What’s a Barbie, you may ask? And, if you do need to ask, be sure not to do it in Oz.

It’s little wonder that many Brits don’t understand the concept of the Barbie, given the British climate; to the uninitiated, it is an Australian abbreviation for the traditional barbeque, and has taken on the aspect of an almost sacred ritual throughout the country.

There are a number of very important rules to remember, and they are the same country-wide. First and foremost arrive carrying beer or, failing that, wine. You will have asked your host how you can help, and you may then have the salad or desert in hand, as per instructions.

This is the part that I as a woman love – the female of the species may not venture anywhere near the scene of the cooking. That is a totally male dominated area of expertise and is taken very seriously. Leave ’em to it, and snap open your beer, or waft around languidly, wine glass in hand, chatting to your mates. And if you are new in town and have no mates – well, let’s just say that you will have by the end of the Barbie!

Ere long, titillating scents of onions and slightly charred meat will waft under you nose and it’s time to eat. Don’t expect lunch much before 5-ish…and dinner before say 11-ish.

And remember that if you are offered a ‘snag’, it means a sausage. In fact, there is an Australian take on that British saying ‘Few sandwiches short of a picnic’ that goes: ‘A couple snags short of a Barbie.”

Enjoy – and who knows, if you buy that property you are looking at, it may be your turn to host a Barbie!

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Australia, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Australia Property Buying Guide’