soc.culture.australian FAQ (periodic posting, part I and II together)
Ann Nicholson
done in the next week or so. I've been busy at work, but should have
more time now. Here is the old FAQ, because I number of people seem to
be asking FAQ type questions.
Contents:
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PART I
1. About soc.culture.australian
2. How to find Australians, Australia Information
2.1 on the net
2.2 elsewhere
3. Studying in Australia
3.1 Postgraduate Study
3.2 Miscellaneous Questions
3.3 "Classification" of Australian Universities
3.4 Addresses of Australian Universities
4. Coming to Australia
4.1 Immigration Addresses
4.2 Immigration Criteria
4.2.1. Getting a Job in Australia
4.2.2. Academic Addresses
4.2.3 Immigration Points System
4.3 Quarantine
4.4 Standards
4.5 Prices
4.6 Cars
4.7 Shipping Information
4.8 Spouse/fiance(e) immigration
4.9 Re children
4.10 Housing
4.11 Public Transport
4.12 Roads
4.13 Shopping Hours
4.14 Crime
5. For Australians Overseas
5.1 Radio Australia
5.2 Public access sites
5.3 Newspapers:
5.4 Australiana in the USA
5.5 Video Conversion
5.6 Expatriate organisation
PART II
6. Information about Australia
6.1 Australian (Dual) Citizenship
6.2 Political System; Current governments
6.3 National Holidays
6.4 Geographic Facts and other statistics
- including weather reports via ftp and gopher
6.5 Sport
6.6 Travel
- Answers to Questions
- A view on Travel in Australia
6.7 Health Care
6.8 Miscellaneous
- spelling of Sydney
- Tasmanian aborigines (who was Truganinni?)
- What is Mabo?
- Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Tigers
- Australian Flag
- Why is Australia called Australia?
- What is the source of ".oz" in internet addresses
- Viller-Bretonneuve
- What visas do you need for France?
- What is vegemite?
- skin cancer
7. Culture
7.1 Songs
- "Waltzing Matilda", by Banjo Paterson
(3 versions :-)
- "Advance Australia Fair", National Anthem
7.2 Recipes and food
7.3 Language
- pronounciation of "Aussie"
- origin of "Pom"
7.4 National heroes
7.5 Literature
7.5.1 Fiction
7.5.2 Poetry
- "My Country" by Dorothea McKellar
- "The Man From Snow River" by A.B. (Banjo) Paterson
7.5.3 Children's Literature
7.5.4 Non-Fiction
7.6 Films
8. Contributors
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1. ABOUT SOC.CULTURE.AUSTRALIAN
The soc.culture.australian newsgroup was established in November
1990, thanks largely to Ann Nicholson's persistent efforts. It
is devoted to the discussion of all aspects of Australian
culture. Brad Alexander (br...@winnie.cs.adelaide.edu.au) posts a
weekly "oznews" current affairs digest. Iain Sinclair put
together the first FAQ for this group.
There are many other related newsgroups. If your article is more
appropriate for another newsgroup, please post it there first --
you'll get the audience you're looking for.
news.announce.newusers general netiquette
rec.travel what to see, when to go, how much, etc.
soc.net-people \ where to find Australians on the net
aus.wanted /
misc.jobs.resumes \ job-hunting
aus.jobs /
talk.politics.guns all traffic about gun-related issues
rec.sport.football.australian \
rec.sport.cricket* | sport results, chest-beating, etc.
aus.sport /
soc.culture.new-zealand New Zealand life, culture, etc.
aus.politics \
aus.music |
aus.culture.ultimo | Australian life, culture, etc.
aus.films |
aus.tv /
If you're unable to post to or read the aus hierarchy, talk to
your system administrator about getting a feed. Since many people
cannot get a feed for the aus hierarchy, cross-postings to s.c.a.
and aus.* are welcome.
2. HOW TO FIND AUSTRALIANS, AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION
2.1 Addresses on the Net
* Currently about 30 academic institutions in Australia offer
Gopher servers. If you have access to gopher you can use these
servers to examine local email directories. Unfortunately this
facility appears to be restricted to educational institutions,
there's nothing available in the .com.au hierarchy. [2/93, CP]
* For organizations, it's best to use nslookup (read the manual
pages first). Example session:
% nslookup
> server aarnet.edu.au
> ls edu.au
[...]
There's also the information posted in comp.mail.maps
occasionally -- most of it is dated, but some of it might be
helpful.
* For people, mail to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu with "send
usenet-addresses/[name]" in the body of the message. If [name]
has posted to Usenet in the last few months, the mail server will
send back a list of matches. Otherwise, try:
telnet bruno.cs.colorado.edu, login as netfind.
telnet NIC.DDN.MIL, login as whois.
(Not very useful -- user has to explicitly register with the server.)
* Another resource which is slowly being developed is the X.500
directory system. Gateways into this system can be found on many
gopher servers both within and outside Australia (e.g. there is
one accessible fromn the gopher at Monash university). The system
currently contains address information for about 80 commercial,
academic and scientific organisations.
* There is now an Australiana Gopher open in Canada, maintained
by Tim Little (lit...@ere.umontreal.ca).
Name=MegaGopher, Type=1, Port=70, Path=, Host=megasun.bch.umontreal.ca
Stuff of interest on the MegaGopher includes:
- Current and Back issues of Oz News (onya Brad!)
- Links to Other OzGophers
- Oz Sports news (footy, cricket and Motorcycle racing)
- Interesting Oz Stats
- Latest FAQ
Tim writes: "My collection is small but growing and it's
definitely worth a perusal! If you have any interesting Oz
information you want to see on the gopher, please let me know."
* GUIDE TO AUSTRALIA
The Guide is a hypermedia (= hypertext + multimedia) book that draws
together a comprehensive range of up-to-date information about
Australia. It available on-line via World Wide Web at this URL:
http://life.anu.edu.au:80/education/australia.html
The Guide distills information available on the Web into an organized
collection of pointers to useful information, such as:
- Statistics about Australia and the surrounding region;
- Interactive maps
- Current weather forecasts and satallite images
- The environment, including flora and fauna
- Direct links to all Australian Web and Gopher services
- Postcodes and telephone information
- Travel advice
- General information about Australian society and culture
The editors are: David G. Green (david...@anu.edu.au),
Jim Croft (j...@anbg.gov.au).
* Weather information is available via telnet and gopher; see
section 6.4
* Information on extinct, endangered, and vulnerable species
available from the Environmental Resources Information Network
gopher at ANU.
2.2 Other Addresses
* Most reasonable libraries should stock the "College Collection
on Microfiche", which contains copies of faculty
handbooks/catalogs from Australian Universities and Colleges of
Advanced Education. Large libraries should also have copies of
recent Australian telephone books.
* There is also an English(?) publication, the "Commonwealth
Universities Yearbook", that has summaries of the programs and
staff of Australian and other Commonwealth universities. This
appears to be a standard reference and widely available.
* If you need to get in touch with someone pretty dramatically,
try sending a wild fax to 'Tonight Live' (a poor 'Letterman'
clone, +61 3 690 8749).
* The address of the Australian Computer Society is:
Australian Computer Society Tel: (02) 211 5855
National Office Fax: (02) 281 1208
PO Box 319
Darlinghurst
NSW 2010
The Australian Computer Society national office is now on-line: [JL]
Chief Executive Officer: ash...@acs.org.au
Business Manager: sa...@acs.org.au
Overseas Membership: ka...@acs.org.au
PA to the CEO: edi...@acs.org.au
Examination Coordinator: beli...@acs.org.au
Membership Data Maintenance: li...@acs.org.au
National Conference Manager: an...@acs.org.au
National Membership Manager: pet...@acs.org.au
(Originally Posted by Tom Worthington, Director of the Community
Affairs Board Australian Computer Society Inc., e-mail:
to...@act.acs.org.au 7/22/93)
3. STUDY IN AUSTRALIA (updated April '93 by CP)
A few general points: the academic year in Australian
universities usually runs from about March 1 to November 1 with
an examination term in November. Applications for undergraduate
programs are usually made through a centralised organisation in
each state. International students wishing to study in Australia
should check with the nearest Australian embassy on where and
when to send their applications. Offers of places are usually
made in late January and early February. The costs of attending
Australian Universities include the Higher Education Contribution
Scheme (HECS) charge (Graduate tax) and a student services fee.
The student services fees vary from university to university (at
major universities its around $300 +/- $75) but the HECS
contribution (about $2300/year) is set by the federal government
and is the same for all universities. Payment of the HECS
contribution can be deferred until after graduation, however if
its paid up front there is a discount of 15%, otherwise it is
repaid as a surcharge on individual income tax. Nominally it
should cost you the same (for tuition/HECS) to get a B.Sc. in
Brisbane as in Perth.
Foreign students are not subject to the HECS but instead are
subject to an annual tuition fee (the equivalent of out-of-state
tuition in the US) charged by the university [JB], half of which
has to be paid before a visa is granted (note that students in
exchange programs may be exempt from this fee). The fee varies
with the university and the degree program and is on the order
of A$10-15,000 p.a. depending on degree program (Medical, dental
and veterinary programs are more: A$20-25,000 p.a.) Foreign
students are also required to purchase private health insurance,
which currently costs ~$350 p.a. Foreign students are permitted
to take part time employment up to 20 hours per week during the
semester and full time during vacations.
Degree programs in Australian universities show greater
similarity to British degree programs than to American ones.
Thus, even before they start an undergraduate degree, Australian
students have to choose what general field they wish to get their
degree in. In addition to science (B.Sc.), arts and humanities
(B.A.), commerce (B.Comm.) and engineering (B.E.), these fields
include professional training which is usually only available at
the graduate level in the US (e.g. Law, Medicine, Dentistry,
Veterinary Science). As a general rule there are no "breadth"
requirements, indeed science students may not be able to take
more than 1 or 2 arts courses (liberal arts and humanities) and
vice versa. In general, ordinary degrees in arts (B.A.), science
(B.Sc.), and commerce (B.Comm.) require 3 years of full time
study. Honours degrees in these areas usually require an extra
years study and the preparation of a small thesis. An honours
degree is normally required for admission to graduate study.
Students without an honours degree may be required to complete a
"masters preliminary year" before being admitted to graduate
programs (masters programs in administration seem to be an
exception). In the case of degree programs which are normally
four years (e.g.agriculture, forestry, engineering) an honours
degree is obtained by completing extra work and receiving high
grades in core classes.
While Australian universities do participate in local and
intervarsity sporting competitions such competition is pretty low
key and there is nothing like the big-bucks semi-professional
athletic programs one sees in the US. Athletic scholarships are
unheard of.
In general, Australian universities are commuter universities.
The vast majority of undergraduates live at home while doing
their degrees, although many share housing in suburbs close to
their university or live in residence halls or residential
colleges. Students tend not to go interstate for undergraduate
study, and even at the graduate level their is very little
incentive to relocate to another city or even another university:
most do their graduate work at the same institution they did
their undergraduate work at.
3.1 Postgraduate Study
I don't know how universal my experience was (I did a MSc in
biochemistry) but my experience was that people admitted into MSc
or PhD programs in Australia were admitted to work with a
specific supervisor, i.e. the decision to take on a particular
person as a grad student rested with the specific supervisor that
the student wanted to work with. This is very different from the
situation in the US where students are usually admitted to a
department and spend a year or two taking classes and finding a
supervisor/advisor to work with. In general, Australian PhD
programs don't involve any course work. Partly because of this
their "usual" duration is about 3 years and their maximum
duration is usually 4 years (cf 5 and 8 years in the US!!!!).
Another thing which is different between graduate programs in the
two countries is the way students are supported. In Australia
most of the scholarship support for graduate students comes
directly from the federal government, foreigners are not eligible
for these scholarships. Some postgraduate scholarships are
offered by the universities themselves and by charitable research
foundations (eg National Heart Foundation), these are the only
ones that foreigners are eligible for!!! In the US most graduate
student support is channeled through the universities. There are
a few federally funded fellowships that are similar to the old
CPRA's, but only a VERY few! Most of the students in the
sciences get their stipends from their supervisor's research
grants, or from federal training grants administered by the
institutions. Alternatively they may serve as teaching
assistants (the main source of funds for humanities grad
students).
3.2 Miscellaneous Questions
Q. Can I assume that a degree from a UC, IT or CAE carries just as
much weight as a degree from a University?
A. (1) To be frank, no, but the difference is a lot less than it
is between various universities in the US. The main quality
difference is in the undergraduate degrees; an EE degree from
Monash is very theoretical, whereas one from RMIT is more
practical. This is not to say one is "better"; some employers
prefer one approach, others the other.
(2) A PhD from anywhere in Australia is equally-regarded. (BTW,
most ITs and CAEs have now been merged with or converted into
universities.) [JB]
(3) [RA] adds: I wouldn't be so sure. For people looking for
academic employment, I suspect that in most disciplines, certain
supervisors and/or departments are a lot more highly regarded
than others. I imagine the same thing applies for Ph.D.s looking
for jobs outside academia, as well. This is really very similar
to the U.S.--except for a very few institutions there, which are
in the lucky position of being highly prestigious in most fields,
the quality and saleability of a Ph.D. depends more on the
department and/or supervisor than on the institution. This is
something that anyone contemplating a Ph.D. should think about
carefully, though, as it is a hell of a lot of time to invest if
you aren't going to get a good degree.
Q. Is there an accrediting agency for MBA programmes (in the
U.S., business schools are accredited by a nation-wide body
called AASCB). Should I even be looking for a parallel?
A. No. Each state accredits the universities and degrees, then
the Federal Govt (which funds them) keeps an eye on things.
Australia really does not suffer from the shonky
mailing_box_university problem that exists in the US.
Q. Is there higher prestige attached to certain Aussie MBA
programmes? (If this concept has no place in Aussie culture, I
apologise. I have only experienced the U.S. educational system.
I, therefore, constantly try to find a parallel. Here in the
U.S., degrees from certain schools are very highly regarded ...
like Stanford, Harvard, Univ. Chicago ...)
A. Same here. The two highest-rated in Australia are the
Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of
NSW, and the University of Melbourne Graduate School of
Management. The others are of varying quality, but all quite good
by world standards.
3.3 "Classification" of Australian Universities (Ian Doust)
I thought that it might be more useful for those unfamiliar with
the Australian Higher Education Scene to try and classify the
institutions according to their history and aims in life. I have
tried to keep my personal biases out of the short descriptions,
but they will no doubt show through. I have also probably left a
couple of the smaller institutions off the list - with the rate
of amalgamations and institutional divorces, it is hard to keep
track off all of them (for example there may now be a University
of Northern Rivers, which resulted from U.N.E. breaking up). The
order of the classes is NOT meant to indicate any ranking of the
universities. A very good source of information about these
institutions is the essay in the Commonwealth Universities
Handbook, which unfortunately I don't have handy to check on all
my details! Let me then apologize to anyone I have left out or
misrepresented in the list below.
To give you some idea of sizes, the largest Australian
universities, (Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, New South Wales,
Monash) have 20,000+ students. Government policy makes it
undesirable for institutions to have less than 5,000 students.
Ian (ia...@hydra.maths.unsw.edu.au)
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Class 1. The large old institutions in the big cities. I think
all founded pre WWI, these institutions offer a full range of
courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including
medical and legal degrees, and large research programs. Whether
deserved or otherwise, these universities still carry more
prestige than others in their state.
* Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, Western Australia.
Class 1a. Old, like class 1, but in a much smaller city,
somewhat limiting its development.
* Tasmania
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Class 2. Large post WWII universities. Originally looked down
on a little (although the standards weren't questioned [JB])
these institutions are now very similar to those of class 1.
With those of class 1, these institutions take the lion's share
of government research money and the good students.
* New South Wales, Monash
Class 2a. The Australian National University was set up after
WWII to offer more postgraduate education in Australia (while
many universities had PhDs, they were nothing like as popular as
they are now [JB]). Although it now teaches undergraduates as
well, it is still the home of the Institute for Advanced Study,
which is devoted to postgraduate education and research. It's
range of courses is more limited than those of U.N.S.W. and
Monash.
* A.N.U.
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Class 3. 1960s-1970s suburban universities. These were set up
to cater for the rapid expansion in higher education in Australia
that took place at this time. As befitted the period, they were
often set up with unconventional academic structures (stressing
multidisciplinary courses for example), and with some programs
not offered elsewhere. Designed to be teaching and research
institutions, their full development is perhaps hampered by the
difficulty they have in attracting very good students away from
the universities in classes 1 and 2.
* Macquarie, La Trobe, Flinders, Griffith, Murdoch
Class 3a. Regional universities of about the same age. Usually
beginning as sponsored colleges of one of the institutions from
classes 1 or 2. Perhaps more conventional than those in class 3,
but otherwise having similar strengths and weaknesses, and
broadly comparable on the prestige scales.
* Newcastle, Wollongong, New England, James Cook, Deakin
(Deakin was a bit different, in that it was a CAE (Gordon IT)
which was converted [JB]).
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Class 4. Institutes of Technology. Although most of these
institutions have now changed their names to "university", they
began by offering undergraduate education of a more applied
nature than the traditional universities. They gradually
developed postgraduate courses and research programs to a
sufficient extent that the distinction (in particular with
respect to research funding) between these institutions and the
"lesser" universities was difficult to sustain. Although these
are now rather large and broad institutions, they are still
somewhat different in their aims to those of classes 1, 2 and 3.
* Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of Technology
Sydney (was N.S.W.I.T.), Curtin University of Technology (W.A.I.T),
University of South Australia (S.A.I.T.), Queensland University of
Technolgy (Q.I.T. and BCAE) Victoria University of Technology
(was Footscray I.T.), Swinburne University of Technology (was
Swinburne I of T)
(old 4a class amalgamated with 4 based on info from [JB])
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Class 5. Former Colleges of Advanced Education. Originally set
up as undergraduate institutions, offering a limited range of
courses, such as teacher training, nursing, accounting etc. In
the Dawkins era (mid-late 1980s), these were "encouraged" to band
together to form larger (but often quite geographically
dispersed) institutions, so that they could get a bigger share of
the funding pie. Despite their change of status, they are
probably destined to remain as essentially undergraduate teaching
institutions for the forseeable future.
* Edith Cowan, Charles Sturt, Western Sydney, Canberra, Southern
Queensland, Central Queensland, Ballarat University College, Northern
Territory (perhaps misplaced here...it's geographical position makes it
a bit of a special case).
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Class 6. Private Universities and Universities with Religious
Affiliations. During the late 1980's private universities made
their first appearance (all the above institutions are government
funded). The loudest of these in announcing its arrival was Bond
University, in Queensland. There still seems to be a degree of
resistance to private institutions in Australia - it is too early
to tell how successful they will be. Mainly funding
considerations dictate that these universities offer only a
limited range of courses.
* Bond, Notre Dame, Australian Catholic University (although perhaps
this belongs in class 5)
3.4 Addresses of Australian Universities
At present there are very few university administrators using the
net. You're unlikely to have much success in trying to contact
university registrars and vice-chancellors by email! You're much
better of sending a letter by regular mail. Remember to pay for
airmail postage if sending the letter from outside Australia!!!!
Also remember that letters sent between mid-December and
mid-February are likely to get fairly slow responses.
If you're trying to find an email address for a student please
realise that net access is still fairly restricted in Australia
and the great majority of students do NOT have net access. This
situation is changing slowly, but at present those who are most
likely to have net access are in the sciences (particularly
maths, physics, and computer science) and engineering.
Here are some regular mail addresses of Australian universities,
together with the institutional internet domain names:
Australian Catholic University acu.edu.au
Christ Campus
PO Box 213
Oakleigh Victoria 3166
Australian Institute of Marine Science post...@aims.gov.au
Cape Ferguson, Queensland, Australia
Mailing Address: PMB No.3, Townsville MC, Q 4810
Ph: 077 789211,
Fax: 077 725852
Telex: AA47165
Cable: MARINESCI TOWNSVILLE
Australian National University,
GPO Box 4,
Canberra, ACT 2601 anu.edu.au
Bond University
Private Bag 10,
Gold Coast Mail Centre,
Queensland 4217 bu.oz.au
Charles Sturt University (Includes former Mitchell CAE and
Riverina-Murray Panorama Avenue Inst of Higher Ed.)
Bathurst NSW 7795 csu.edu.au
Curtin University (Former WAIT)
GPO Box U 1987,
Perth, WA 6001 curtin.edu.au
Deakin University (Includes former Victoria College (Rusden, Toorak,
Geelong, Victoria 3217 Burwood) and Warrnambool CAE) deakin.oz.au
Edith Cowan University (Formerly WA CAE)
Pearson St,
Churchlands, WA 6018 cowan.edu.au
Flinders University
Bedford Park, SA 5042 flinders.edu.au
Griffith University
Nathan, Queensland 4111 gu.edu.au
James Cook Unniversity
Townsville, Queensland 4811 jcu.edu.au
Latrobe University (Includes former Lincoln Inst. of Health Sciences
Bundoora, Victoria 3083 and Wodonga Inst of Tert. Educ. latrobe.edu.au
Macquarie University
North Ryde, NSW, 2109 mq.edu.au
Monash University (Includes former Frankston, Caulfield and Bendigo
Clayton, Victoria 3168 CAE's) monash.edu.au
Murdoch University
Murdoch, WA 6150 murdoch.edu.au
Newcastle University
Newcastle, NSW 2308 newcastle.edu.au
Northern Territory University
PO Box 40146,
Casuarina,NT 0811 ntu.edu.au
Queensland University of Technology (Includes former QIT and Brisbane CAE)
GPO Box 2434
Brisbane, Queensland 4001 qut.edu.au
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
124 Latrobe St
Melbourne 3000 rmit.oz.au
(NB: *Not* a part of Victoria U of Tech, as stated earlier)
Swinburne University of Technology
PO Box 218
Hawthorn Victoria 3122 swin.edu.au
Southern Cross University
(was Lismore campus of Uni of New England)
University of Adelaide
GPO Box 498
Adelaide SA, 5001 adelaide.edu.au
University of Canberra (Combines Aust Inst of Sport and former Canberra CAE)
PO Box 1,
Belconnen, ACT 2616 canberra.edu.au
University of Central Queensland
Rockhampton Mail Centre
Queensland, 4702 ucq.edu.au
University of Melbourne (Includes former VCA, State College of Vic at
Parkville, Victoria 3052 Melbourne, negotiating with Vic College of
Ag and Horticulture, unimelb.edu.au
University of New England
Armidale, NSW 2351 une.edu.au
University of New South Wales
PO Box 1,
Kensington NSW 2033 unsw.oz.au
University of Queensland
St. Lucia, Queensland 4067
University of South Australia uq.edu.au
University of South Australia (Includes former SAIT and SA CAE)
North Terrace,
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide, SA 5000 unisa.edu.au
University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba, Queensland usq.edu.au
University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006 su.oz.au
University of Tasmania (Amalgamated with Launceston CAE?)
