Jan 312023
Odds ‘n Sods – Editor’s Blog
EDITOR’S BLOG Topics
 • Slang• Holidays• Food• Odds & Sods
 • Music• Animals• Writers• Daylight Saving
 • Sports• People• Problems• Big Things
 • Charity• Awards• What Is It?• Comments

Covering all the major topics that come to mind when thinking of this vast continent, this page is full of information that will give visitors or intending immigrants an insight into what makes Australia tick.

Democracy in Australia

definition. A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.

Need to take your power back?

They Vote For You website
I am so very impressed with this website. It gives you a wealth of info without taking sides in any issue. That’s very rare today.

You can look up policies like carbon price, ABC funding, fishing restrictions, HECS debts, compensating terrorism victims, renewable energy, and so much more.

It shows you how each politician voted, how every party voted, what was in each bill, and the outcome. All with links to even more information. If you’re really interested in what the government (all political parties) is doing in your name, TheyVoteForYou is a must see website.

Planning Alerts website
Is your favourite store, cinema or restaurant a few blocks away being converted into something you don’t want in your neighborhood?

PlanningAlerts is a free service searching planning authority websites for development applications in your area and then emails you their details.

June 2015 a group of Google volunteer engineers teamed up with the OpenAustraliaFoundation volunteers to help PlanningAlerts expand their coverage to 2 million more Aussies. Bravo Google.

Right to Know website
A very interesting read from average Aussies making over 1,100 Freedom of Information Requests and the replies they received from the Australian government.

Contacting Australian Elected Representatives
Angry about what’s going on in Australian politics, have a question or need help? Try these links.

  • Parliament of Australia – Members
   includes email, facebook and twitter accounts
  • Parliament of Australia – Contacting Members
   includes postal addresses, phone and fax.

Dual Citizenship in Australia

Brenda J asked, “Does Australia have dual citizenship?”

Before 4 April 2002 Australian citizens lost their Australian citizenship automatically if they became citizens of another country.

Australia now allows its citizens to hold dual citizenship (dual nationality). Other countries may not allow dual or multiple citizenships. You must contact your embassy or consulate in Australia to find out. You can also learn more at the Australian government Citizenship site

Flush Backwards?

Funny how we get certain questions over and over. To Leah and Jacob, no our toilets do NOT flush backwards. To Peter and Anthony, the water in our sinks and bathtubs empty in the SAME direction as everyone else.

There are a couple of reasons Australian toilets do not flush backwards. First, the Australian toilet flushes straight down. This question is generally asked by Americans. The toilet bowl in America holds a lot of water while the Aussie version hardly has any water in comparison. So when you flush an American toilet, what’s there goes round and round before it disappears. An Aussie toilet simply flushes straight down.

We have an article on our website all about Aussie toilets, with a bit of humour thrown in.

Direction water travels

Second, it’s a common mistake that the direction water travels when a toilet, sink or bathtub empties is different in the Northern hemisphere where the USA is from the Southern hemisphere where Australia is. This is often attributed to the Coriolis force and even some teachers incorrectly tell their students this.

The Coriolis force only acts on large bodies such as the earth. Things such as toilets, bathtubs, and sinks are too small to be affected. What causes the water to spin clockwise or anti-clockwise is simply how the container is made and how the water empties from it. More Information

Direction dogs circle

In case you were wondering about the direction Aussie dogs turn round and round before laying down, it’s the same as in the rest of the world …  whatever the dog wants to do. And yes, we have had this question too. We love your questions and doing the research is always interesting.

Australian Genealogy

Researching your family’s genealogy can turn up some surprising things. Deb Jahn wrote to us about research she’s doing on the Castilla family. She was pleased to read the story The Red Kangaroo by Ethel Castilla that we have in Voice of Australians. To help her we added a new page on Australian genealogy you might find interesting too.

More Jokes

We’ve added more jokes and updated a few others. From one of the Hmm pages …

  A fine is a tax for doing something wrong.
  A tax is a fine for doing so well.

  If a man speaks in a forest, but no woman
  is there to hear him, is he still wrong?

My personal favourites are the political jokes Premier Wishes and Let Sleeping Politicians Lie.

