief respite from the cold by jumping in fresh cowpats. His poems celebrate the environments of childhood, the farm and its creatures, which he loved. He wrote that he also went to primary school barefoot. as many kids then in central to northern NSW did. But we never went to school barefoot in Southern Victoria, but that was in a later era,so maybe my father did?
Hot Roads Barefoot? He put it poems - The Filo Soles” earmarks the time when “tar roads came” into the speaker’s existence, when he was young and barefoot.
THE FILO SOLES
“When tar roads came
in barefoot age
crossing them was hell
with the sun at full rage.”
Kids learned to dip
their feet in the black
and quench with dust,
dip again, and back
in the dust, to form
a dark layered crust
and carry quick soles
over the worst
annealing their leather
though many splash scornfully
across, to flayed ground.
My siblings and I used to do similarly on the dirt farm, only with caked-on foot-inked soles of thick mud.
I remember growing up in the 70s and getting used to the hot ground and hot sand was simply a right of passage, something you had to adapt to. It was considered whimpy to not confront and adapt, and use shoes or thongs all the time. Gotta toughen up for those Bindies too. 😉
Haha. I was just walking barefoot around Sandon Point (W,gong) over the same rocks the barefoot movement bloke walked this morning.
I never even had any thongs as a child, just sandals for visiting or church, and gumgoots for breaking the winter ice puddles! I have burnt my feet on tarred roads, that's part of an Australian summer, and sometimes walked on the sides of my feet too! After standing all day on heels, I rip them off, then stand or walk on grass or a road for a few minutes, its like a massage! I once had a photographer ask to take a picture of my perfect feet - before I took up high heels for the office! Shoes are frequently a status symbol, but not healthy or practical! Except maybe Scholl's! 😁🤣😫
If the pavement is to hot ya just walk on the white line's in the car park or on the road. Usually at the beach. 🙂
I used to go barefoot in Summer since I was a kid. As an adult I only did it on weekends and at home because footwear was required at work. It's more a matter of personal preference but it is healthier.
If you are at home, why on earth would you encase your feet in something that will make your feet and shoes stink because of the heat? Feet are healthier when unrestricted. As one of 8 kids with broke parents. I never owned school shoes until high school, grade 8. I also walked to school and home. We looked for the cool parts of the street, jumped over concrete or tarmac, walked on grass and found out the hard way where all the bindi's and Burrs were. Townsville was so hot that the rain steamed up straight off the roads, as soon as it fell and the nights were often just as hot. Instantly hotter, muggy, Didn't cool anything unless it rained for hours or ages. Cloud cover keeps the ground cool. Cloudless skies allow the ground to heat up which stays warm well into the evening. Air-con was not common when I was a Kid, now it is everywhere. We loved walking into a shopping centre and cooling our feet on the floor.
It’s mostly too cold to go barefoot in Melbourne… but nobody puts shoes on after the beach. Who wants sand in their shoes? I’m actually finding it weird that people think that going barefoot is weird.
The main reason why we go barefoot is because our feet get too hot. If you get too hot your feet will swell up in your shoes. Hence the need to get one's shoes off as fast as possible when one gets home. You have to remember that Australia is a very hot country in summer. Exposed dirt can easily reach 50 plus degrees Celcius and rocks, bricks, etc get even hotter as they trap heat within themselves. This alone explains why people walk on grass barefoot in summer, as the grass is way cooler than dirt. Cities are way too hot and all that concrete and bitumen traps heat, making it impossible to walk anywhere barefoot. Suburbs are more open with a lot more grassed lawns, so people can indeed go barefoot. I actually only own 2 pairs of shoes. A pair of sneakers which are waterproof - meaning they also are not breathable which means they trap heat in the shoe. Great for wearing in winter when ground temperatures are so much colder. And a pair of canvas or tennis shoes. The canvas shoes are breathable and I wear them in spring/summer/autumn when the weather is hot. I only am barefoot at home. Keeping your feet slightly chilled in the colder months is actually good for your immune system. Having one's feet squished into shoes is bad for your feet. Your toes can't spread out as they are designed to do and over time you will end up with damaged feet and bones. All of this is not thought about consciously by us down here. Its a subconscious reaction to our environment and to the needs of our feet and hence why we look down to avoid treading on bees on clover flowers in summer and try to avoid the spots with prickles in them, etc.
I wear shoes when I have to but I can’t drive with shoes on
👍. And don't let anyone try to tell you it's illegal to drive barefoot.
I’m in my mid 60’s and as an Aussie kid I spent most of my childhood barefoot to the point where we didn’t wear shoes to school either. Wasn’t till high school where it was compulsory to wear shoes. 8:51
I am on the coast in Forster NSW and footwear is optional pretty much everywhere except the Pub and Restaurants. Even in Primary School we barely wore shoes.
I live in Melbourne. It’s more common to be barefoot in public more often in warmer states further north but I never wear shoes at home, indoors or our. Who could be bothered. My husband, who is less affected by the cold than I, will regularly go barefoot around the place. He finds it more comfortable to do so, where I just get cold unless it’s summer.
Going straight from the beach in your swimming suit, wet hair and no shoes is done all the time 😂😂👏👍💕💗🇦🇺 you just have to love 💕 us. It’s the most freeing feeling ever when you get to the point of doing it without thinking 👍💕💗🇦🇺🇦🇺
I grew up in Australia but now live in Scotland. As a kid, was barefoot most of the time, and junior sports (except cricket) was always barefoot. My friends in Scotland shake their heads when they see see me barefoot at home in the middle of winter, and in summer I will try to go barefoot in parks or at beaches or lochs whenever possible. It just is.
As kids growing up in a coastal town of WA barefoot most of the time , only wore shoes if we had too. Even when at school would take off my shoes and ran around barefoot. Family visited my father's family in Rotterdam for 6mths, my brother ran around outside barefoot while there.. a neighbour come over asked mum if she would be able use these shoes that her son did not need , she had noticed that my brother never had shoes on. Lady thought we were very low income family. Mum tried to explain that it was normal in Australia for kids not wear shoes outside when playing.
I live in Sydney, Australia. I only go barefoot down at the beach or after a big night out wearing high heel shoes- that you end up taking off after a while because your feet are aching. It’s either thongs or like right now - my Ugg boots.
I’m self employed in what I guess you’d call a family business, my father signed it over to me when he supposedly retired at 65 but after a year of pottering around he turned up on the workshop doorstep and wouldn’t go away (he’s 80 now) and now he either comes out with me on jobs or help’s my brother make security screens in the workshop but one of the stories he loves to tell( like it’s the first time he’s ever told us) is when he was in primary school in Bowen Hills (basically Brisbane City) and the Queen visited their school and they all had a photograph together and that none of the kids had shoes 👞 on…..OMG he loves telling that story 🥰
I went to New York with my film school class (we're from Melbourne).
We were standing outside our B&B in Brooklyn, while one of the barefoot hipsters in my class had a cigarette. And a local yelled at him "Ay! Put some some shoes on man! People sh*t on the sidewalk!" 😂🤣
... he wore shoes the rest of the trip lol
I always walk around barefoot lol
I'm 60 and live in suburban Melbourne, and I have no issues walking the half mile to the shops barefoot
Always. Even walked the Gunung Mulu in Borneo barefoot
Yeah well, I live in the bush and I can’t walk around barefoot outside lol
Cat heads and prickly pear makes it impossible lol
I grew up in south Florida and I went barefoot everywhere. just felt right.
Yep, Perth dweller here. I go barefoot whenever it's above 20 degrees or not raining. On the 40+ degree days it can be too hot on bitumen or dark surfaces like paving. But if you barefoot everywhere your feet get "tougher" and it doesn't effect them as much. Still gotta be careful in height of summer.
As for places... never go barefoot to a toilet or a pub (though once seated at a table at pub can kick thongs off.) First is gross, second is for broken glass.
As a teenager I would go bare foot winter and summer, to the shops, to the drive in and even sometimes grape picking. Now in my fifties I suffer from cracked heels if they get too much exposure. I did think it was just normal to be barefoot a lot of the time. That woman and her opinions is up herself and does not represent rural Australia or Adelaide as I see quite a few barefoot people here in SA
I'm barefoot heaps, despise shoes! lol
Still fascinates me, I’m from Melbourne and I’ve never seen anyone go barefoot, I guess some do. I guess some do, I don’t even know anyone who goes barefoot
Yes, not something I would do in Melbourne. It doesn’t lend itself to it the way other areas of Australia do.
@@Bellas1717 oh, so it’s not a Melbourne thing - so I’m normal? 😂, Don’t ask my kids that lol
was visiting my dad in Spain. was a hot lazy day. Convenience store directly across the road. was met with looks of judgment upon my return for not wearing shoes in public & walking on dirty streets. I felt very Australian that day. lol
I stay barefoot, but living in the States, shoes are required for any store, restaurant, etc. I literally own 2 pairs of shoes - flip flops and a pair of rubber boots for the rain and winter months 😂
It's a beachside thing. I've never done it but have seen it in beach suburbs in Australia.
because we can, and I have been doing this for 65 years, but the younger gen are trying to stop this.
Trust me mate, if you come and live down here for any length of time you will embrace the idea of taking your shoes off for sure. It is more so a sign of freedom to take your shoes off and feel the ground under you as you walk. however, most aussies will put on their shoes when leaving the house for whatever reason and many will just put on a pair of throngs. But the freedom of walking barefoot is a great feeling we have down here because there is MUCH more sunshine, much less snow, rain etc. So walking barefoot is normal to us.
Because we can
People in the American Southern states did this often during the summer.
I used to do it as a child but stopped the practice after stepping on a small piece of glass . Had to be taken to the emergency room
Never knew it was a eye opener for some people. I only noticed when I did it on my many trips to Europe that people would question me about it. It seems to me that it seems to be a Sydney to Brisbane and beyond thing, I don`t think that its a Melbourne or Canberra thing. Dont know about Adelaide or Perth but here in Sydney this is been around the 50`s.