GPO Box 252 C,
Hobart, Tasmania 7001 utas.oz.au
University of Technology, Sydney
PO Box 123,
Broadway, Sydney 2007 uts.oz.au
University of Western Australia
Nedlands, WA 6009 uwa.edu.au
University of Western Sydney (Includes former Hawkesbury Ag. College
Hawkesbury Nepean and Milperra CAE's)
Richmond NSW 2753 uws.edu.au
(also includes former Orange campus of Uni. of New England)
University of Wollongong
PO Box 1144,
Wollongong, NSW 2500 uow.edu.au
Victoria University of Technology (Includes former Footscray IT and Western
Ballarat Road, Institute)
Footscray, Victoria 3011 vut.edu.au
A *small* number of departments provide email contacts for
enquiries from prospective graduate students. The following
contact addresses come from a compilation posted to
soc.college.gradinfo by Nainish Bapna (n...@doc.ic.ac.uk):
Adelaide
Computing Andrew Wendelborn and...@cs.adelaide.edu.au
Australian National
Computing Brendan McKay b...@cs.anu.edu.au
Statistics Dr. Peter Hall Peter...@anu.edu.au
Canberra
Computing Mary O'Kane m...@ise.canberra.edu.au
Central Queensland
Business Kevin S. Fagg fa...@ucq.edu.au
General Judith Anderson j.and...@ucq.edu.au
Flinders
Computing Chris Marlin mar...@cs.flinders.edu.au
James Cook
Computing com...@coral.cs.jcu.edu.au
Latrobe University College of Northern Victoria
Accounting/Business busi...@redgum.ucnv.edu.au
Computer Science p...@ironbark.ucnv.edu.au
General Vance Ashlin ash...@ironbark.ucnv.edu.au
Information Systems p...@ironbark.ucnv.edu.au
Outdoor Education bro...@redgum.ucnv.edu.au
Macquarie
Computing Rod Bell r...@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au
Computing Glenn Johnson gl...@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au
Melbourne
PhD enquiries Michael_Tomlinson rese...@muwayf.unimelb.edu.au
Scholarship Jean_McCulloch rese...@muwayf.unimelb.edu.au
International students must apply through the International Office,
telephone: +61 3 344 4505
FAX: +61 3 344 4504
finanical aid people
telephone: +61 3 344 7621
Monash
Computing Lloyd Alison gra...@bruce.cs.monash.edu.au
Other addresses [JB] gra...@rdt.monash.edu.au
gra...@ct.monash.edu.au
Newcastle
Computing Bryan Beresford-Smith b...@cs.newcastle.edu.au
New South Wales
Biomedical Engineering Arthur Brandwood art...@cbme.unsw.edu.au
Queensland Brisbane
Computing Ian Holmes hol...@cs.uq.oz.au
Psychology Graeme Halford ig...@psych.psy.uq.oz.au
Southern Queensland
Computing M. McFarlane mcfa...@zeus.usq.edu.au
Swinburne University of Technology
Computing Earl Livings ea...@saturn.cs.swin.oz.au
Sydney
Math and Statistics Dr. Neville Weber pg-di...@maths.su.oz.au
Western Australia
postgraduate enquires grad...@maths.uwa.edu.au
Computing J. Rohl je...@cs.uwa.edu.au
Wollongong
Computing John Fulcher jo...@cs.uow.edu.au
Computing Greg Doherty gr...@wraith.cs.uow.edu.au
4. COMING TO AUSTRALIA
4.1 Immigration Addresses
Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs
Chan St
Belconnen 2617
Australia
* USA
Chicago Consulate: now closed.
New York Consulate (212) 245 4000
Aust Embassy Wash. (202) 797 3222 1601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington
(202) 797 3000 DC, 20036-2273
Aust Tourist Comm. (800) 395 7008 489 5th Avenue, New York NY 10017
(note: new number June '93)
Houston Consulate (713) 629 9131 Suite # 180, 1990 South Park Oak Blvd
Houston, TX 77056 - 9998
Denver Consulate (303) 297 1200 The Honorary Consul is
Mr Brent Emmet
C/- Australian/American Chamber of Commerce
999 18th Street
Suite 1370
Denver CO 80202
Fax: +1-303-297-2050
San Francisco Consulate General (415) 362 6160
1 Bush St, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94104-4413
* Southern England, Southern Wales, Channel Islands
Migration Branch,
Australian High Commission
Australia House
Strand, London WC2B 4LU
(UK) 071 379-4334
* Central England, Northern Wales, Isle of Man
Australian Consulate
Chatsworth House
Lever St
Manchester M1 2DL
* Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England
Australian Consulate
Hobart House
80 Hanover St
Edinburgh EH2 2DL
* Republic of Ireland:
Australian Embassy
Fitzwilton House
Wilton Terrace
Dublin 2
4.2 Immigration Criteria
* Family (almost automatic):
- spouse
- de-facto spouse
- immediate family
* Skill:
- you have a job that was advertised extensively in Australia
without success
- you pass the points test, and they feel like letting you in
(see new section below)
- "distinguished talent" ie., bloody good at sport
* Special eligibility:
- former citizen
- former resident
- relative of a New Zealander living in Australia
To get the relevant forms, write to an Australian consulate and
they will send you some info asking you to send them some money
(about $5) for the forms. When you get these forms you send
about half a ream of photocopies back with the "application
processing fee" of $250 (this fee is regardless of which class
you are applying under !!). If they decide that they like you,
you need to get various medicals done (which in England cost
about #100) with a nominated (probably private) practice - if you
happen to be a medical doctor, mention this when making your
appointment and they don't charge you (as my wife found out :-).
This medical includes an AIDS test (Note: this can stuff up your
life insurance in the UK) as well as X-rays for TB, checks for a
bad heart and anything else that will cost Australia lots of
money. The whole application process takes a minimum of 3 months
(once you have sent them the forms). All correspondence must be
by mail.
With the points test, if you are <30, have a degree or trade
(plus some experience) and can speak English you pass. As a
friend of mine found, being employed on a graduate program
doesn't count as experience. He was also told "even if you had
the experience we don't need any professional buyers at the
moment". That is, passing the points test only eliminates a
reason for not letting you in. Some occupations get
prefferential treatment, at the MOMENT these are
physiotherapists, secondary school teachers of either Japanese or
Maths, and therapeutic radiographers (all with appropriate
degrees/diplomas of course). These change with the times; maths
teachers will probably be removed soon. If you have a criminal
record there's probably not much point applying.
Should you get past all this, you get a visa stamped in your
passport that is both for migration in the next year and
multiple-entry for the next 4 years. They also send you lots of
stuff telling you that there is little chance of getting a job at
the moment. [PW]
[CD] adds: I had to file ALL forms, including medical and
educational forms, etc. at the same time. I was applying as
spouse and you can still get turned down if your medical or
criminal record offends. If the embassy/consulate has to send
things back to Australia for approval it can take MUCH longer.
4.2.1 Getting a Job in Australia
Current unemployment is high, over 10%, so this is very
difficult. Please direct all enquires to:
Commonwealth Employment Service
Department of Employment Education & Training
GPO Box 9880
[Capital City of the State You Are Interested In OR
Canberra, ACT 2601
Australia]
Professional vacancies should be to the "Professional Employment
Office", rather than CES.
4.2.2 Academic Addresses
* "The Directory" (6 months=$90 airmail, fortnightly) advertises many
academic jobs.
Barry Thornton and Associates Pty. Ltd.
PO Box 217
Black Rock, VIC 3193
Australia
* "The Australian Directory of Academics" ($130 airmail) is comprehensive.
Universal Consultancy Services,
PO Box 1140
Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450
Australia
* A useful source of information on higher education in Australia is:
Campus (Australian campus review weekly)
Locked bag 19
Post Office
Paddington, NSW 2021
Australia
* "The Independent Monthly Good Universities Guide to Australian
Universities and Other Higher Education Institutions", by Dean
Ashenden and Sandra Milligan, 1991.
Octopus Australia
PO Box 460
Port Melbourne, VIC 3207
Australia
+61 3 646 6688
* Carter and Stone Consulting Services. 275 Alfred St North Sydney
Phone 62,2,955-5477.
Contact: Sharon Stone.
Comment: A very small agency. (Two women + one guy at last count).
VERY good, Very proffesional. No mess, no fuss.
* Clayton and Partners. Also 275 Alfred St. North Sydney.
Phone: 62,1,959-3448
Contact: David Burgess, Brian Clayton.
Comment: Slightly larger, but not big enough to be impersonal.
Proffesional.Efficient. Have found me a few jobs over
the years, some I've taken, some not. Do have a habit
of finding you a job, settling you in, waiting 6
months then ringing up to see if you wan't another
job. Generally, an impressive agency.
4.2.3 Immigration Points System [CB]
Okay, as I understand it, there are two ways to get entry to Oz; via
an Independant Entry Class and via a Concessional Family Class. The
former works if you just say, "Hey, I want to go to OZ" and put in an
application. The latter works if you have a family member in Oz who
is willing to vouch for you. You can only rack up points in one of
the two categories. Here's the list of points:
CONCESSIONAL FAMILY VISA CLASS AND INDEPENDENT ENTRANT VISA CLASS
Employability Factor
80 Trade certificate/degree/diploma, 3 years post-qualification work,
on Priority Occupation List [changes yearly].
70 Trade certificate/degree, 3 years post-qualification work
60 Trade certificate/degree, between 6 months and 3 years post
qualification work.
55 Diploma, 3 years post-qualification work.
50 Diploma, between 6 months and 3 years post-qualification work.
30 Trade cert/degree/diploma (recognised by overseas authorities
and assessed by Australian authorities), and 3 years
post-qualification work.
25 Trade cert/degree/diploma but qualifications held are unaceptable.
25 Post secondary school qualification.
20 12 years of primary and secondary schooling
10 10 years of primary and secondary schooling
0 Less than 10 years schooling
Age Sub-Factor
30 18 to 29
20 30 to 34
10 35 to 39
5 40 to 49
0 Less than 18; more than 50
INDEPENDENT ENTRY VISA CLASS ONLY
Language Sub-Factor
20 Proficient in English
10 Reasonably proficient; some training required
5 Bilingual in languages other than English, or only limited English
0 Extensive English training required
CONCESSIONAL FAMILY VISA CLASS ONLY
Relationship factor
15 You are the parent of your sponsor
10 You are brother, sister, or non-dependant child of sponsor
5 Nephew or neice of sponsor
Citizenship factor
10 Your sponsor has been an Oz citizen for 5 years or more
5 " for less than 5 years
Settlement Factor
10 Sponsor has been resident in Oz for 2 years and they or their
spouse have been continuously employed for the last two years.
Location Factor
5 Sponsor has lived in a State or Territory designated area for the last two
years.
Okay, tally up the points, and if you have a high enough total, you're
Oz-bound! The point total changes each year, but I think it goes
120 Priority Mark
110 Pass Mark
100 Pool Entry
NB: the number of points required for entry to the ppol
is the same no matter what country you come from. [JM]
([SK] For Independent application you have to reach min. 110 pts. For
concessional family application (with relatives that sponsor you,
other than spouse) you have to reach 100 points.
After that you have to take an English test (for non-english speaking
people) at the moment it's the IELTS test. If you don't have enough
marks at the test, you will have to pay the "English Education
Charge", about 4000 AUS$!!)
In the last category, you are placed within an entry pool, and I
think winners are chosen by lot from the pool. Note that there
is also a Business Entry Class, for folks who are going Down
Under to start their own business. There is also an entirely
different system whereby you bypass the points test and the wait
if you somehow manage to get a job, and your employer will vouch
for you.
After you make the points test, you submit your application. You
also neads loads of other offical papers to make an application
(marriage license if you're married, certifications from your
jobs if you've been working, etc.). After application, you also
need to pass a medical test and provide a set of chest x-rays and
other things, but they'll tell you when they want you to do it (I
guess it's to save you money if you flunk the points test). The
whole process takes four months at least. When and if you pass
and are granted permission to migrate, you have the opportunity
to move within the space of one year, and are given to enter and
leave Oz freely for a period of four years after that.
4.3 Quarantine
Quarantine regulations are extremely strict. Food, furs, and any
other animal or wood products may have to be quarantined. Pets
will have to be quarantined for several months in both countries,
an expensive procedure.
* Bringing Pets into Australia from the USA [LS]
As of July, 1993, all pets coming into Australia from the United
States must be quarrantined for a total of 9 months. Pets will
be held in quarrantine in special facilities for four months in
Hawaii. They will then be kept in a regular kennel for an
additional month before being allowed to enter Australia. Once
they have entered Australia, they will be kept in one of four
approved quarrantine stations for 4 additional months. During
the stay in Australia, you will be allowed to visit the pet once
a month. However, these rules are currently being revised, and
it is expected that the following rules will be applicable before
the year's end:
Pets may be flown directly from anyplace in the United States to
one of the four approved quarrantined stations. The pet will be
held in quarrantine for 4 months. During that time, you will be
allowed to visit the pet once a week. Please note that the new
rules have *not* been finalized and are subject to change or may
never even come into effect.
Whatever rules are in effect, you will be expected to pay for the
upkeep of your pet during this entire time.
4.4 Standards
* language: The national language of Australia is English.
* TV/VCR: Our TV/video system is PAL-B. Multisystem videos (view
NTSC on a PAL TV) cost around $700. Standards converters (output
a recordable signal NTSC from PAL, or vice versa) cost much more.
The difference between PAL-B and PAL-D? [DH] According to the
World Radio TV Handbook, Australia uses PAL-B, not PAL-D. The
difference? About a MHz... The technical differences (B vs. D)
are:
Channel width: 7 MHz vs. 8 MHz
Vision b/w: 5 MHz vs. 6 MHz
IF: 5.5 MHz vs. 6.5 MHz.
* Electricity:The electricity supply is 50Hz, 240 volts
everywhere (no longer 253 volts in W.A.). Step-down transformers
are available (but wasteful),and the 50 Hz may throw off your
clock-radio and other things using the mains as a frequency
reference. AM broadcast stations use 9 kHz spacing, in common
with mostof the civilised world. Your fancy USA radio with its
10 kHz spacing won't like this. FM broadcast stations use 50
micro-second pre-emphasis; USA uses 75 usec, so the recovered
audio may sound funny. [DH]
* Telephone: The telephone system is strictly regulated, but has
recently undergone a change from a monopoly to some real
competition. There are currently two national land-line
telecommunications carriers: Telecom and Optus; and three
national mobile telephone carriers: Telecom, Optus and Vodaphone.
From 1997 onwards unlimited competition will be permitted.
Austel is the Federal Government's telecommunications regulatory
body.
In the meantime, don't even _think_ about connecting your
answering machine etc to it; it must bear an appropriate "Austel"
compliance sticker. Besides, the signalling conventions are
different (two short rings instead of one long ring as in USA
etc). Australia is slowly converting to AXE telephone exchanges,
offering various features via DTMF. Examples are Call-Waiting,
Third-Party-Conference etc. Local calls attract a flat fee,
irrespective of duration; there have been proposals floated to
introduce timed local calls, but so far the Federal Government
has not had the courage to introduce it. "Free" calls exist -
they are 008 numbers (like USA 800 numbers). The other end of
the spectrum also exists - don't call 0055 numbers unless you
like paying a timed fee to the service provider - in some cases
(time etc) free alternatives exist. There are various "free"
services, such as Time (1194), News (1199) etc. There are also
numbers starting with "13" - they offer the same number
country-wide, and are routed to the nearest service provider
(courier companies, airlines etc). Finally, a mobile telephone
service is accessed via the 015, 018 and 041 prefixes; it is
costed at STD rates, but the actual split of caller/callee paying
varies. One more thing - the emergency number is 000; don't
abuse it - they know from where the call was placed, however
Caller-ID is not generally available. Cordless telephones are
prohibited imports; they will be confiscated by Customs. Not
only are they not Austel-approved, they are not DoTaC (Dept. of
Transport and Communications) approved either, and they may stomp
all over some frequency assigned to another service. [DH]
* Exchange Rates: Exchange rate is roughly AUS$1 = .67 US cents, Y67,
$HK5.01, $S1.03, Ringgit 1.65, $NZ1.17, $Ca0.85, Pound 0.42, FF3.65,
DM1.05, SF0.91, ECU0.55
Source: Asiaweek, September 29th, 1993.
Legend: Y = Japanese Yen, $HK = Hong Kong dollar, $S = Singapore Dollar,
Ringgit = Malaysian currency, $NZ = New Zealand Dollar,
$Ca = Canadian Dollar, Pound = British Pound, FF = French Franc,
DM = Deutschmark, SF = Swiss Franc, ECU = European Currency Unit
(Most newspapers should have more reliable information.)
* The metric system is used. Conversion to the metric system
officially began in 1971 and was officially completed in 1981.
It has been remarkably successful, with even conversational use
of metric measures more the norm than the exception.
"kilo" - always refers to a weight (ie kilograms)
eg. "I've put on half a kilo", "one kilo of chicken breasts please"
"k" - always refers to distance or speed (ie kilometres or km/hour)
eg. "It's 250 k's to Lithgow from here", "I got busted doing 140
k's on the freeway"
"mil" - refers to liquid volume (ie millilitres)
eg. "I'll have the 500 mil bottle please"
The terms grams, metres, litres and degrees are used as is. As
yet there is no conversational abbreviation for centimetres,
which may explain why description of people's heights in feet and
inches still persists somewhat in the street, although not in
newspapers or on TV, where the full word is used.
4.5 Prices
These are averages, and there are significant variations.
1 litre of Milk $1
1 loaf of bread $1.25
1 kilo of minced [Ground] Beef $5
1 pair of Levis' 501s $70
1 one trip intracity bus ticket $2
1 monthly bus pass $60
the daily paper $0.60
the cheapest brand new Toyota Corolla $17000
1 five year old smaller Japanese car
with 80000 KM on it $7000
1 museum pass $6
one month's rent on a 2 bedroom apartment:
VERY location-dependent, ranging from $300 to $1500, average ~= $800.
Assuming petrol is at 72c/l, and an ecxhange rate of US$ -> AUS$ of $0.66,
this puts a petrol cost of $1.72/gallon. (that is US$ and US gallons). [IS]
[JM] Last week [Sept 93] a newspaper article appeared describing
a survey of the cost of living in a number of countries. It
appeared to be aimed at companies trying to establish a suitable
living allowance for their employees when posted overseas. The
survey indicates that Australia is the cheapest of a sample of
ten countries. I have reproduced the results published below:
Mar 92 Mar 93
====== ======
Japan 234.60 271.70
Russia 170.10 189.90
Sweden 199.30 167.10
China 140.10 150.30
Germany 138.00 146.40
Singapore 129.10 138.30
Hong Kong 127.50 136.00
USA 107.70 114.70
UK 122.90 110.10
Australia 100.00 100.00
(I suspect the figures have been normalised to show Australia at
$100 in each case. This removes the effects of inflation in
Australia - which is low anyway - and currency fluctuations of
the Australian dollar against the others.)
The survey is based on a basket of goods including food, stamps,
laundry, cinema tickets, hair styling, clothing, electical
goods, restaurant meals and drinks at a bar. It excludes
mortgages and cars. I don't know if it includes rent, but it is
possible to rent 3 bedroom houses in the Melbourne suburbs for
about $150/week. (In relatively good, but not expensive or
inner suburban areas. However, it depends on what you are
looking for, a "quality executive" style home will cost you
considerably more.)
The survey was prepared by Employment Conditions Abroad. The
local spokesman is a Dr. Peter Rogers of Pacific Personnel.
(Phone 03 - 329 8352, fax 03 - 328 3489) I suspect they are a
consulting company and the full report will cost you a fair bit.
4.6 Cars
Anyone can import a vehicle, but all privately imported vehicles
attract the same rate of Duty and Sales Tax as commercially
imported vehicles. If not valued before importing, the Customs
value will be normally assessed on the purchase price. There are
additions and deductions available for this method. If owned and
used overseas then depreciation is allowed on the purchase price.
Alternatively, the likely local value of the vehicle can be used.
There is also a limit of one car per person per year. (Note that
these conditions only apply federally, there are state
variations).
Combined Duty and Sales Tax rates:
Vehicles under 30 yrs old, new or used
Customs Value Sales Tax & Duty
$1 - 19583 60%
$19584+ 84%
As above, but older than 30yrs
$1 - 26437 18%
$26438+ 36%
Off road 4wd passenger vehicles
$1 - 22989 44%
$22990+ 58%
Motorcycles 24%
The Motor Vehicle Standards Act, 1989 makes it illegal to import a vehicle
unless:
i) it meets the safety and emissions standards applying to
vehicles to be used on Australian roads
ii) arrangements are in place to modify the vehicle to meet
these requirements after its arrival.
Approval will be given to import a vehicle if :
i) It has a valid compliance plate fitted; or
ii) arrangements are in place for it to be modified to have
a compliance plate fitted; or
iii) you have a letter of compliance from the manufacturer; or
iv) you have owned and used the vehicle overseas for a
continuous period of not less than 3 months, you are of
driving age and are an Australian citizen or migrant
holding permanent residency; or
v) the vehicle was manufactured before 1 Jan, 1974 for cars
or 1 Jul 1975 for motorbikes.
If it brought in under points iii-v, it will get a personal import
plate, rather than a compliance plate. This is sufficient to allow it
to be sold. Note that at least some states require left-hand drive
vehicles to be converted to right-hand drive, which is likely to be
expensive (and troublesome to drive in).
[JM] Cars are more expensive here than most countries, but the
days when it was worthwhile importing your own are gone. In the
lead up to the last election, there was considerable discussion
about how much more expensive Australian cars are, and the worst
figure I heard of was around $4,000 more for an average family
saloon. In any case, you have to pay customs duty if you import
a car and it usually isn't worthwhile. Be aware however of two
points regarding cars in Australia:
- European cars are luxury items and are more expensive than you
might expect,
- second hand values are higher than you would expect (rust
isn't a problem so the beasts stay on the road longer.)
4.7 Shipping/Moving Information
* From USA to Australia [LS]
It would appear that the cheapest way to get books to Australia
is by using an M-bag from the US Postal Service (this service is
for books only). The surface rate for this is $.72 per pound
(this is the rate from Washington, D.C., to Sydney). Each M-bag
can contain from 15-66 pounds and from the experience of netters,
it takes about 8 weeks to arrive. One netter said that
Australian postal carriers are not allowed to handle packages
over 20 kg (~44 lbs) so the bags are opened when they reach
Australia, and the packages inside are delivered. Therefore, put
an address on each separate package inside an M-bag. An air
M-bag is available for $5.96 (same origination/destination as
previous) per pound.
Whether or not to ship your belongings from the U.S. to Australia
appears to be a highly subjective matter. However, most people
seem to believe it is well worth the effort and expense if you
have quality furniture. What to bring with you varies wildly,
too. It all appears to go back to something that each person
feels is important. The only consistency: a lot of people were
sorry that they had sold electrical appliances. With the use of
a step-down transformer, most everything (except tvs) will work
just fine.
While you will want to get your own estimates, be prepared to
spend in the thousands of US dollars (the average price seemed to
be around $6,000). The experiences people had ran the
gamut--some had no damages and some found crates with items just
thrown into the boxes. If you are using door-to-door movers and
a container, insist that the container be packed at *your* house
to avoid breakage. Which brings up the issue of insurance. Be
very certain that you understand what method of determining value
is used. One person had bought more than enough insurance to
cover the value of her goods. However, the policy paid on the
percentage of the shipment weight lost, not on a cost-to-replace
basis.
There are three basic parts of a move from the States to
Australia. The first is the packing at your house and delivery
to a port, the second is overseas shipping, and the third is
customs clearance and shipping to the final destination in
Australia. It has been suggested by many people that you insist
on having a quote broken down into those stages. Almost everyone
felt that you would be best served (and save *lots* of cash) by
working through a shipping agent to cover these stages rather
than using a moving company for door-to-door service. The
possibility to do either exists, and there were a couple of
people who felt door-to-door service was the best way.
There are two basic types of containers for overseas shipping:
ship's containers and waterproofed crates. Ship's containers
come in two sizes 40' and 20' and everyone agreed that you can
fit an amazing amount of stuff in a 20' container. The
waterproofed crates are for smaller shipments where using a
container is not cost effective.
It is very important to get an inventory of what goes into every
box. Do not pack any boxes yourself. The moving company will
mark all such boxes as "packed by owner", and this may delay you
in customs.
