Dusty Plains

On 25/01/2022 at 13:05, Onward said:

Wow. Great responses.

Thanks everyone for the great advice.

The area is Geelong. Where I’m from, well, we just had a run of -30 Celsius.

Winnipeg is “Winterpeg.” One of the coldest cities in Canada.

What you think is cold, you have no idea  -2 Celsius is skiing in a t-shirt weather for Canadians.

It’s an employer sponsored visa. Still in progress.

I’m a big guy, but when I come across a spider the size of my hand, I’ll also be standing on a bar stool.  

 

 

Canadians and Australians have a unique relationship. That is, we are not the USA and at the same time, we are not British.

Canada and Australia share diplomatic services world-wide. For instance, if you are in a country that has no diplomatic Canadian office, such as South East Asia for instance, then the local Australian diplomatic service will provide you with a new Canadian passport and the like if necessary. Equally, the Canadian Diplomatic Service will also assist Australians world wide. This has been a "CAN-AUS" arrangement for years 

My advice is that you will fit in, given that Canadians and Australians are not just trying to prove a point, given that we have no "point" to prove, do we?. Also, Australia has more skiable snow fields than Europe, so bring your skis.

We love Canadians because they have no baggage, political, social, or otherwise, so come on over'

Now, "Spiders" as you have suggested. I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, and the possibly of encountering one of the worlds most dangerous spiders is found in the greater Sydney Area, yet particularly in the Blue Mountains. I have lived in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, for forty years and we have spotted only two spiders in that time.

Welcome "Big Guy".

 Oh, and please excuse the odd Brit on here with the usual negative diatribe.

On 24/01/2022 at 15:23, Quoll said:

You don't know cold until you've been to Ballarat!!!  Partly because the houses aren't cold friendly but the wind comes straight up from the South Pole and goes right through you!  In the summer though, it's not very pleasant when it is high 30s low 40s (all jokes aside, its not a bad place for an Aussie country town and it has been known to have snow on Christmas Day but then on New Years day it will be 40C)

OK - when you say "outside Melbourne" just how far outside Melbourne do you mean?  You could be out in the wilds of Woop Woop in which case your internet speeds could rival that of a slow tortoise.  Cable tv -hmm Aussie tv is not good at the best of times. Victoria is quite a decent size so what may be true at one end of the state may not be so at the other end - and Victoria is, of course, one of the smaller states. 

I assume you mean one of the further suburbs of Melbourne or maybe one of the closer country towns (like Ballarat - you aren't going to Ballarat are you?) then everything will be reasonably civilised.  Broadband speeds aren't too bad though maybe not quite as fast as Canada, I don't know, never been to Canada but not as fast as I was used to in UK.  Never had cable tv, don't actually own a tv but you can get programs on your computer through all sorts of free sites and if you feel like paying you can get Netflix, Prime etc.

Aussie dude neighbour - yeah right, half of them will squeal and stand on a chair if they see a spider, especially the ones that live in the suburbs.  Out in the bush, not so much, anyone will squash it for you - the Sheilas are just as handy with a rolled up newspaper as the blokes.  Just don't leave your shoes outside and if you are the gardening type, jump up and down on your gardening gloves before you put them on (red backs like things like that) and don't put your hands into any dusty dark spaces. If you're living in the bush you will probably get them in your wood pile and you will need to watch out for the snakes as well.  If you're in the suburbs, chances are you will never see a red back or a snake in your entire time in Australia.  Edited to say the spiders aren't the size of your hand - not in Victoria anyway - and it is the little ones that kill ya! (just keep an eye out for the red back or the white tails).  

Ah, I see you aspire to endless beaches - not Ballarat then, its a good 100km from the sea.  Actually, Victoria isnt really the best place for beaches although there are some lovely ones the weather isn't always beach weather and really there aren't that many towns on the sea except the odd tourist places like Lakes Entrance in which case you want to watch out for floods from the Snowy.  Remember that the closest place to the south coast of Australia is the Antarctic and the water and the winds from there can be a tad on the chilly side.

What else should you watch out for - check out the neighbourhood before you move in anywhere and don't believe the real estate advertisements and pictures of rental appartments, there's a lot of poetic licence in them (always visit in person).  Check out the mobile coverage maps, mobile phones don't always work everywhere.  Check out the flood maps and the bushfire risk maps.  Talk to the locals, they don't bite. Don't stress, it'll either work out or it won't.

Good luck, it's going to be quite different from the West Coast of Canada!

