Blue Flu

Probably last post ,but thought a fitting end to a somewhat turbulent time  on this forum. If at all allowed to be posted of course. Another sound reason to sever ties. 

The Australian dream has been in decline since the eighties. This forum clearly outlines our more recent failings and cover up's. But Australia is the global outliner in the mal Distibution of gains from economic growth in comparison to Europe, UK USA and  even China. 

We are in regression on steroids. We have foreign money from undeclared sources mostly Chinese hovouring up our real estate. Organised crime setting getting ever more entrenched and influential, a drug problem out of all proportion in scope and impact on all levels of society, corruption that really needs to be  tackled, vested interests calling the shots, a press/media too controlled . Less freedom than a number of countries(anyone else find UK more at ease  on matters of critique?)and a very secretive country to boot.  Our location  in the world, and policy changes over this century is highly suggestive to the reasoning of rapid change on many fronts with how our society has and will change. We are increasingly blighted by money and greed and ever declining scruples. This obviously impacts society with each for themselves creating ever more fragmentation within 'society' making for a less caring and self absorbed country. 

Obviously could say more, but largely falling on tin ears I suspect so why bother? Hopefully aspects will force change for the better and we return to becoming a 'more normal' country again , where the betterment of all is the prime focus and not the enrichment of a few and vast wealth for ever fewer. Over and out.  

On 10/12/2023 at 19:21, BendigoBoy said:

Not trying to be ahead of anyone mate.

Just trying to be autonomous and a Good Australian.

A good Australian? You mean in contrast to a bad Australian? An indifferent Australian? Begs the obvious question your criteria on this point.?  . 

4 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

Hotels ????  Back in the day, apart from YHA, I slept in railway culverts (Germany) & on park benches in the snow (nth Norway).

I probably couldn't survive that nowadays

Did get one room at a regional hotel as it was also a YHA - 1st class accommodation at YHA price !  Didn't use the sauna tho

Germany had top quality YHA back in the day. Only thing was you had to be out all day . German camp grounds found excellent. Another even better place is Norway where can free camp. Are YHA's popular still today? No idea. German railway stations were popular places to spend the night, if not bothered getting bothered by heroin addicts and the like. Whole sections of 'lost' German youth of the time tendered to end up in railway stations. Hitch hiking was massive at the time as well. Something else that has gone the way of the dodo. 

4 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Clearly you don't have a mortgage!

They're so last century.

3 hours ago, BendigoBoy said:

Indeed.  Never have, never will.

Somehow I believe that. 

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

That's not just a factor of age, actually.  I remember Eurailing back in the '90s, too.   We had only a rough idea where we wanted to go.  Each morning we just rocked up and hopped on whatever train we fancied.  I recall taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Geneva, planning to take a trip on the lake, only to find it totally fogged in.  So we jumped on the next train out, which took us to Interlaken, then onto another train...we had the most amazing day, criss-crossing Switzerland, gawping at the spectacular mountain scenery.  

We never had a problem finding accommodation on that holiday, either.  We would head for the local tourist office, which was generally able to book a hotel for us, usually at a 'last-minute' rate.  We stayed in some gorgeous hotels for very little.

I tried to do it again in 2011 and it was a totally different experience.  Although the Eurail pass still covers the cost of the ticket, most routes now require you to prebook a seat (sometimes at quite a large extra cost).  So it's no longer possible to jump on a train on impulse, you have to go and queue up at the ticket office first. And a couple of times, the seats were fully booked so we couldn't travel.

As for accommodation -- you'd think internet booking would make it even easier to find last-minute hotels, but the opposite has happened.  Hotels now reserve their special offers for 'early bird' customers, and if you arrive and need a hotel for the night, you pay top dollar. Many of the tourist offices have closed down, and those that are still open, don't do bookings any more. 

We found the same limitation when we were in England in 2015.   In the pre-internet days, I used to visit my family in the UK for 6 weeks every 2 years.  I always reserved my last week for a holiday for myself, which I never booked in advance.  I would just pick up a cheap 'last minute deal' from one of the local travel agents during my stay.   The main motivation for moving to England was to be able to travel frequently to Europe, but we soon discovered that to get cheap fares and hotels required considerable advance planning.  The 'last minute' postcards in travel agents windows had disappeared.