More added to
  What Am I ?,  Jokes for Kids,  Blonde Jokes
  Hmm Jokes

Lots more in our Jokes section

Australian Military Ranks

Thank you to David K who let us know that we were missing a few ranks in our list of Australian Military Ranks. So we’ve revised the entire list.

Can’t Find It ?

We received a surprising comment from someone filling out our online Visitor Survey. He complained that he couldn’t find Advance Australia Fair on our website. We’re not sure why he couldn’t find it. The song is listed, appropriately enough, in our 100+ list of Australian songs on our website.

Shannon contacted us wondering where Banjo Paterson’s The Man From Snowy River was on our site. It’s in Voices from the Past along with 100+ Australian poems and stories.

We’ve listed the information here because we couldn’t email these two people with the answers. They didn’t give us their email addresses. So remember to add your email address for a reply to your question.

Updating Facts and Figures

Warren wrote to say that we’ve just finished another census and our website needed updating with the latest figures for population, economics, etc.

We agree and I have updated as many as I could find figures on. Although, as Warren pointed out, we’ve had 3 census since then, 1996 is still the latest date I can find for some items.

Keeping 1,000+ pages up-to-date while adding new content is a challenge for one person, but I love it.

Australian Radio Stations

I’ve just added the Queensland radio station 106five Rhema FM to our site. They have 100 percent Christian music, instructional ministry programmes, supportive family programmes, news – including faith news and listener interaction.

The radio station started broadcasting in 1993. It’s owned and operated by the Sunshine Coast Christian Broadcasters Association Inc (SCBBA).

You’ll find this station on one of our several pages of Australian radio stations. There are links to radio station sites and offers a variety of genre – community, classical, rock, sports, Christian, tourism and others.

Honouring Mums Who Have Died

Trees for Mum program is a wonderful way to create a growing legacy for our mothers who have died and those that are still with us. Trees for Mum encourages people to plant a commemorative native tree in their mum’s honour.

For many, planting a living tribute can help heal the pain.  It’s can create a positive memory surrounded by others who are honouring their mum’s life this way.

In their first year Trees for Mum attracted over 150 people who planted a tree at Manly Lagoon Park in Sydney. Since then the program has expanded around Australia. Over 20,000 people have participated in the Mother’s Day Trees for Mum events over the past several years.

Trees for Mum was started in 2002 by Lauren Adlam and Deena Raphael who had both lost their mums to cancer. We invite you to visit TreesForMum.com to learn more.

New Radio Link

Carmel wrote us TodaysCountry94one 94.1FM has a new website. So I have updated our NSW Radio Stations page. Although the station is in Gosford NSW, you can listen live on the Internet.

The Central Coast all country music radio station is currently sponsoring a scholarship to enable a performer to free entry into the Australian Academy of Country Music in Tamworth worth $3,000.

Survey update

I often get suggestions for improvements and additions to our website. It keeps me pretty busy trying to implement what I can.

For example Sue wrote me a while ago, “I’m often on your website and enjoy very much my stay here and the improvements you make from time to time 🙂 As am Aussie and living in Adelaide I would wish your Survey would asked also ‘are you living here’ as I don’t like to be seen as visitor 🙁 Keep up your good work and all the best …. and when I can spare some cent of my pension I’ll send you a small amount :-)”
(Thanks! Sue ..ed.)

On my very, very long To Do List, I finally worked my way down to Sue’s request and updated our Survey. I hope you will take our Survey when you get a chance. It helps Max and I know what you like, why you visit our site and how we can improve it.

Oprah & Friends Come to Australia

Oprah Winfrey celebrated the 25th and final season of her hit TV show by taking 300 lucky fans on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure in December 2010. With that in mind, we thought you might enjoy reading some typical questions we get from Americans.

Is English spoken everywhere in Australia? Yes, but there are definite differences you should know about. Start with the word “root” in our Slang section and you’ll understand.

Why does it take 2 days to fly to Sydney from LA? The distance from LA to Sydney is 12,049 km (7,487 miles) and flight time is about 15 hours. Leaving LA on Qantas at 10:30pm on a Monday, means you’ll arrive in Sydney around 7:30am on Wednesday.

