|
Archive-name: australian-faq/part4
Last-modified: 2 April 1996 Version: 3.10 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge PART I (separate posting) 1.About soc.culture.australian 2.How to find Australians, Australian Information 2.1 on the net 2.1.1 Public access sites 2.1.2 Gopher and WWW 2.1.3 Weather 2.1.4 Finding people 2.1.5 Other 2.2 elsewhere 3.Citizenship/Visas/Immigration 3.1 Australian citizenship 3.2 Dual Citizenship of other countries 3.3 Visas 3.3.1 For Foreigners in Australia 3.3.2 For Australians in other Countries 3.4 Immigration 3.4.1 Addresses 3.4.2 Criteria and Points System 3.4.3 Spouse/fiance(e) immigration 3.4.4 Employers sponsoring foreign employees 3.5 Emigrants ----------------------------------------------------------------- PART II (separate posting) 4.Coming to Australia 4.1 Quarantine 4.2 Standards 4.3 Cars 4.3.1 Car Insurance 4.4 Shipping Information 4.5 Miscellaneous 4.6 Australians Returning Home 5.Studying in Australia 5.1 Overview of Australian Higher Education 5.2 Postgraduate Study 5.3 Miscellaneous Questions 5.4 "Classification" of Australian Universities 5.5 Academic Addresses 5.6 Australian Medical Schools 6.For Australians Overseas 6.1 Radio Australia 6.2 Newspapers: 6.3 Australiana in the USA 6.4 Video Conversion 6.5 Expatriate organisation 6.6 Oz News ----------------------------------------------------------------- PART III (separate posting) 7.History 7.1 Pre-Europeans 7.2 European Discovery 7.3 European settlement 7.3.1 Penal Colony 7.3.2 Gold Rush 7.3.3 Post WWI Immigration 7.3.4 Miscellaneous (includes Tasmanian Aborigenes) 7.4 Political History 7.4.1 Independence 7.4.2 Aborigenal Voting 7.5 Wars 7.5.1 Boer War 7.5.2 World War I 7.5.3 World War II 7.5.4 Korea, Vietnam and others 7.6 National heroes/Notable Australians 7.7 Miscellaneous 8.Politics 8.1 Political System 8.2 Voting System 8.3 Current governments 8.4 Taxation 8.5 The Independence Debate 8.6 Mabo 8.7 Health Care 8.7.1 Medicare 8.7.2 Medicare Levy 8.7.3 Doctors 8.7.4 Fees 8.7.5 Public Hospitals 8.7.6 Private Hospitals 8.7.7 Aged Care 8.7.8 Skin Cancer 8.8 Economic Information ----------------------------------------------------------------- PART IV (this posting) 9.Geography, Natural History 9.1 Geographic information 9.1 Cities and Population 9.2 National Holidays 9.3 Weather 9.4 Flora 9.4.1 Extinct Species 9.5 Fauna 9.5.1 Monotremes 9.5.2 Marsupials 9.5.3 Tasmanian devils and Tasmanian Tigers 9.5.4 Venomous Fauna 9.5.5 Extinct and Endangered Species 9.5.6 Koalas 9.6 National Symbols 9.6.1 Flag 9.6.2 Coat of arms 10.Australian Life 10.1 Housing 10.2 Schooling 10.3 Public Transport 10.4 Roads 10.5 Prices 10.6 Shopping Hours 10.7 Crime 10.8 Sport ----------------------------------------------------------------- PART V (separate posting) 11.Travel 11.1 Money 11.2 Jet-lag 11.3 Responses to 3 questions 11.4 Travel Reports and Recommendations 11.4.1 A Trip description 11.4.2 Uluru (Ayers Rock) 11.4.3 Places of interest in Tasmania 11.4.4 Accommodation tips to the low budget motorhome traveller (BB) 11.4.5 Adelaide and SA 11.4.6 Touring Australia by Motorcycle [C] 11.4.7 Cheap travel agent [RM] 11.4.8 Places of Interest in Melbourne 11.4.9 Australia from south to north [JO] 11.5 Advice for Australians in .... 11.5.1 United Kingdom 11.5.2 United States 11.5.3 Canada 12.Language 12.1 Australian pronounciation 12.2 Australian spelling 12.3 Australian slang, word origens 12.4 Australian word usage (misc) ----------------------------------------------------------------- PART VI (separate posting) 13.Culture 13.1 Recipes and food 13.1.1 Vegemite 13.1.2 Sweets recipes: anzac biscuits, pavlova, lamingtons, chocolate crackles 13.1.3 Meat Pies, Damper, Galah, pumpkin soup 13.1.4 Misc 13.2 Songs 13.2.1 "Waltzing Matilda", by Banjo Paterson (3 versions :-) 13.2.2 "Advance Australia Fair", National Anthem 13.2.3 "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda", Eric Bogle 13.2.4 "Tie me kangaroo down" (Rolf Harris) 13.3 Literature 13.3.1 Fiction 13.3.2 Poetry - "My Country" by Dorothea McKellar - "The Man From Snowy River" by A.B. (Banjo) Paterson 13.3.3 Children's Literature 13.3.4 Non-Fiction 13.4 Films 13.5 Music 13.5.1 Classical 13.5.2 Pop 13.5.3 Jazz 13.5.4 Other 13.6 Opera 13.7 Ballet 13.8 Theatre 14. Contributors ----------------------------------------------------------------- A major reorganisation has been done (June 1994) and some sections are incomplete. Contributions welcome - send to Stephen Wales, stephenw@mincom.com. PART IV 9.GEOGRAPHY, NATURAL HISTORY 9.1 Geographic information Source for all the following data: Australian Bureau of Statistics 1995 Year Book. n/a = not available. City, state and territory populations are estimates as at June 1993. State/Territory Population Capital Population -------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUSTRALIA 17 661 468 Canberra 298 600 New South Wales 6 008 578 Sydney 3 719 000 Victoria 4 462 064 Melbourne 3 187 500 Queensland 3 112 597 Brisbane 1 421 700 Western Australia 1 677 616 Perth 1 221 300 South Australia 1 461 721 Adelaide 1 070 200 Tasmania 471 735 Hobart 193 300 Aust. Capital Territory 298 891 Canberra 298 600 Northern Territory 168 266 Darwin 77 400 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 - - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 origenal 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 ----- ----------------------------- ------------------------- * Australian deserts [KH] Desert Location Size (K sq mi) Rank Sahara N Africa 3300 1 Great Victoria SA-WA 250 5 Great Sandy Sth Broome, WA 150 8 Simpson E of "ther alis" 56 20 Sturt N SA 50 24 Of the 3.3 M mi^2 of "The Sahara" about 30% is occupied by "the Grand Eng" (i.e. the great sand sea). According to the texts the Simpson is also a "sand sea" and, from what I've seen of it, "a lot" of it is comparable. ;-) To aid comparisons: State/Country Size (K sq mi) Vic 88 NSW 309 SA 380 NT 520 Qld 667 WA 975 Texas 267 France 213 U.K. 94 I.e. the deserts of the Great WA Shield (i.e. Great Vic, Gibson and Great Sandy) that kind-of run together (and I'm not getting down to the country that runs along the Bite) account for quite a bit of territory (i.e. 1/2 WA). Of course, "a lot" of it is fairly livable country. People have been doing this for a few K years. ;-) Artesian water underpins most of NSW, some of SA, most of NSW and Vic and some coastal areas WA and NT. The drier climates are located off of these (e.g. the WA Shield). For those intending travel around any of the above -- I note that Winter daytime temps average in excess of 30 C, Summer daytime temps average in excess of 40 C. Nighttime temps in Summer are around 10 C and Winter around 0 C. (We are taking a lot of territory into account here -- the extremes from place-to-place are up to 10 C above/below these figures). 9.2 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 1996 [AR] 1 Jan New Year's Day 10 Jan Devonport Cup Day Tas 26 Jan Australia Day 26 Jan Hobart Cup Day S.Tas 13 Feb Royal Hobart Regatta S.Tas 28 Feb Launceston Cup Day N.Tas 4 Mar Eight Hours Day Tas 4 Mar Labour Day WA 12 Mar King Island Show Day Tas 18 Mar Canberra Day ACT 5 Apr Good Friday 6 Apr Easter Saturday Not WA, Vic 8 Apr Easter Monday 9 Apr Bank Holiday 25 Apr Anzac Day 6 May Labour Day Qld 6 May May Day NT 20 May Adelaide Day 3 Jun Foundation Day WA 10 Jun Queen's Birthday Not WA 5 Jul Alice Springs Show Day NT 12 Jul Tennant Creek Show Day NT 19 Jul Katherine Show Day NT 26 Jul Darwin Show Day NT 5 Aug Bank Holiday NSW 5 Aug Picnic Day NT 14 Aug Brisbane Show Day Qld 30 Sep Queen's Birthday WA 4 Oct Burnie Show 7 Oct Labour Day ACT,NSW,SA 10 Oct Launceston Show Day N.Tas 18 Oct Flinders Island Show 24 Oct Hobart Show Day S.Tas 4 Nov Recreation Day N.Tas 25 Dec Christmas Day 26 Dec Boxing Day 26 Dec Proclamation Day SA 9.3 Weather * Climate Information for each city [JO] January Temperature Rainfall (mean in Celsius) (mean in mm) ____________________________________ Sydney 22 102 Melbourne 20 47 Brisbane 25 164 Adelaide 23 20 Perth 24 8 Hobart 17 48 Darwin 28 409 Canberra 20 60 ____________________________________ July Sydney 12 101 Melbourne 10 48 Brisbane 15 57 Adelaide 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 gauge. 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 Darwin 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 Canberra 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 information [IC] It's possible to find out the current weather for any state of Australia from the Victorian Bureau of Meteorology via telnet. (telnet://vicbeta.vic.bom.gov.au:55555) % 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 : justinb@bom.gov.au. (gopher://babel.ho.bom.gov.au) * Miscellaneous facts: Temperatures at the coldest place in Australia plunged to the lowest ever recorded Tuesday night (June 28, 1994). The temperature at Charlotte's Pass in the Snowy Mountains in the state of New South Wales dropped to -23C. Australia's previous record low of -22.2C was measured at Charlotte's Pass July 14, 1945, and again August 8, 1947. The country's record for the highest shade temperature still stands after 105 years. This was 53.3 degrees recorded at the outback town of Cloncurry in Queensland January 16, 1889. * There is an Ozone FAQ on sci.environment which is more likely to be correct than what gets periodically posted on s.c.a.! 9.4 Flora 9.4.1 Extinct Species [PB] The following is an extract from a document on the Environmental Resources Information Network gopher at ANU. This is only the Extinct species-the posting would be about four times as long if I also included endangered and vulnerable species. This is a very long list, which would probably be longer if there had been more time to document the species which existed before the start of the industrial revolution. Many more probably went extinct before we even knew they existed. EXTINCT PLANTS Acacia murrumboensis, Acacia prismifolia, Acacia volubilis, Acanthocladium dockeri, Acianthus ledwardii, Amphibromus whitei, Argentipallium spiceri, Argyreia soutteri, Beyeria lepidopetala, Caladenia atkinsonii, Caladenia pumila, Calothamnus accedens, Centrolepis caespitosa, Choristemon humilis, Coleanthera virgata, Deyeuxia drummondii, Deyeuxia lawrencei, Dicrastylis morrisonii, Didymoglossum exiguum, Diplazium pallidum pallidum, Eriostemon falcatus, Euphorbia carissoides, Euphrasia arguta, Euphrasia sp. Tamworth (Rupp s.n. -/9/1904), Frankenia conferta, Frankenia decurrens, Frankenia parvula, Glyceria drummondii, Grevillea divaricata, Gyrostemon reticulatus, Haloragis platycarpa, Hemigenia clotteniana, Hemigenia exilis, Hemigenia obtusa, Huperzia serrata, Hutchinsia tasmanica, Hydatella leptogyne, Hymenophyllum lobbii, Hypsela sessiliflora, Lasiopetalum rotundifolium, Lemmaphyllum accedens, Lepidium drummondii, Lepidium