The internet has distorted travel and complicated the experience in many ways. People can read commentary now and have opinions influenced before setting foot in a place. Less need to communicate with others. Be that travellers or indeed locals .

Increasingly people I know in Europe, possess a van. All find that as a cheaper option to paying for a hotel or bed and breakfast. Most all those people are hardly on low incomes, but find travel costs simply too inhibitive.  

10 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

I do like rail, traveled extensively on a Euro rail-pass back in '81.  Would go to Norfolk as my mum's family came from there way back in time - have a famous relative's pottery-painting work in a museum there.  Have traced father's family back to 1703 in Gloucestershire so want to visit his farm which still exists.

Unfortunately no close relatives in UK now as they've moved to other countries like US, Cyprus & Czech Republic etc.

I thought I'd give you the curtesy of replying to the post you responded to mine. Yes Euro rail travel was big back in that era. I know/knew Norfolk rather well in the past. It has a large retired population . I was thinking Cromer or Sheringham could be ideal places to meet like minded places, on the coast with easy access to Norwich, one of the better English cities. 

But Cyprus, that's a place I've been looking at, only been there once, but keep in mind Northern Cyprus. It is cheaper than the main part, with loads of English retirees decamped there. You could get a cheapish flight from UK to Cyprus and book into a B & B or take a room in a house . There are a number of activities aimed at the Brits retired there and you can get an idea online as what it offers. 

Have no knowledge of Gloucestershire or Czech Republic but both easily doable. So much more to do in that part of the world. Travel can seem more difficult as we get older. For me, it is the increasingly inability not to be spontaneous. Having to prebook so much in fear of missing out or paying too much in season. 

10 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

I was wondering what had happened to you. I hadn't realized that you'd got yourself banned for a while, but it rather makes sense. I think we can all agree that recreational drugs are endemic in our society and the cause of many social problems. However, people come to this forum for advice and opinions about a variety of issues, so it's far from helpful if there's someone trying to work their pet subject into every thread. You've enjoyed far more 'free speech' in this forum than you ever would have done in real world, where people would have either told you to stop rambling on or just walked away from the conversation. Anyway, good to hear that you're okay and you weren't the victim of a drive-by shooting over there in the drug capital of the world.

Others got me banned. Only on here for today as spotted by chance a mention of myself (obviously in glowing terms) Not a pet subject, but a very hard reality. I would say our democracy is in danger. But not matter too many with other interests, not equating mine on this forum , so will disappear again. Not rambling I can tell you. But anyway I do not discuss the real issues on a a forum as this. I'm out. 

40 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

For someone who wants no part, you seem to be more than a tad confused on how to go about implementing that. Now, tais toi.

Well I do like to make people's day. Lucky for you, and the attention you received (that's quite ok) that only by chance did I take a look at Poms in OZ today, to find me still being discussed , with such loving sentiment. I know they say absence and the heart  grow fonder and all that,  Certainly appears so on this platform. Never in a million years........

1 minute ago, BendigoBoy said:

Listen, pal, you keep fighting evolution. I'll fight the winner. Alright?

In time perhaps if you carry on the way you do, and obviously no reason to expect otherwise, Bendigo will build a statue of you out of paper Mache in the town square.  There a certain section of the population may pay homage to you, until bored, then dismantle it with ease and transport it to the local tip. 

On 01/12/2023 at 11:03, not a hillbilly said:

Hi Marisa,

Can never go home to live again, tried in 2000 - too expensive & difficult re-settling.  Just getting a bank account was almost impossible, LLoyds TSB was the only one that helped me (probably by bending the rules a bit).

thanks, did the Ffestiniog in 1977 & want to do the Isle of Man & Crich as I'm more a Trammie than a steam guy.  Will avoid BR - last trip there we went down the wrong line, sat for 45 mins then backed up for 20 mins !  May have been works but .....  Found it faster to walk the 5 miles home in the rain from the station than wait for the next service which like the previous two might be cancelled   I always seem to get rain when I use the train in UK.

