are Australians "touchy" with their friends?

Recently, my cousin returned from a trip to Australia, and I was curious to hear about his experiences. When I asked him how it went, he said it was great overall, but he noticed something interesting about the male friends he made there. According to him, they were surprisingly into physical affection—more so than he was used to. This got me wondering: Is it common for male friends in Australia to express themselves through physical touch?