Thanks once again for a negative review and actually a very poor knowledge of living in Australia. Perhaps you would be happier elsewhere and yes I know why. Give it a rest please. Its not North Korea after all. 

14 hours ago, ramot said:

What!!! You’re telling me that I’ve got to sound Australian now

Here is your chance. Just let it flow.

10 hours ago, Ken said:

But where is the syllable break? Is it yo-ghurt (typically Australian and American) or yogh-urt (typically British) or even yog-hurt (typically confused)?

There is also an alternative spelling yogurt which is often seen in Australia.

Be happy (I am) that the English language, world-wide, has many grammatical variations, including vast variations on the predominant vowel bank: "AEIOU".

Check out the New Zealand News hour and vowels galore that just do not work for Australians. Is that a "pig, or a peg?" I am stuffed if I can translate it. Yet these nuances are what make the English language word wide.

When I went to school, if you were using two adjectives to describe a noun then you have to hyphenate the two, or more hyphens more according to the adjectives. So in the case of a blond haired suspect at a bank robbery in Bondi then that person is a blonde-haired suspect. 

Syllable breaks are even more common.

UK: YOG-URT

Australia: Yoe-Gurt.

UK:  Caff ( usually a tea room or coffee house)

Australia: Caffay, given that the word "café" is pronounced given the agrave accent on the "e"

UK: Garage: "Garridge" ( where you park your your car under shelter)

Australia: Gararrge:

UK: Homage:  "O'marge"

Australia: "HOMidge"

and so it goes on.

1 minute ago, Skani said:

Television is only one part of the ABC network. 

Radio is more important because, without it, vast areas of rural and regional Australia would have no local radio content as it is not economically attractive for commercial stations to provide it.   (Or  any type of local news content for that matter as large media organisations  continue to shut down local print newspapers).    Commercial TV networks are continually withdrawing services from rural and regional areas for the same reason.  ( At least one of the commercial  TV networks now operates its "local Tasmanian" news from Newcastle.     It's farcical.)

Without the ABC radio network, as Australia's official emergency broadcaster, the government would have to establish a separate network organisation to broadcast - 24/7 - in times of natural disasters.  I appreciate this is unimportant to people in the depths of Sydney or Melbourne but it can make the difference between life and death in areas where  mobile/digital communication can be unreliable  even in normal times and disappear completely in emergencies.  So that would be  another government bureaucracy for your taxes - replacing your 4 cents a day for the ABC.

The other major branch of the ABC is  digital/online content.   It continually ranks highest in monthly surveys of most visited news and media  websites in Australia. 

And the ABC is still the most trusted news brand in Australia in regular surveys (Reuters Institute for the study of Journalism).

The ABC, as you have suggested provides emergency bulletins in times of the usual and perennial flood, fire, and storm impacts to communities across Australia. That particular arrangement however emerged about 15 years ago, and it is still going on, yet it is no longer the primary source of emergency warnings 

I live in one the most historical bush fire prone zones in Australia right here in the Greater Sydney Area. Emergency notifications are now also made with an arrangement between emergency services and Telstra.   If bushfires or similar are effecting me I receive a directive on my mobile phone to either leave the area now or to remain in place ahead of expected bushfire impact or similar. I do not have to sit alongside a radio or television and wait until my locality amongst many others is called up usually in alphabetical order and advice given.

Telstra is a carrier and not an emergency service but it will carry directives from emergency services into specific areas. Initially the arrangement was that Telstra would carry directives from emergency services to mobile phone customers based on their billing address in relation to being within a threatened area.  But that was determined as insufficient given that people who do not live in that area may be passing through or simply engaged in an activity in that area also needed to be notified of emergency impacting on that geographical area.

 Telstra came to the party in this respect and charged governments an absolute arm and a leg to carry real-time emergency warnings to all mobile phones in a particular area.

Yes, an arm and a leg was paid but only if there was an emergency and still far cheaper and far more effective than what we still pay the ABC whether there is an emergency or otherwise.     

3 minutes ago, Parley said:

Mandate is the wrong word. He is referring to their charter which stipulates how they are to conduct themselves.

I haven't read it but i understand the charter requires them to be fair and balanced. 

Agreed, but a "mandate" can also relate to the premise of having general or wide ranging support or influence as a popular entity acknowledged by a major proportion of society (sorry if I sound like a dictionary). In that case the ABC at 25% has no valid claim in terms of a mandate.  

15 minutes ago, Parley said:

Their mandate isn't to only represent left-wing interests. Their mandate is to be balanced. Honestly they are just like The Guardian.