What's with the people that go around noticing what people are wearing on their feet?
Coming into winter in Melbourne i wouldn't go barefoot. Maybe summer down on St Kilda beach.
Google ‘bindi-eye prickle.’ That’s why you’ll never see me, barefoot outside.
Those are nothing compared to the double g.
I don't even walk barefoot in my house - well rarely in summer. Can't say I see it all that much in Sydney...🤷♂
It's obvious to me that I've been missing out the last 70 odd yrs not venturing outdoors barefoot ,it's almost un Australian to have not done so . This oversight will be rectified immediately, I'm off to the shops minus shoes without delay ,and if it goes well and I feel free and invigorated next time I'll go bare arsed , I've heard it's a good way to attract Sheila's and keep flies of your face at the same time . .
being barefoot is like freedom.
Barefoot = Freedom !
Very common in warm coastal and hot areas. Not as common in the cooler southern areas like where I live cos your feet get cold but not unusual particularly in summer. The soles of your feet toughen up and sticks rocks etc dont hurt. Nothing feels better than warm grass or sand between your toes I dont wear shoes much at all unless its too cold or I have to go out somewhere. Thongs at a minimum if Im just going to the shop or to friends for a casual visit. Otherwise proper shoes to work etc. I think that bloke was talking a lot of bollocks and doesnt go far beyond inner city and university and his beach holiday when he would have either thongs or trainers at the very minimum. Local indigenous people didnt have shoes and were just fine til Europeans turned up. Shoes were also unaffordable for a long time so unless you had money they werent used 24/7. Old photos often show the kids shoeless both in cities and in the bush. Dad had the boots because he was working. Kids shoes came out for church school (if they were lucky) and visiting. So in general "we" grew up used to not wearing shoes and it was feasible because of our climate. Your feet toughen up so the worst that would happen is that they get dirty or you tread in something unfortunate. So you learn to watch where youre walking and everything washes off. Putting closed in shoes back on after going barefoot a lot is claustrophobic
Growing up in the country the ONLY time I had shoes on was for school. I'd walk and ride my bike barefoot, even through bushland. I'd find that if I had shoes on, sure, I could stand on whatever, but I felt almost like I was walking around with my eyes closed.
Now as an adult I'll wear shoes in public because I don't trust what someone might have dropped, and I'll wear them hiking because I'm prone to sprained ankles, but I'll be constantly kicking things I think because my brain just doesn't realize how much more I need to lift my feet when I have shoes on.
I still walk around my mum's farm barefoot, unless I'm working with my horse. Being able to properly feel the ground makes more sense to me.... and I find now if my feet are hot, the rest of me is hot, so I spend probably 95% of my time barefoot, summer, winter 🤷
I always thought it was a country kid thing, didn't realise it was an Australian thing till maybe 5 years ago.
Also, especially for women, it's a good thing to be barefoot often because often women wear shoes that are very tight in the toes, causing things like bunions. Though really people, stop wearing uncomfortable shoes just because society thinks you should!
Having been born and raised in North Queensland, ( it gets bloody hot up here 🙂) you come to appreciate how cool/cold the floor tiles are in the supermarkets when your feet are HOT! lol.. Slipped off my thongs/shoes in many supermarkets (and cinemas) over the years 🙂 Air con is a wonderful thing lol
Cheers from Australia 🙂
We have to build up our summer feet after winter the feet are a bit soft..and we learn to tiptoe through bindies…
Its not just coastal towns though, im in Canberra and go barefoot on the regular, i never thought of it as out of the ordinary tbh.
I think it comes from when we were kids our parents made us play outside a lot mostly barefoot. Climbing trees and playing footy, riding bikes. Unless you had bindis, you’d do everything barefoot. 😎
It's just so normal! For me started as a kid in the 80s houses and backyards were bigger. You would run in and out of the house, then some friends of yours would walk past you wouldn't bother putting shoes on you just join them walking to the school for a game of soccer, then you would end up at local shops and get fish and chips go walk to another mate's house someone comes up with the idea to walk through the bush and you end up at the shopping centre go see a movie.
It was just so normal, you spend the whole day wondering around with no shoes, nothing bad happens. So it's never a priority to put them on.
I thought it was normal until I move to Germany at 17. It's definitely not normal to leave the house even if you just go to the end of the street to put the bottles in the recycling. I had people yelling at me from their house, we also had Neighbours visit my parents to check on our welfare 😂
And I've been out in the outback with Aboriginals where I learn a trick if the ground gets too hot. They ended up pulling the long sleeves off their shirt and wrapped them around their feet. Because the Red and rocks King get to hot when it's 45 degrees when you're looking for a water hole to swim in.
I don’t go barefoot at home let alone outside.
Never!!!! I’ve lived here since a small child (born in Italy 🇮🇹).
That's your choice, nothing wrong with that.
My shoes come off as soon as i am home and when jnder the desk at work or not in a meeting.
Same 👍
Probably wouldn’t have really seen it in Melbourne as in in the city, but I’ll definitely go out for a short walk barefoot in the outer suburbs.