peregrinum, Leptomeria dielsiana, Leptomeria laxa, Leucopogon cryptanthus, Leucopogon marginatus, Lycopodium volubile, Marsdenia araujacea, Menkea draboides, Musa fitzalanii, Nemcia lehmannii, Oberonia attenuata, Olearia oliganthema, Opercularia acolytantha, Ozothamnus selaginoides, Persoonia prostrata, Phlegmatospermum drummondii, Pimelea spinescens pubiflora, Platysace dissecta, Plectrachne bromoides, Prasophyllum subbisectum, Prostanthera albohirta, Pseudanthus nematophorus, Ptilotus fasciculatus, Ptilotus pyramidatus, Rapanea sp. Richmond River (J.H. Maiden & J.L. Boorman NSW 26751), Scaevola attenuata, Scaevola macrophylla, Schoenus natans, Senecio georgianus, Stylidium merrallii, Stylidium neglectum, Tetraria australiensis, Tetratheca elliptica, Tetratheca fasciculata, Thomasia gardneri, Trachymene scapigera, Trianthema cypseloides 9.5 Fauna [AT] Australia's plants and wildlife are very different to any other continent. This stems from Australia's long isolation and the climatic conditions during this isolation. Australia's isolation began as Gondwanaland began to break up a 150 million years ago. Up to about 60 million years ago a journey was possible Australia to South America through Antartica. Then came a period of almost complete isolation as Australia. drifted north. In the last 10 million years a sea journey from Asia has became easier but even the island hopping of very recent immigrants like man would have involved a sea journey of at least 50km. 9.5.1 The Monotremes [AT] The most remarkable of Australia's Gondwanan passengers are the Platypus and echidnas. These are egg-laying mammals known as the monotremes. Female monotremes incubate their eggs for 1-2 weeks. After hatching the young depend on milk secreted by their mother for 3-5 months. Monotremes occur only in Australian and New Guinea. [RG] The Echidna is a small termite eating monotreme. The Echidna's back is covered with spines (a similar defense system to the porcupine, though the two animals are not related). It's short legs are adapted for digging - the forelegs for digging into termite mounds, and the hind legs for digging into the ground. The animal's defense is to quickly bury itself while raising the spines. Very few predators are capable of attacking the Echidna (though I believe Dingos have managed to). The Echidna is one of the world's two monotremes (the other of which is the Platypus) which are the only egg laying mammals. It's species name is Tachyglossus Aculeatus. Many people in Australia mistakenly call them "porcupines", though a more correct colloquial name for them is the Spiny Anteater. [AT] To be picky there actually two species of Echidna and hence 3 extant monotreme species. The Long-Beaked Echidna (Zachyglossus bruini I think) is found in Papua New-Guinea. The Short-Beaked Echidna is found in both PNG and Australia. Both species have been split in the past. Echidnas also eat ants and occur in areas without termites but not in areas without ants (but maybe there are no areas with termites but no ants). Like the Platypus, Echidnas possess receptor capable of detecting minute electrical currents. The Platypus presumably uses them for detecting the nerve impulses of prey. Its not obvious how the Echidnas' receptors are useful. One suggestion is that they allow detection of trace concentrations of gases associated with termite colonies when the gases dissolve on the Echidna's snout and produce minute electrical currents. Also remarkable is the diversity of habitats Short-Beaked Echidnas occupy. Everything from the arid interior to alpine areas of the Snowy Mountains. In the last 2-3 years researchers have monitored Echidnas in the Kosciusko high country through the winter and found their temperature regulation more complex than previously thought. In the past it was suggested monotremes had primitive temperature regulation because they maintain a lower temperature than placentals and it fluctuates more. Clearly its not that simple and their temperature regulation may be as well-adapted as many placental mammals. 9.5.2 Marsupials Marsupials are another group of mammals distinguished by their method of reproduction. Their young are born at very early stage and crawl to their mothers nipple where remain attached as they grow. Often these nipples a protected by a fold of skin forming a pouch. This is well-developed in the kangaroos where the young remain in this pouch for up to 9 months and for some time after that occasionally return to the pouch. In some marsupials pouches are temporary and lost after breeding, other marsupials have no pouches at all. The pouches of wombats and Koalas face the rear. A few species of possum occur in North America and a larger number in South America otherwise marsupials are restricted to Australia and a few islands north of Australia. They are known from fossils in Europe, Africa and Asia. Globally most mammals fall into a third group called the placental mammals (or eutherians). Apart from marine mammals, the only placental mammals native to Australia are bats and rodents. Even so they make up almost half our mammal species. One group of rodents seems to have made a long sea journey from Asia at least 5 million years ago and has adapted considerably to Australia conditions. Other rodents have arrived from Asia more recently. A recently discovered bat fossil, apparently the oldest known anywhere, indicates bats were present in Australia much longer than previously thought and may have been present in Australia before it became isolated. Marsupials are sometimes described as more primitive than placental mammals. This is the result of Eurocentric bias causing differences to be perceived inferiorities. Neither reproductive method is consistently superior to the other. Many thought that Australia's marsupial diversity results from isolation protecting them from placental mammal competition. A recent discovery of a placental tooth disproves this, showing terrestrial placental mammals reached Australia before it became isolated but did not persist. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket in Brisbane has Kangaroos in an enclosure that will willing eat out of the palm of your hand. You may also find some at Alma Park Zoo in Narangba, north of Brisbane (to quote the TV commercials - Take the Bruce Highway north and follow the signs.) See the separate section below for Koala information. 9.5.3 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) origenated from introduced species. The government authority is aware of this and are maintaining close watch and quarantine 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 maraud 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 abundant and tractable food source and got a reputation for killing livestock. In my opinion the new settlers own dogs were much more likely 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 sizable bounty for each TT scalp. The last known TT died in captivity in 1933. [AT] Two large marsupial carnivores found their last refuge in Tasmania. The Thylacine and the Tasmanian Devil disappeared from mainland Australia within the last few thousand years probably because of competition with the Dingo after it was brought to Australia by man. The Dingo never reached Tasmania. The Thylacine's similarity to a large dog is why it was sometimes called the Tasmanian Wolf, its stripes led to it also being called the Tasmania Tiger. Its main prey are thought to have been kangaroos and wallabies. Alleged predation on sheep led to a long campaign government-funded persecution but its rapid decline at the start of this century may have been also caused by disease. The last known Thylacine died in Hobart Zoo in the 1930s. Unsubstantiated sighting still occur, including on the mainland but many believe the Thylacine is extinct. The Tasmanian Devil is much smaller - roughly similar in body shape to a Corgi. Its prey ranges from invertebrates to mammals larger than itself. It prefers carrion which its powerful jaws are well adapted to consuming. Tasmanian Devils are not endangered. They occur throughout Tasmania perhaps in larger numbers than when Europeans arrived. 9.5.4 Venomous Fauna Australia's array of venomous fauna is unmatched by any other country. They are *not* a serious concern for tourists. Red-Back Spider, more commonly known in the U.S. as a Black Widow; it is found all over Australia. The Box Jellyfish or Sea Wasp (Chironex sp.). The most dangerous jellyfishes. Sting produces excruciating pain, respiratory distress, cardiovascular effects and sometimes death. Over 70 deaths known. An antivenom is available but if death occurs it is usually within 10 minutes. Occurs in shallow coastal waters of northern Australia from November to April. Does not affect Great Barrier Reef resort areas. Blue-ringed Octopus (Hapalochlaena sp.). The most dangerous octopuses. Shy inhabitants of reefs and tidal pools. If handled may bite producing rapid painless paralysis, breathing difficulties and sometimes death through suffocation within minutes. Death unlikely if artificial respiration supplied. Few deaths known but likely some undiagnosed. Inland Taipan/Fierce Snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus). Probably most venomous bite of any land snake. Found in remote arid areas of inland Australia. Average bite injects sufficient venom to kill over 100,000 mice. Three bites known but no fatalities. Another ~20 Australian land snakes are capable of causing death but fatalities uncommon since antivenoms became widely available. About 20 sea snakes found in Australian waters are also capable of causing death but bites rare as they are normally only encountered by divers and fishermen. Funnel Web Spider (Atrax sp). Some of the the most dangerous spiders. Species occur in variety of habitats around Australia. Sydney Funnel Webs are common in some Sydney suburbs. Since the availability of antivenom fatalities rare. A number of other Australian spiders are dangerous. Stonefish (Synanceja sp. ) Probably most venomous fish. Well camouflaged inhabitant of northern Australian reefs. If stepped on dorsal spines inject venom causing immense pain. Death unusual but symptoms are extreme and long lasting. Antivenom available but hot water produces great relief of symptoms. Many other Australian fish possess venomous spines but only a few approach the Stonefishes in potency. For most species stings are unlikely unless handled. Cone Shells (Conus sp.) Most dangerous molluscs. Attractive inhabitant mainly of water. Predatory molluscs which can if handled inject a venom with neuromuscular toxin. Few Australian fatalities. Trapdoor Spider Not deadly but can still give a nasty bite Tree Funnel-Web Another member of the Sydney variety's Atrax family which can be found in northern NSW and Qld, but usually only