 

Have done the Don River & West Coast Wilderness railways here.

 

In the words of W.C. Fields ...  Hi ya Toots.

There are one or two clubs that I found straight away but most members were quite unsophisticated compared to the UK so I usually use the internet for socializing.  Keep myself as busy as I can & a new museum that's starting might keep me interested for a while as the other one I've been volunteering at for 3 yrs is dying.

Have to work tomorrow, catch you guys up later.

Gosh the use of the word unsophisticated is really going to provoke  the ire of a few of The chavs on this forum. I guess something akin to pulling the sheet some hide under, lights off, curtains drawn, darkened windows, and exposing them to the daylight of their existence. 

Did WC Fields really say that? No wonder their memory lingers on in the public consciousness. What a corker. 

14 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

For someone who wants no part, you seem to be more than a tad confused on how to go about implementing that. Now, tais toi.

So unbecoming even for someone from Ben. . Tais toi?. You must use vous when addressing your betters.  but alas etiquette not likely your thing, displayed to date. No confusion here Ben. The light flickers very brightly indeed. 

On 01/12/2023 at 06:57, not a hillbilly said:

New to this site but not to Tassie.  Moved to Launceston from Brissy 15yrs ago to help sister with ailing mother & now stuck here.

Always got on better with Poms & Europeans rather than Aussies & have found too many hillbillies in this town.

Want to go back to UK for one last holiday before I die but can't travel alone any more & there doesn't seem to be any tours that go where I want to see.  Done the church & castle thing years ago.  Want to see my ancestor's farm (c. 1730) as well as what's new since 1980.  Love museums - railway, aircraft & general scenery.

Even tho I've been in Oz since 1966 I miss England, each time I go back for a holiday I know I'm "Home".

Yep. I know what you mean. Hillbilies, though exist in America. In OZ they are called Bogans. Tasmania was crowned having the most Bogan town in OZ. Don't recall the name. But there are a lot of English chav's in Australia I find. Tread with caution believing too much said. (too many not top drawer) 

AS for tours in UK, have you thought about Rail? A Brit Pass is cheaper when retired and allows you the freedom to use the entire network at will. I'd suggest take a look at Norfolk , but obviously have no idea of your particular interests. I do think that UK has certain advantages over Australia in the age. The closeness of things and places, better walking ways, cheaper travel and greater possibilities to get by car free. More elderly people and generally more talkative. 

On 04/12/2023 at 12:50, can1983 said:

Can you please stop bagging out my home, if it doesn't suit you move 

Tassie is wonderful for so many things and I am proud to have my children grow up here.

Aurora home plug in kit - never heard of it

Next thing you know you'll tell me Tasmanians have two heads and IQ's below 50

Why shouldn't the poster say it how she finds it?? That's the problem in part with this forum, opposing narratives are not tolerated, or provoke ire. You are entitled to be what ever you may feel about it. Just as the OP. 

IQ's below 50? No idea, but some of the commentary I read on here, I would say the likelihood on not quite made the scale of measurement at this stage. But please, don't give up, when down the only way is up. 

Now as for two heads, I hadn't noticed that. But at a guess think probably not. But I'll retain constructive ambiguity  on that one. 

On 04/12/2023 at 13:40, Toots said:

Perhaps not a hillbilly could get together with the PIO member in Perth who is constantly seeking intellectual and sophisticated buddies to have meaningful conversations with? Said Perth member seems to have disappeared for the time being. 

 

Or perhaps you could resist in attempting at being smart and address the issues the poster raises? So meaningful conversation is something to be 'poked fun' at is it? No wonder the poster needs to confirm themselves as Not A Hill Billy as their name. Must be harder than expected to come up for air, let alone inspiration  living where they do. 

I gave a fair account of Perth. I am from here so do have a vested interest in how things have fanned out. Obviously could have included more to the OP , but as they know Perth from regular visits to this fair city. 