Defunding would be a good outcome. Hardly anyone watches it anyway.

Generally, ABC and SBS combined, account for about 25% of the free-to-air audience, while the commercial channels combined, account for the remaining 75% of the audience. 25% is hardly a mandate. 

27 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

You don't expect business driven commercial TV to seriously hold a conservative government to account do you? 

No I don't expect that, but at the same time I also do not expect the ABC to hold a Labor / Green government to account either. Not all of us consume media simply for the purposes of politics. 

On 08/12/2021 at 08:59, Blue Flu said:

Why so many down on the ABC I don't know. To have a form of media not reliant on commercial interests is a definite positive. Important to have a form of media that maintains a neutrality and airs minority issues regardless of viewing numbers. It has already been brought to heel by successive governments not wanting to be held accountable. 

Perhaps there is the opportunity to rethink ABC continuing to be wholly dependent upon taxpayers. Just like Netflix and similar the ABC could operate on subscription service only. If you like the ABC then take up a subscription then I and many others would not have to support the ABC and pay for its legal fees every time the ABC loses a court case.

On 06/12/2021 at 17:13, Ken said:

You can't opt out of paying for advertising. Any product you buy that is advertised has the cost of that advertising included in the price that you pay and that applies whether you have seen the advert or not. Furthermore if you do watch commercial television the subliminal effect of advertising may lead you to make poor choices which lead you to spend more money than you would have otherwise. The ABC isn't free but it is free-to-air because you've already paid for it whether you wanted to or not.

Of course you can opt out of paying for advertising. It does not matter which way you look at it, there is an opt-out on every point that you have made in relation to commercial interests. Also suggesting that I may be prone to making poor choices due to commercial television.... really? I think you may be scratching for something to win argument, and it is not working for you.

As opposed to commercial TV and advertising, the ABC has NO opt-out provision. You and I and the rest of the population must pay for it whether we watch it or not, and whether we are not in the country but still paying tax to the ATO, we still have have no opt-out.

Hopefully the return of the Liberal Federal Government in Australia will review the opt-out scenario in relation to the ABC. 

A creepy Frank Thring reminding us to get a Radio and Television License. Australian TV ad from the 1960's 

5 minutes ago, Ken said:

Not free-to-air because it's paid for by taxation? You might as well say the commercial channels aren't free-to-air because they're paid for by advertising!

You could say that, however commercial television is free-to-air to consumers, because you and I do not have to pay for it. The advertisers pay for it. I do not pay for it whether I watch it or not. You and I can elect to pay-for-view such as Netflix and Foxtel, but we can opt out at any time. 

In 1957 Radio and TV licenses were introduced to fund the ABC. At least during that period people could opt out of buying Radio and TV licenses, which were eventually quashed in 1974. Since then the ABC pulls its funding from consolidated revenue, namely our taxes. You and I cannot opt out, and therefore we are forced to fund the ABC.    

4 hours ago, Ken said:

The ABC is free to air and doesn't show any more ads than the BBC. No TV licence because the government funding has always come from general taxation rather than a specific tax.

The ABC has never been free-to-air ever since its first transmission in 1956 or perhaps '57 when it was working out of an old church hall in Darlinghurst in Sydney.  The commercial channels, as bad as they are, still represent the only free-to-air transmissions in Australia. 

The ABC lays claim to being "independent" media. Clearly however, the ABC has always been wholly dependent upon funding from all Australian taxpayers, most of whom rarely watch it. That means that all Australian taxpayers including private citizens, businesses and industry, must contribute to the ABC even if they do not have a television or radio. That means that the ABC, for instance, is more dependent than the BBC. 

Would that make the ABC one of the most dependent media services world wide? It would seem so.

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

That's very true.  I'm not sure what it's like in Perth, but in Sydney when we went to the beach, we could guarantee that all the people sunbathing on the beach were foreigners.  All the Aussies were looking for shade, unless they were on/in the water or playing sport.  

The Slip, Slop, Slap campaign was in full swing when I first arrived in Australia over 30 years ago, and Aussies now are very aware of the risks of skin cancer.   Sometimes I think they worry too much, as young parents go to such extremes to keep their little ones out of the sun that it's now causing Vitamin D deficiencies.  

I must be the typical new Aussie. I have a small skin cancer on my right nostril and will need plastic surgery in January. I recently had a full blood test and all factors were good except for one, namely that I was low in vitamin D. Weird. 