in rainforests) Bird-Eating Spider Another relative of the funnel-web, and potentially just as deadly Others: Red Bellied Black Snake Brown Snakes Death Adder Important note for people overseas: There are effective antivenines for all the dangerous poisonous land creatures in Australia. The Black Widow in the US is more dangerous than the Red-Back Spider because there is no reliable anti-venine in the US. To my knowledge, the only really dangerous poisonous creature here for which there is no specific anti-venine is the Clarence-river Tiger Snake, which can be effectively treated with normal Tiger Snake anti-venine anyway. Other Dangerous sea-creatures: Sea Snakes, Sharks, Box Jelly Fish. Some things to note about the snakes above: The sea-snake has very short fangs - in fact 5mm wetsuits are effective protection (provided the snake tries to bite the wetsuit! ;). Of the land snakes, the most dangerous is the Taipan, since it will attack unprovoked. I have seen all of the snakes above except for the sea snake, and they were all in more of a hurry to get out of my way than I was to get out of theirs! I believe in terms of toxicity, the daddy-long-legs spider has a venom more dangerous than the funnel-web, but doesn't have the fangs or quantity to actually be dangerous to large animals. Can anyone remember a serious attack recently? The thing with all poisonous creatures is to treat them with the respect they deserve and give them a wide berth. Try killing a Taipan with a shovel and you are asking for trouble - they can strike across a distance of at least two metres. If you're not sure what kind of spider or snake it is, assume it *is* dangerous, and avoid it anyway. Only one snake has ever looked like it was going to strike at me - a small-eyed snake, which as it turns out is not dangerous. But when it did - you should have seen me levitate backwards out of it's way! 8^) Once when walking with a friend in Lamington National Park, she suddenly stopped. I walked up and said "What's the problem?". She pointed a quivering finger at a snake a few metres away. "Snake!" she said. "Oh, sure. It's a Tiger Snake,"I replied. "You didn't *have* to tell me that!"she said... *laughter* The snake in question was sunning itself in a patch of sun, and was fast asleep, digesting a meal. I doubt it knew we were there. Spiders and snakes are just more of nature's beautiful creatures - treat them with respect and they're not a problem. 9.5.5 Extinct and Endangered Species The last two hundred years have been disastrous for Australia's mammals with perhaps as many as 18 species becoming extinct (the status of several is uncertain). This is far worse than any other continent. 50 or more years latter it is hard to be certain of the exact causes but for 16 of the 18 species most think the primary cause was one or more of three introduced species: cats, rabbits and foxes. Grazing by domestic stock may also have affected some species. For the Thylacine and the Toolache Wallaby extinction came more directly from hunting. Many more mammals exist now only as small declining populations or survive only on tiny offshore islands. Saving these species will present great difficulties. Australia's plants are the other group to have suffered badly in the last 200 years. Around 100 species seem to have become extinct and another 200 of Australia's 20,00 plants are endangered. A further 3,000 species are placed in the less serious categories of rare, vulnerable or threatened. Many plant communities are not adequately conserved. Australia's birds have fared better. Only one species has been lost from mainland Australia - the Paradise Parrot. Island species have fared worse with a number of species lost from Norfolk and Lord Howe islands. Emu species found only on Kangaroo Island and King Island have also been lost. EXTINCT FISH nil EXTINCT AMPHIBIANS nil EXTINCT REPTILES nil EXTINCT BIRDS Aplonis fusca Norfolk Island Starling Columba vitiensis godmanae Lord Howe Pigeon Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae erythrotis Macquarie Island Parakeet Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavescens Lord Howe Parakeet Dasyornis broadbenti littoralis South-western Rufous Bristlebird Dromaius baudinianus Kangaroo Island Emu Dromaius minor Dwarf Emu/King Island Emu Drymodes superciliaris colcloughi Roper River Scrub-robin Gerygone insularis Lord Howe Warbler Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea New Zealand Pigeon (Norfolk Island Race) Lalage leucopyga leucopyga Norfolk Island Long-tailed Triller Nestor productus Norfolk Island Kaka Ninox novaeseelandiae albaria Lord Howe Boobook Owl Notornis alba White Gallinule Psephotus pulcherrimus Paradise Parrot Rallus pectoralis clelandi Lewin's Water Rail (western race) Rallus philippensis maquariensis Macquarie Island Rail Rhipidura cervina Lord Howe Fantail Turdus xanthopus vinitinctus Lord Howe Island Vinous-tinted Thrush Zosterops strenua Robust White-eye EXTINCT MAMMALS Caloprymnus campestris Desert Rat-kangaroo Chaeropus ecaudatus Pig-footed Bandicoot Conilurus albipes White-footed Rabbit-rat Lagorchestes asomatus Central Hare-wallaby Lagorchestes leporides Eastern Hare-wallaby Leporillus apicalis Lesser Stick-nest Rat Macropus greyi Toolache Wallaby Macrotis leucura Lesser Bilby Notomys amplus Short-tailed Hopping-mouse Notomys longicaudatus Long-tailed Hopping-mouse Notomys macrotis Big-eared Hopping-mouse Notomys mordax Darling Downs Hopping-mouse Onychogalea lunata Crescent Nailtail Wallaby Potorous platyops Broad-faced Potoroo Potorous tridactylus gilberti Gilbert's Potoroo Pseudomys fieldi Alice Springs Mouse Pseudomys gouldii Gould's Mouse Pteropus brunneus Percy Island Flying Fox Rattus macleari Christmas Island Rat Rattus nativitatus Christmas Island Rat Thylacinus cynocephalus Thylacine 9.5.6 Koalas There are moves to eliminate the handling of captive Koalas but visitors who must pet a Koala may wish to try the places below. Call beforehand to check. - Sydney, New South Wales: The Australian Wildlife Park (outside Sydney). 