Perth and WA does indeed have a big drug problem. We endure the highest death rate in the nation on a per capita basis. I think that is something to be noted. We are with Adelaide the Ice capital of the world. That may or may not be an issue either way to you. But interesting what happens here after the official rhetoric, is a denial or more likely gas lighting or silence. 

Now outside of that Perth can appeal for those wanting a quieter lifestyle . It has almost the worlds best climate (perhaps a little too hot in summer for a period) the beaches are good, not quite the best I've seen but more than passable. People in my experience keep to themselves, but that is hardly a Perth thing. 

It would not suite those seeking an active night life It is somewhat Bogan , especially certain suburbs. But appeals to a growing diversity. Not sure just exactly what you are seeking to know. 

Not sure if I would leave Melbourne if well positioned though .

3 hours ago, MarkLdownunder said:

Curtains drawn, paranoid, stand off type of people!  Maybe you should be making your way to Melbourne hahaha

Thing being a lot of Victoria is over here. Not necessarily blaming them for the drawn curtains,  but some do  contribute to proceedings. As I wrote Perth is for a certain type. My neighbours are Vic's. They had visitors to which I overheard the young lady's comment with regards to life as she had to date found in Perth. "it's a different world over here". I can't argue with that. 

But then you have been here several times already. So you  most likely to know what goes down here. Loads of Vic's have made the move over recent two years. Vic number plates are everywhere in inner city where I live. (hence must be an attraction, wasn't the case previously) 

If you don't want a bigger city vibe, better dinning places, culture  and exhibitions , with the weather and a back yard pool being your preference, then Perth will do you fine. Not forgetting far less to do in Perth. 

If you don't mind a less cosmopolitan environment, quiet often indoors (curtains drawn obviously even in day time ) limited night life and stand offish people , a little paranoid type of people then Perth may just suite. 

2 minutes ago, Nemesis said:

For me it really WAS like absconding from prison. And when COVID happened and I couldn't even do that it had serious impacts on my mental health. I was trapped there firstly by marriage, secondly by debts accrued while in a marriage to someone on a very low income, then by the fact I wouldn't be able to do the job I loved if I went home.

I hated Queensland, and my trips to Tassie defiintely helped to keep me sane. 

 

Of course looking back, maybe I should have done what apparently every other person in Australia does, amnufactured and sold some drugs, then I could've escaped home quicker. 

Well you may well have been seduced by the lucre to remain if did. We are after all, in WA and SA the biggest Ice centres in the world. When I say it is well entrenched here in WA , I mean exactly that. It is all around me. 

But somehow it escaped me your torrid time in Australia. I certainly find accord that Australia can be very taxing on one's mental health. I was astounded by what I discovered. Perfect environment though being a very private and rather closed  society. 

At least you made it out in the end, without the apparent need to turn your hand to shaking and baking. 

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

You've been on these forums for years, yet you never noticed Nemesis wasn't happy in Australia?  You're trapped in Australia by your partner and/or your fear of making a wrong choice of destination. Surely you'd have a little empathy for those in similar situations.  

Probably better I write the reasons I'm in Australia without you second guessing possible reasons I would prefer to make a success of a future move, rather than returning in a year admitting defeat. 

Empathy? Firstly had no idea that poster had returned nor the reasons. I in turn found little of what you term empathy , with living in the worlds Ice capital. Only met with total disdain , although this issue increasingly defines Perth and WA. Not just that poster , but pretty much all on here.

The feelings of concern, should perhaps be the direction this nation finds itself in.

On 14/07/2023 at 22:24, Nemesis said:

The best times I had in Australia were all in Tassie. Some amazing weather, always plenty to see, both in Hobart and around the rest of the island. Never ever got bored even though I used to make at least two trips a year, for the last 24 years! It was my escape from the heat and humidity of Queensland, as even when Tassie got hot (I remember days of 38-42 degress there!) it was still less humid than Qld. It had the seasons and the changeable weather I missed from the UK, not sure how anyone could call it "poor" really, just cos they may prefer baking sun all the time. Plenty of vibe, even in some of the smaller country towns the oubs often had a fantastic atmosphere, and the vibe in Hobart itself could never be described as "lacking". 