We have a Glaswegian woman as part our extended family here, who is dearly loved, and has been in Australia for 30 years or so but still has what we thought was a wonderful Scottish accent. But when her mother comes over for Christmas and they get chatting to each other, well its a whole new dialect. We have to get an interpreter in.

Sometimes I can pick a Melbournian as Melbournians have some quirky pronunciations of certain words. For instance the word "beer" in Melbournian is often pronounced as "bee-ah". Would you like a BEE-AH"?  Consequently, we get gems like: " I spent my caree=ah as an enginee-ah"  Was that South or North Korea? 

And finally Rudolph the Red Nose Reindee-ah. 

3 hours ago, Robert Dyson said:

much harder to get rid of the trace and it depends on the ear as well.  I met a lady serving in a shop once and asked her when she came here from Scotland.  She looked at me with horror and said 1955, and that she didn't have a Scottish accent as far as she knew. Clear as a bell to me.

My FIL is Scottish and he has a Scottish accent though has lived in England for 60 years.  When he goes back to Glasgow they think he's English, they cannot pick up any Glaswegian at all.

Are Scottish accents diverse? Is it only the Glaswegian accent that differs from the rest of the Scottish population, or are there variations according to geography?   

8 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

Sydney is a world city by Australian standards but remotely akin to London. I suspect most Brit's are indeed aware of Sydney's relevance in status, (those with an interest anyway) Most would be less likely aware of Melbourne's role though. 

I'd suggest London is far more bustling than Sydney. The North of England person had a point. One just needs to look at stats with regards to how many people  per sq kilometer to understand the difference. 

That may be the case but also arguable nonetheless. Lets not forget that the Poster was looking for helpful information:

17 hours ago, Gbondy said:

   My Husband has been offered a family relocation to Sydney on Sponsored Visa. 

There are a number of surveys relating to the cost of living of world cities. Most indicate that Sydney is cheaper than London, overall.

This particular survey is especially comprehensive:

  https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp

Sydney is generally found in the mid 30's in terms of the cost of living surveys, meaning that it is approximately the 35th city in world rankings.  Melbourne is generally cheaper however  Sydney has a better purchasing power based on the average wage.

I am a Sydney native and I have worked as a government officer through numerous departments right across Sydney for many years and raised a family here.

If you want a bigger picture let me know the general location of the position being offered to your husband. I would be happy to provide further general information. 

On 23/10/2021 at 19:46, Marisawright said:

Great summary, @DanO.  Agree with everything you say.   Sydney is great if you can afford to live close to the coast, which I no longer can.

I would just say that while Melbourne housing is still expensive compared to most of Australia, it's still only about two-thirds the cost of Sydney for an equivalent property.   

But then again, if you are going to live in an international city, you can stick with Sydney, and only that adherence that, Sydney provides. Ask most travellers worldwide about Melbourne Australia and you will draw a blank.

I hate to say this but its true, In my own experience Melbourne has always been a union town, and that is not helpful to Victorians,   

I like parts of Melbourne, especially the Asian restaurants in Richmond, but its a good night out, and that does not transpire to any notion living there. I also like Adelaide as an unpretentious fun town and as a Sydney-sider, I would rather be in Adelaide, 

I would not live in Melbourne, but I could very well live in Port Fairy and other coastal towns along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. No offence intended to Melbourne, but its just the wrong vibe for me. Its coffee and AFL and a chip on the shoulder.

Now, your suggestion about living in Sydney, I have moved house six times across Sydney and on each occasion have had a better outcome on each occasion. Yep, the northern beaches "the peninsula" are way out of my budget. But there is so much going on in Sydney, especially in the transport sector, which has to be one of the worlds greatest cities to get around by surface rail, underground rail, light rail, street trams, buses and ferries etc.

Even as a kid I still love to cruise across to Manly on the ferry and now I take my grandchildren on that Sydney institution.

No problem. If you like Melbourne then go for it.

4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

It's worth remembering that Australia has a third of the population of the UK, and therefore only a third of the advertising revenue to pay for the production of TV programmes.  That's the main reason why there's such a heavy reliance on US and UK programmes.  

Agreed. Nobody has to watch TV. But tell that to the ABC.

Down there at 700 Harris Street Ultimo, just marginally out of the Sydney CBD, is ABC HQ Australia.  I notice lately that the ABC is very much an outlet for the BBC and other UK programs. The budget cuts to the ABC actually works well for people like us, namely taxpayers, and there is a whole lot of programs, to enjoy good BBC and other British programs as well as other programs from around the world, as well as apolitical local programmes.