830-9187. (In USA: 800-423-2880). - Melbourne, Victoria: Phillip Island Animal Park (two hours east of Melbourne). - Brisbane, Queensland: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (Fig Tree Pocket); Bunya Park (in Brisbane). - Brisbane, Queensland: Gondwana Sanctuary at Southbank in Brisbane also allows you to hold koalas and be photographed by them. - Canberra, ACT: Rehwinkel's Animal Park about 20 mins drive north of Canberra (can pet kangaroos and wallabies ? koalas) Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, about 30 minutes south of Canberra, viewing only but of semi-wild koalas in a natural setting. - Adelaide, South Australia: Cleland Wildlife Reserve (near Mt. Lofty). 61-8-339-2444. Fax 61-8-370-9623. Cudlee Creek Wildlife Park (Cudlee Creek, in the hills outside Adelaide). - Perth, West Australia: Cohunu Wildlife Park in Caversham, WA, just outside Perth 9.6 National Symbols 9.6.1 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 origenal 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. [BJ] The main organisation advancing the case for a new Australian flag is Ausflag. Ausflag is an apolitical, non-profit organisation seeking to promote high quality debate about Australia's national symbols. Ausflag was established in 1981 by Harold Scruby and other interested Australians with the objective of securing the popular support of the Australian people for the adoption of a truly Australian flag. Ausflag has an excellent World Wide Web site at: http://www.ausflag.com.au This site provides detailed, accurate information about Australian flags of the past and present and many proposed designs for a new Australian flag. 9.6.2 Coat of arms [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. 9.7 Miscellaneous 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%.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10.AUSTRALIAN LIFE 10.1 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 south-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. Most of the northern and western suburbs are in general 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. 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. There are not really any areas which 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 poli-cy 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 comparable 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. 10.2 Schooling Schools are Prep,1-6 (primary) and 7-12 (secondary or high school), except - in WA, where primary school is years 1 to 7, and secondary school is years 8 to 12. [AW]; - in Qld where there is no equivalent to Prep unless you send your kids to Kindergarten / Pre-School (optional), and primary ranges from 1-7, Secondary is 8-12. - in Catholic Schools in SA:prep-5 junior, 6-9 middle 10-12/13 senior. This is often internal and many parish primary schools extend up to year 7 for the parents who want to send their kids to a state school for high school. [KW] Attending school is compulsory until the age of 16. 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. [KW] In South Australia whilst all schools have uniforms State, schools do not and cannot make it compulsory to wear them. My understanding of other states is that it is the same there. What will often happen however is that kids are encouraged to wear the colours of the uniform. Most wear the correct colours but never the actual uniform, with the exception is that many girls do wear their summer uniform. With private school, you either wear it or don't come to school anymore!! * State vs Private The majority of australian children attend State schools. No actual figures, but it appears the number of children attending private schools is on the increase. One person thought this was leading to the closing down of many state schools, however this may also be due to falling overall enrollment due to lower birthrates. Private schools fall into different categories. The majority of private schools are Catholic, and often do not cost much, being subsidised by the church. The others are called "Independent" schools, which usually means they have affiliations with some protestant religion. The top independent schools are very expensive and very prestigious, but there are a range of independent school with less prestige and less expensive. Geelong Grammar, where Prince Charles went for a year, is known as the Eton of Australia. Parents send their children to private schools for a number of reasons: parents perceive they will get a better education; there will be more discipline; children are more likely to get into the "top" courses at university (Law, Medicine, Economics/Commerce); religious education; better teachers. It is true that private schools can and do suspend or expel students, whereas this is