Learning About Australia

[stormtrooper]

Does any of your countries have a potential immigration problem brewing?

I wouldn't call it a problem, many would and thats up to them, but we have had boat people from Vietnam and for the last 10 years they have been coming from Indonesia, other Muslim countries, and the south east asian countries like Burma cause they are trying to escape a living hell. My issue isn't with them trying to get here, my issue is with the a$$hole$ who charge them their life savings to risk the trip. I don't know how true it is but I have heard that up to 50% of the boat peoples die on a trip.

PS stormtrooper, that's a nasty cloud rolling down the valley, sure would get me running. What a beautifull country in the back of the car not a soul to be seen as far as you can see.......

Thomas, that was a good storm but it was only a baby and didn't even come of the tail of a cyclone. It was just a summer storm. Australia is a beautiful country and much of its beauty is in its extremes of landscapes. I come from an area called the Hunter Valley and to me thats the pic spot in Australia, apart from near Bundaberg and Darwin. Where I am now a place called Tamworth has been in drought for about 10 years. Yes its beautiful now but you should see it when it has had proper rain seasons.

 

[XR8tt]

We get plenty of clouds like that and NEVER get any rain...
Aust is very flat other than blue mountains which is approx 30 to 70 miles inland from east coast. There's not much high counrty to catch some rain from clouds... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mountains
Some rain forest in there.. Totally different scene to outback..
The weather can vary enormously due to Darwin being way up north near equator while southern states are much colder. There is sea between Aust and south pole unlike most norther hemisphere countries which I guess keeps temps alittle warmer or consistant ??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Australia
Aust is above 600 m (2,000 ft); the average elevation is less than 300 m (1,000 ft). The highest point is Mt. Kosciusko, 2,228 m (7,310 ft), in the Australian Alps of the southeastern corner of New South Wales; the lowest point is Lake Eyre in South Australia, 15 m (49 ft) below sea level. In 1983, grains of rock from Western Australia were dated at 4.1–4.2 billion years old, making them the oldest ever found on earth.

 

[stormtrooper]

We get plenty of clouds like that and NEVER get any rain...

Thus my saying it was only a baby storm.

In 1983, grains of rock from Western Australia were dated at 4.1–4.2 billion years old, making them the oldest ever found on earth.

This is typical of the Antipodes (Australia and New Zealand). The Europeans named the Antipodes and the South Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea with New in their name (Australia was New Holland, for the non Aussies) yet these places are the oldest known bits of rock on the planet. Europe is a baby continent compared to Australia.

 

[jibbby]

OK, let me ask you Aussie boys this?

How's the health care system work for it's citizens in Australia? In the States we have two systems, the broke I can't afford health insurance system and the other is, I will pay to have health care either out of pocket or funded by my employer which usually consists of a group low cost insurance company... If your broke like those that live in the ghetto's the state will provide you with free health care.. The health care is suspect and crowded but works.. I know I personally pay for my own health care thru "Blue Cross" and that costs me about $100USD a month...Comes with a $1000 deductible and I can see any doctor I so choose....

Bottom line is in the USA, if you have a good job or pay for insurance yourself you are good to go in most cases... The free State ride could get a little hairy... You will get the feeling of being just one of the simple sheep in a massive heard...Baaaaaaaa...



Now back to demographic's... Australia has history, but I haven't heard much about one of you greatest attractions "The Great Barrier Reaf"... Curious, as I am a certified scuba diver is this attraction all that? Is it Overrated, or a must see? What about the surf? Any monster waves, Sunami's to speak of thru history?

Lastly, How long does it take to drive your car from one coast to another...Trying to get the feel of the actual size of Australia?

 

[Zuffen]

Jib,

Our health sytem is un-healthy as yours and works in a similar manner.

The one difference is if you earn more than a set amount and don't have private health insurance you are charged additional tax to force you to buy health insurance.

My family pays around $600.00 per month for health insurance. That's 2 adults, a 15 year old and a 13 year old.