From a transport point of view, I don't drive at all, but managed to see most of the island over the years. There are local buses, especially around the SE and Greater Hobart area. Good coach links to the other towns across the island, including up both the coasts, and I also often managed to get lifts from locals running the caravan parks or even the pubs, taking me to local coach pick up points etc. Even Pennicotts, who run the boat trips, used to give me rides on their tour buses to get out to stay on Bruny Island & back for a very small price. 

Very rarely encountered unfriendly locals, most were really friendly and talkative, especially when they realised I loved the island and wanted to see the smaller places as well as the main sights. 

My Tassie escape trips are probably the thing I will miss the most from Aus!

Escapes? You make it sound like absconding from prison? The taste of 'freedom' even if only for a couple of hours, must indeed have been ingrained in your memory. But I'm a little puzzled. Just how did you give the guards the slip so many times? 

On 14/07/2023 at 16:28, Skani said:

Yes, that's why 15,000 interstate visitors arrived in Hobart in June - for the poor weather and lacking vibe. They mistakenly did not seek your advice first and have misguidedly booked a return visit. 

Well more fool them then.  I could have saved then a load of  cash. ( but I expect outside of Hobart  the scenery would prove more  interesting)  One may conclude after Melbourne being voted (how many times?) most livable city in the world, that the penny may just have dropped. Such surveys can be 'fun' to ponder over , but to take seriously really? 

I'm sure Hobart has its attributes,  but often heard it termed a middling town. Not a lot going on, but pleasant enough for a day or two. Not unlike Halifax in Nova Scotia or St Johns in Newfoundland or Tromso in Norway could equally fit the bill, for cooler climate destinations I expect. 

A return ticket? Really? You mean they were not over come by  the lure of Hobart to remain? Fancy that? No understanding some people. 

On 20/04/2023 at 09:13, InnerVoice said:

@Marisawright yes, we're on the same page there. That's why we're looking at the possibility of spending some of our retirement years in Europe, although not looking at is a permanent move. Whilst a spell in Portugal, Spain or the south of France sounds idyllic, the reality would present some challenges - the main one being the language barrier. I'm confident I could learn enough lingo to get by one a day-to-day basis, but I think I would find it hard to become sufficiently fluent to enjoy those social interactions that you can in one's native language - a bit of banter, if you like. Long-term that could be quite limiting socially, which I guess is why expat enclaves come about.

Strangely, I'd have thought that people would age more quickly here given the strength of the sun, and those who've lived here all their lives seem to have pretty awful skin - at least here in Queensland. However, I think the older generation here tend to be more active than their UK counterparts, which is probably why they appear more spritely.

Depends largely. English Relatives of mine , when alive certainly appeared 'old' before their time, or more to the point set in their ways. But others , had a very wide range of social interests and very active and great communicators. It is certainly easy to travel to EU. You mention Portugal.  One of my favourites. English is very widely spoken there. More than in Spain. All children learn it from a young age. They won't get the English 'banter' perhaps, but that will be found in the ex pat enclaves. They are more tolerant as least I found than in Spain , but there will always be give and take living elsewhere . I can't say I found  Australians anymore friendly, having the same language. In fact in many ways more reserved, or less overt in that odd way here (and Portuguese are somewhat reserved for Southerners) 

No success looking for alternative property here in Perth. Have attended several home opens over the past year. Actually discovered two, perhaps three houses that came exceptionally close to fitting the bill. Just the same thing presently experiencing 'strongly suspected at all locations. 

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

You won't say that when your next-door-neighbour knocks down their traditional house and replaces it with a two-storey monstrosity, taking away your views and privacy!

Planning permission here is a joke. I'd always make a point of checking with the council how high they can go up in any area where I bought property.

How true. Whole street scapes are being 'disfigured' by out of control building codes creating subversive ascetics. In our inner city area, there are large houses on small blocks (through sub division) towering over older houses, flats being built  of dubious quality, as the race towards medium density  intensifies.