Moving from your house to the port is based on total weight; the
costs from the States to Australia are based on volume. So, if
you were planning on taking heavy, small stuff or big, light
stuff to save money, forget it. However, most people felt that
the approximate weight of an average container was used in
figuring weight, and unless, you went *way* over the average, you
weren't charged more.
It will take your belongings at least three months to arrive and
clear customs. Remember to use other means (you might want to
talk to a mover about a small air shipment) to ship the stuff you
are going to have to have in the interim like sheets.
* From Australia to the UK
I have just moved to the UK and if you are sending a lot of
books, there is a *very* reasonable way using Aus. Post. They
have this thing called "Print Post" where you can send printed
material (books, notes, photos etc.) for $2/kg. Parcels of books
have to be divided into groups with the weight of each group
being between 6 and 16 kg (I think, check with AP for the correct
bracket) and you then get a post bag (which weighs 1kg) to put
the parcels in. The whole bag with contents is then weighed to
determin the price. This is a fifth of the cost of the cheapest
freight I could find and is post-office to address rather than
dock to dock. The delivery time to the UK is about 8 weeks, I
imagine it would be similar for the US. Even if you are only
sending 10kg of books, this is a considerable saving on sending
it via normal freight channels. [DF]
* From Edinburgh to Oz [LC]
Here's a summary of a couple of replies I received to my query
regarding shipping household goods back to Oz from the UK;
specifically from Edinburgh.
The main recommendation was to go with a large reputably company
rather than a smaller, perhaps cheaper, one. Using the latter
may involve lengthy delays, with boxes sitting in warehouses for
anything up to months at a time. Having a local office at either
end is also very useful. In Edinburgh, this narrows the choice
to Pickfords or Scotpac. (There's lots of shipping companies
based in London advertised in the London TNT mag. for Aus/NZers,
but I have no idea on how recommendable they are.) I was warned
off the former, with tales of delay and damage, while Scotpac
were reported to have involved no delays (about 3 months transit
time) and no damage (apart from a buckled bike wheel: lesson is
to obtain a bike carton from a bike shop; actually, shipping
bikes is quite expensive, and we hope to use ours as the second
piece of checked-in luggage if flying via the US).
As far as the choice between door-to-port and door-to-door goes,
one person strongly recommended the latter as saving lots of
hassle, although he did have his moving expenses paid for!! The
others reported no hassles with pickups from Sydney depots, with
no extra charges involved; one had her stuff shipped from Sydney
to Armidale (arranged in Oz) for a *lot* less than the extra it
would have cost for door-to-door.
* Airlines
It has been said that some airlines will allow persons with
permanent residence visa to enter the Australia with additional
baggage at no extra charge. United Airlines does not allow this.
United allows two checked bags and charges $100 for each
additional bag (bags may not weigh more than 70 pounds). It has
been said that Quantas will honor the additional baggage deal,
but this has not been confirmed. Continental used to honor this
deal; it is not known whether or not they still do. Northwest
will . . . well, it doesn't really matter now. [LS]
If you are a U.S. government employee, the government will give you
additional baggage credits; make sure you check into this.
* Appliances and Transformers [LS]
Although many people have warned about the differences in
electricity between the two countries (Aus and USA), people who
have purchased step-down transformers have reported no problems
with small appliances such as mixers and coffee pots. Also,
appliances that will convert from 120 to 240 will need adapators
for Australian outlets. It has been advised that you should buy
these items while you are still in the States.
4.8 Spouse/Fiance(e) Immigration [LS]
[To make things simpler, 'you' will refer to the person in the
United States, and 'spouse' will refer to the person in
Australia.]
* Once you have applied for permanent residence in Australia, you
may not reenter Australia until your new visa has been issued.
The process is handled in stages. The total time for obtaining
your new status will usually take three to six months.
* The spouse must go the Australian emigration officials and get
a copy of Form M40. He/she should complete that and send it and
a certified copy of his/her birth certificate (assuming
Australian birth) to you.
* Locate your nearest Australian embassy to get the forms you
will need for the first stage of the process. The application
processing fee is $285 (US) which must be in the form of a
certified check or money order. You need to file the following
documents: your spouse's completed sponsorship form and certified
birth certificate, a certified criminal record clearance for
yourself (from your local police), a certified copy of your birth
certificate, a notarized outline of the chronology of your
relationship, 3 passport photos, a certified copy of your divorce
decree (only if you have been married before, obviously), a form
they call 'personal particulars', your passport, and either a
letter from a marriage celebrant of your intention to marry or a
certified copy of your marriage certificate. Return all of this
paperwork to the Australian embassy.
* After this initial paperwork has been approved by the
immigration officer, you will receive the forms for your
physical. When you have your physical, ask the doctor for a
detailed report of *anything* that isn't absolutely "normal",
including things you may consider unimportant like allergies.
Basically if there is anything at all on your forms that could be
considered any sort of medical "condition" ask for a separate
letter describing what medical treatment or followup is necessary
(if none, make sure the doctor states this). This forms should
then be returned to the immigration office at your local
Australian embassy.
* While it appears to make no difference to immigration officials
whether you are married or engaged to be married, if you are
engaged, you will have to be married within 2 or 3 months (the
answers given on this varied) of your arrival in Australia.
Sit back and wait for your new visa.
4.9 Re Children
* Schooling information
The school year goes from the end of January or first part of
Feb. until the middle of December. There are school holidays
between each term. The school year has 4 terms (3 in Tasmania)
with a week off at Easter, 2 weeks in July (winter), 2 weeks at
the end of Sept. or first of October.
Most schools have uniforms - public and private.
Schools are Prep,1-6 (primary) and 7-12 (secondary or high school).
If your children are in Scouts get international transfer papers
from the local council. Otherwise, they might not be able to get
into a troop. Cub Scouts did not start until boys were 8 -- a
bit different than here in the US.
4.10 Housing
* Housing in Melbourne [miscellaneous contributors]
There are several kinds of things that you can rent: a unit, an
apartment, a townhouse and a house.
An apartment usually refers to a dwelling in a multi-story
structure. There is no garden to maintain. There are more of
apartments closer to the city. A unit is a dwelling in a
single-story structure that is usually connected to its
neighbouring units. There will usually be 3--6 units in a block.
2 bedroom versions of units are the most common starting at about
$120 pw. 3 bedroom varieties are available but I do not know the
price (I'd guess about $150 pw). You can find units all over the
city. You might have a small area of garden to look after. A
townhouse is like a unit, but free-standing (ie not connected to
neighbouring town houses) and may be a two-story building. I
think that the rent is similar to the unit. You might have a
small area of garden to look after. I think that you know what a
house is. Houses in Melbourne are commonly either weatherboard or
brick veneer. No basement. No attic. 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom
versions are commonly available for rent.
Most areas in the north-western, eastern or sout-eastern areas,
within about 10km of the CBD would be suitable. Rent would
probably be about A$200 a week depending on the location. You
could expect a 3 bedroom house on a reasonable block (quarter
acre or bit smaller), with a decent sized backyard. 3 bedroom
apartments are uncommon in Melbourne.
I would avoid most of the northern and western suburbs. In
general, these are perfectly safe, but are traditionally poorer
areas and the quality of housing is not good. Some of them (esp.
Carlton) have been gentrified and are now very beautiful, but be
careful.
I think I should point out that there has been a large scale
movement back into the city centres in Australia over the last 20
years, so that the poorer and less safe areas are now generally
in the outer suburbs. I believe this is different from the US
situation, but it does mean you can have both a nice place to
live and a reasonable commute.
Melbourne has been assessed as the worlds most livable city. You
will not find the crime that you would be used to in Jersey or
the crime that is present in Sydney.
One of the nicer things about Melbourne is that there's almost
nowhere which is genuinely unsavoury to live. Parts of the city
are unsightly and much is visually uninteresting. The prettier
areas are northeast and east. Southeast gets you the beaches and
west and north is cheaper and more industrial.
I don't believe that any areas compare to the slum/ghetto areas
of large US cities. However, of course some areas are "better"
than others. Very generally, the south east, and eastern suburbs
are more middle class. The further out you are, the cheaper
housing gets. The really posh areas are Toorak, Brighton. The
northern and western suburbs are more low-middle and working
class. Plus there are some inner city areas that used to be
working class but are now pretty yuppified (Carlton, Fitzroy).
Find somewhere close to a train or tram line if you are going to
commute to the city centre.
* Housing in Sydney [BJ]
Sydney is a big place. It's population is about 3.7 million,
depending on where you stop counting. It spreads in every
direction from the CBD (Central Business District) until the sea
or mountains stop it. Sydney has about 950 suburbs and 40 local
government areas ("Councils"), 15 of which are cities in their
own right. Sydney also has the highest population density in
Australia. Most dwellings within a 10 km radius of the city
centre are apartments, terrace houses, or townhouses, with a
smattering of semis (semi-detached houses) and detached houses
(on blocks of land that would be considered tiny in other
Australian cities) depending upon the suburb. However, Sydney is
generally clean and green, with lots of trees and parks to
compensate.
Outer suburbs and newer suburbs usually consist exclusively of
detached housing, but it is now State Government policy to
enforce higher density housing to contain the urban sprawl, which
now sees Sydney's outer suburbs a 60 kilometre drive from the
city centre.
Sydney has by far the most expensive housing in Australia.
Luxury homes with city and/or harbour views easily command
multi-million dollar price tags to purchase, or cost thousands of
dollars a *week* to rent. Sydneysiders are obsessed with views
and will pay to get them. The average price of a 3 bedroom house
in Sydney is about A$230,000, the average price of a 2 bedroom
apartment is about A$160,000, but the variation is enormous
depending upon style and location. The typical rent is
*approximately* 1/1000th of the value of the dwelling per week.
Sydney's suburbs are generally classified by "area", going
clockwise from the city centre, in the following way:
- Inner City (CBD, Kings Cross, Pyrmont, Ultimo, Surry Hills)
- Eastern (Paddington to Vaucluse and Waverley)
- South Eastern (Kensington to Malabar)
- Southern (Rockdale to Sutherland and Cronulla)
- South Western (Canterbury, Bankstown, Liverpool, Campbelltown)
- Inner West (Glebe and Marrickville to Ashfield)
- West (Croydon to Parramatta)
- Far West (Blacktown to Penrith)
- Blue Mountains (Emu Plains to Katoomba)
- North West (Blacktown to Windsor)
- The Hills (Pennant Hills, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill)
- Far North (Asquith to Brooklyn)
- Upper North Shore (Lindfield to Hornsby)
- Mid North Shore (St Leonards to Chatswood)
- Lower North Shore (Longueville to Mosman)
- Northern Beaches (Manly to Narrabeen)
- Peninsula (Mona Vale to Palm Beach)
Unlike many American cities, the suburbs closer to the City are
*generally* considered to be more desirable, and those further
away, less desirable, but this is by no means true in all cases.
There is no widespread inner-city decay in Sydney, in fact it
tends to be the reverse, with many people lovingly restoring old
inner city terrace houses, or moving into expensive new apartment
complexes complete with swimming pools, squash courts and
gymnasiums.
Sydney has a large number of Manhattan style residential towers
(some up to 50 floors) in its city centre, unlike Melbourne,
which has virtually none. It is common for companies
repatriating staff to Australia for extended stays to arrange
long term rent of these apartments, or rent one for two weeks to
enable that person to find their own place to rent after
arriving.
The Eastern Suburbs are considered the most prestigious, with
City and Harbour views, closely followed by the rival Northern
Suburbs (the "new money" Lower North Shore, and "old money" Upper
North Shore). Expect to pay big dollars in these areas to buy or
rent. To make life complicated, there are prestigious areas
within otherwise unremarkable suburbs. For example, a small part
of Strathfield is very prestigious and houses there command twice
the price of other houses less than a kilometre away.
This geographical snobbery in Sydney is far stronger than in any
other Australian city. It may not be overt, but it is an
undercurrent in many people's thoughts. Some in the Eastern
Suburbs never dare cross the harbour to visit the rival Northern
Suburbs or vice versa. Some think all the cultural unwashed live
west of Ashfield. People who live in the West hate being
stereotyped by the snobs in the East and North.
Surfies live on the northern beaches, trendies live in the Inner
City, the evangelists live in The Hills, and many suburbs noted
for their high concentration of one particular ethnic culture,
whether true or imagined (South Africans in St Ives, Chinese in
Haymarket and Chatswood, Vietnamese in Cabramatta, Arabs in
Lakemba, Italians in Leichhardt, etc etc). Sydney is a real
patch-work quilt.
* Canberra [TN]
Housing is getting expensive in Canberra. A median house price
(probably 3-4 bedrooms, ensuite, 2 car garage, 0.2 acres) is about
$160,000, and rents for say $180-200 per week. That is second only to
Sydney. However, the medan house price is somewhat misleading as the
standard of the houses is not directly comparablable city to city.
You probably get much more for your money in Canberra than most other
cities, and the housing is newer.
Canberra is organised as a group of towns, where each town has a town
centre, with shopping malls, offices, service districts (specialist
shops, car yards, mechanics etc). The city is very attractive, well
layed-out, nice parklands, lots of space. The surrounding mountains
and bush are peaceful and beautiful, and it is only a 10-15 minute
drive from the city to be in genuine bushland. Lots of virgin forest
and mountains for outdoor enthusiasts, rivers and lakes for canoeing
and fishing.
It's about 1-1.5 hours drive to the coast, and there is some nice
coastline. Bateman's Bay is the closest and is therefore a bit
overcrowded with Canberrans. A bit further north or south (say 50km)
gets you to some quiet beaches. Good camping there too. A lot of
Canberrans own beach houses. Sydney is 300 km away on mostly freeway,
close enough for an easy weekend trip.
Jobs tend to be with the government or universities/CSIRO, or
companies that supply these directly or indirectly. There is a
growing private sector, which has little to do with government.
Culture: some good restaurants if you ask around (as anywhere). At
least one twin art cinema, plus three or four other cinemas. More of
the touring cultural events visit Canberra than you would expect
because the population (approx 350,000?) is relatively well off and
educated. There is a lot of additional culture because it is the
national capital, such as the Australian National Gallery, National
Library, etc. However, Canberra is not like Sydney or Melbourne in
terms of choice or frequency of cultural events, or venues.
Canberra has two universities, Aust National Uni and Canberra Uni.
* [Contributions about other cities?]
4.11 Public Transport
* Melbourne
Public transport isn't great. If you work in the city and live
near a train, tram or bus line, it is OK for commuting. You will
probably want a car for shopping etc. The central suburbs of
Melbourne (including most of the above) are serviced by trams.
These are a cheap and effective way of getting to work. Trains
also service the entire metropolitan area, _but_ the lines
radiate into the central city.
* Sydney [BJ]
By Australian standards the public transport in Sydney is
excellent. By international standards, it's probably pretty
average.
By far the largest people mover is the electric train system. A
quite extensive network of lines criss-crosses the City and
outlying areas, with approximately 290 railway stations (10
underground) and 1700 kilometres of tracks. The system only goes
underground in the CBD and Eastern Suburbs. Nearly one million
passenger trips are made each day. The only areas not served by
trains are the Northern Beaches/Peninsula (although plans are
being considered to remedy this) and the Northwest.
The trains are generally frequent (2-10 min at peak times), on
time, clean and fast. If you live near a train station it is
certainly the easiest way to go to the city. Driving into the
city is actively discouraged with extremely high parking fees, up
to A$40 per day. Trains are moderately effective for going from
suburb to suburb. A variety of single/return trip, periodical
and regional tickets are available.
The train system used to run 24 hours a day until 1988, when 1-4
am services were replaced by buses (ostensibly as a safety
measure, but really a cost- cutting one). The State Government
runs a fast and frequent bus service in areas without trains, or
as connecting services to train stations. Timetables are usually
coordinated. Some services run 24 hours a day. Again, many
types of tickets are available. For infrequent travellers, the
"TravelTen" ticket (a no-expiry-date ten trip card) is the best
value. In the outer suburbs, the only bus services are privately
run and fairly expensive. Most people will drive their car to a
railway station and park in the commuter car parks instead.
Probably the most pleasant way imaginable to travel to work is by
ferry. Harbourside suburbs are well served with regular State
Government run ferries and connecting bus routes. The Manly
ferry trip is internationally known. New services have been
recently introduced to serve suburbs further up the harbour with
high speed catamaran type ferries ('JetCats'). JetCats also run
to Manly.
Finally, Sydney has a 4 kilometre, 7 station Monorail loop
running between Darling Harbour and the City. The majority of
users are tourists, with the rest commuters, mostly using it as a
shuttle between their company sponsored parking spaces at Darling
Harbour and the City.
* [Other contributions? AN]
4.12 Roads
* Sydney
Roads in Sydney are a mixed bag. Some are atrociously potholed
or rough, simply buckling under the sheer pounding of thousands
of cars and trucks each day. Others (such as the new privately
run Tollways) are extremely smooth, fast, and beautifully
landscaped (some call them 'yuppieways').
There are seven main arterial links in Sydney called
"Metroroads". These roads follow a freeway or tollway if there
is one, or the largest main route (usually 6 lanes) if there
isn't. They are excellently signposted and the route number is
indicated by a single digit in a white hexagon.
There are five radial links into the city centre, namely
Metroroads 1,2,4 and 5. M1 runs from north to south and goes
right through the CBD (actually through the Harbour Tunnel), and
so forms a link in each direction. There are also two ring links
(Metroroads 3 and 7), with M3 at a radius of about 10 km from the
CBD, and M7 about 20 km. M6 doesn't exist yet.
Away from the Metroroads are State Roads. These are main roads
that form feeders to the Metroroads, are usually at least 4
lanes, and are also generally well signposted. Route numbers are
indicated by a 2 or 3 digit number in a blue shield.
Away from State Roads, you're in suburban territory. Signposting
is optional. Take your street directory.
* Canberra [TN]
Canberra has very good schools, roads, services etc. Your day to
day life is without many of the hassles of bigger cities. The
traffic is light (except for peak 10-minutes, rather than
peak-hour), and most main roads are devoted to being roads, and
don't have houses, shops etc on them (this makes it safer for
bicyclists and motorcycles). This can make Canberra look empty
to the uninitiated.
4.13 Shopping Hours
* Sydney [BJ]
City and Suburban shopping centres:
Mon-Wed 0900-1700
Thu 0900-2100
Fri 0900-1800
Sat 0800-1700
Sun 1000-1600
Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day.
Darling Harbour:
Mon-Sat 1000-2100
Sun 1000-1800
Closed Christmas Day.
Kings Cross:
Mon-Sun 24 hours
In addition, many supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, Food Plus) and
fast food chains such as McDonalds have 24 hour outlets in
various locations.
4.14 Crime
* Sydney [BJ]
The crime in Sydney is often overstated. Yes, there are parts in
which it is unwise to walk alone at night. On the other hand,
allegedly dangerous areas like Kings Cross are often quite safe
because it is always crowded 24 hours a day and heavily patrolled
by Police on foot. Just don't start a fist fight there :-)
Overall, Sydney is really a very safe city for its size if you
use your common sense and avoid obvious dangers. At night,
travel with someone else if you are unsure, or at least look like
you're *not* unsure if alone.
On trains, sit in populated carriages near the Guards Carriage
(indicated by a blue light on the side) if you're worried.
Transit Police patrol trains and this has greatly increased
safety at night. Sydney also has a chapter of the NYC "Guardian
Angels" riding nighttime trains. At train stations at night,
wait in the well lit striped areas of the platform. Major
stations have 24 hour video surveillance and large red "Emergency
Help" buttons on the platforms that immediately summons the
Police should you be in trouble.
Sydney's nighttime trains are 4 carriages long, but now they lock
the first 2, so you have to sit near the guard. They've painted
"Night Safe Area" on the platforms where the unlocked carriages
stop. [RA]
Buses are generally safe at any hour, and incidents on Ferries
and the Monorail are rare.
Always lock you car when leaving it, even at a petrol station,
and never leave *anything* on view in the car that isn't bolted
down or welded to it. Especially do not leave anything valuable,
a wallet, handbag, or spare change on view. Cars are broken into
for $2 or an umbrella (really - it happened to my wife!). Also,
don't leave a Street Directory on the seat. It looks like you're
visiting an unfamiliar area, and hence will be away from your car
for some time.
5. For Australians Overseas
5.1 Radio Australia
Up-to-date information on frequencies can be found on rec.radio.shortwave,
or ftp from nic.funet.fi:/pub/dx/text/schedules/Oceania/australia.prog.txt,
australia.prog.txt. These frequencies are for August 1992:
21740 - 0100 to 0400 GMT
17795 - 0100 to 0400 "
15240 - 0300 to 0500 "
13605 - 1600 to 1800 "
9580 - 0830 to 1500 "
On the east coast of the USA, I can get Radio Australia from
5-9am on 9580 Hz. [AN]
For a copy of the Radio Australia guide, write to:
Radio Australia, PO Box 755, Glen Waverly VIC. 3150, Australia
Telephone 61-3-881-2222
Fax 61-3-881-2346
Radio Australia comes in better in spring and summer in North
America, then in autumn and winter - apparently due to
differences in the ionospher. [AN]
5.2 Public Access sites
These are all dialup sites; most should offer news and mail for some
fee (UNIX, unless stated otherwise). APANA (the Australian Public Access
Network Association) covers some of these. For more info on other sites
in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane, potential users can mail
in...@apana.org.au.
Melb: Cloud postm...@cloud.apana.org.au [msdos]
Melb: Werple postm...@werple.apana.org.au 03 888 1726
Syd: Krazilec postm...@kralizec.zeta.org.au 02 837 1183
- Pegasus postm...@peg.pegasus.oz.au 066 85 6789
[JS] Dialix is a commercial net access provider, similar to APANA
(mentioned in the FAQ). Dialix's operation is a little more commercial
oriented, and we cater for corporate users as well as individuals.
Fees are about the same as APANA, sometimes cheaper for individuals
and especially for students.
Sydney (N.S.W.) Perth (W.A.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Phone 02 948 6995 09 244 2433
Email jus...@sydney.dialix.oz.au je...@dialix.oz.au
Fax 02 948 6995 -
Modem 02 948 6918 09 244 3233
Mobile 018 491 642 -
Snail Mail Dialix Services, Box 153, Doubleview WA 6018, Australia
5.3 Newspapers:
NYC: on 42nd St between 7th and 8th Avs., south side
UCSD: Melbourne Age (4-6 weeks late)- International Relations & Pacific
Studies Library
Palo Alto: Mac's Newsagent, Printers Inc., Kepler's Books, Tower
Records Bookstore
Boston: The Newsagent's in the middle of Harvard Square has
copies of the Australian (and maybe the Sydney Morning Herald) [AN]
"The Australian" is a national (Murdoch owned) daily which
advertises computing jobs in its Tuesday edition, and other jobs
in the Wed. and Saturday editions. Available from most
Australian consulates.
The Australian
2 Holt Street
Surry Hills, 2010
+61 2 288 3000
5.4 Australiana in the USA
* The Australian Catalogue Company: 7412 Wingfoot Dr., Raleigh,
NC 27615. Tel: 919-878-8266 Fax: 919-878-0553. They have a fair
selection of food [biscuits, sweets, etc], Australiana (pins,
calendars, posters), a range of Women'sWeekly Cookbooks, tapes of
Australian music, boomerangs, didgeridoo, books on Australia,
etc. The prices aren't particularly cheap because they get things
sent over by air themselves, but is probably cheaper than getting
them sent to you. They will send you a free catalogue if you ring
them up. [AN]
They also have the "upside down map", with North at the top, with the
caption "Australia, No Longer Down Under": McArthur's Universal
Corrective Map of the World - Gives a true perspective of how the
world looks to an Aussie. A talking piece. Item Number: rmmc00 Price
US$8.95 + Tax & Shipping
* Koala Baskets, San Jose, CA. They will send a catalog if you
ask. Catalog is not that extensive and prices fairly high [SW].
* Kangaroo Connection, Chicago, IL. Australian sweets, chocolate
bars, biscuits, etc. They do mail order. Their number is: (312)
248-5499. They will send you a catalogue. They also sell a
Vegemite Cookbook ($8.95).
* Vegemite: [AJ] More info on Vegemite in the U.S. I buy the
medium jars (235g.) for $4.95 from a chain store in the area
--Foods of All Nations.The address to try is:
Kraft Foods Limited
162 Salmon Street
Port Melbourne Vic. Aust.
A friend told me she wrote there looking for another product and
got a response about where she could find it wholesale--she paid
the price of the product and shipping only, no grocer markup.
In Seattle, the cheapest place I've found Vegemite is at Cost
Plus Imports for $2.19 for a small jar (115g). As a side note, a
co-worker of mine refers to Vegemite tasting like 'liquified
Guiness' ;-) ;-) [GV]
Lee's Nutritions, Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachussetts ($3/jar)
Vegemite Cookbook available from Kangaroo Connection (see above)
Vegemite availability for D.C. summary:
- Koala Blue, Tyson's II Galleria
- Dean Deluca's, Georgetown
- Kangaroo Katies, Greenbelt
- Beautiful Day and other health stores (maybe)
- Gourmet Giant, McLean, Cabin John Plaza Bethesda..etc
- Magruders, Rockville
5.5 Video Conversion:
* There is a service in Raleigh, NC where video conversion from
any country format to any format can be made for several types of
cassettes(BETA, VHS, VHS-C and 8 mm). This will allow playback of
videotapes made overseas, here on U.S. TV's and VCR's(NTSC
System). The service will also convert the other way around, from
U.S. system to any of the systems used anywhere else in the
world (PAL, SECAM, etc..)
Mailing Address: INTERNATIONAL VIDEO CONVERSION
520 Harvest Lane
Raleigh, NC 27606-2217
Phone: (919) 233-8689
Fees: $24.90 + $5.00 S&H
(Price of a High Grade Cassette Included, 2hrs or less)
Delivery: Mailed back the next day, express shipping at request.
Payment: Cheque, Cash or Money Order mailed with tape.
* We've also had a recommendation for SOMI International.
"I have used their services and found them to be professional, and
of course their price is good ($12.99/tape plus $3 for UPS)."
Address: SOMI International
1115 Inman Ave, Suite 130
Edison, NJ 08820.
Phone 908 548 3065.
5.6 Expatriate Organisations
* Info on Australian contacts, organisations, news, arts, sport, etc.-
The Australian Expatriate
3809 Plaza Dr, Ste 107-307
Oceanside, CA 92056
USA
* A sort of a professional society for expats in NY and the surrounding area-
The Australia Society Inc.
P.O. Box 5441
New York NY 10185
USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
6. Information about Australia
6.1 Australian (Dual) Citizenship [CW]
Here are some excerpts form the "Hints for Australian Travellers"
booklet produced by the Dept. of Foreign Affairs - its the little
booklet you get when you get your passport (at least it was a
year ago...) I had a part- icular interest in this as when I
became an Australian Citizen I wanted to keep my NZ citizenship
(which fortunately I could...). I don't have any details on
exactly what the requirements for gaining Asutralian citizenship
are, but I know that 21 years of permanent residency was good
enough...
Portions in [...] are my comments. [CW]
Nationality or Citizenship
Each country is free to determine who it will regard as its
citizens, and under what conditions its citizenship can be
aquired or lost. Citizen- ship laws are often complex and they
can be quite different from Australiann laws.
In many countries, for example, citizenship is not considered to
be lost simply because the person has acquired Australian
citizenship. The laws of some countries require people who wish
to renounce their citizen- ship to make formal written
application to do so.
Because of such laws many Australian citizens are also citizens
of other countries and therefore, possess what is internationally
referred to as "dual nationality".
[translation - dual citizenship is possible; whether or not you
retain your original citizenship upon becoming an Australian
depends on the laws of the original country.]
Dual Nationality
Australian citizens who hold another citizenship are likely to be
those who:
o were not born in Australia;
o were born in Australia but had one or both parents or grandparents
who were not born in Australia;
o are married to a person with another citizenship.
[stuff deleted about being citizen of certain countries may make
you subject to certain laws if you return...]
Loss of Australian Citizenship
Australia provides in its own citizenship law that an Australian
citizen, who is 18 years of age or over, who does an act or
thing, the sole or dominant purpose of which is to acquire the
citizenship of another country, ceases to be an Australian
citizen from the date he or she becomes a citizen of that
country.
If you marry a citizen of a foreign country you may, under the
law of that country, automatically become a citizen of that
country. Under these circumstances you will not lose your
Australian citizenship provided you are not required to take any
further action yourself (eg. registration) to acquire your
spouse's citizenship.
If you lose Australian citizenship as a result of doing an act or
thing to acquire another citizenship, you can apply to regain it
by grant any time after 12 months from the date of loss, provided
you are in Australia and have been present there as a resident
for 12 months in the 2 years immediately prior to lodging your
application. Alternatively, you can apply to resume Australian
citizenship by making a declaration to the Minister for
Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs that at the time
you did the act or thing:
1) you did not know that by doing it you would cease to be an
Australian citizen; or
2) if you had not done it, you would have suffered significant hardship
or detriment.
The person making the declaration must:
1) have been legally present in Australia for a period, or periods,
amounting in aggregate to not less than 2 years; and
2) intend to continue to reside in Australia or, if living overseas,
intend to return to reside in Australia within 3 years of making
the declaration; and
3) have maintained a close and continuing association with Australia
whilst abroad.
If the Minister believes the statement is true, he may register
the declaration and you may become an Australian citizen again.
Persons needing up-to-date information should consult the
Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs or
an Australian mission overseas.
A child under 18 years of age loses Australian citizenship if
his/her responsible parent or guardian ceases to be an Australian
citizen, and
o he/she possesses another citizenship at the time, and
o his/her other responsible parent is not an Australian citizen
at the time.
Should you lose Australian citizenship before your 18th birthday,
as a result of a responsible parent ceasing to be an Australian
citizen, you can, within one year after your 18th birthday (or
later if special circum- stances apply), make a declaration that
you wish to resume Australian citizenship on the date the
declaration is registered.
Anyone who loses Australian citizenship is no longer entitled to
hold an Australian passport. If you think you may acquire another
nationality in some way, you should seek advice about the effect
this would have on your Australian nationality from Australian
authorities.
Children born overseas
A child born outside Australia may be registered as an Australian
citizen by descent at the time of birth of the child.
Registration must be made within 18 years of the child's birth by
a responsible parent or guardian. Applications can be obtained
from any Australian mission overseas or the department of
Immigration (etc.) in Australia.
[translation - if an Australian deliberately acquires citizenship
of a foreign country, they lose citizenship for at least a
year... if it is involuntary then there is no problem...]
[SW] Personal experience on dual citizenship for Australians with
children born abroad. The child automatically has the
citizenship of the foreign country. To register as an Australian
by descent, you have to provide originals of both parents birth
certificates, the child's birth certificate, the parent's
marriage certificate (if appropriate) and parent's passports.
Send all of this plus the correct form and $80 USD (in the USA)
to the appropriate consulate for the region you live in and then
eventually you get a Certificate of Australian Citizenship by
Descent for the child. To get a five (5) year child's passport
you must present yourself (in Person) at a consulate with the
passport photos, the application form and the appropriate
endorsement on the photos. They'll then give you the passport.
6.2 Political System; Current governments
Australia is an independent commonwealth of 6 states, 2
territories and a number of island and territorial dependencies.
It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, United Nations,
ANZUS, OECD. The form of government is a constitutional
monarchy. The Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is also Queen
of Australia, and Head of State. Her representative in Australia
is the Governor-General, Bill Hayden since 1989.
The federal parliamentary system consists of two houses of
Parliament. The lower house is the House of Representatives. The
party which has the most representatives in the lower house forms
a government. The leader of that party becomes Prime Minister,
and he (no women PMs as yet) forms a Cabinet. The current Prime
Minister is Paul Keating, and we have a Labor government. They
have been in power since 1983 (mostly with Bob Hawke as PM). The
usual term of office is 3 years, although the PM may call an
election early. The Upper House is the Senate, consisting of 12
senators from each state and 2 from each territory. They have 6
year terms and half face re-election every 3 years. The upper
house is generally a house of review.
The main parties are the Labor Party, the Liberal Party (who are
actually conservatives) and the National Party (formerly the
Country party) who represent mainly rural electorates and are
also conservative. The Liberal and National parties usually form
some sort of coalition. The current leader of the Liberal party
is Dr. John Hewson (a New Right person); current lead of the
National Party is Tim Fischer.
The most recent federal election was held on March 13th, 1993. The
Labor Party, lead by Paul Keating was returned with an increased
majority, to the surprise of many. The unpopular GST tax being
proposed by the Opposition was considered a major factor in the
outcome, as Labor came from behind in the polls at the start of
the campaign. Hewson is still the leader of the Liberals, but
the GST has been dropped from their platform.
State Goverments (Length of Term 4 years, except Qld 3 years))
State Party Premier Election due by
Vic. Lib/Nat Jeff Kennett Nov '96
NSW Lib/Nat John Fahey 25 March 1995**
Qld Labor Wayne Goss 1996
SA Lib/Nat Mr Brown late 1997
WA Lib/Nat Richard Court Feb 1996
Tas. Lib Ray Groom late 1995
**NSW now has fixed 4 year parliamentary terms. The next
election is to be held on Saturday 25 March 1995. Subsequent
elections will be on the last Saturday in March every four years
thereafter.
To cast a postal vote. Write to the nearest embassy or consulate,
or call them. They will send you a form to fill in (which has to
be witnessed by an Australian citizen). They then send you the
postal vote slip, which you have to return by a date usually
before the election.
The Australian Republican Movement is a non-political
organisation. Membership is $35. They can be contact at:
Australian Republican Movement
GPO Box 5150
Sydney, NSW 2001
(02) 234 4726
Peter Butler (peter_butl...@central-gw.uow.edu.au) and James
Mullens (jmul...@tansu.com.au) have part of the Constitution online.
The House
---------
State of the parties in House of Representatives:
State Labor Lib Nat Ind Total
NSW 33 8 8 1 50
Victoria 17 17 3 1 38
Queensland 13 7 5 - 25
Western Aust. 6 8 - - 14
South Aust. 4 8 - - 12
Tasmania 4 1 - - 5
ACT 2 - - - 2
N.T. 1 - - - 1
Total 80 49 16 1 147
The Sentate
-----------
State of Parties in the Senate from July 1:
Party NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS ACT NT TOTAL
ALP 6 5 4 4 4 5 1 1 30
LIB 3 5 4 6 6 5 1 - 30
NAT 2 1 2 - - - - 1 6
DEM 1 1 2 - 2 1 - - 7
OTHER* - - - 2 - 1 - - 3
Total 12 12 12 12 12 12 2 2 76
* Includes two WA Greens (Chamarette and Margetts) and Tasmanian
Independent Brian Harradine.
(Other tables indicate that only 36 out of the 76 senate seats
were contested this election (the senate term is twice the length
of the house of reps term BA).
* History of Australian "Independence" [ZS]
1-Jan-1901 - Federation: The UK creates a British colony, the
Commonwealth of Australia, as a federation of six existing
colonies. This just means that now there are seven colonies
instead of six.
1931 - The UK passes the Statute of Westminster act. This grants
independence to Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa; it
also authorises the Australian Parliament to declare independence
whenever it feels like it. However, the Australian States are
specifically excluded from the act.
3-Sep-1939 - WWII breaks out; nothing directly significant to
independence happens, but this date will become significant
later.
1942 - Australia passes the Statute of Westminster Acceptance
Act, thus declaring independence; the Act is backdated to
3-Sep-1939. However, as mentioned before, the States remained
colonies. From 3-Sep-1939, the Commonwealth of Australia is an
independent country made up of a federation of six British
colonies! The UK no longer has the power to make laws, give
orders, or in any other way interfere with the Commonwealth of
Australia; but it can, and occasionally does, interfere with the
States.
1986 - Australia, the UK, and all six States pass the Australia
Act, and the Queen comes out here to sign it. Among other
things, this act finally grants independence to the States.
6.3 National Holidays
(a) General Descriptions.
Australia Day: January 26th (holiday often taken on the nearest
Monday to this date to make a long weekend.) Jan 26th 1788 was
the day the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour to establish
European settlement.
Religious holidays:
Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas (Dec 25th), Boxing Day (Dec 26th)
Anzac Day: national holiday, April 25th (if it falls on a
Sunday some states move it to Monday, most don't [JB]?).
To remember those who died serving their country.
April 25th, 1915 was the date of the first landing of ANZACs at
Gallipoli.
Other holidays (varies depending on State): New Year's Day (Jan 1st),
- Queen's Birthday (June), Labour Day. Each state also has "Show Day".
(b) Holidays for 1993 (as posted by DE)
Jan 1: New Years Day
Jan 26: Australia Day in the states of Qld, WA, NT and NSW
Feb 1: Australia Day in the states of SA, Vic and Tas.
March 1: Labour Day in WA, Eight Hour Day in Tas.
March 8: Labour Day in Vic.
April 9: Good Friday
April 12: Easter Monday
April 13: Easter Tuesday in Vic.
April 25: ANZAC Day
April 26: ANZAC Day holiday everywhere except Tas and Vic.
May 3: Labour Day in Qld, May Day in NT
May 17: Adelaide Cup Day in SA
June 7: Foundation Day in WA
June 14: Queen's Birthday everywhere except WA
August 2: Picnic Day in NT
Sept. ?: Melbourne Show Day in Melbourne only, (probably only in afternoon).
Oct. 4: Labour Day in SA, Queen's Birthday in WA
Nov. 2: Melbourne Cup Day in Melbourne only (same as election day in US)
Dec. 25: Christmas
Dec. 26: Boxing Day
Dec. 27: Christmas Day holiday (Monday) in SA, Tas, Vic, WA.
Boxing Day holiday in NSW and Qld.
Dec. 28: Boxing Day holiday (Tuesday) in Tas, Vic, WA, NT.
Proclamation Day in SA.
6.4 Geographic Facts and other Statistics
AUSTRALIA - POPULATION
======================
Source for all the following data: Australian Bureau of Statistics 1994
Year Book. n/a = not available.
State and territory populations are estimates as at June 1992. City
populations are estimates as at June 1990.
State/Territory Population Capital Population
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUSTRALIA 17 528 982 Canberra 310 000*
New South Wales 5 974 146 Sydney 3 656 500
Victoria 4 458 895 Melbourne 3 080 900
Queensland 3 037 405 Brisbane 1 301 700
Western Australia 1 662 777 Perth 1 193 100
South Australia 1 459 622 Adelaide 1 049 800
Tasmania 471 118 Hobart 183 500
Aust. Capital Territory 296 376 Canberra 284 000
Northern Territory 168 643 Darwin 73 300
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXTERNAL TERRITORIES
Norfolk Island 2 000 Kingston n/a
Christmas Island 1 275 Flying Fish Cove n/a
Cocos Islands 586 Bantam n/a
Aust. Antarctic Terr. c. 100 Mawson n/a
Coral Sea Islands Terr. 3 South Willis 3
Heard and McDonald Is. 0 - -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Includes Queanbeyan in NSW.
AUSTRALIA - AREA, COASTLINE and HIGHEST POINTS
==============================================
State/Territory Area (sq km) Coast (km) Highest Point (m)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AUSTRALIA 7 682 300 36 700 Mt Kosciusko (2228)
Western Australia 2 525 500 12 500 Mt Meharry (1251)
Queensland 1 727 200 7 400 Mt Bartle-Frere (1611)
Northern Territory 1 346 200 6 200 Mt Zeil (1510)
South Australia 984 000 3 700 Mt Woodroffe (1440)
New South Wales 801 600 1 900 Mt Kosciusko (2228)
Victoria 227 600 1 800 Mt Bogong (1986)
Tasmania 67 800 3 200 Mt Ossa (1617)
Aust. Capital Territory 2 400 35 Mt Bimberi (1912)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXTERNAL TERRITORIES
Aust. Antarctic Terr. 6 119 800 n/a spot height (4270)
Heard and McDonald Is. 412 102 Mawson Peak (2745)
Christmas Island 135 139 Murray Hill (356)
Norfolk Island 35 32 Mt Bates (319)
Cocos Islands 14 43 Horsburgh (6)
Coral Sea Islands Terr. 3 3095 South Willis (7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STATE TERRITORIES
-----------------
Lord Howe Island is administered by New South Wales.
Macquarie Island is administered by Tasmania.
Ashmore and Cartier Islands are administered by the Northern Territory.
Jervis Bay Territory is administered by the Australian Capital Territory.
ORDER OF FOUNDATION
-------------------
The foundation date given for the states is the date of formal proclamation of
the original colony as a self-governing political division in its own right.
For territories, it is the date of proclamation as a Commonwealth territory.
Order State/Territory Foundation Date
----- ----------------------------- -------------------------
1 New South Wales 7 February 1788
2 Tasmania 14 June 1825
3 Western Australia 18 June 1829
4 South Australia 28 December 1836
5 Victoria 1 July 1851
6 Queensland 10 December 1859
7 Northern Territory 1 January 1901
8 Australian Capital Territory 1 January 1911
----- ----------------------------- -------------------------
* Climate Information for each city [JO]
January
Temperature Rainfall
(mean in Celsius) (mean in mm)
____________________________________
Sydney 22 102
Melbourne 20 47
Brisbane 25 164
Adelaid 23 20
Perth 24 8
Hobart 17 48
Darwin 28 409
Canberra 20 60
____________________________________
July
Sydney 12 101
Melbourne 10 48
Brisbane 15 57
Adelaid 11 66
Perth 13 174
Hobart 8 53
Darwin 25 1
Canberra 5 39
Sydney in September October (useful for Sept Sydney 2000)
Quoting from the 'Australian Weather Calendar':[MJ]
September October
av max temp 20.2 22.3
av min temp 9.8 12.8
days > 35C 0 0
days < 2.3C 0 0 (no frosts)
av hrs/day of sunshine 7.8 8.0
av monthly rainfall (mm) 60 76
no of rain days (av) 10 11
[MJ] The following climate data was copied from the Australian
Weather Calendar. If you see a number that is clearly wrong it
is because I mistyped it. Please note that these are statistical
averages over (long) records (more than 100 years for the state
capitals). As such they do not indicate what you may necessarily
expect. Much of Australia has variable weather, particularly the
south (e.g. Melbourne in January has an average maximum
temperature of 25.7 but can expect 4 days over 35).
Also note that over the 100+ years of data there have been "cool"
and "warm" decades. Average temperatures for the last 20 years
will, for several cities at least, be a little higher than the
figures quoted here. Finally, the column giving number of days >
35 refers to maximum temperature, and the column of days < 2.3
refers to the minimum temperature. This corresponds to an
expected number of days of frost. A "rainday" is any day on which
at least a trace (0.1mm) of rain is recorded in a standard rain
guage.
