Going to Australia? Don’t be like Depp

LONDON — We’ve all heard about celebrity power couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard recently falling afoul of Australia’s strict laws regarding transporting animals into the country (and the subsequent “Godfather” video that went viral).

Actress Heard was given a one-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to a charge of falsifying documents while bringing her two pet Yorkshire terriers into Australia aboard a private jet last year. A court in the state of Queensland ruled that she had been genuinely remorseful and that no criminal conviction should be recorded.

The episode baffled some members of the public, who could see no wrong in the actions of Heard, Pistol and Boo (they are her dogs); but then, that’s just one of the quirks that make Down Under so interesting. However, that is not the only law in Australia that might raise travellers’ eyebrows.

If you’re heading to Oz for a holiday, consider these other, far more peculiar, codes the country has on its books.

1. In Queensland, taxi drivers must keep a bale of hay in the boot of their car.

2. In Victoria, it is illegal to change a light bulb unless you are a qualified electrician.

3. Bars are required by law to stable, water and feed the horses of patrons.

4. It is illegal to be ‘drunk’ in pubs in Australia.

5. After midday on Sunday in Victoria, it is illegal to wear pink hot pants.

6. On Melbourne’s Brighton Beach, bathers are breaking the law if they do not wear a neck-to-knee swimsuit.

7. Children under the age of 18 are prohibited from buying cigarettes, but they can smoke as many as they want.

8. It is illegal (and stupid) to leave your car keys in an unattended vehicle.

9. It is against the law to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face.

10. It is illegal to walk on the right hand side of a footpath.

11. Coming within 100m of a carcass of a dead whale is against the law.

12. Spitting in Brisbane is illegal — and gross.

13. You can be fined A$500 (S$522) for advertising a reward for lost or stolen property and stating “no questions asked” for its return.

14. It is illegal to wear a disguise without a lawful excuse. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH