BasiaUK

Apparently according to the news report I watched late last night the commandos threw in stun grenades to produce all the flashing of light on the news footage and volley of shots to disorientate the gunman, so not all the shots heard would have been the real thing. Andrew Scipione, police commissioner for the state of New South Wales has said that Police are investigating whether the two hostages were killed by the gunman or died in the crossfire. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, it doesn't change the immensely sad fact that two innocent people lost their lives.

Loved Spider Koala! A few years ago the BBC had a programme called "Walk on the Wild Side" which did exactly this. Here's a sample....my fave is the beaver-type creature who keeps calling for Steve, lol!

I also love catching up with Aussie TV! (I love UK TV too!). I love Offspring, Winners and Losers, Underbelly, Old School, Love Child, Time of Our Lives, Wonderland, Puberty Blues etc. and the beauty is, I watch it free on the Internet without all the annoying ad breaks every 10 minutes! (And no monthly subscriptions). I've already watched the first 3 episodes of The Code (which is great and has me hooked) and about to watch the first episode of Party Tricks tonight, only a few hours after it was aired in Oz! It certainly is a funny old world...one persons idea of tosh is another's idea of entertainment, lol! It would be a dull world if we all liked the same thing...

I've celebrated the New Year twice in Sydney - it's the best place to see the New Year in! The first time I stayed in a Harbourside hotel which was very expensive (the price literally triples on New Years Eve) and I also paid to attend a New Years Eve themed party at the Opera Bar which is just across the harbour from the bridge so you get a really fab view of the fireworks. Can't remember how much the ticket was but I seem to remember it was in excess of $150, but worth it as the party was fab! So all in all, it was very expensive.....but that's how I wanted to see the New Year in. The second year I celebrated NYE in Sydney, I was staying at a friends house, so saved on hotel prices and had a picnic in Hyde Park in the early evening (also free, apart from buying the food and drink etc) then walked down to the Harbourside later in the evening to grab a space to watch the fireworks on the bridge. Both times were just as enjoyable as each other so whether you make it expensive or cheap, you'll still be in for a good time! As as for crowds, well yes, there's no way around it, there will be massive crowds around various viewing points around the harbour. I don't like big crowds but didn't have any problems in Sydney on NYE. Everyone's so friendly and so happy and I must say, Sydney really knows how to put on a party! I felt completely safe and the organisation of buses in the early hours to get back home was amazing! Whatever you do, or wherever you spend NYE it'll be great!

Wow! Now that's what I call real camping! Thanks for posting the pics! :smile:

Blimey, that's early Bobj! What time do you go to bed?

I use Sun Sense Daily Face SPF50+ Invisible tint finish....it's apparently made and tested in Australia. Occasionally I use Clinique SPF50+ Face block when I'm feeling flush, lol! Both are great.

Thanks for posting the link Bobj....really enjoyed zooming around the skyline. You might also like this website with more aerial panoramas in Australia and also the world.....enjoy! http://www.pixelcase.com/showcase/

Sorry in advance if it's in another thread but have you decided on the venue of the meet-up in the UK yet?

I can imagine there's quite a few wealthy estate agents in Oz with the prices of property over there, lol! Probably a good profession to get into! You may not think you have the talent to create the lovely homes but you certainly do have the talent to spot them. ) There's nothing wrong with joining a local historical society but it did bring to mind a new thread I could start.... You know you're getting older when......................? Lol! ;o)

Wow! These are gorgeous too! If I win the lottery and move to Oz you can be my estate agent and do all the leg work for me....you seem to have good taste in property! :wink:

The sheer variety of wildlife and landscape...

It has been an interesting series, showing both sides of Australia, both the positives and negatives but I found it didn't really go into too much depth or detail on any particular topic but then 3 hours wouldn't be long enough to cover all topics in depth. I thought it really showed off how beautiful a landscape Australia is (which is never a bad thing) and it did highlight some quirky 'not the norm' issues like the overbreeding of camels (who knew?) biker gangs and high drug crime and the racism towards Australian born Muslims (as opposed to the stereotype racism against Aboriginal people that we hear about). Overall, I think the viewer was left with a positive impression of Australia and it's definitely worth a watch in my opinion.

That's 4 out of your five a day in one hit Tonyman, lol! If I didn't like meat so much, I'd be a vegetarian, lol! ;-) ​

I love salad.....I always take a pre-prepared salad to work for my lunch even during the cold UK winters, lol! ​

That's one of the things I loved about Australia, seeing birds that you normally see in surburban homes in cages in the UK, flying around in their natural habitat in Australia. I loved seeing the cheeky yellow crested cockatoos flying around when I stayed in Hamilton Island and when I stayed at an Eco lodge in the Blue Mountains, you could feed the red and blue parrots in the morning.....just beautiful to see the birds in the wild!

Free standard delivery to Australia and New Zealand applies online at marksandspencer.com only. Offer applies from 16 October to 13 November 2012. Offer excludes orders placed on M&S Outlet online, 1-click orders, furniture, rugs, electrical items & lighting. Please check delivery terms and conditions online. Subject to availability. All products are sold on a Delivery Duty unpaid basis, so please be aware that recipients outside the EU may have to pay import duty or other taxes. Please check these details before placing an order. The following products are excluded from international delivery: Food, Wine, Flowers, Gift Cards, Hampers, Furniture, Electrical, Lighting, Made to Measure shirts, Personalised Cards and selected beauty products. See individual product details for more information. Think the duty/omport taxes only apply to over 1000AUD : http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

My advice would be to check with your Nat West branch here to see if they have a reciprocal agreement with a Bank in Australia that will give cheaper fee/no fee for any cash withdrawals you make over there. Last time I visited Australia my UK bank had an agreement with a bank in Australia (Westpac I think) for free cash withdrawals which was great. It's worth checking out as I agree, travellers cheques are outdated and there really is no need to bring lots of cash with you if you can withdraw it once over in Oz, for free.

I never imagine it snowing in Australia, lol! I've stayed in the Blue Mountains (loved it....aboslutely breathtaking!) and would love to see it with snowfall...

I remember seeing a link earlier this year, it then disappeared, hence my posting and it doesn't seem to have reappeared yet. Maybe PIO aren't going to do live chat anymore because it wasn't very popular by all accounts...

Phew....thanks for the clarification M2M.....I thought I was going mad or that I'd hallucinated the chat room link, lol! Happy to have helped Rob, although it says something about the popularity of the chat room if none of the more regulars noticed its disappearance, lol!

Am I going mad or missed something? I seem to remember a chat room being available on the PIO website a while ago, but I can't find it now. From past forum posts I don't think it was used that much so maybe it was removed due to lack of interest?

Oops......I didn't want to start any war of words, lol! I just found the article entertaining...

I totally agree! Any colour medal is a fantastic achievement in itself :biggrin: