# Drinking Water in Australia



## adrian_jeremiah (Feb 3, 2011)

Hello All,

I am an expatriate in Dubai and hoping to move soon to Australia. In Dubai, the water we get in our taps are desalinated water and is safe to drink. Pretty much more than 90% of the household still prefer bottled water for drinking and sometimes even for cooking.

Please could you share your experience about drinking water in Australia.

1. Source of the water (river or sea)
2. Is it chemically treated
3. Is it safe to drink directly from the tap
4. Does the quality of water differ from state to state
5. Do some states refuse to share water with the other (similar to India)
6. Are you allowed to drill borewells in your backyard
7. Is there any dry season for water (allowed to consume less)
8. Do you pay for drinking water and is it based on consumption
9. Do you have two kinds of water (like Dubai). i.e. Drinking and Other Usage
10. How much is bottled water (500 ml, 1.5 ltr, 5 gallons around 19 ltrs)

I understand that these are too many questions and we are probably safe in Australia. It is good to know from personal experience even though there is some information on official websites.


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## MaddyOZ (Aug 16, 2011)

I stayed in Melbourne for an year in 457 visa and I had bought drinking water bottles outside only during domestic or intl. Air travel. Rest all.the time juz used the home tap water only. Its indeed good and if you are little skeptical to use put a small tap filter which you can get in supermarkets. You should be fine 

Yes. You pay water charges quarterly if I remember correctly.

Sent from my ipad using Expat Forum


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## vnair01 (Nov 12, 2011)

Also here in Dubai the harder water is a major contributor to hair loss.  Is it the same there too?


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## zidden (Feb 6, 2011)

vnair01 said:


> Also here in Dubai the harder water is a major contributor to hair loss.  Is it the same there too?


Who told you that? Wayne Rooney?


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

we drink straight from the tap, I have a one year and i give her the same water. We pay every 3 months approximately 90$ (30$ per month-depending on teh consumption though, we are yet to buy a dishwasher, that will cut on the water consumption i guess). Yes there are days/months when there is water restriction, depending on ow much it rains that particular year, last year and this year the rain has been good so no water restriction so far.
why do you need a borewell? i am not sure if it is allowed here, yet to hear about someone who has a borewell


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## MaddyOZ (Aug 16, 2011)

vnair01 said:


> Also here in Dubai the harder water is a major contributor to hair loss.  Is it the same there too?


You might have to think about Bio Genetics, Chemicals used in the shampoo, hot air hair dryers usage and all above that comes the condition of the water. Do you think, for hairloss you can complain about just the water ??? :-D ;-)

Nevertheless, we can guarantee from the Australian water usage experience it won't let you down starting from drinking it daily till taking shower with it. It very well Keeps you healthy and nice / shine too (I meant hair not the baldhead)...hahahah


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## xMarcusx (Nov 8, 2011)

We we're originally worried about this when we first arrived, so know how you feel. 

Aussie water is filtered to a high standard, it is perfectly drinkable from the tap if you want. I believe a large portion of Perth water is also desalinated. 

We've bought 2 large Britax filter jugs that we use for all our drinking water to give it an extra bit of filtration, we just fill these from the tap and then keep them in the fridge. 

We did find that filling our stream iron straight from the tap wasn't a great idea as it did build up some silt but other than that we've been happily drinking away. Not noticed any additional hairloss yet.


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## lazybones1978 (Jul 14, 2011)

from my point of view:
our digestive system particularly our stomach has a microbiome also known as normal bacterial flora/gut flora that trains our immune system and preventing development of harmful species.. 
so unless it's obvious that the water is not safe for consumption,who will dare unless there's a drought or even so..but under normal circumstances,our body is equipped with our own little soldier to protect from any colonization..
i never bothered with commercialized water in my 6 years here in IE, there were even rumors about radon on spring bottled water although not proven..not sure..


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## rg1prasad (Sep 6, 2011)

lazybones1978 said:


> from my point of view:
> our digestive system particularly our stomach has a microbiome also known as normal bacterial flora/gut flora that trains our immune system and preventing development of harmful species..
> so unless it's obvious that the water is not safe for consumption,who will dare unless there's a drought or even so..but under normal circumstances,our body is equipped with our own little soldier to protect from any colonization..
> i never bothered with commercialized water in my 6 years here in IE, there were even rumors about radon on spring bottled water although not proven..not sure..


Now Lady is teaching science. Thank you Lady.


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

Perfectly good water here. I prefer it cold so put it in a fridge. You could use Nature to get rid of bacteria as well, just fill a bottle and put it on a sunny windowsill. Put it in the fridge that evening.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

Having lived in Dubai, I can confirm that the water in Dubai does cause in hair loss. I remember my bathroom floor being covered with hair and my vacuum cleaner giving up on life simply because it was clogged with hair. I'm surprised that I didn't go bald considering the amount of hair that I lost!

That said, after 6 weeks here, I have to say that the 'Dubai' hair loss has calmed down and I no longer have a trail of hair all over my apartment floor.

Adrian - The water is far better here. It will take a few weeks for the hair loss that we all experience in Dubai to calm down but you should notice a difference within a few weeks. Your hair can breathe here and is not exposed to the continuous a/c, so it will go back to normal and will be noticeably healthier after a month or so.


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## adrian_jeremiah (Feb 3, 2011)

*Positive Info*

Dear All,

Thank you very much for your feedback. It is good to know from your personal experience.  Pleased to know that my family and my hair :clap2: are safe in Aussie than the Gulf countries.


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## hinkleberry (Feb 12, 2012)

*Drinking water*



adrian_jeremiah said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am an expatriate in Dubai and hoping to move soon to Australia. In Dubai, the water we get in our taps are desalinated water and is safe to drink. Pretty much more than 90% of the household still prefer bottled water for drinking and sometimes even for cooking.
> 
> ...


 Would you like a solution to make drinking water safe and has medical benefits directly from the tap water in your sink? I am a molecular hydration specialist in the United States with a solution for you as long as the water comes from a tap.


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## Vikky&Matt (Feb 13, 2011)

lazybones1978 said:


> from my point of view:
> our digestive system particularly our stomach has a microbiome also known as normal bacterial flora/gut flora that trains our immune system and preventing development of harmful species..
> so unless it's obvious that the water is not safe for consumption,who will dare unless there's a drought or even so..but under normal circumstances,our body is equipped with our own little soldier to protect from any colonization..
> i never bothered with commercialized water in my 6 years here in IE, there were even rumors about radon on spring bottled water although not proven..not sure..


Irish water is some of the best water in the world! and its IRE not IE.


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## JBY (May 17, 2011)

MaddyOZ said:


> You might have to think about Bio Genetics, Chemicals used in the shampoo, hot air hair dryers usage and all above that comes the condition of the water. Do you think, for hairloss you can complain about just the water ??? :-D ;-)
> 
> Nevertheless, we can guarantee from the Australian water usage experience it won't let you down starting from drinking it daily till taking shower with it. It very well Keeps you healthy and nice / shine too (I meant hair not the baldhead)...hahahah


Hi guys, actually i lived in Dubai for many years before, and what He;s saying about Dubai water causing hair loss is 100% true and most people who lived there for long will tell you. I lost 30% of my hair when i was there and recovered almost all of it when i left... i know people who pretty much went bald with it. Your house being covered with your hair is all too common 

It was also regularly featured in newspapers and the issue is well publicized and known. Shower filters, water softeners etc are popular in Dubai for this reason (they fail to do much though!). 

Just thought i'll fill in a bit


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## vb drinker (Feb 14, 2012)

zidden said:


> Who told you that? Wayne Rooney?


Lol


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