January
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 28.5 16.6 5 0 10.6 20 4
Alice Springs 36.0 21.2 21 0 10.2 35 5
Brisbane 29.1 20.9 0 0 8.3 164 13
Canberra 27.7 12.9 2 0 9.7 58 7
Darwin 31.7 24.8 0 0 5.7 414 21
Hobart 21.5 11.7 0 0 8.0 48 11
Melbourne 25.7 14.0 5 0 8.6 48 8
Perth 31.5 16.7 9 0 10.7 8 3
Port Headland 36.3 25.3 19 0 10.5 56 5
Sydney 26.2 18.4 1 0 7.5 100 11
Townsville 31.2 24.1 1 0 7.8 283 15
Weipa 31.9 23.9 1 0 5.5 448 21
February
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 28.5 16.8 4 0 10.3 21 4
Alice Springs 34.9 20.6 16 0 9.9 42 5
Brisbane 29.0 20.8 0 0 7.7 174 14
Canberra 27.0 12.9 1 1 9.3 56 7
Darwin 31.4 24.6 0 0 5.9 349 20
Hobart 21.6 11.9 0 0 7.2 39 9
Melbourne 25.7 14.3 3 0 8.5 47 7
Perth 31.7 17.4 7 0 10.2 14 3
Port Headland 36.2 25.3 17 0 10.2 98 7
Sydney 26.2 18.7 1 0 7.4 111 11
Townsville 30.9 23.8 0 0 7.1 296 16
Weipa 31.4 23.9 0 0 4.8 410 20
March
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 26.0 15.2 2 0 8.4 24 5
Alice Springs 32.5 17.4 9 9 9.7 37 3
Brisbane 28.2 19.2 0 0 7.6 142 14
Canberra 24.4 10.7 0 0 7.9 55 7
Darwin 31.8 24.4 0 0 6.7 312 19
Hobart 20.1 10.7 0 0 6.3 47 11
Melbourne 23.8 13.0 1 1 6.8 52 9
Perth 29.5 15.7 4 0 9.1 15 4
Port Headland 36.7 24.4 22 0 9.8 44 4
Sydney 25.2 17.2 0 0 7.0 127 12
Townsville 30.4 22.8 0 0 7.3 212 14
Weipa 31.6 23.5 0 0 5.3 337 20
April
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 22.1 12.7 0 0 7.2 44 9
Alice Springs 27.9 12.5 1 0 9.4 14 2
Brisbane 26.4 17.1 0 0 7.4 94 11
Canberra 19.7 6.7 0 4 6.9 52 12
Darwi 32.6 23.9 1 0 8.7 99 9
Hobart 17.2 8.9 0 0 5.2 52 12
Melbourne 20.2 10.6 0 0 5.6 58 12
Perth 25.2 12.7 0 0 7.3 46 8
Port Headland 35.1 21.1 17 0 9.8 22 2
Sydney 22.8 13.9 0 0 6.6 109 11
Townsville 29.4 20.4 0 0 7.7 68 8
Weipa 31.9 22.6 0 0 7.1 112 10
May
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 18.6 10.4 0 0 5.3 68 13
Alice Springs 22.9 8.3 0 2 8.4 18 3
Brisbane 23.5 13.8 0 0 6.4 87 11
Canberr 15.2 3.1 0 13 5.5 49 9
Darwin 31.9 22.1 0 0 9.5 21 2
Hobart 14.3 6.9 0 1 4.2 49 14
Melbourne 16.6 8.5 0 1 4.4 58 14
Perth 21.4 10.3 0 0 6.0 108 13
Port Headland 30.3 17.1 2 0 8.9 29 3
Sydney 19.9 10.5 0 0 5.8 98 11
Townsville 27.4 17.5 0 0 7.3 37 6
Weipa 31.5 21.3 0 0 7.5 16 3
June
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 15.8 8.5 0 0 4.6 72 15
Alice Springs 19.8 5.2 0 9 8.4 14 3
Brisbane 21.2 11.0 0 0 7.3 76 8
Canberra 12.0 0.9 0 18 5.0 38 9
Darwin 30.5 19.9 0 0 9.9 1 1
Hobart 11.9 5.2 0 4 3.9 56 14
Melbourne 13.9 6.7 0 3 4.0 50 14
Perth 18.7 9.0 0 1 5.0 177 17
Port Headland 27.4 13.9 0 0 8.7 19 3
Sydney 17.4 8.2 0 0 6.1 129 11
Townsville 25.4 14.3 0 0 7.9 22 4
Weipa 30.6 19.6 0 0 7.4 4 1
July
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 14.9 7.5 0 0 4.8 67 16
Alice Springs 19.4 4.0 0 12 9.0 15 3
Brisbane 20.6 9.5 0 0 7.5 66 7
Canberra 11.1 -0.2 0 22 5.6 42 10
Darwin 30.4 19.3 0 0 10.0 1 0
Hobart 11.5 4.5 0 6 4.4 54 15
Melbourne 13.3 5.8 0 4 4.5 49 15
Perth 17.6 8.0 0 1 5.4 163 18
Port Headland 26.9 12.0 0 0 9.1 10 2
Sydney 16.8 6.6 0 1 6.6 69 9
Townsville 24.8 13.6 0 0 8.4 15 3
Weipa 30.5 18.9 0 0 7.5 2 1
August
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 16.1 8.0 0 0 5.8 62 16
Alice Springs 22.3 6.1 0 7 9.7 11 2
Brisbane 21.7 10.1 0 0 8.5 43 7
Canberra 12.7 1.0 0 19 6.6 48 12
Darwin 31.2 20.6 0 0 10.2 7 1
Hobart 12.9 5.1 0 4 5.0 52 15
Melbourne 14.8 6.5 0 2 5.2 51 16
Perth 18.3 7.9 0 1 6.4 116 16
Port Headland 28.9 13.0 0 0 10.2 4 1
Sydney 18.0 7.7 0 0 7.9 80 10
Townsville 25.9 14.7 0 0 8.3 2 1
Weipa
September
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 18.4 9.2 0 0 6.6 51 13
Alice Springs 26.6 9.9 1 1 10.0 9 2
Brisbane 23.8 12.6 0 0 9.1 32 7
Canberra 15.9 3.0 0 13 7.4 51 10
Darwin 32.4 23.1 2 0 9.8 17 2
Hobart 15.0 6.3 0 1 5.9 52 15
Melbourne 17.1 7.8 0 1 5.7 59 15
Perth 20.0 8.8 0 0 7.4 68 13
Port Headland 32.2 15.2 5 0 10.8 1 1
Sydney 20.2 9.8 0 0 7.8 60 10
Townsville 27.5 17.1 0 0 9.5 10 2
Weipa 33.3 20.0 4 0 8.6 6 1
October
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 21.3 11.1 0 0 8.4 44 11
Alice Springs 30.8 14.7 7 0 10.0 21 5
Brisbane 25.7 15.7 0 0 8.5 98 10
Canberra 19.2 5.9 0 6 8.7 66 11
Darwin 33.1 25.0 2 0 9.5 71 6
Hobart 16.9 7.7 0 0 6.4 64 16
Melbourne 19.6 9.3 0 0 6.8 68 14
Perth 22.3 10.1 0 0 8.8 48 10
Port Headland 34.5 18.0 15 0 11.5 1 1
Sydney 22.3 12.8 0 0 8.0 76 11
Townsville 29.3 20.5 0 0 9.8 23 5
Weipa 34.8 21.4 15 0 9.2 27 2
November
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 24.4 13.1 2 0 9.1 31 8
Alice Springs 33.5 17.8 13 0 10.2 26 5
Brisbane 27.3 18.0 0 0 8.5 95 10
Canberra 22.5 8.5 0 2 9.1 62 10
Darwin 33.1 25.3 2 0 8.4 142 12
Hobart 18.6 9.2 0 0 6.9 55 14
Melbourne 21.8 11.0 1 0 7.4 59 12
Perth 25.4 12.4 1 0 9.9 26 7
Port Headland 36.1 21.1 18 0 11.8 3 1
Sydney 23.9 15.0 1 0 8.1 83 11
Townsville 30.7 22.8 1 0 9.4 53 7
Weipa 34.6 23.2 13 0 9.1 105 8
December
Where av max av min days>35 days<2.3 Sun rainfall raindays
C C # # hrs/day mm #
Adelaide 26.8 15.1 4 0 9.5 26 6
Alice Springs 35.4 20.1 18 0 10.3 37 5
Brisbane 28.8 19.9 0 0 8.7 126 11
Canberra 26.0 11.1 1 0 9.4 53 8
Darwin 32.6 25.3 1 0 7.2 229 16
Hobart 20.2 10.7 0 0 7.3 57 13
Melbourne 24.1 12.7 2 0 8.1 59 11
Perth 28.5 14.6 4 0 10.7 12 4
Port Headland 36.6 23.7 20 0 11.4 19 2
Sydney 25.6 17.2 1 0 8.3 77 10
Townsville 31.4 23.9 1 0 8.9 127 10
Weipa 33.3 23.9 5 0 7.4 253 15
Here's some statistics from "Australia in Brief" from the
Commonwealth Bookshop: [TN] "Weather in Australia's capital" (A
rain day is a day on which rainfall is 0.2 mm or more)
Hours Rain- # of Mean temp Mean temp
sun fall rain hottest coldest
/day days* month month
Adel 7.6 559 122 23.0 11.1
Bris 7.9 1217 123 25.0 15.0
Canb 7.5 629 108 20.3 5.4
Darw 8.5 1669 110 29.2 24.8
Hoba 5.9 628 160 16.5 7.9
Melb 6.3 655 147 19.9 9.5
Pert 7.9 869 119 24.0 13.2
Sydn 6.7 1219 139 22.1 12.0
Online weather informationr [IC]
It's possible to find out the current weather for any state of
Australia from the Victorian Bureau of Meterology via telnet.
% telnet vicbeta.vic.bom.gov.au 55555
| ************ VIC WEATHER - MAIN MENU ************
|
| 1 = CURRENT MELB FORECAST
| 2 = CURRENT VIC FORECAST
| [...]
| 9 = INTERSTATE FORECASTS .................(menu)
| 10 = INTERSTATE CITIES MET OBS
|
|enter choice => 1
|
|***********************START MELBOURNE FORC*********************
|
| Forecast for Melbourne issued by the Bureau of Meteorology Melbourne
| at 2145 on 21/09/1993 for WEDNESDAY.
|
| CLOUDY PERIODS WITH A FEW SHOWERS. COOL WITH A MODERATE WEST TO
| SOUTHWEST WIND.
ie Typical Melbourne Weather :-) [IC]
| MIN = 8 MAX = 16
|
| OUTLOOK THURSDAY. FINE. MAX = ABOUT 17
| OUTLOOK FRIDAY. FINE. MAX = ABOUT 19
| OUTLOOK SATURDAY. MAINLY FINE. MAX = ABOUT 19
| CURRENT OBSERVED TEMPERATURE (within last hour)
| MELB MELBOURNE CITY 10.5
GOPHER: The Bureau of Meteorology has just set up a Gopher server
to provide forecast information for each state and territory
around Australia. Currently only textual information is
available, but we hope to add charts and satellite images
sometime in the future. The server is known as
"babel.ho.bom.gov.au" and should be accessible through AARNET at
the normal Gopher port (i.e port 70). Please note : This service
is initially purely experimental and will not be supported
outside normal office hours. Contact : Justin Baker, Central
Operations and Systems Branch, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne,
Australia e-mail : jus...@bom.gov.au.
For anyone chasing facts and figures about Australia I would
recommend The Book Of Australia Almanac, "The essential
information book on everything Australian". (524 pages) My copy
is the 1991-92 Ed. which cost me $2 at a sale in Melbourne, so I
assume that there is a later edition out now. Published by
Hodder & Stoughton, 10-16 South St, Rydalmere, NSW, 2116 [JN]
Relative sizes of countries. Before the breakup of the USSR, the
order was: USSR (by far the biggest, more than twice the size of
any other country), then Canada, China, USA (inc. Alaska), Brazil
and Australia, making Australia number 6 in area. That Brazil was
slightly bigger than Oz was a bit of a surprise to me. I haven't
seen the stats for Russia, but given that in round figures it was
something like 22 for the USSR to 9 for Canada, the order seems
unlikely to have changed. [JH]
Time Zones. Australia has three basic time zones; Eastern Central
Time (EST) (NSW, Vic, Qld, Tas) GMT+10, Central (SA, NT) GMT+9
1/2, and the west coast GMT+8. NSW, SA, Vic, Tas, ACT put their
clocks forward an hour for "Daylight Savings" over the summer.
(WA, Qld, and the NT do not. [SW] Queensland had a referendum
for Daylight Saving in 1990 after a trial summer the year before.
Due largely to the country vote, the referendum failed by
something like 53%/47%.)
* Comparative GDP etc [TvR]
Some time ago there was a debate on Soc.culture.Australia about
GDP at purchasing power per head expressed in US $ ... the
Economist has compiled a list in its christmas issue . to set
the records straight a lot of countries that would be high on the
list Norway,Denmark,Netherlands, Belgium are not included in the
sample.. here are some of the data.
GDP per Pollution Cars Second Doctors Murders
head at CO2 per per school per per
$PPP head 1000 rate % 100.000 100.000
1991
USA 22300 19.7 589 92 238 13.3
Switzerland 21780 5.9 447 85 159 1.4
Germany 19770 10.5 490 97 270 1.0
Japan 19390 8.5 285 96 164 0.7
Canada 19320 17.3 473 99 222 2.5
Hong-Kong 18520 7.0 29 90 93 1.7
France 18430 6.4 418 99 286 1.3
Sweden 17490 7.0 419 91 270 1.7
Italy 17040 6.8 459 79 476 3.6
Australia 16680 15.5 435 83 229 2.7
Britain 16340 9.9 403 84 164 1.0
New Zealand 13970 7.8 455 89 174 3.4
Spain 12670 5.2 308 90 357 1.2
6.5 Sport
Australian Rules Football.
This is the main football code played in Vic, SA, WA and
Tasmania. The Australian Football League consists of 10 teams
based in Melbourne, plus Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and
Adelaide. (It was established a few years ago from an expanded
VFL.) Fixtures, results, statistics and match reports are
available from rec.sport.football.australian. Pre-season night
competition begins the end of February. Main season is end of
March to August, with finals series in September. West Coast won
in 1992, Essendon won the flag in 1993. (Carn the Ds in '94!
[AN] :-).
There is a competition of about 8 women's teams in Melbourne, and the
sport does not seem to be growing.
(If it isn't obvious, Melbourne is the home of this "sport".
Melbourne's winter football mania is one great reason NOT to be
there in winter! [CP, who probably still has cleat marks on his
back from his school days] :-P.)
Rugby.
The main football code in NSW and Qld is rugby. Rugby League is
the professional sport (reigning premiers are the Brisbane
Broncos, who beat St. George 14-6 this year), rugby union is
still "amateur". Rec.sport.rugby contains some postings about
rugby in Australia (though is dominated by discussion of the
rugby union 5 nations competition and the World Cup).
As far as I know there is no organised women's rugby in Australia
(we did not send a team to the 1991 World Cup held in Wales).
[SW] Rugby League is played by girls up to age 12 or 13 in both
schools and weekend competition in mixed teams with boys. I
believe that after that age they are no longer allowed to play
mixed. However, I did see an article on Wide World of Sports on
Channel 9 in August 1993 depicting a Rugby League for Women Grand
Final out of Sydney.
Cricket.
The most widespread summer sport is cricket. Australia plays
regulars Tests against England (for the Ashes), NZ, India, the
West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and now that they have been
re-admitted to the fold, South Africa. Each summer there are two
touring teams which play in a 3-way One-Day series. The state
competition is for the Sheffield Shield (4-day matches), which is
only semi-professional. (Qld has never won this :-). Many men
and boys play club cricket on the weekends (usually Saturday).
Women's cricket has been established quite a long time (first
Test versus England in 1934) but continues to be a minority sport
for women. There are about 100 club sides in Melbourne. The
Australian women's team is the best in the world; I believe there
has even been some TV coverage of Test and/or One-day cricket
recently.
Note: live commentary of cricket matches is available via IRC
(Internet relay chat). It is available on the channel #cricket
and people discuss the match on #crickettalk. Information on this
is posted reguarly to rec.sport.cricket. There is a cricket
information service, called CricInfo, available on gopher - see
rec.sport.cricket also for how to access it.
Baseball.
There is the ABL (Australian Baseball League). It is only 3-5
years old. There are 8 teams - Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, 2
from Melbourne, Adelaide, Waverley and Perth. The season consists
of 14 games of regular season played in January and February of
each year. [SW]
Basketball.
NBL consists of 14 teams (although Hobart Tassie Devils might not
play in 1994 because of financial problems). Season is usually
from March/April until September. Each team is only allowed 2
imports (i.e. non Australian citizens). NBL was created in the
late 70's and has expanded since then, with several of the
original teams either leaving or being renamed/relocated. [SW]
Athletics.
Horse Racing.
Is everywhere. Traditionally Australians love to gamble. The
Melbourne Cup is the biggest race of the year. There is a holiday
for it in Melbourne. For a few minutes on the Tuesday after the
first Monday in November the whole country stops to listen
(supposedly). Work place sweeps proliferate. Phar Lap, which won
the Melbourne Cup in 1930, is a national hero, and his stuffed
body may be seen in the Melbourne musuem.
Netball.
There are over 1/2 million registered netball players in
Australia, so it is by far the most popular women's sport.
Softball.
Is the most popular women's summer sport.
Soccer.
[contributions? AN]
Other Sports.
Field hockey is very popular for both men and women, and we do
well in International competition. Many people play squash.
Other sports played include badminton, volleyball, table tennis,
yachting, rowing, swimming, cycling... [any more? AN]
6.6 Travel
These 3 questions were posted at one stage. Here are a summary
of answers.
1. How are the conditions of the streets (or roads?) in Australia
in January? I heard that the roads in the North are often
overflowed. Is this right?
2. We want to rent a car (or jeep or motor home) to go through
Australia. Which kind of car is required or recommended
(especially for the desert in the center of Australia)?
3. Maybe we want to fly within Australia. Which airlines are
recommended and how much are the prizes (examples are enough)?
Answers
(1)
Roads are O.K. around here - but I live in Sydney :- I don't know
about the roads up north because I have never been there..
I've never heard of roads being overflowed, unless you mean
flooded (with water). This has happenned over the last couple of
summers in the northern tropics, but roads are generally only cut
for a few days. If you want to travel north, it is usually best
to do that May to November when it is dry and travel south
September to April. [FS]
The monsoon hits the far north of australia, so the roads may be
flooded and only usable by boats. however this only is a problem
north of townsville in queensland and around darwin in the
northern teritory the rest of the country is in summer HOT and
dry for the most part but its is much colder in the southern
parts and you may have some rain down there... IT IS A BIG PLACE
and spands a large part of the earth!! [FW]
The term 'condition' usually implies whether they are good for
driving on or not. The term 'streets' usually means the roads in
the cities. The term 'roads' usually refers to the highways,
etc. So, to answer your question: they are generally in a good
condition to drive on (the government has spent a lot of money
lately fixing up the roads). I'm not sure where you mean exactly
when you say 'north' since there is a lot to the north half of
Australia (covering three states and many thousands of
kilometres). If you mean Queensland (North East) then the roads
are usually busy with holiday travellers. If you mean Northern
Territory (North Central of Australia) then the roads are usually
busy before Christmas (although there are still a number of
people about on the roads). If you mean in Western Australia
(North West) then you will find a lot of outback, very few
people, few roads, and few cars. I think you mean Northern
Territory ? [IC]
No worries. Stay on the highways and you'll have no problems. It
often rains a bit, but it is rare these days to have major
holdups. But don't go off on to unsealed roads. [RC]
(2)
Almost every area in Australia is accessible by any car. That is,
as long as you stay on the bitch (bitumen) you can go anywhere.
If you really want to go off the beaten track you will need a
4WD, but I've never owned one and I've never felt that I've
missed anything. If you want a cheap form of accommodation that
you can take almost anywhere, hire a motor home. If you can
afford the outlay, and you are staying long enough, the cheapest
way by far is to buy something civilised and semi reliable, then
sell it before you go (you could pick up a half decent mid range
car for A$3-4,000. [FS]
Unless you have driven a four wheel drive (4WD) in sand/mud
before then stick to a conventional car/motor home they are
cheaper and you will probably not have enough time to spend
exploring the rougher areas. If you want to see a sight that is
only avaliable by 4WD then there is probanbly a tour that will
get you there and back for less trouble than hireing a 4WD. [FW]
I would recommend a four-wheel drive vehicle for driving around
through the desert in the centre of Australia. A motor-home will
probably slow you down and use up a lot more petrol, a jeep will
probably mean you will get sunburnt very easy. [IC]
A bloody big one mate.! Rent a car, Ford or Holden from a
reputable company, with air conditioning. Stay in motels and
hotels. Don't leave the main roads, and even then, carry a 15ltr
can of water if you go more than 200 km inland from any city on
the coast. Travel with other vehicles in convoy if you can
arrange it. Does this sound bad? keep in mind that there are only
17 million people in Oz, and most of those live in Melbourne,
Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, then Darwin. That doesn't
leave many to spread out over a country that is the size of
Europe, plus England, plus lower Medetranian etc. Try it on a
map. It can be many days between passing cars in central
Australia, and if you are broken down, you MUST stay with your
vehicle. My advice ? See Australia by bus tour, the only way to
go unless you are prepared to face the last frontier and all the
hardships that that entails. And wear a hat. The temperature can
be 40+ C in the shade. [RC]
(3)
I never fly when going on holidays in Australia. This is because
everything is so spread out. You fly somewhere then you have to
hire a car to get out and see something, unless you want to ride
on a sheep truck (tourist bus). Also when you fly you miss out on
all the good things in between major centres where the airports
are built. [FS]
You should arang this as part of your air ticket to australia as
it will be cheaper than buying the air tickest here. All of the
australian air lines are very good one of the best safety records
in the world sometimes the service may not be the best but its a
lot better than some of the service I have had in other parts of
the world. Basicly pick out what you want to see ask where it
is, there may be a number of sites eg desert, we have about 5,
sandy, stony etc then plan your trip it would take 4 days to
cross the country east west 3 days to cross north south by fast
car, with no stops for sight seeing... [FW]
[IC] I presume you are not going to book these flights until you
get to Australia (so you can ask around and get the best price at
the time). However, the problem with this may be that many
airlines will be heavily booked and getting a flight during the
holiday season in Australia may take some time.
Unfortunately, a local airline company (called Compass) went
broke for the second time and a lot of really cheap flights
within Australia have gone. (There are 3 main local airlines now
- Ansett, Australian Airlines, East-West Airlines and Qantas
[mainly international flights])
I don't have any actual information handy,so I am guessing here
and these are my own approximate guesses (Prices in Australian
Dollars):
* Sydney - Perth. This is a long trip. Probably $700 - $900
Apparently it is cheaper to fly to New Zealand than to fly to Perth
from Sydney.
* Sydney - Darwin Approximately $400
* Darwin - Perth Approximately $600
* Flights to Tasmania (or is going by ship better?) If you don't
think you'll get sea sick, then a ship (from Melbourne) will probably
end up being cheaper.
I have from a paper some exact figures from Melbourne:- (This is
Ansett Airlines and the price is for a return ticket).
Melbourne <-> Sydney $179
Melbourne <-> Adelaide $189
Melbourne <-> Canberra $199
Melbourne <-> Brsisbane $289
Melbourne <-> Perth $419
Melbourne <-> Cairns $489
Another paper I have quotes this price (it is a 17 day package) :-
* Darwin <-> Perth (Aeroplane and Bus) 17 days $3973
[includes hotel accommodation, plane, bus fares and most meals]
Travel in Australia and New Zealand (JO)
This gives some comments on travel in Australia and New Zealand.
I have some definite biases and will admit them as appropriate.
Also, I am assuming that the reader has an atlas with maps of
Australia and New Zealand.
I include New Zealand because anyone making the trip down here
would be insane to miss it. It is small but has very varied
scenery and is well worth the time. Flying time from Los Angeles
to Sydney is about 17 hours. I happen to be tall and wide
shouldered and find economy class seats very uncomfortable. (I
have a theory that they were designed by a small, sadistic
feminist). Consequently, I arrive very tired and jet lagged so I
allow 3 to 4 days for recovery before doing anything. If you can
sleep on the plane, you will be better off but don't plan on
sightseeing the day you arrive. Allow at least one day to rest up
from the flight.
My biases:
- I don't like large cities, deserts or rainforests.
- I do like small cities, mountains, beaches and seacoasts.
- I think that the US and Canada have some of the most beautiful
scenery and interesting cities in the world. Australia needs your
money and I would love to meet you but honesty compels me to say you
should see the US and Canada first.
New Zealand: Two islands unimaginatively called North and South
Island. The North Island has some high volcanic mountains, lots
of rolling pastoral scenery, and an area called Rotorura with
gysers, hot spings etc. Sort of a minature Yellowstone. It also
has an area called the Bay of Islands which is supposed to be
very nice but I've never seen it. I love the South Island. It
contains Mt Cook and the Southern Alps which are gorgeous. A
mountain resort called Queenstown is very scenic and pleasant.
If you like skiing, come in August and ski the Southern Alps.
There is a coastal area with a town called Te Anu near a place
called Milford Sound. This is like a Norwegian fjord and very
well worth visiting. It has a world famous hiking track called
the Milford Trail with guided expeditions of 3 to 5 days (NZ
summers only). Finally, the city of Christchurch is very
attractive - very English with lots of gardens and parks. Time:
5 days to a week for one island, 2 weeks for both islands
Australia (working from south to north)
I have never seen Adelaid or Western Australia so make no
comments. Also note that Australia is large. You will need to
fly unless you like long train or bus trips. Don't plan on
intercity driving. The roads are poor and there is nothing like
the US interstate highway system.
Hobart in Tasmania is a small but very nice city. It has a
beautiful harbor, steep hills and some very good seafood
restaurants and a colony of artists and craft workers. (San
Francisco in minature). It is a popular tourist area for
Australians but most overseas visitors miss it. Tasmania itself
is popular with Australians because it is very different from the
mainland. Cooler and wetter, greener and has more trees and some
heavily forested low mountains. People from the eastern or
northwest US would probably not see much point in visiting it.
If you are from the plains or southwest US than it will be
different from home.
Melbourne - Sydney and Melbourne have a long standing feud (like
San Franciso and Los Angeles). Its a nice city if you like
cities of 3 1/2 million. It does have a beautful art gallery
with a good collection, some lovely parks, and a number of
wildlife preserves nearby in the Dandenong mountains. It also
has a good public transport system of trams (streetcars) which
are fun to ride. There are a lot of good restaurants and I think
there is an "Eating Out in Melbourne" guide book which is
supposed to be reliable. Eating in the major hotels is a recipe
for bankruptcy. (Just like the US.)
Sydney - Its slightly bigger than Melbourne, suffers from a
horrible urban sprawl, driving is terrible (no freeways) but
there is good bus and train service. The harbor and Opera House
are just as beautiful as you have heard. There are harbor
ferries which are fun to ride. The ferry service has several
guided tours of the harbor which are relatively inexpensive and
worth the time. The Opera House also has guided tours. There is
an historical area near the harbor called "The Rocks" which is
fun to wander through. Note that down here anything older than
100 years is "historical. My unimaginative but practical
suggestion is that the best way to see Sydney is to take one of
the bus tours like Grayline. They all go to the same places .
There is a public zoo (Taronga Park) which can be reached by
ferry. That is the easy way to see koalas and kangaroos. There
is also a "Koala Park" that I've never been to. I think its
included in many of the sight seeing tours. Sydney also has an
"Eating Out" guide and plenty of good restaurants of all
nationalities. It lacks chains such as Denny's or Sizzlers but
the take away snack bar food is fairly good. Not gourmet but
they won't poison you.
Outside Sydney, the major tourist area is the Blue Mountains.
They are not high (1500 meters/5000 feet) but are scenic. If you
like caves, try the Jenolan caves near Katoomba in the Blue
Mountains. There are coach tours from Sydney to the Blue
Mountains and the caves. Alternatively, take a train to Katoomba
(2 hours, $8) and than catch one of the coach tours there. I
believe the railroad organizes this. You might want to stay one
or two nights. There are plenty of good motels. I can also
recommend the train trip to Wollongong as very scenic but then I
am biased since I live there!