I just read the average Asutralian walks 900 miles per year. The article went on to say we also consume, on average, 22 gallons of beer per year.

This all measn we average 45 MPG which is better than any Lexus!

You can drive coast to coast in a little over 2 days non stop. Hard work and only for the masochists amongst us.

The Great Barrier Reef is a true wonder and we all take it for granted because it's right there on our doorstep.

Definitely worth seeing and as a diver worth diving.

Be carefull we once left 2 American tourists in the water during a dive trip on the Reef and they were never seen again. We're not fussy who we leave out there it could have been Japanese tourists just as easily.

 

[Cobber]

It's a long old drive from one side to the other, I use this trip planner http://rac.com.au/Travel/Journey-planner.aspx when I do my trips. I have done the journey from Perth to Brisbane 3 times now and it takes 4 or 5 big days of driving depending on which way you go. It's a great trip and if you havent done it you should do it at least once. I take my hat off to anyone that can do it in 2 days and remain sane.

As for diving I am a keen SCUBA diver as well, in the West we have the Ningaloo reef up north and some good wreck dives down south. For a true touch of paradise you should head up to the Whitsunday islands in Qld and go sailing around the islands and out to the reef from there. When we lived in Qld we would go up every year without fail.

Health public or private have their good and bad points you need to work out what suits you.

 

[Zuffen]

Cobber,

I've driven it once East-West and it's a big ask.

I certainly didn't do it in 2 days.

4-5 days is around 50 hours of driving which would see a vehicle make it if it kept moving.

I had a friend drive to Darwin from Sydney in a Suzuki Sierra non stop in a bit over 2 days. They drove whilst the passenger slept and then swapped with the passenger.

Whilst I love long distance driving that isn't any fun.

 

[stormtrooper]

I have done Sydney to Darwin, was on my P's and we did it in just over 3 days just before Christmas in 1985, was diverted because of Floods in central Qld when a drought broke so had to drive over to Charters Towers and back across to the Mount and then onto the Barkly. Still remember as though it was only yesterday the old woman (probably only in her late 30s if truth be known, I was only 17) wearing army boots and King Gee shorts at Camoweal just before the Qld/NT border. Haleys Comet from my verandah in Darwin was an OK site but the event of the year was the cyclone I slept through.

 

[Lextreme II]

Hey Guys,

How long is the drive from Sydney to Perth?

 

[rms]

Around 2500 miles

 

[jibbby]

Man, Australia is one big place... Also the Great Barrier Reef sounds like a must see...

It took me two days to drive from Los Angeles, California to Columbus, Mississippi here in the States... I even drove thru the long State of Texas too... I guess it's safe to say your not going to get island fever in Australia...

One more question as I wear out this thread...Alot of talk of Australians loving to drink their beer..It is commonly percieved that way by Americans when we think of Australians, and that is the general perception..I know for fact that when ever I see an Australian in an American commercial he or she has a Fosters beer in hand and is having a good time and smiling.. "Fosters for beer mate", is the slogan in those beer commercials....

Now with all that being said, how are the laws for drunk driving? Can you walk around with an open container of beer or is that too against the law... What about being intoxicated in public and disturbing the peace?.. Can you get arrested? Or do the authorities just pick up a brew with you and join in on the fun?

Now Europeans get drunk to stay warm, Russians drink Vodka not to freeze up, the English, Irish, and Scottish people love their foamy warm beers too...Americans drink to forget...Now why do you think Australians like to get tossed and hammered? Aren't you guys are already warm?:beerchug:

PS...Did you know that Alcohol was illegal here in the States for a time around fifty years ago.. We had bootleggers, and all that back in the day.. It didn't last long though... I wonder what would happen if they outlawed booze in Australia?

 

[rms]

I wonder what would happen if they outlawed booze in Australia?

It would make the American Civil War look like a neighborhood brawl !

 

[Zuffen]

Your long State (Texas) would be one of our smaller States.

