‘No one warned me’: Expat’s shock Aussie find

But as one expat has shared online, winter is a real thing Down Under, much to her surprise.

TikTok user Sophia, 29, originally from Los Angeles, moved to Sydney in February 2020 and recently shared a video detailing her shock at discovering how cold it gets here.

Far from being viewed as a tourist with a gripe, Sophia’s revelation has proved to be extremely relatable, with many stating it was a fact even “Aussies don’t like to admit”.

“I was shocked last year by how cold the winter got; no one warned me about it,” Sophia told news.com.au.

“The first winter in Sydney I invested in a $300 puffer coat and gloves. Then I bought a trench coat and more gloves.”

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While Sophia explains she “loves” the NSW city and “would not want to live in any other state” – she said in her viral TikTok video she was “not aware” of just how chilly it gets.

“It’s 46 degrees Fahrenheit right now so that’s 7 degrees Celsius and I’m wearing puffer coats, layers on layers every single day,” Sophia stated in her video titled: “When you move from Los Angeles to Sydney.”

“I’m wearing gloves, I’m the person to be wearing gloves in the group and everyone’s like, ‘What are you doing?’”

Reaction to the video has been strong, with many agreeing it is “freezing” here and no one talks about it.

“People don’t like to admit for some reason that Sydney gets f***ing freezing,” one person wrote in the comments.

“No Aussies will admit how cold it gets, like wearing gloves and being prepared for the cold is not common,” another agreed.

While one person said: “Sydney winter is the worst.”

“Do people forget we’re near Antarctica?” one woman asked.

Another suggested that the weather isn’t that cold, but instead claimed we feel the chill because of the way we build our homes.

“Sydney doesn’t really get cold; it’s more that because it’s warm most of the year, our buildings aren’t equipped to accommodate cold weather.”

Despite the nasty surprise, the Siempre Golden swimwear designer – who moved to Australia to expand her business – said she’s enjoying being able to rug up for the weather because it’s too warm back home to do so.

“In LA you never wear gloves let alone turtle necks, it’s too warm to layer up,” she told news.com.au.

As a result, she’s treated herself to several Aussie winter essentials, including a pair of trusty Uggs.

Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au