G’day from Australia

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,005
Australia
Hi all, I’ve been a long time lurker and thought I’d introduce myself.
I’m only a moderate pipe smoker, I smoke a bowl every couple of weeks or so. This has its benefits though.
I don’t need a big stash to have a lifetime supply, I’m automatically aging ttobacco without even trying, and my current collection of about 30 different blends or so will be a smoking adventure for many years to come.
Current favourites are Peterson’s Irish Oak, McConnell Scottish Flake and McClellands Red and Black. I also enjoy McClellands Wilderness from time to time.

 

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,005
Australia
Thanks for the welcome, guys. I live in Perth in the southwest of Western Australia.
@mikethompson, sounds like you’ve had a magical time in Australia.

Can’t say I have been to Uluru yet (it’s on the list), but I do get to enjoy the stars most times I make it out of the city. Western Australia is great for camping, fishing and surfing.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
Cheers from Atlanta. Pull up a chair and join in. My pal, @RobCapp, is also from Australia and we had a chance to discuss the pipe and tobacco culture and climate in Australia a few weeks ago at the Chicago show. There is certainly a pipe community there and I'm glad you joined in here to mark your presence and represent the Aussies.

 

brendhain

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 5, 2018
124
13
Welcome! I am in Sweden. Much like Australia we have sky high tin prices. At least we aren’t in Canada where their prices are insane.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
G’day mate and welcome aboard. I’ve heard that tobacco can be hard to come by in the land down under, do you have any trouble in that regard?

 

elbert

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 10, 2015
604
28
Welcome! That's my dream vacation (holiday?) ever since I read Bill Bryson, In a Sunburnt Country. (That's my number one audiobook recommendation for anyone, by the way. Been through it three times)

 

charf

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 10, 2018
575
3,189
New Zealand
Welcome from NZ. I heard somewhere recently that Aussie is looking to ban personal International tobacco mail order. Man, that would be a bummer and certainly narrow down blend options and availability.

 

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,005
Australia
Pipe tobacco is available, but it is expensive and the range of options available is limited, especially compared to the US.
Buying a tin of pipe tobacco online from an Australian website is between AUD $90 and $100. This is largely due to tobacco tax (just over AUD $1 per gram, about AUD $54 per 50 gram/1.75 oz tin) and partly due to exchange rates.
Almost all of the blends that I have in my collection I have bought online from the US. I found that if I ordered in small batches of up to 5 tins at a time they would often slip through without incurring tax and duties.
It appears that lately they have increased their scrutiny and I have been hit with tax and duties on most of my last few orders. The thing is, even with paying tax and duties it is still slightly cheaper than ordering from an Australian website.
As I mentioned in my introduction, I’m only a moderate pipe smoker, so I’m pretty much set for life with the collection/cellar I have built up over the last few years.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they will introduce a ban on international mail orders. This wouldn’t affect me so much as it would other Australian pipe smokers that smoke more regularly than I do.
It appears this where things are going worldwide in years to come. Seems like a good reason to stock up on your favourite blends while you can.

 

curl

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 29, 2014
722
461
I changed Siri’s voice on my phone to the Australian lady.

I suspect that if I had visited Australia as a young man, I woulda stayed there for life, just to hear the ladies talk.

 

timelord

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 30, 2017
949
1,966
Gallifrey
Yea, buying tobacco in Aus is expensive but up to now I've not had a problem buying from the US via the 'net. Occasionally it gets picked up by customs and I have to pay the duty (but at least I get the blends I want) but more often than not it just arrives on the doorstep without an issue which is a bonus (I'm not ordering it from overseas to avoid the tobacco duty but to get something which is pleasant to smoke!). Of course this could all change at the whim of a government in the future.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.