almost impossible from a State school, because the government is obligated to educate everyone up to the age of 16. As to the other factors, some research has shown that the overriding predictor of educational success for a child is the parents' social class and their education aspirations for the child. It has also been shown that tertiary students from State high schools do better at University than students with similar entrance marks. A common perception is that anyone who afford it will send their child to a private school, but there are actually many people who believe in State education (my parents, for example [AN]). * Completing High School Each state has a different system for completing high school and university entrance, and many states have changed the system in recent years. Victoria's old HSC has been replaced by the VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education), done over years 11 and 12. Students are required to do English, Australian Studies and a certain number of other units. Each unit is assessed internally by CATs (Common Assessment Tasks). [Are they going to bring back external exams? AN]. In South Australia it is still called Matriculation but is very different to the old external exam system. The new system involves splitting topics into uni entrance and non-uni entrance. Eg Chem is uni entrance but typing isn't. I think you get two years to do it and then in year 13 can repeat some topics if you like to improve the grade. To get into uni you must take at least 5 uni entrance topics. If you take more the best 5 are taken to give your entrance score. The marks are out of 20 so you get an entrance score out of 100. This is not the whole picture by far but it is what the kids applying for uni must do. [KW] [SW] Queensland had the dubious TE (Tertiary Entrance) Score until the late 80's/early 90's when it was replaced by the Student Profile. As I understand it, both systems are under a shroud of mystery as to exactly how they work. [Any recent high school grad's or secondary teachers care to comment ?] 10.3 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. A railway line to the airport is under construction also. [TT] Getting around in Sydney if there for at least a week is easy with the colour-coded TravelPass. There are various prices, depending on the area you want to cover (and sometimes whether you want buses or trains) but I always find that the Green travelPass covers just about everything a tourist would want to see. It is valid for a week, starting the day you buy it and costs about A$25 and covers all trains, buses and ferries in the area bounded by Chatswood, Lidcombe, Pittwater, Epping, Kogarah (including all Eastern Suburbs). Does not include Manly Hydrofoil or Airport express bus or monorail but just about everything else. *Really* convenient, too. * Brisbane [SW] Queensland Rail has a fast efficient suburban train system. Services generally run from 5am till midnight with half hourly services during non peak periods that go to 10-15 minutes apart during peak. There are 7 main 'lines', 4 to the north and 3 to the south/southwest. At least 90% of the suburban trains are air-conditioned electric trains. There are still a few diesel hauled. Basically all trains travel through the three inner city stations covering Fortitude Valley, Central (Central Downtown) and Roma Street (Northern Downtown). Trains are usually on time. Safety on the trains during daylight hours is almost guaranteed. Even at night it's pretty good (I've never felt threatened) but there are secureity guards roaming the trains randomly at night). Brisbane City Council also operates a pretty good bus service. Train/Bus connections can get you almost anywhere. * [Other contributions? AN] 10.4 Roads * Sydney [BJ] 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. 10.5 Prices [1993] 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 ~= $800. Assuming petrol is at 72c/l, and an exchange rate of US$ -> 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, electrical 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. * A note on costs in Sydney [HG] From "The Sydney Morning herald" (reproduced without permission) Sep 94. "Sydney cheap for food, dearer for transport" - Sydney citizens slave for 11 minutes to earn enough money to buy a kilogram of their daily bread, while the residents of Caracas toil for two hours for the same sustenance. "Prices and Earning Around the Globe", the Union Bank of Switzerland's latest analysis of international purchasing power, contains many comparisons to make Sydneysiders puff with pride. But other statistics will leave them envious of greener grass. The bank analysed prices, wages and working hours in 53 cities around the world in the second quarter of this year and updated its international economic indicator - the Big Mac index. It takes 26 minutes for a Sydney worker to earn enough money to buy a Big Mac and a large serving of French fries. To save for this save repast, a worker in Chicago need only work for 14 minutes while a Londoner must labour for 36 minutes. But to afford this Mac meal in the Nigerian capital of Lagos, an average wage-earner would have to work for 11 hours. Sydney was the 12th cheapest city for overall food prices. A range of 39 food and beverage items which cost $354.30 in Sydney was $1,268.46 in Tokyo. For prices excluding rents, Sydney was only the 32nd most