The Whitsunday Islands: Now we jump 1500 km to central
Queensland. The Whitsunday Islands are a group of small,
semi-tropical islands at about 20S latitude. You may be able to
find the largest (Whitsunday Island of course) in an atlas. The
nearest towns are Bowen and Proserpine. Two islands, Hamilton
and Hayman, have been developed as international standard resorts
at international standard prices. A number of other islands have
"family style" resorts aimed at the ordinary Australian.
Hamilton Island has an airport. You can fly directly to it and
take a boat to the other islands. All the other islands have
check in counters at the Hamilton Island airport.
South Molle was run by Ansett Airlines. Their lease expires in
June '94 and they are not renewing it. So far, I have not heard
whether it is closing down or someone else is taking over.
Radisson Long Island Resort was targetted at the 18 - 35 age
range. It has just been purchased by another company. The new
owners say it will cater to all ages. I don't know if they plan
to redevelop or whatever [JO].
The islands are inside the Great Barrier Reef. All the resorts
provide high speed catamarran trips to the outer reef (about 2
hours to get there). There you can snorkle, take glass bottom
boat trips or take a ride in a "submarine". These don't
submerge. You sit inside the underwater hull and look out
through big windows. The Whitsunday Island region is world
famous for scuba diving and sailing. There are dive boat
operators for qualified scuba divers. The island resorts also
have dive courses. Yachts can be rented for bareboat cruising and
there are tour operators who take people on 5 to 7 day cruises of
the islands using 45 to 55 foot yachts . You sail in the daytime
and camp on the beaches with tents, sleeping bags and air
mattresses at night. The operator provides the camping gear,
crew and cook. This is a bit of "pot luck" since you will be
with strangers and the boat might have 6 passangers or 18. The
cooking is also "pot luck" because the cook will probably be a
young woman who is touring Austarlia and has signed on for only
one trip. With luck, she may know how to cook! I did this once
and liked it. For details, ask your travel agent for brochures
on the Queensland Islands, Whitsunday Islands or Northern
Queensland.
Cairns and Cape York: Now jump another 1000 km north. Cairns is
in the tropics at about 9S latitude and is also inside the Great
Barrier Reef. It has access to the reef and the rainforest of
Cape York. When I went there it was small and very lovely.
There are no beaches in Cairns but some beautiful tropical
beaches to the north of it and around Port Douglas (an hour drive
to the north). Since I was there, it has been developed as an
international tourist resort (mostly for Japanese). I don't know
what the town is like now but the reef and rain forest are still
there. Cairns is an international airport with flights to Japan,
New Zealand and the US. You could go skiing in NZ in August and
than fly to Cairns for swimming and sunning on the reef.
Warning: Don't go to Cairns or the Whitsunday Islands between
December and March. That's the cyclone (hurricane) season.
The Outback: I've never been there and have no interest in it.
However, if you want desert, kangaroos, or dingoes than Alice
Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock) are supposed to be very good.
There is also a tropical park called Kakadu in the Darwin area.
Its reported to have lots of crocodiles and birdlife and be very
interesting if that's your thing. Watch the weather. The rainy
season is said to be awful - roughly November to March.
*Accomodation at Uluru (Ayers Rock) [GR]
1) If you are a group 4/5/6 ++ people look at the possiblity of
renting a mobile home... It is stationary but cost about A$50/day.
2) Pioneer Outback Hotel (A$80/night bed/bath)..booked through AAT
Kings travel agency..very pleased
3) Kitchenettes... somewhere in the 60 to 100 dollar range... double
bed, a/c, share bathroom...best choice at price
4) Check with NT beaureau
* Place of interest in Tasmania?
[JL] Things I would look at:
The Gorge in Launceston
Hellyer Gorge on the West Coast
Ocean Beach at Strahan
day walks at Lake St Clair (overnight if you're set up)
SW rainforest (might be difficult - check out adventure tours out of Hobart)
scuba diving at Bicheno
fishing on the East Coast
Tas Redline Coaches, who have some sort of Tassie Pass for out of
state travellers (008 006 006). However [MP] Just be careful to
investigate the Red Line Tassie Pass a little more carefully. I
spent several weeks in Tassie and loved it with one exception:
actually getting around. The Pass doesn't even go to certain
parts of the island and when it does it's usually once a day,
every other day, and things like that. It's possible to rent a
VW bug for A$25 per day or something which really works well if
there are two or three of you. Four, five or six might be
pushing it a little. Simply drawing out your itinerary
beforehand and then pricing it on individual tickets actually
competes with the Pass within a few dollars believe it or not!
* Accomodation tips to the low budget motorhome traveller (BB)
1. Obtain the Automobile club district maps for the area. They
are the best to navigate by showing all the sights to see and
have "Rest Areas" marked on them. Now some rest areas can be
nothing more than a rubbish bin on the side of the road but
others, particularly in Queensland can have toilets,fresh water
and even showers. As a traveller you can stay for up to two
nights at a proper rest area. I know of two places within 20mins
of the Gold Coast for example.
2. Obtain information from National Parks, State Conservation
Areas and State Forests on camping areas. Most are free and those
that you have to pay at are generally worth it. I regularly stay
the night in a State Forest near the Sunshine Coast.
3. Many remote picnic areas, lookouts etc are also good for one
night even if the sign says "No Camping". Who's going to know if
it's only one night and you don't make it obvious. Up to 10pm
your only having a BBQ before returning to the camp aren't you.
I'm not campin' I'm goin' fishin'!. And of course you got up
early to have breakfast in the bush.
4. The first bit of bush you like. Often there are areas of
unfenced land on the side of the road. Just find a track and
drive in (careful if raining, don't get bogged). With all bush
sites I prefer to be as far away from the road as I can. First
because it's quieter. Second - if they can't see you they can't
bother you, even if it's some kids wanting to hoon around. I can
remember one night at Mallacoota this young couple drove right
passed us into the centre of the clearing (it was dark). She got
out and urinated on the ground in full view then back into the
car for some fun. Suddenly they realised that they were not
alone. Engine on, quick reverse out of their favourite parking
spot!
I have been touring this way for 24 years without any trouble but
a lot of adventure. Camping grounds are for when you desperately
need a shower or to wash the clothes. They invaribly are built
next to the highway or railway, have noisey people who insist on
partying all night and wasting the daylight hours sleeping in,
and aren't anything like being in the bush at dusk or dawn when
the native animals are active.
6.7 Health Care
[XXX Anyone want to write a paragraph or 2 describing out health
care system?]
6.8 Miscellaneous
* Sydney is spelt with a "y", not Sidney. It was named after
Baron Sydney of Chislehurst, the Home Secretary at the time when
the First Fleet arrived. Actually, they named Sydney Cove and
the city was supposed to be called Albion, but it didn't come out
that way. [HG]
* Tasmanian Aborigines and Trugannini
The "tradition" view [AD]:
The last hundred survivors of the Tasmanian aborigines were
rounded up in an operation known as the "black line" about the
1850s. They were all moved to a settlement on Flinders Island at
a place called Wybalenna. They were forced to adopt "christian"
society clothing/behaviour.. They gradually died out fron the
european diseases until, when there were only about 30 left they
were moved to Oyster Cove in southern Tasmania. They gradually
died out.
The last male survivor was William Lanney. He was murdered
during a boat trip across a river. He was thrown from the boat
and his hands cut off as he tried to return to the boat. After
he was buried grave robbers removed his head to sell to British
Scientists.
The last female survivor was Trucaninni (or Truganinni) who was
also known as Lallah Rookh. She died in about 1878. There are
unconfirmed reports of two elderly ladies living on Kangaroo
Island (i think) South Australia until about the 1890s.
There are NO full blood aborigines alive today. A fair few
aborigines live on Cape Barren Island, just south of Flinders
Island (in Bass strait between Tasmania and Victoria). Racisim
on the islands is rife IMHO.
White sealers often stole aboriginal women for their sex slaves,
and half-castes were generally descended from these situations.
The women were known as " gins" and were roughly treated.
An interesting facet of this story is that in 1984, the Tasmanian
Museum discovered an Edison Cylindrical Phonograph record in it's
coffers which had recordings of a half-caste lady (who claimed
she was full blooded). She was singing traditional aboriginal
songs. The recording was made in 1902. A very stirring feeling
listening to this 90 year old recording of a vanished culture and
it makes me feel very ashamed to be a white Tasmanian.
[XXX Can someone write a paragraph about how there really
are Tasmanian aboriginals left? AN]
* What is "Mabo"?
The High Court, in the "Mabo" decision, eliminated the previous
terra nullius principle of land ownership in Australia, and
stated that there was a Common Law ownership by the indigenous
people, unless that title had been extinguished by a valid Act of
the imperial. colonial, state, commonwealth or territorial
parliamnts. They also said that common law ownership depended on
a demostrated continuos link between the people and that land.
[JB]
* Tasmanian Devils and Tasmanian Tigers [KB]
The Tasmanian Devil population is relatively large and is on the
whole very healthy. There is some problem with a heartworm type
parasite which has (of course) originated from introduced
species. The government authority is aware of this and are
maintaining close watch and quarrantine on infected groups. It
shouldn't be too great a problem. Tasmanian Devils are a quasi
animal emblem some suggest ambassador for the state so any threat
to their survival is taken very seriously.
A bit about the TD, they do hunt, even climb trees, but generally
prefer to consume carrion aka dead wallabies, livestock, etc.
The TD species appears to one of the few natives that actually
have thrived and increased in population with the arrival of
European man. Especially now we have a brutally efficient means
of producing carrion aka the motor vehicle which leaves plenty of
road kill for the devils. We also have the tendency to aggregate
large numbers of live food such as hens and sheep for the devils
to maraude occasionally.
Historically the devils used to follow the now extinct Tasmanian
Tiger. Looked much more like a large dog actually.The TT was a
notoriously inefficient hunter which just used to lay in wait for
prey and lunge onto them as they passed, normally only managing
to wound them and then tracking the animal until it was so weak
from blood loss etc that it was able to be slaughtered. It is
suggested that the TT would then feed off its kill until the
devils arrived on masse and drove it away. Consequently when
European man arrived with their sheep the TT soon adapted to this
new abunndant and tractable food source and got a reputation for
killing livestock. In my opinion the new settlers own dogs were
much more likey to have killed most of the livestock, they still
do. As history will show the government of the day reacted to the
hysteria about the TT and offered a sizeable bounty for each TT
scalp. The last known TT died in captivity in 1933.
* The Australian Flag
In vexillogical terms, the Australian flag is a defaced blue
ensign. In the upper hoist (top left corner) is the Union Flag
(ie the flag of the United Kingdom). On the fly (right) of the
flag, are 5 white stars, representing the Southern Cross, a
constellation of stars generally only visible in the southern
hemisphere. Each of these stars has 7 points except for the
smallest star which has only five.
Directly below the Union Flag is a large 7 pointed white star
called the Federation Star, representing the federation of the
colonies of Australia in 1901 to become an independent nation of
the British Commonwealth. There is one point for each of the six
states, and one to represent all of Australia's internal and
external territories.
The length:height ratio of the flag is 2:1.
* History of the Australian Flag
Australia's national flag was chosen from a national flag
competition held in 1901. Initially started by a Melbourne
newspaper, the competition was taken up by the new Federal
Government, and it attracted 32 823 entries. Although not a part
of the official entry rules, the judges proscribed that the
design *must* contain the Union Flag. The winning design was in
fact shared by five people who submitted almost identical
entries. Australia's first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton,
announced the winning design in Melbourne on 3 September 1901.
The design had a mixed reception and caused much controversy at
the time.
The original design was as described above, except the Federation
Star contained only 6 points and the Southern Cross was
represented by stars ranging from 5 to 9 points to indicate their
relative apparent brightness in the night sky. The design was
modified to the current design on 22 May 1909, but in fact the
flag did *not* have official sanction as Australia's national
flag, and wasn't always flown as such, until the Flags Act of
1953 was passed by the Menzies Government.
There is some agitation to change the current design to one that
does not include the Union Flag in view of Australia's changing
relationship with Britain.
* National emblem
[BJ] The Australian Coat of Arms shows a kangaroo (left) and an emu
(right) holding a shield that contains the six state badges (left to
right on first row: NSW, Vic and Qld, below are SA, WA and Tas).
Underneath the shield is a spray of Golden Wattle blossoms,
Australia's floral emblem. Above the shield is the seven pointed
federation star.
* Why do the stars on the Australian flag have 7 points?
(See 6.8 *The Australian Flag)
* WHY IS AUSTRALIA CALLED AUSTRALIA?
"Terra Australis" was the land of the south. The portuguese
Fernandez de Quiros, in the serive of Philip III of Spain, named
it Australia del Espiritu Santo (Southern Land of the Holy Ghost)
"Australia" was used to flatter the King who was a Prince of the
Austria Ruling house. [VS]
* What is the source of ".oz" as an internet address representing
Australia? (is it any different from ".au"; and why do some
addresses have ".oz.au" both, or is that just harmless
redundancy?)
[KRE] No, its certainly not the same as AU, nor is it redundant
in addresses where it appears, its required, and can't be used in
others.
Long ago when we were first setting up addressing for Aust we
were always going to use domain addressing - this is way back
when xxx.arpa was the standard name for US hosts on the arpanet
(& milnet). That is, the use of domain names wasn't new, but
there was not yet any organised structure for domain naming (ie:
the edu, gov, ... and the two letter country names didn't yet
exist).
We knew we wanted a domain name that represented Australia in
some way, and things like AU and AUS were suggested, but we also
knew that our (then) small group fo sites couldn't really ever
claim to represent all of Australia, and do anything that would
effectively take over the entire Australian namespace leaving
nothing for anyone else unless they could fit themselves into our
naming scheme.
I should also mention that at this time we were already using
domain names, the domain we used was "SUN" which meant "Sydney
Unix Network" (and sometimes "Sydney University Network") - the
Australian net was an outgrowth of a network that started in
Sydney at Sydney University, and linked UNIX systems. The
network started before Sun Microsystems was created - still they
asked us if we could use something other than "SUN" as our name -
and since our net was no longer just in Sydney, that seemed
reasonable (though the software used remained called "SUN" then
SunII and SunIII, until comparatively recently when SunIV was
renamed MHSnet).
In any case, needing a name, something Australian, but not to
pretend to represent the whole of Australia, someone (it
certainly wasn't me, but I don't recall who) suggested "oz".
That sounds like the "Aus" part of "Australia" or "Aussie" when
spoken by an Australian (rather than an American, who pronounce
the thing in some totally wild way), and is fairly commonly used
by various people to represent things Australian (and has no
relationship I know of with the wizard), and was adopted.
Eventually, the two letter country naming stuff was invented, and
AU of course became Australia - the "oz" part, which was always
just a subset of Australia fitted very neatly as a sub-domain of
AU, and so that's what was done with it. In time, other
sub-domains of AU were created, including the edu.au com.au etc
domains, that serve basically the same community as oz.au does,
but also telememo.au and otc.au (which match the X.400 naming
"ADMD=telememo; C=au") that are used by commercial e-mail systems
in Australia, which has retrospectively justified the decision to
confine our naming within a subset of the Australian namespace,
and not even pretend to take over the whole thing.
There's another version of the "creation of oz" story, which
relates to the very first international e-mail connection that
the academic community had here, which ran between the University
of Sydney (home of the Sydney University/Unix Network) and Bell
Labs. It was implemented using a maildrop on an IBM mainframe at
the University of Waterloo in Canada, Bell labs would dial there,
and leave mail for Australia in a file, then the University of
Sydney would call, using X.25, and pick up the mail in the file,
and leave another for Bell Labs the next time they called. This
was set up by Ian Johnstone, initially from UNSW, but then at
Bell Labs - the theory is that "oz" was the name of the account
at Waterloo, or one of the file names, or something like that.
This may indeed be what sparked the suggestion to use "oz" as the
domain name, I don't know, I certainly don't recall that name
being in any visible use in that e-mail system though, whatever
use it had, if there was one, must have been internal I
* What is the village in northern France where the Australian presence
in WW1 is still celebrated?
In a little town called Viller-Bretonneuve, just outside Amiens,
there's a memorial to Australian soldiers a couple of kilometres
outside town, signposted from the main road. There's also a cafe
on the main road called the Boomerang Cafe, which makes me feel
it's the right area. :-) [HJ]
I can confirm that Villers-Bretonneux appears to be the town that
you have in mind. A large Australian contingent was situated in
or near the town during WW1. There remains a number of overt signs
of this presence [MS]:
- some of the streets and shops bear Australian names
(e.g., Melbourne Street)
- there is a large Australian War Memorial just outside the town on a
rise. It contains a lookout and wall with the names of the Australian
soldiers lost (and, for the most part, never found) in the battles of
northern France and Flanders. On the wall, it is noted that 11,000
Australian soldiers died between 1916-1918, so this gives you an
indication of the size of the wall!
- At the entrance to Villers-Bretonneux, is situated Adelaide Cemetery
containing the graves of some of the Australian soldiers.
- In fact, the region contains a number of Australian and British
Commonwealth war cemeteries, all of them immaculately kept with cut
lawns and red roses!
- Villers-Bretonneux has an Australian "twin town" (Robinvale, Vic.
if I remember correctly).
- I spoke with the mayor, who showed me around the local school, which
was apparently built after WW1 with donations from Australia. The main
hall is panelled in Australian wood, and has a number of large wood
carvings of Australian animals. The mayor said he visits Australia
every year, to maintain the contact between the Villers-Bretonneux and
Australia.
In the cathedral of nearby Amiens, there is a commemorative plaque
that states: "...to the memory of The Australian Imperial Force who
valiantly participated in the victorious defense of Amiens from March
to August 1918 and gave their lives for the cause of justice, liberty
and humanity..."
* What visas do Australians need for France? [JB]
Yes, Australians need visas fro France. In 1986 (je croix), it might
have been 1987, there were some bombings in Lyons, which were
suspected to have been done by <ethnic-minority> fanatics. In the
midst of the howls of "what is the government doing about it", the
French Govt, in a particularly stupid knee-jerk reaction, brought in a
requirement that visas will be required for all non-EC nationals. (As
if needing a visa ever stopped a terrorist. And the border checks had
long since gone.)
This rule is waived in cases where there is a bi-lateral agreement,
e.g. with New Zealand, and in cases where it was feared to hurt the
tourist trade, e.g. US. As Australia doesn't play footsies about visas
for visitiors, we need them to go to France.
French visas are in two flavours:
(a) less than 90 days. These are done over-the-counter here. They cost
FF200 (about $A54). I had to provide a letter for my 19-yo son stating
that we were supporting him financially, etc. Otherwise they would
have wanted bank statement proving he had enough money to live on in
France.
(b) 90 days - 1 yr. Do get these I needed:
(i) three interviews at the consulate;
(ii) FF600 ($A162) per person in cash or bank cheques.
(iii) the letter of invitation from the French university
(iv) a letter from Monash saying everything about my status, salary,
travel grants, insurance, etc.
(v) tickets or confirmed itinerary
(vi) a medical certificate, in French, from an approved physician
(only one in Melbourne!) certifying:
A) good health
B) free of TB (X-ray result)
C) free of syphilis (blood test) [the French bureaucracy hasn't
discovered AIDS or hepatitis yet.]
Once I had all these, my application, because it was "pour la
sabbatique" had to be couriered off to Canberra to be "assessed" by
the Scientific & Cultural Attache at the French Embassy.
Well it's all done. Each of the long-term visas set us back about $250
(such medicals are, rightly, not covered by Medibank.)
Fortunately the consulate staff were very helpful, polite and
understanding. The total time was was nearly two months, largely due
to the queuing delays in waiting for inteviews and medicals.
* What is vegemite? [KP]
Vegemite is a spread, made from a yeast extract. Kraft make it in
Australia. It looks kinda like black smooth peanut butter, and tastes
VERY salty.[Glenn]
When I returned to Australia for a visit in 1985 I telephoned the
folks at Kraft in Pt. Melbourne. Here is the basis of what the man
told me regarding its manufacture:
First the yeast cells are taken from the breweries. For those of you
into making home made beer yor know what I mean. For the others, this
is a very thick tan colored "liquid" smelling like beer but loaded
with spent and still alive yeast cells. This "liquid" it then treated
so the yeast cells undergo "cell lysis" which means the cells burst
open. The liquid is then "washed" (his term) to remove the cell
walls. The internal contents of the cell are then mixed with salt,
dried parsley and spices etc.(whatever that is -- I have not been able
to find etc. in Australia nor NorthAmerica) I guess it is the etc that
gives Vegemite its characteristic flavor!
Anyways in closing, the man said that it was packaged is small tins (I
have seen 1 oz. cans of it in Australian Army ration packs) and in
various containers up to barrel (45 gal?) size.
[DT] Vegemite and Marmite are not the same thing they were
different product brands. Marmite was actually in production and
on the shelves well and truly before vegemite ever existed. When
Vegemite was first released it had a very difficult time - very
few people bought it. It was apparently taken off the market for
a short time and given a new (temporary) name after a competition
was held. The winner came up with the name Parwill. Followed with
the slogan "If marmite then parwill". Fortunately this also had
marketing problems. It wasn't really until the "war to end all
wars" that the renamed vegemite started to sell. It was all the
shortages of food stuffs and the "scientific" sell using the
vitamin B argument.
If you really want a good amount of information I suggest that
you write to:
Kraft Australia Foods Limited
Consumer Advisory Service
Salmon Street
Port Melbourne Victoria 3207
AUSTRALIA
* What is the name of the crazy boat race held in Darwin every year?
The Beer Can Regatta
* In which dry river near Alice Springs is there a boat race every year?
The Todd River
* Skin Cancer
[MJ] To provide some (useful) information. The Antarctic ozone hole
does not in general affect Australia, we are too close to the equator.
Last summer (?) a small part of the outer edge did pass over Tasmania
and Victoria but lasted only for a couple of days and did not cause
particularly high levels of uv radiation at the ground. Australians
have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world probably due to the
combination of culture and having summer when the earth is closest to
the sun. Bring a hat, sunscreen and shirt. Don't "bake" at all, but
if you insist on being brown, authorities suggest avoiding the
stongest sunlight between 1100 and 1500 (summer time).
* November 11th (PB)
First and foremost, it is the anniversary of Armistice Day, the
end of the War to end all Wars (well,almost). It has also been
chosen as the date for the formal laying to rest in the
Australian War Museum in Canberra of the Australian Unknown
Soldier, an Australian soldier recovered from a graveyard in
France as a symbol for all Australians of the sacrifice the
Australian troops made during WW1.
It is also the anniversary of the sacking of the Whitlam
Government by the G-G, Sir John Kerr in 1975.
And finally, it is the 113th anniversary of the hanging of Edward
"Ned" Kelly in Melbourne Gaol in 1880.
* [Any more? AN]
7. Culture
7.1 Songs
* Waltzing Matilda - the song we had to have. Copyright A.B.
"Banjo" Paterson (reproduced here w/o permission). (thanks to
Ross Paterson for correcting the "tt" mispelling :-)
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Chorus:
"Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me;
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
(Substitute third line of verse in each chorus.)
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee;
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tuckerbag,
"You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me."
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers -- one, two, three;
"Whose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tuckerbag?"
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never catch me alive", said he;
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.
