In Newcastle, on the east coast of Oz, people are generally friendly. Our city and the neighbouring city combine to a population of half a million (big for Oz), but its atmosphere is of friendly country town.

Of course, this isn't everyone, but generally if you are waiting to cross the street, or in a queue it is likely you will find yourself greeting other people or be caught up in a short but friendly conversation.

The inner city suburb where I live is a very friendly community - very neighbourly, with a lot of older people who have lived here most of their lives. It's obvious the yuppies moving here from snootier suburbs haven't adjusted yet to that community atmosphere, because they don't even say hello to the people next door most of the time - unless they have a complaint. Their eyes slide away from other people's as they pass by. Poor unfortunates. They don't get the benefits of neighbourliness and a friendly community.

When I worked across the harbour in a small suburb on a peninsula - not far in miles, but far away in the sense of insular community - there was definitely a lot of people there who had an "us and them" attitude to newcomers. Many were friendly, but many treated newcomers as outsiders.

When my hubby & I were on holiday a couple of years ago we stayed at a very small town which is a couple of hours south of Sydney. We went for a walk in the late afternoon and said hello to a local woman walking her dog, and then hello again as we met her again around the other side of the block. It was funny, though, when we walked towards a couple, probably from Sydney, who were walking towards us. They looked everywhere but at us, even when we said hello. The differences between them, and the local woman were so obvious.

Helen