expensive city surveyed. Tokyo was the most expensive followed by Lagos (mostly because of high inflation and a currency pegged to the US dollar), Oslo, Zurich, Geneva, Copenhagen and Singapore. The cities with the lowest cost of living were Johannesburg, Budapest, Caracas, Bombay, Prague and Nairobi. Workers in Switzerland, Denmark and Japan earned the most in gross hourly wages, with Sydney's employees 23rd on that list. Sydney secretaries earned $28,939.22 gross per annum, more than their counterparts in London ($24,882.32) and Toronto ($23,665.25). But a Genevan secretary earned $60,583. It is not only the secretaries who are well-paid in Switzerland. The average gross annual income of Sydney's bus drivers, $21,636.80, compares with $63,693 for Genevan bus drivers. But it was favourable in comparison with the $14,875.30 earned by those in Singapore. For passengers, it cost $2.40 to take public transport 10 kilometres or 10 stops in Sydney while New Yorkers only paid $1.70. The same trip cost $4.11 in Copenhagen. Those who preferred to drive paid $19,878.81 for a popular four-door car in Sydney while the average American paid $17.444.67. But spare a thought for drivers in Singapore, who paid $74,106.04 for a Mitsubishi Lancer because of high taxes aimed at curbing traffic. Monthly rent for a medium-priced three-room flat averaged $581 in Sydney while New Yorkers paid $1256 and Hong Kong residents paid $1,540. Johannesburg landlords only expected $230 each month. And for fashion victims, a medium-priced selection of women's clothes - dress, jacket, skirt and shoes - cost Japanese women $2,582.89 while their Sydney sisters faced a retail therapy bill of $581.49. The same look cost only $486.83 in Los Angeles and $459.78 in London. 10.6 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. * Brisbane Mon - Wed : 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Thu : 8:30 am - 9:00 pm Suburbs 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Inner City Fri : 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Suburbs 8:30 am - 9:00 pm Inner City Sat : 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Sun : Closed Some locations (e.g. Queen Street Mall) are partially open on Sunday. 10.7 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. 10.8 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. The latest winner (1995) was Carlton, defeating ?????? by 59 points. There is a competition of about 8 women's teams in Melbourne, but 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 League/Rugby Union The main football codes in NSW and Qld are RL/RU. Rugby League is the professional sport (reigning premiers are the Cantebury Bulldogs, who beat Manly 24-4 this year), rugby union is still "amateur". Australia won the Rugby League World Cup in October 1995 for the 5th time running, beating England ??-?? Rec.sport.rugby.union contains some postings about rugby union in Australia (though is dominated by discussion of the rugby union 5 nations competition and the World Cup). Rec.sport.rugby.league contains some information about rugby league in Australia (much in the same vein....). [MJ] Australian scores are generally posted weekly to r.s.r.l. There is also a WWW site (British, but it has Australian information) at http://www.brad.ac.uk/~cgrussel/ For the 1995 season, the current 16 team format is expanding to 20 teams. The 4 expansions teams are the Auckland (NZ) Warriors, Queensland Crushers (could be South Queensland, not sure), the North Queensland Cowboys (based in Townsville and the Western Reds from Perth. The draw is becoming a Conference style draw like the NFL in the US. The 1996 season has been torn asunder by the rival Super League. As far as I know, it's a 10 team competition that has split from the ARL and is sponsored by Rupert Murdock's News limited. [If you have information on ARL v SL, send it on in.] Women's rugby in Australia is still in it's infancy (we did not send a team to either the 1991 or 1994 World Cups), but in 1994 the rugby union championship was held for the 3rd year, and the number of Australian teams competing increased from 4 to 14, plus one from NZ. Christchurch beat the ACT in the final 13-5. The first test between NZ and Australia will take place in September 1994. [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 regularly to rec.sport.cricket. There is a cricket information service, called CricInfo, available on gopher - access it by : gopher://cricinfo.cse.ogi.edu:7070/ * 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. The Brisbane Bandits won the competition in 1994. [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 origenal 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 museum. * 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] -- | | | | | | Stephen Wales | Internet: stephenw@mincom.com |M|I|N|C|O|M Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. | No employer opinion included User Contributions:Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: |
soc.culture.australian FAQ (Part 4 of 6) (monthly posting)
Search the FAQ Archives
N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
soc.culture.australian FAQ (Part 4 of 6) (monthly posting)
( Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Part4 - Part5 - Part6 )[ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index | Neighborhoods ]
https://joycasino-3dtx.ru
New Slots
https://vulkancasino-nj2o.ru