There is also a "Queensland version" of the song, generally
believed to be the Patterson original (or pre-original). It has
very similar words but has a different metre and is set to a
waltz tune. The "standard" version of the song was subsequently
rewritten to fit a march time tune pinched from some other
source. In a wonderful essay published at the time of the
referendum which chose AAF as the anthem, some (forgotten by me)
author made the point that Waltzing Matilda was much more
appropriate. It tells the story of the swagman, unemployed and
desperate, driven to petty theft by society's opression. The
squatter symbolises the priviliged property owners (probably
multi-national) with the sinister intrusion of the Police to
support privilege. Finally, the hero dies in an heroic gesture,
which unfortunately leads only to the pollution of an inland
waterway. [CM]
------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is what appears to be the original "Waltzing Matilda", from
"The Collected verse of A. B. Patterson", first published in
1921. It seems to have been published in "Saltbush Bill, J.P."
(1917), although I have a feeling it may have been presented in
the Bulletin somewhat earlier. Punctuation as printed in the
1982 edition -- don't blame me for the unmatched quotation mark
in the second verse :-). [IR]
WALTZING MATILDA
(Carrying a Swag.)
Oh! there once was a swagman camped in a Billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree;
And he sang as he looked at his old billy boiling,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag--
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water-hole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee;
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker-bag,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Down came the Squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;
Down came Policemen -- one, two and three.
"Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
But the swagman, he up and he jumped in the water-hole,
Drowning himself by the Coolabah tree;
And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Both versions are in the Australian Scout Song Book, available by mail
order from the Sydney Scout Shop price $2.65, phone +61 2 7999640.
--------------------------------------------------------
SWAGMAN: An itinerant labourer, a hobo, a bum. So called because
his most important possession is his bedroll ("swag"), worn
behind his head as he walks along.[TM]
An excellent book, probably no longer in print, is "Diary of a
Welsh swagman" published in Australia some years ago. It is based
on the journeyings of a Welsh immigrant who was walzing Matilda
in the late 19th century [AC]
(Jenkins, Joseph, 1818-1898. Diary of a Welsh swagman, 1869-1894
/ abridged and annotated by William Evans. -- South Melbourne,
Vic. : Macmillan, 1975.)
WALTZING MATILDA "Waltzing Matilda", "humping a bluey, "carrying
a swag" are all terms for the same thing, namely tramping about
looking (or not looking) for itinerant work like shearing. The
"Matilda" was the swag. [PA]
Matilda=swag=bluey = (american) bedroll (blankets, etc.)
The reason I know of is that one name for a swag was "Matilda" -
a feminine name for the swagman's sole companion. Walking from
place to place was called "Taking Matilda for a waltz". [jds]
BILLABONG: A billabong is what the geographers call a "truncated
meander", i.e. a lake formed by a loop in a river course being
cut off by the river subsequently cutting a new and shorter path.
In the US they are called "ox-bow lakes".[JB]
COOLIBAH: Type of eucalypt (gum) tree with hard strong wood, very
hardy, found in central Australia near inland water courses and
billabongs.
BILLY: A small tin, generally used to boil water for tea. The
third- most important possession of a swagman.
JUMBUCK: A (male?) sheep.
TUCKERBAG: A bag for carrying tucker (food). The second-most
important possession of a swagman.
SQUATTER: Someone who just grabbed land early on, often later
given title to the land by the government.Basically the landed
gentry.
TROOPER: A soldier or policeman.
* Short Version
The "verse" below is from a competition to shrink works of OZ
literature conducted by the Australian (?) newspaper some time
ago. I found it in some papers I was looking through. I don't
have the attribution to hand. There was a shrunken "Sydney White
Pages" too.[CM]
Waltzing Matilda
================
Swaggie dreams of roast lamb dinner
Passing jumbuck looks a winner
Bags it, but here come the cops
Into billabong he flops
Drowns himself, forgoes hot roast
Leaves the last waltz to his ghost
"Sod the law" says our aquarian,
"Better dead than vegetarian!"
* Advance Australia Fair (National Anthem)
Australians all, let us rejoice,
For we are young and free,
We've golden soil and wealth for toil
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In hist'ry's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
'Advance Australia Fair.'
[Original second verse deleted, cos its all about the British :-) AN]
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands,
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands,
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share,
With courage let us all combine
to Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
'Advance Australia Fair.'
* A less respectful version [JD]
Advance
Australians never had a choice,
Had they the eyes to see,
That any Royal could only spoil
Republic luxury;
With leaps and bounds opinion shifts,
Where most just couldn't care :
The silent rage, an equal wage,
And pinch-free underwear;
We'll raise a glass to anything,
You poms stay over there.
* Tie me kangaroo down. (Rolf Harris) [TS]
(With wobbleboard background)
[Spoken] There is an old Australian stockman, lyin, dyin, And he gets
up onto one knee and he says...
Chorus: Tie me Kangaroo down, Sport
Tie me Kangaroo down,
Tie me Kangaroo down, Sport
Tie me Kangaroo down.
Keep me Cockatoo cool, Curl
Keep me Cockatoo cool,
Aw don't go let lettin him actin the fool, Curl
Just keep me Cockatoo cool.
All together now, Chorus:
Mind me platypus duck, Bill
Mind me platypus duck
Aw don't let him go runnin amuck, Bill
Mind me platypus duck.
All together now, Chorus:
Put me Koala back, Mac
Put me Koala back.
He lives somewhere out on the track, Mac
Just put me Koala back.
All together now, Chorus:
(I include this verse as it was in the original though I find it offensive)
Let me Abos go loose, Lou
Let me Abos go loose.
They are of no further use Lou
Let me Abos go loose.
All together now, Chorus:
Tan me hide when I'm dead, Fred
Tan me hide when I'm dead.
So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde
And that's it hangin on the shed.
All together now, Chorus:
7.2 Recipes and Food
ANZAC biscuits
1 cup SR Flour
" " sugar
" " oatmeal
" " coconut
Put these in bowl & mix.
4 tblsp butter,
2 " boiling H2O
1 " golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb soda
Put in saucepan & melt together on stove. Mix with dry ingredients.
Put in teaspoonfuls onto greased tray. 350F/180C for ~10 min. Enjoy!
Lamingtons
4 oz butter 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup castor sugar 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla pinch salt
2 eggs 1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
cream butter & sugar, add vanilla, beat in eggs. Fold in dry
ingrediants alternately with milk. Spoon into greased and lined
pan (approx. 8"x11") bake at 350F for 40-45 min. Cool and store
for a day. Cut into squares, dip in chocolate icing, then roll
in coconut.
Chocolate icing: Sift 1 lb. icing sugar and 4 T. cocoa into bowl.
Add 1 T. melted butter to a cup of warmed milk. Blend to make a
smooth coating consistency [John Doyle].
PAVLOVA
4 egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch
half pint whipped cream
kiwi fruit or strawberries or passionfruit.
Place egg whites in a clean glass bowl. Beat slowly until frothy,
then increase the speed and beat until stiff. GRADUALLY add the
sugar, beating well after each addition. (When all the sugar has
been added, the mixture should be shiny, very stiff, and should
stand in peaks.) Gently fold in the vinegar and corn starch with
a metal spoon.
Line a cookie sheet with brown paper (from a bag) and grease it
lightly. Pile the meringue mixture on it; it should form a
cylinder about 8 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. Preheat
the oven to just under 300 degrees. Bake the pav for between 90
and 105 minutes. When cooked, leave the oven door ajar and allow
the pav to cool inside. When cold, peel off the paper and
transfer to a serving platter. Just before serving, top with the
whipped cream and fruit. About 8 smallish servings. [Steve
Wright wri...@mcs.anl.gov]
Chocolate Crackles
Here is the recipe as read from the Rice Bubbles packet
(Apparently it is also on the Copha wrapper):
4 cups Rice Bubbles (= Rice Crispies)
1.5 cups sifted icing sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
3 Tbs cocoa (60 ml not 45ml - ie 4 american Tbs)
250 gram copha (8 oz)
24 patty pans
Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Pour in melted Copha and
mix. Put into patty pans and chill. Makes 24.
Damper
The basic recipe for damper is just self rising flour (4 C) and
milk (2 1/2 C) or water, mixed to a very stiff dough and then
baked in one of several ways: in a cast iron "dutch oven" buried
in the ashes of a fire, wrapped around the end of a stick (only a
small handful or so) and toasted over the fire, or formed into a
round loaf and baked in a conventional oven. You can spice it up
by adding a handful of dried fruits, by topping it with some
mustard and grated cheese or, if you've been bold enough to do it
on a stick, by filling the hole where the stick was with jam.
[CP]
Australian Meat Pie [JN]:
===================
Reference: Australian Women's Weekly Home Library: Cooking
Class Cookbook, p70. (reproduced without permission).
Filling:
750 g (1.5 lb) minced steak (N. Americans, use lean ground beef,
not extra lean -JN)
2 beef stock cubes
salt, pepper
1.5 cups water
pinch nutmeg (generous -JN)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/4 cup water, extra
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pie Base:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water
60 g (2 oz) beef dripping
Pie Top:
375 g (12 oz) packaged puff pastry
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
Making the filling:
1. Place meat into the pan, stir over low heat until meat is
well browned. Drain off any surplus fat. Add crumbled stock
cubes, water, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir until boiling, reduce
heat, cover, simmer gently for 20 min, remove from heat. Combine
extra water and flour, stir until flour mixture is smooth. Add
flour mixture to meat, stir until combined. Return to heat, stir
until meat boils and thickens. Add soy sauce (to give brown
colour), stir until combined. Simmer, uncovered, 5 to 10 min;
remove from heat allow to become cold.
Making the pie base:
2. Sift flour and salt into basin. Place water and dripping
into saucepan, stir until dripping melts; remove from heat. Make
a well in centre of dry ingredients, add liquid, stir until
combined. (2a. If you're in a hurry, just use premade (bought)
pastry. It works ok, too. -JN)
3. Turn out onto lightly floured surface, knead lightly. Roll
out pastry to line eight greased pie tins. [We use "real"
aluminium 6 or 8 in pie casings - JN] Cut excess pastry around
sides of pie plates using a sharp knife. Fill centres with cold
meat filing.
Pie crust:
4. Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface, cut out
rounds for top of pies, use a saucer as a guide. Wet edges of
base pastry, and gently press tops into place, trim around edges
with a sharp knife. Brush tops with combined egg-yolk and water.
Cooking: Bake in hot oven 5 minutes or until golden brown, reduce
heat to moderate, cook further 10 min.
Galah [PB]
Having plucked and cleaned galahs, place in a large saucepan of water over
an open fire. Add two or three large rocks from a creek nearby. Boil for
two to three days, adding water as required. By this time the rocks should
have softened, throw away the galahs and eat the rocks.
Galah variations [KP]
Variation 1 (from my landlady the late Mrs. Rose Roots of Punch
Street, Gundagai, N.S.W., 2722) After the rocks are done, reduce
heat but continue simmering over low heat for another week. Make
sure the water level is kept up.
Variation 2 (from my team mates at the Junee RSL Shooting Club,
Junee, N.S.W.) After the rocks are done, remove and maintain a
slow boil of the Galahs while a side dish of lava is obtained.
Serve both immediately, preferably with the lava on top of the
meat.
Pumpkin Soup [JL]
In a large pot I put cut up pumpkin, 2 chopped up onions, 3
chopped slices of celery and enough water to cover. Then I
simmer it until the pumpkin is soft and then I mash it all or
blend it. You then need to add some curry powder which gives it
a wonderful flavor. The biggest problem in the US is that most
of the pumpkins are much more watery than the Queensland blue
pumpkins in Australia so the soup is not the same. However, this
year I grew some JackbeLittle pumpkins and they were just fine
for soup.
[MM] I have found that "Butternut Squash" == "Butternut Pumpkin",
make a pretty good soup. However they are definitely not the
same as a Queensland Blue.
Australian/US substitutions
Oz US
Copha Hard vegetable shortening (made from
coconut).
It's purified coconut oil, sufficiently dehydrated that it
functions as a quite-edible shortening.[BD]
Corn Flour Corn starch
Caster sugar Regular sugar ( actually slightly finer
than regular US sugar, but not much)
Golden Syrup Dark Corn Syrup
(Lyle's Golden Syrup is available in the
southeastern US at Food Lion [CC])
Icing sugar Confectioner's sugar
Rice Bubbles Rice Krispies
Miscellaneous food information
In Australia, margarine in stick form has animal fat. For no animal
fat, to buy "soft" magarine or butter.
Other recipes to be included if I get them: kangaroo tail stew... [AN]
7.3 Language
* Prounounciation of Aussie [WE]
Information concerning how/why Australians pronounce Aussie with an
/z/ and Americans pronounce it with a /s/. A linguistic analysis (I'm
a linguist) suggests the following:
1. The Australian pronunciation of Aussie (/z/) is a normal
phonological feature called "intervocalic voicing of consonants" where
English speakers make /s/ -> /z/, /k/ -> /g/, /t/ -> /d/ etc. when
they are between consonants. Some Americans pronounce "significant"
as signifigant, water as wader and we all say "laser" with a /z/.
2. The American pronunciation of Aussie (/s/) is an example of
spelling pronunciation -- which, once again is normal behaviour when
we don't know the pronunciation of a word. We usually say it the way
it spells until we find out differently.
3. So why do Americans insist on saying Aussie with an /s/ even when we
tell them Aussies say it with a /z/? Once again, that's normal. We all
have great difficulty saying things in a way that goes against the grain
-- our grain. I've lived a long time in the U.S., but still can't say
NEW York with /nu/. I have to say /niu/. Most Americans say greasy (/s/)
or blouse (/s/) -- all with /s/'s. I think it may go against the grain for
them to say Aussie with a /z/.
* What is the origin of the word "Pom" or "Pommy"? [BR]
- from dan...@rand.org (Greg Daniels):
shipping crates labeled "P.O.M.E." (Property of Mother England)
- for deve...@vms.macc.wisc.edu (David W. Everett):
Prisoner of Mother England (POME)
- from n...@robots.ox.ac.uk (Nick Cerneaz):
Piss Off Mother England
- from ada...@afit.af.mil:
convict clothing being labelled P O H M for Prisoner Of His Majesty
- from ins...@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Andrew Bulhak):
Push Off Miserable Englishman
- from ins...@aurora.cc.monash.edu.au (Andrew Bulhak):
short for pomegranate, referring to the complexion of recent arrivals
who have not yet absorbed much of the Australian sun
- from Jacco.Z...@f550.n635.z3.fidonet.org (Jacco Zwetsloot):
The general concensus (amongst academics at least) is that `pom'
came through this train of words and word association: immigrants
came to be called `jimmygrants' via some sort of rhyming slang.
`jimmygrants' became `pomegranates' via another sort of rhyming
slang. This in turn became shortened to `pommy' and `pom'.
While this may seem like an incredible (in the literal meaning of
the word) explanation for the origin of `pom', it is verified in
a number of books. One being "The Australian Language" published
in 1945.
- from b...@sector7g.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Scearce):
My _Dictionary of Historical Slang_ has this to say about it:
pommy, Pommy. A newcomer from Britain, esp. from
England: Australian: C.20. The OED Sup. records it at
1916, but it was current before the Great War. Origin
obscure; possibly a corruption of TOMMY imported by
Australian soldiers returning from the Boer War
(1899-1902). Or perhaps ex. *Pomeranian*, a very
"superior" sort of dog. It may also have developed
from JIMMY GRANT thus: Jimmy Grant > immy-granate >
pomegranate > pommy.
"Jimmy Grant" is, as a previous poster pointed out, rhyming slang for
"immigrant" (or "emigrant").
* Origin of "Whinge"
[BD] The Macquarie dictionary says "Northern form of OE _hwinsian_ to
whine", and for whine "OE _hwinan_".
* Origin of "Dunny"
[LC] I was using the toilet the other day and noticed that the
brandname stamped on the porcelain was "Dunedin". Could this be the
origin from which the endearing term "dunny" is derived ??
[IR] Unfortunately no. The Macquarie gives: "short for Brit. d.
dunnakin, dunnaken, from dannaken, from danna (dung) + ken (place)"
* "Show us your map of tazzy"
[PG] Well, being the literary expert that I am . . . 8-) I'll have a
crack at it. Reference page 182 "A Nice Night's Entertainment" Barry
Humphries published 1981 by Granada:
"Anyway, there she was starkers! I didn't know where to look. The
driver seen her norks in the rear-vision mirror and nearly come off
his dual carriageway. He said, 'Ay, miss, 'ow are you goin' to pay
me?", at which she *pointed* ... Now, there's a nice crowd in here
tonight so I'm not going to tell you where she pointed; suffice it to
say she pointed at the map of Tasmania. Those of you with a
rudimentary grasp of geography will have a rough idea of what I nearly
had a rudimentary grasp of - a large triangular land mass deep in the
southern hemisphere." Quiz question: which BH character said this?
8-)
[JMack] I first heard the expression in conjunction with the arrival
of the show "Hair" in Sydney (this was about 1970). I don't remember
whether it was a friend, or a review in the paper or a quote from
RObert Helpman, but the person refering to the costumes on the stage,
mentioned the maps of tasmania. It's not quite as graphic as Barry
Humphries use above, but it predates it.
* State-based Nicknames
rom: Nickname:
NSW Cockroaches,
Ma-staters,
Mexicans (by Queenslanders)
Cornstalks
Vic Mexicans
Cabbage-patchers
SA Crow Eaters
WA Sand Gropers
Qld Banana Benders
Tas Apple Eaters
NT Top-enders
* Origin of Taswegian [ZS]
Tasway n, {Colloq.} Tasmania [backformation from TASWEGIAN by analogy
with {Norwegian} adj, from {Norway}
Taswegian n -> Tasmanian [TAS(MANIAN) + {-wegian} (by analogy with
{Norwegian, Glaswegian,} etc.)]
* Australasia and Oceania [BJ]
Australiasia=Oz+NZ.
Oceania=Oz+NZ+Fiji+all those South Pacific Islands...
7.4 National heroes
[AN: Contributions solicited! Possible candidates: Phar Lap, Ned
Kelly, Harry (The Breaker) Morant, Private John Simpson & his donkey,
Edward (Weary) Dunlop, Dawn Fraser, Charles Kingsford-Smith, Kay
Cottee, Dick Smith, Mary McKillop, Caroline Chisolm, Nellie Melba,
Joan Sutherland, Rolf Harris, Barry Humphries ... Winged keel??? [RS]]
[JL]
Ned Kelly's skull and Phar Lap's heart (you beaut)
Lie enshrined in Canberra's Institute.
But a truer statement of the statesman's art
Would be Phar Lap's skull & Mr Kelly's heart.
* Don Bradman [RS]
Bradman, Sir Donald George (1908- ), cricket world's most famous
batsman. Born at Cootamundra NSW. Made his first century playing for
Bowral High School at age 12. His career in the Australian domestic
competition, the Sheffield Shield, spanned 22 years playing for NSW
(1927-1934) and South Australia (1935-1949). He made a total of 8926
runs at an average of 110 at this level of cricket.
Most famous are his Test Match batting exploits against England for
the prized "Ashes" (the symbol of cricket supremacy between Australia
and England). So successful was he in the 1929 England tour that by
the time of the reciprocal 1932/33 English tour, the England captain,
Douglas Jardine, devised a bowling strategy around limiting Bradman's
prodigous scoring talents. England's fast bowlers would direct the
ball at a batsman's rib cage or throat hoping that the ball would be
parried to one of a number of close-in fieldsmen. The infamous
"Bodyline" tactic was not only applied to Bradman but also to the less
able batsmen which raised howls of outrage from the Australian public.
Bodyline was subsequently outlawed.
Apart from one Test match in the 1932-33 series, Bradman played in
every Australia-England Test match between 1928 and his retirement at
the end of the 1948 season. As a test captain from 1936-48, he did not
lose an Ashes series and the 1948 tour did not result in a single
defeat. An achievement unequalled by any touring Australian team
before or since.
He also played Test cricket against the West Indies (1930-31), South
Africa (1931-32) and India (1947-48). In all, Don Bradman played 52
Test matches, scored an aggregate 6996 runs at an average of 99.94.
Where Test Match batting averages of around 50 or 60 earns a player
the label of a "great", the Don's greatness as a batsman is more than
just an exxagerated legend.
7.5 Literature
* To find a book, in or out of print, "International bookfinders",
Sydney, (02) 909 3000, (02) 953 1240.
7.5.1 Fiction
(If authors also write poetry, non-fiction, I include that here
with the fiction entry)
* Thomas Keneally began writing in 1964. Born in northern New South Wales in
1935, he now lives in Sydney with his wife and two daughters.
Novels:
- Schindler's Ark (published in the US as Schindler's List, now a major
film by Steven Spielberg. Based on the true story of German
businessman Oscar Schindler who save over 1000 Jews from the Nazi
extermination camps)
- A Family Madness
- Victim of the Aurora
- The Playmaker (set in first convict settlement)
- Thomas Keneally Flying Hero Class (interesting Koorie perspective)
- The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith(*), (made into a film)
- Confederates(*),
- Gossip from the Forest(*)
* shortlisted for the booker prize
Nonfiction: Outback, an account of life in Central Australia
* Patrick White (winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize for literature)
was born in England in 1912, when his parents were in Europe for
2 years; at 6 months he was taken back to Australia where his
father owned a sheep station. When he was thirteen he was sent to
school in England, to Cheltenham, 'where, is was understood, the
climate would be temperate and a colonial acceptable'. Neither
proved true, and after four rather miserable years there he went
to King's College, Cambridge, whree he specialised in languages.
After leaving the university he settled in London, determined to
become a writer. During the war he was an R.A.F. Intelligence
Officer in the Middle East and Creece. After the war he returned
to Australia. [XXX died?] .
Novels: Happy Valley (1939), The Living and the Dead (1941), The
Aunt's Story (1946), The Tree of Man (1956),Voss (1957), Riders
in the Chariot (1961), The Solid Mundala (1966), The Vivisector
(1970), The Eye of the Storm (1973), A Fringe of Leaves (1976),
The Turyborn Affair (1979),
Collections of short stories: The Burnt Ones (1964), The Cockatoo
(1974) including several short novels (interesting collection of
short stories dealing with modern Australian life [MJ])
Autobiography: Flaws in the Glass (1981)
* Tim Winton is the author of several novels, short story
collections andchildren's books, for which he has received every
major literary award in Australia, including the Australian/Vogel
Award and the prestigious Miles Franklin Award. He currently
lives ont eh Western Australia coast with his wife and children.
Cloudstreet: When two large working-cass families, the Lambs and
the Pickles, are forced to share a massive house and inevitably
their lives, their past misfortunes and conflicting personalities
merge in a breathtaking explosion of joy, tragedy, and the
occasional miracle. [I loved it! AN]
Other works: An Open Swimmer, Shallows, Scission, That Eye,_ The
Sky, Minimum of Two, In the Winter Dark, Jesse, Lockie
Leonard,_Human Torpedo, the Bugalugs Bum Thief.
* Peter Carey grew up in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, and was
educated at Geelong Grammar School and Monash University, where
he read science.
Novels:
- Bliss (1981) (made into a film, I found the book a bit strange,
and rather boring - must admit I didn't finish it. AN),
- Illywhacker(1985) (short-listed for Booker prize)
- Oscar and Lucinda (1988) (winner of the Booker prize, great, AN).
Short Stories: The Fat Man in History (I enjoyed most of these,
though they tend to be a little bizarre, AN)
* David Malouf
Fiction: Johnno, An Imaginary Life, Fly Away Peter, Child's Play,
Harland's Half acre, Antipodes, The Great World (winner of the
Commonwealth Prize and the Prix Femina Etranger), Remembering
Babylon.