You can walk around with an open beverage without being arrested.

There are specified boozel free zones which have signs that look like parking signs, but declaring you can't have booze with you.

We can legally drink from 18 and for the first three years of driving you cannot have any in your system or you will lose your licence.

0.05% is the national limit for driving.

Our beer is usually 4.9% and light beer (yuk!) can get down to around 2% which is down around US beer figures,

When we drink a can of beer it is both larger 13oz and stronger so we need good constitutions to drink heaps.

I can remember a barman in Kona (Hawaii) being stunned when 4 of us drank 24 beers between us at his bar. He was so impressed he gave us a free beer each. We then wandered off to dinner. It was like having 2-4 normal Auusie beers.

Very few Australian's drink Fosters, which interestingly is owned by a NZ company.

We drink beer because it is a hot dry place and we like the taste. Probably a lot to do with our English forebearers as that was the drink back in the Old Dart.

We don't all go around getting smashed all day. In fact very few of us do.

 

[XR8tt]

If you saw the rivers over here ?? You can see why we drink beer !!!

 

[stormtrooper]

If you saw the rivers over here ?? You can see why we drink beer !!!

What rivers? lol.

 

[XR8tt]

What rivers? lol.

Haha EXACTLY !!!! Lol....

 

[jibbby]

Zuffen, thanks for the beer break down in Australia... That was some description...

So beers are better, colder, bigger, and stronger in Australia then compared to the USA.. Also Australians don't drink Fosters either, WOW.. I never liked Foster beer anyway that much...... Hmmmm....I must say it is so true that on a hot day it's very hard to beat a cold frosty beer or two...

What's wrong with a light beer anyway? Just because it tastes like water doesn't mean you can't catch a beer buzz after drinking a few cases of them.. Light beer is not good, I completely agree with you on that.....

The only state that I am aware of in the USA where you can walk around with an open bottle of liquer in public is in Las Vegas, Neveda... Go figure Las Vegas, Nevada has the strictest drug laws in the country but allows prostitution, gambling and booze in public..:trink26:

PS. 21 years of age is the legal drinking age in the US... Australia is 18, I did not know that...

 

[greybeard]

Oh yeah, prostitution is legal in oz too...some varitions in details state by state.

 

[jibbby]

Is prostitution legal in Australia? How about Casino's? Can one actually find a friendly game of 21 blackjack and or a table full of degenerate poker players in town? How about placing a friendly wager on one of your fine Rugby matches?:smokin:

Is there an autobamb (not sure if I spelled that right) in Australia where you can absolutely unload all your horsepower? We have the flat salt plains which stretch for as far as the eye can see in the state of Utah where speed testing is a constant... Also in the USA there is one State with no speed limit in the daytime (Montana)...You can actually let loose, as in peddle to the metal and not be arrested or ticketed...

 

[MWP]

Is there an autobamb (not sure if I spelled that right) in Australia where you can absolutely unload all your horsepower? We have the flat salt plains which stretch for as far as the eye can see in the state of Utah where speed testing is a constant... Also in the USA there is one State with no speed limit in the daytime (Montana)...You can actually let loose, as in peddle to the metal and not be arrested or ticketed...

There are no autobahns in Aus
The Northern Territory used to have no country road speed limits, but that was recently changed (not quite sure what to tho).
Our country road speed limit is 100km/hr (60mph) in most states of Australia. In a couple of states the limit is 110km/hr.
Suburban speed limits are mostly 50 or 60km/hr.

We have big salt pans here in South Australia, they are used occasionally for speed record tests, etc.
They are out in the middle of no where though, so setting up for a speed run is no small task... hence not something the avg joe can do.
You can see them on a map here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-30.183122,138.295898&spn=7.859294,15.556641&z=7
Lake Eyre, Frome & Torrens are all dry lakes 99% of the time.

I wish i knew about the Montana speed limit thing when i drove through ~18 months ago