Having recently mentioned Australia's beer culture in passing, it might be a good idea to look in a bit more detail at the ins and outs of obtaining a great drink down under - because it can be a complex business!
Although Australia has inherited it's beer culture ultimately from the UK, the two nations' drinking habits have grown apart a little. For a start, Australians do not generally call light beer 'lager' in the way Brits do, and they have a preference for light beers in general - probably because Oz is a much hotter place than the UK! If you're from the States, bear in mind that although it may look like Bud or Miller, Australian beer, like British and European beers, tends to be much stronger than its US equivalent.
The major difficulty for anyone wishing to order a beer in Australia is knowing what measure to ask for. Because measures vary from state to state, it can even be confusing for Australians themselves - for example, a "pint" in South Australia is a couple of fluid ounces less than it is in New South Wales. Elsewhere, the standard glass size is 15 ounces, which is called a 'schooner'.
Drinking down under takes place both in cafes and bars, as well as British-style pubs. Aussie pubs, like the UK equivalents, can range from real spit 'n' sawdust dives to really quite respectable establishments, and, like the UK, the dividing line between what constitutes a pub and what constitutes a winebar or cafe is becoming more blurred in big cities. In provincial Australia, however, pubs are places very much focussed on the business of drinking beer, and can be quite blue-collar, male-dominated places - a little like British pubs were around twenty years ago. That said, the atmosphere is usually friendly and tolerant of strangers, so don't be afraid to dive in. Just make sure you've checked which measure of beer to order according to local custom!
Frommer's Australia 2008 (Frommer's Complete)
Australia (Country Guide)
Australia (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding
Americans' Survival Guide to Australia and Australian-American Dictionary