Autobiography: 12 Edmonstone Street
Poetry: Bicycle and Other Poems, Neighbours in a Thicket, the year of
the Foxes and Other Poems, First Things Last, Wild Lemons
Libretto: Baa Baa Black Sheep
In _Remembering Babylon_ David Malouf gives us a rich and compelling
novel, in language of astonishing poise and resonance, about the
settlin of the continent down under, Australia, and the vicissitudes
of first contact with the unknown. In the mid-1840s a 13-year-old
cabin boy, Gemmy Fairley, is cast ashore from a British shipwreck onto
the Queensland coast, and is taken in by aborigines. Sixteen years
later, three children from a white settlement come upon this
apparition: "...."... Possessed of lyrical intensity and always
respectful of human complexity , Remembering Babylon tells the sotyr
of Gemmy, and of his relation to the whites. Given shelter by the
McIvors, the family of the trhee children, he seems at first to have a
secure role in the settlement, but currents of fear and distrust
intensify. At once white and flack, a man with a voice but unable to
speak the language, he confounds all categories that might explain
him. To everyone he meets .... Gemmy is a force of nature that both
fascinates and repets. He finds his own whiteness as unsettling in his
new world as the knowledge he brings with him of the savage, the
aboriginal. In his most accomplished novel to date,David Malouf has
written a powerful fiction, informed by a vision of eternal human
differences. Remembering Babylon is a brilliant mythopoeia of our
unending encounter with the Other.
* Martin Boyd: _A Difficult Young Man_ (I studied this in High
School. AN], _Lucinda Brayford_, _The Cardboard Crown_, _Outbreak
of Love_, _When Blackbirds Sing_, _Day of My Delight_.
* Frank Hardy: _Power without Glory_. Frank Hardy's compelling story
of corruption and political manipulation created violent
controversy on its first release and has excited and intrigued
Australians ever since. Power Without Glory traces the rise of
the ruthless John west from his impoverished working-class
beginnings in a Melbourne slum to a position of great wealth and
political influence. His rising public dominance contrasts with
the growing emptiness of his personal life, where even family
turn from him, estranged by his implacable and pitiless pursuit
of power. A startling expose of bribery, fear and corruption in
high places, Hardy's tale revealed the sordid world of gambling,
political intrigue and underworld depravity. Upon the book's
first publication he was accused of overstepping the fine line
between fiction and the dpeiction of real Australian people and
events, and was sued for libel. The sensational legal battle
which pollowed creatd debate and outrange acress the nation and,
despite Hardy's acquittal, the questions it raised remain
unanswered today. [Made into a television series]
* David Williamson Collected Plays Vol 1 (including _The Coming of
stork_, _Don's Party_ and _The removalists_ [MJ])
* Justin D'Ath, _The Initiate_ (aboriginal protagonist; coming-of-age
sorta)
* Peter Corris writes light detectives set in and around Sydney
and there's another (female) author of similar stuff setting them
all over the place (Murder on the Ballarat Train was one). [MJ -
XXX]
* Miles Franklin, _My Brilliant Career_. Made into a film by
Gillian Armstrong, starring Judy David.
* Henry Handel Richardson, _The Getting of Wisdom_: Country
girl's experiences of going to boarding school late last century.
Made into a film.
Joan Lindsay, _Picnic at Hanging Rock_. Girls from a boarding
school in country Victoria, early this century, go on a icnic to
Hanging Rock on Valentine's day, and 3 of them and a
schoolmistress disappear. Made into a film by Peter Weir.
Neville Shute: _A Town Like Alice_ (film and also tv mini-series),
_A Far Country_, _On the Beach_.
* Early colonial life: _The Fatal Shore_, Robert Hughes, Eleanor
Dark's trilogy _'The Timeless Land_.
7.5.2 Poetry
* "My Country" by Dorothea McKellar [CP]
The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies-
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror-
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
* The Man From Snowy River, by A.B. (Banjo) Paterson [CP]
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
that the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.
There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up -
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle-girths would stand -
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.
And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast;
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony - three parts thoroughbred at least -
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry - just the sort that won't say die -
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his quick and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.
But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, "That horse will never do
For a long and tiring gallop - lad, you'd better stop away,
These hills are far too rough for such as you."
So he waited, sad and wistful - only Clancy stood his friend -
"I think we ought to let him come," he said;
"I warrant he'll be with us when he's wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.
"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko's side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough;
Where a horse's hooves strike firelight from the flintstones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy river riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."
So he went: they found the horses by the big mimosa clump,
they raced away towards the mountain's brow,
And the old man gave his orders, "Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills."
So Clancy rode to wheel them - he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stock-horse past them and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.
Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black,
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, "We may bid the mob good day,
NO man can hold them down the other side."
When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull -
It well might make the boldest hold their breath;
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.
He sent the flint-stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat seat -
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringybarks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound
At the bottom of that terrible descent.
He was right among the horses as they climbed the farther hill,
And the watchers on the mountain, standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely; he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges - but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.
And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam;
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted, cowed and beaten; then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.
And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around the Overflow the reed-beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The Man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.
- A.B. "Banjo" Paterson
7.5.3 Children's Literature
[This section is very incomplete cos I don't have any of my
kid's books here in the US with me. Contributions welcome! AN]
The Billabong series, by Mary Grant Bruce. Set on a station
called Billabong late last century, story of brother and sister
Jim and Norah, and Jim's friend Wally. Treatment of aboriginals
rather paternal and rascist these days, but I really enjoyed
these yarns as a kid. Also by Mary Grant Bruce, _Possum_. [AN]
Ivan Southall, Colin Thiele
_The Magic Pudding_, and especially _Snugglepot and Cuddlepie_
(May Gibbs).[MJ]
7.5.4 Non-Fiction
* Bruce Chatwin, _Songlines_: 'The Songlines emerge as invisible
pathways connecting up all over Australia: ancient tracks made of
songs which tell of the creation of the lang. The Aboriginals'
religious duty is ritually to travel the land, singing the
Ancestors' songs: singing the world into being afresh. _The
Songlines_ is one mans impoassioned song' Sunday Telegraph.
[Highly recommended. AN]
* _My Place_, by Sally Morgan. Modern Australian women writing about
life as an aboriginal woman. Sally Morgan has also written an award
winning play, and painted some canvases that imo are the best in the
WA Gallery (which is quite well stocked). [RH]
* Two books about early colonial women:
(1) _The Women of Botany Bay: A Re Australian Society_, by Portia
Robin pp. $16.95 paper.
(2) _Life Lines: Australian Women's Lives 1788 to 1840_, edited
by Patricia Clark and Dale Spender. Sydney, NSW: Allen and Unwin,
1992, 249 pp. @22.95 paper (US distribution: Paul & Co., PO Box
442, Concord, MA 01742).
* I recommend Paul Kelly's _The end of certainty_ for a
chronicling of the relationship between economic and social
policies in the Liberal Party. It seems to Kelly that Howard was
the one to try and introduce social conservatism into the Libs to
match the economic shift. Hewson, it appears, is so narrowly
focused on the economy (laser-like anyone?) that this is now
irrelevant. [PR]
Jack Davis, _A Boy's Life_. An entertaining account of growing up
(Koorie)
Diane Bell, _Daughters of the Dreaming_. Feminist Aboriginal
anthropology.
Jill Conway, _The Road from Coorain_. Autobiography. In the
tradition of My Brilliant Career - a woman's exquisityly
clear-sighted memoir of growing up Australian. Jill Conway is a
noted historian, specialising in the experience of women in
American and was the first woman president of Smith College (a
women's college in the USA).
*Hugh Lunn, _Over the top with Jim_ (and the sequels) -- popular
autobiographies dealing with growing up in the '50s.
* Alan Marshall, _I can jump Puddles_ (Story of writer Alan
Marshall's childhood, after he was crippled at a young age by
polio. A classic. He wrote several other autobiographical works,
and a number of them, including "I can ..." were made into a TV
series by the ABC)
* Albert Facey, _A Fortunate Life_. This is the extraordinary
life of an ordinary man. It is the sotry of Albert Facey, who
lived iwth simple onesty, compassioin and courage. A parentless
boy who started work at eight on the rough West Australian
frontier, he struggled as an itinerant rural worker, survived the
gore of Gallipoli, the loss of his farm in the Depression, the
death of his son in WWII and that of h is beloved wife after
sixty devoted years - yet felt that his life was fortunate.
Facey's life story, published when he was eighty-seven, has
inspired many as a play , a television series and an
award-winning book that has sold over 1/2 a million copies.
[Moving and unforgettable.AN]
* Stan Arneil. _One Man's War_. The diary of a young Australian
army sergeant, Stan Arneil, kep as a prisoner of war duing WWII.
It covers the entrie period of imprisonment from the fall of
Singapore in 1941 through the infamous Burma railway camps, his
return to Changi and his repatriation to Australia in October
1945. Winner of the 1981 International Pen Award for Non-fiction.
After the war Stan Arneil was active in welfare and church work.
In the 190s he established the credit union movement and he has
been awarded the Order of Australia for his efforts in that
field.
* Susan Mitchell. (1) _Tall Poppies_. Nine Australian women talk
about women and succes in Australia today. _The Matriarchs_.
Twelve Australian women, from their sixties to their nineties,
talk about their lives, and about being alives today.
* John Pilger, _A Secret Country_. John Pilger was born and
educated in Sydney, Australia. He has been a war correspondent,
film-maker and playwright. Based in London, he has written from
many countries and has twice won British journalism's highest
award, that of Journalist of the Year, for his work in Vietnam
and Cambodia. Among a number of other awards, he has been
International Reporter of the Year, and winer of the United
Nations Association Media Peace Prize. John Pilger writes about
his homeland with life-long affction and a possionately critical
eye. In A Secret Country he pays tribute to a littel known
Australia and tells a story of high political drama.
-"Tenaciously researched, fiercely argued, both unsparing and
patriotic, A Secret Country presents a harsh narrative of class,
race and power; of the oppression and resistance, the betrayal
and amnesia, that lie behind the sunny illusions of the
Australian self-image" Robert Hughes.
-"A moving account of the abuse of human rights in Australia'
Graham Greene
- "This is a patriotic book in the best sense, written in the
belief that Australia deserves not old bromides and stereotypes,
but the respect of critical appraisal. With _The Fatal Shore_ by
Robert Hughes, it is an essential text for anyone wishing to
understand the real Australia obscured by the advertising
industry's image of a nation of 'white Anglo-Saxon Crocodile
Dundees with the wit of the cast of _Neighbours_'. It is also a
necessary book for those of us who believe in the redeeming power
of truth. Daily Telegraph, London.
-"He reveals a hidden Australia at once more ugly and more heroic
than the offical history... Combining investigative journalism
with whimsical anecdote, it's a powerful critique of Australian
society and a bloody good read." Australian Tribune.
* Paul Kelly, _The Hawke Ascendancy_ is the story of how the Labor
Party returned to power in 1983 after its crusing defeat in1975.
It is the inside story fo three men- Bob Hawke, Malcolm Frase and
Bill Hayden - and thier unique power struggle. The account covers
the full eight years which began with Fraser's 1975 supremacy and
closed iwth Hawke's 1983 triumph and first year of office.
* I recommend Paul Kelly's _The end of certainty_ for a
chronicling of the relationship between economic and social
policies in the Liberal Party. It seems to Kelly that Howard was
the one to try and introduce social conservatism into the Libs to
match the economic shift. Hewson, it appears, is so narrowly
focused on the economy (laser-like anyone?) that this is now
irrelevant. [PR]
7.6 Films
From the Sunday "New York Times", Jan 2nd 1994 [AT]:
"Perhaps the closest parallel to the vitality of Ireland's movie
industry today is the Australian experience of the late 1970s. In
a period of just a few years, the Australians gave the world
"Gallipoli," "Breaker Morant," "My Brilliant Career," "Picnic at
Hanging Rock" and "The Change of Jimmie Blacksmith." Critics
slavered over the output of directors like Peter Weir, Bruce
Beresford, Fred Scepisi & Gillian Armstrong. "'Crocodile'
Dundee," the ultimage in outback machismo, established box-office
recoreds in both Australia and the United States, wehre it was
the 2nd-highest-grossing movie of 1986.
The success of these filsm change the image of the country that
produced them. Suddenly, Australians loomed large as a force in
the movie world.
...
...Soon after they made their mark, nearly all the best-known
Australian directors scampered off to Hollywood. The mighty
Australian film industry faltered -- partly because of recession
& unemployment but also because its proficient pool of talent
opted for the bigger budgets and wider distribution offered by
the students."
[Entries mostly taken from a Maltin's 1991 TV Movies and Video Guide.
I'll fill in more each month. Also I don't have much on more recent
releases. Contributions welcome. AN]
ACTION/ADVENTURE
Escape 2000
Fortress
Forty Thousand Horsemen
The Lighthorsemen
Mad Dog Morgan
Mad Max (1979) Dir. George Miller. Mel Gibson. In the desolate
near future, the police have their hands full keeping roads safe
from suicidally daring drivers and roving gangs. Top cop Gibson
tires and quits, but when his wife and child are murdered by
vicious cyclists, he embarks on high-speed revenge. Weird
atmosphere and characters combine with amazing stunt work in this
remarkable action film.
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) (1981) Sequel finds Max, now a
loner, reluctantly helping tiny oil-producing community defend
itself against band of depraved crazies thirsty for precious
fuel. Far less original script-wise, but trend-setting visual
design and some of the most unbelievable car stunts ever filmed
make this equal to, if not better than the original.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Tina Turner. Mad Max comes upon
Turner's cutthroat city of Bartertown, survives a
battle-to-the-death in the Roman-style Thunderdome, and is exiled
to the desert where he is rescued by a tribe of wild children.
Lots of stunts and action, and even some philosophical moments,
but lacks kinetic energy.
The Man From Snowy River (1982) Dir George Miller. Kirk Douglas,
Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, Lorraine Bayley. Grand,
old-fashioned Western-style saga, based on epic poem, about
strong-willed young man who goes to work for an empire-building
cattleman, and falls in love with his daughter. Kokey,
simplistic, but great fun, with eye-filling scenery of the Snowy
Mountains and incredible action scenes with some wild horse.
Thompson cameo role as Clancy of the Overflow.
The Odd Angry Shot
The Quest
Razorback
Return to Snowy River, Part II
Walk Into Hell
We of the Never Never (1983) Angela Punch McGregor. True story
based on the memoirs of the first white woman to travel into
Australian inland wilderness (known as the Never Never). Visually
stunning.
COMEDY
Bliss (1985) High-powered businessman has a major heart attack,
sees himself dying, the revives - which changes his entire
outlook on life. After a dynamic opening this stylized satire
slows to a snail's pace and loses its thrust. Australian Academy
award winner and internation film festival favourite.
The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) Peter Weir. The poor people of
Paris (Paris, Australia) keep the economy going
by inducing traffic accidents and selling the spare parts/scrap metal.
Iffy black comedy has its moments. (in US released as The Cars
That East People?)
"Crocodile" Dundee (1986) Paul Hogan. Amiable, laid-back comedy
(that became an enormous world-wide hit) about an adventurer who
shows a pretty American reporter around the bush country, then
accompanies her to the equally strange terrain of New York City.
Irresistibly simple and old-fashioned, with a sweetness that's
rare in modern comedies. [Unfortunately this is all most
Americans know about Australia. AN]
"Crocodile" Dundee II (1988) Sequel, not too bad.
Don's Party (1976) Bruce Beresford. Powerful black comedy about
the interaction - sexual and otherwise - about a group of young
suburbanites who get together to watch election returns. Stunning
direction, superb performances by all; biting script by David
Williamson, from his play.
Flirting: director John Duigan
Malcolm (1986) Charming, disarmingly off-beat comedy about a
slow-witted young man with a genious for mechanical devices and
his unusual entry into a life of crime. Australian film institute
winner for best Picture.
Norman Loves Rose (1982) Ok comedy of teenager Owen who becomes
enamoured with sister-in-law Kane. She becomes pregnant and who
is the father?
Rikky and Pete (1988) Pete is a misfit with a penchant for
gimmicky inventions, Rikki is his sister who is still trying to
find herself; together they flee to a remote mining town where
their lives take some unexpected turns. Followup to Malcolm by
the same director and writer, hasn't the same sweetness or
consistency but it's admirably quirky.
Strictly Ballroom
Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), one of Australia's best ballroom
dancers, is on-target for a number of championships until he starts to
dance from the heart, abandoning the Dance Federation's rigid steps in
favor of his own moves. His partner Liz (Gia Carides) leaves him and
Scott is forced to take up with an amateur. Fran (Tara Morice) matches
Scott's zest for life, but one question hangs over them as they teach
each other about life, love, and dancing: can they win by rejecting
tradition?
Touch and Go (1980)
Young Einstein (1988) Nutty comedy based on the premise that
Einstein not only developed the theory of relativity, but
invented rock 'n roll. The silliness continues from there... but
any movie that contains 'cat pies' can't be all bad.
The Year my Voice Broke:director John Duigan
DRAMA
Breaker Morant
Burke and Wills
Cactus
Caddie
Careful, He Might Hear You
Chain Reaction
A Cry in the Dark: The Azeria Chamberlain story, with Meryl Streep as
Lindy Chamberlain
Dawn
The Devil's Playground
The Fringe Dwellers
The Getting of Wisdom
Ground Zero
Heatwave
High Tide
Kangaroo
The Killing of Angel Street
Kitty and the Bagman
Last Days at Chez Nous
The Last Wave
Lonely Hearts
Man of Flowers
The Mango Tree
Miracle Down Under
My Brilliant Career
My First Wife
Newsfront
Now and Forever
-On the Beach. Based on a Neville Shute novel, set in Melbourne, the
last place on earth just about that people are still alive after
a neuclear war, waiting for the sickness to reach them.
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Proof: Blind man takes photographs as proof that he was there.
Puberty Blues
Rebel (1986)
Shame (1988)
Squizzy Taylor
Storm Boy
Summer City
Tim
A Town Like Alice
Traveling North
Warm Nights on a Slow-Moving Train
Weekend of Shadows
Who Killed Baby Azaria
The Wild Duck
Winter of Our Dreams
MUSICAL
Dogs in Space
Starstruck
MYSTERY/THRILLER
Dead Calm
Patrick
8. Contributors
The following people (listed in no particular order) have made
substantial contributions to this FAQ. If you have any
corrections, suggestions, additions, subtractions, etc., please
mail them to Ann Nicholson, a...@cs.brown.edu.
NOTE: Unfortunately, I cannot post articles on behalf of others,
arrange aus.* feeds, look for lost relatives, etc. I only have
time to deal with email that is related to this FAQ.
Chris Penington (cj...@Virginia.EDU)
Hugh Garsden (hu...@ee.su.OZ.AU)
Rex Mammel (re...@csn.org)
Brian Ross (br...@coombs.anu.edu.au)
Luke Brennan (BRE...@COCO.CCHS.SU.OZ.AU)
Rhys Weatherley (rh...@cs.uq.oz.au)
George Michaelson (G.Mich...@cc.uq.oz.au)
Phil Watson (Phil....@newcastle.ac.uk)
Fred C. Wyse (0...@oasys.dt.navy.mil)
Jim Breen (j...@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au)
Tim Littlejohn (lit...@ere.umontreal.ca)
Bruce Cockburn (bcoc...@acorn.co.uk)
Thomas Marvan (tma...@sdcc3.ucsd.edu)
Ruth Isabella McKai (mc...@leland.Stanford.EDU)
Thomas Cohen (th...@suite.sw.oz.au)
Ronald J. Bartle (snu...@zelator.in-berlin.de)
Richard Helm (he...@watson.ibm.com)
Ross Alford (zl...@marlin.jcu.edu.au)
Carol Denehy (c...@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au)
Bob Marks (bo...@agsm.unsw.oz.au)
ki...@qut.edu.au
Chris Maltby (ch...@suite.sw.oz.au)
Dave Horsfall (da...@eram.esi.com.au)
Stephen Wales (step...@mincom.oz.au)
Shannon McNeil (mcn...@angis.su.OZ.AU)
John Nash (jn...@ccs.carleton.ca)
Ian Doust (ia...@hydra.maths.unsw.edu.au)
Ross Paterson (r...@doc.ic.ac.uk)
Nick (nfos...@mv.us.adobe.com)
Melissa Rogerson (roge...@bkfug.kfunigraz.ac.at)
David Everett (deve...@vms.macc.wisc.edu)
Ming (mk...@hp-vcd.vcd.hp.com)
Charles Creegan (ccre...@uncecs.edu)
Duncan Farrow (d.fa...@uea.ac.uk)
John Lamp (jw_...@postoffice.utas.edu.au)
LS
Vincensius Sugito (sug...@tartarus.uwa.edu.au)
Barth Richards (ba...@cbnewsd.cb.att.com)
Franz C. Schlosser (f...@leo.DIALix.oz.au)
Frank Warner(fwa...@swifty.dap.CSIRO.AU)
Ian Couroulis (i89...@greybox.ucnv.edu.au)
Robert Chalmers (ea...@nanguo.xanadu.dialix.oz.au)
Brendan Jones (bre...@mpce.mq.edu.au)
Robert Elz (k...@munnari.OZ.AU)
Corran Webster (cweb...@math.ucla.edu)
jon...@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au
Ivan Reid (iv...@cvax.psi.ch)
Kim Badcock (Kim.B...@ml.csiro.au)
Tony Sprent (spr...@sol.surv.utas.edu.au)
John Newman (J.Ne...@icarus.curtin.edu.au)
James Harland (j...@cs.mu.OZ.AU)
Leanne Archer (Leanne Archer)
William Eggington (William_...@byu.edu.23.0@byu.edu)
Andrea Janelle Dickens (aj...@Virginia.EDU)
Greg Vernon (ver...@bcstec.ca.boeing.com)
Andrew Davie (s133...@giaec.cc.monash.edu.au)
P Atcliffe (p_at...@pat.uwe.ac.uk)
Chris Maltby (ch...@softway.sw.oz.au)
Tony Mason (tma...@tuart.awadi)
Rob Geraghty (ro...@citr.uq.oz.au)
Andrew Clarke (a...@libserver.canberra.edu.au)
John Oliver <j.ol...@uow.edu.au>
Lawrence Cavedon (cav...@cogsci.edinburth.ac.uk)
Ian Couroulis <i...@ironbark.ucnv.edu.au>
Peter Butler (peter_butl...@ms-gw.uow.edu.au)
Mark L. Sawley (saw...@dme.epfl.ch)
Helen Johnston
Gopal Rajan (gra...@worldbank.org)
Ken Pisichko (pisi...@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca)
Michael Johnson (mi...@mullara.met.unimelb.EDU.AU)
Justin Sullivan (jus...@sydney.dialix.oz.au)
Chris Beiting (bei...@vax.ox.ac.uk)
Ron Seto (ro...@zubrette.mpce.mq.edu.au)
Samir KASME (samir...@alcatel.ch)
Tom Northey (t...@opal.com.au)
Ian Staples (ia...@qdpii.ind.dpi.qld.gov.au)
Mark the Magnetic (mpi...@chem.queensu.ca)
Bob Dick (b...@psych.psy.uq.oz.au)
Phil Ganderton (gan...@unm.edu)
Joe Mack (ma...@fcs260c.ncifcrf.gov)
James Mullen (jmul...@cssc-melb.tansu.com.au)
Josef Widjaja (jwid...@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au)
Richard Hickling (kin...@ox.ac.uk)
Peter Rayner (p...@splash.Princeton.EDU)
rap...@mama.research.canon.oz.au
Zev Sero (z...@asis.unimelb.edu.au)
Bob Backway (b.ba...@trl.oz.au)
Dean Tregenza (dean.t...@audit.csiro.au)
Jaqui Lynch (ly...@delphi.bc.edu)
Mark Morwood (mor...@wal.hp.com)
Bob Dick (b...@psych.psy.uq.oz.au)
Tony van Rosmalen (cri...@rulcvx.LeidenUniv.nl)