The greater volume of ABC, which provide reasonably good middle-of-the road programs, is no longer wasting my tax dollar as much as it was several years ago. I am not anti ABC generally, I am being entertained, and at the same time, I do not expect that my tax dollar comes with a consistent theme of "how to vote for a Labor Government"  Over the last 5 years or so I have had to pay less for programs related to the usual left wing, loony, victim-based rubbish by people who have never paid taxes to keep the precious ABC on air.

The only time I, and anyone else that I know of, watches ABC, is the ABC Kids channel. My grandchildren ( who are little kids) and I, when we get together, we watch Play School, Moon and Me, Teletubbies. and Bluey, together.  Then it becomes, around midday,  a competition between me and them as to who falls asleep first 

5 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said:

You know it's bad when some of the adverts are better than the programmes!

I think that Australian Television is just about dead. Its obvious that, there are fewer and fewer "TV" people, in the industry.  They have been replaced by advertising hacks and geeks who prefer to sell us products rather than entertainment. These advertising types know exactly what to flog according to the demographic that is tuned into a particular program.  Dumb shows flog needless stupid products to people who will fall over themselves to buy. Of course there are the odd gems on TV but they are rare.

Agree that "Hughsie" is about as funny as acute appendicitis. 

On 01/09/2021 at 16:36, Antipodista said:

You (and others) need to stop telling people how to feel and what they should and shouldn’t do, in my view.

I know people who adored Australia, would never leave, but still called their country of origin “home”. 
 

Let’s offer advice and not “you need to”. Comes across as unhelpful to posters and contributors who are clearly in a bit of turmoil.

Actually I am with Parley's advice on this one. Its fair and reasonable advice.

7 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

What's a "progressive outlook"?

Good question. What actually is a progressive outlook?  Well let's see.

Why are there regulated alcohol outlets in both Tennant Creek and Alice Springs? Why are the alcohol outlets in Tennant Creek basically cages with Police inside the cage and the locals on the outside? Cunnamulla is SW Queensland has two hotels and they are also cages. Why is that?

My experiences as both a government officer and subsequently as a tourist reminds me of all those places I have worked in or spent some time in certain towns where NONE of the "progressive outlook" is self-evident, as much as anyone might try to find it. In Tennant Creek NT, if 50% of all children within school age actually attend school, then that is something  to celebrate in TC.  Why is that? Similar problems occur at nearly every whistle stop down the Stuart Highway through the NT heading toward South Australia. 

Then there is Ceduna SA (also an alcohol-restricted town). Wilcannia NSW where at the local petrol station there are signs everywhere warning customers to lock their vehicles when paying for fuel. The ruse at the Wilcannia petrol station was that if you left your keys in the ignition of an unlocked car, when you return to your vehicle you might encounter youths who hang around the petrol station and have your car keys dangling over the grating of a deep drain. They will return your car keys to you for a fee of $50. 

Then there is Dubbo, ( riots in the Gordon (state) Housing estate several years ago which saw approximately up to 10 houses every night set on fire with firefighters and Police being attacked by youths. Their progressive outlook? It was the Australia Day weekend and so the "locals" were pissed off. I was there, ducking, rocks, stones, roof tiles and anything else that could be thrown. I had to replace two emergency vehicles as they were smashed beyond serviceable condition. Yet there were no arson charges ever made, no charges made relating to affray, assault, or damaging property including government property.

So what is this progressive outlook? Here is my definition:

Get up in the morning and prepare your children for school. Pack healthy lunches for your children. Head off to your job, work hard and pay your taxes.  Stop being a burden on the taxpayers, and mostly stop being some sort of "victim". You are not a victim,. There are no generational victims in Australia, so drop the victim ploy and start being a contributor to Australia. Obey the law and work hard to ensure that your children have brighter prospects that you do.

 Now that is a progressive outlook, for everyone.

4 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I would never hazard to say Perth would not be to your liking. It does sound you may well find it to be your type of place. As for drugs, while they are in most every place and I have experienced a lot of it, I have never come across what I have in recent times in Perth. Not those taking it but making it and an area where it is entrenched and what's another way of saying tolerated? Just extraordinary, nothing more I can say but that. 

Why are your posts consistently about drugs?  

4 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I would never hazard to say Perth would not be to your liking. It does sound you may well find it to be your type of place. As for drugs, while they are in most every place and I have experienced a lot of it, I have never come across what I have in recent times in Perth. Not those taking it but making it and an area where it is entrenched and what's another way of saying tolerated? Just extraordinary, nothing more I can say but that. 

Why are your posts consistently about drugs?