A 15 hour flight turns into 2 days because Sydney is 18 hours ahead of LA. During the flight you cross the international date line.

No worries mate. When you return, you’ll arrive before you’ve left. Read our Help for Americans page for more info. And yes, we also have Daylight Savings here too that will change the arrival time as well.

Do I need a visa to travel from Melbourne to New Zealand and Tasmania? Yes and no. You do not need a separate visa to travel to Tasmania because it’s an Australian state. New Zealand, however is a completely different country. So yes, you need a visa for New Zealand.

Will I see kangaroos when I’m in Brisbane? Do you see deer running around in New York City? Seriously, you can see a lot of our wildlife like kangaroos when you drive around Australia. However, you won’t see them in the city or in heavily populated areas. But check our golf courses. Kangaroos seem to enjoy eating and relaxing while watching the golfers.

And finally … while there are huge differences between the US and Australia, we do have many things in common. Yes, we have lots of ATMs, taxis, modern hospitals, modern supermarkets, shopping from the basics to the gloriously expensive.

You’ll find in Australia your US chains: Kmart, Target, The Gap, Subway, KFC (since 1968), McDonalds, Sizzler, Burger King (Hungry Jack’s since 1971), Domino’s Pizza (since 1983), Pizza Hut (since 1970). Wendy’s and Arby’s are said to be coming here too. We also have our own fast-food chains: Red Rooster and Eagle Boys Pizza. However, to really experience our food try a local take-away shop.

Does It Snow in Australia?

Brenda J asked, “Does it ever snow in Australia. If so where and how much?”

It’s January right now so it’s pretty hot because it’s summer here. If you want to know what it’s like, I’ve put live weather information from all over Australia on our website. For example, here’s the weather in Brisbane where I live.

The Australian Winter

In general the Australian ski season runs from June until October. If you like to ski, in NSW try the Snowy Mountains region and Kosciuszko National Park (Charlotte’s Pass, Thredbo, Blue Cow and others).

Victoria also has extensive areas of where you’ll find snow. Mt Bogong, Fall’s Creek, Mt Hotham are just some of the places to visit for snow. Tasmania also sees good snowfalls during the winter. However, in the highest areas (1400m / 4500ft) snow can occasionally fall in summer.
Kangaroo in the Snow in the Blue Mountains

Cold air drifting north from Antarctica brings an occasional cold snap. Although rare, significant snowfall has occurred in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, falling on average less than once every ten years. The most recent significant snowfall in Sydney NSW was in June/July 1836.

The heaviest snowfalls in Australia occur in the Australian Alps (mountains of Australia’s southeast). The heaviest snowfall outside the alpine areas was 4 & 5 July 1900 when 50-100cm fell around Bathurst NSW.

Games

Game Answer
A reader with the strange name of Goon (I don’t make these up), sent me the solution to our online game Turn On The Lights. I tried it and it works. A huge thank you for that Goon. You’re one smart person for coming up with it.

I am not going to post the answer because that would spoil the game. However, if you need to know, email me and I will share it with you.

Winner
Congratulations to Joe who wrote us that he beat our Dot Box Battle game. We’ve sent B-dog and Sharon T. the answer to  Turn on the Lights game. If you’re stuck, contact us and we’ll send it to you too.

Our personal favourite is the Flee RoundUp game. So easy, yet so very hard to master. Be careful, it’s addictive!

I’ve added 3 new Word Searches games to the other 50+ already online. I also had fun putting together some more jokes and riddles. We can always use more smiles.Word Search in Games
ARIA Winners
Logie Winners
Olympics

Lots of Questions

To Kasiyo, Maggie P and the others who wanted to know about going to school in Australia should read our page

To Lynne E, Therese M, and the others who wrote us about lost or missing friends and relatives should try the following pages for information and appropriate help.

News From the Past

The following news articles will give you a glimpse into life of Australians in the 1800s. We hope you enjoy this bit of history.

“To the Public

Doctor Duigan will continue to Vaccinate the children of the Poor at his residence Victoria Cottage, Castlereagh-street, South, every Tuesday and Friday, between the hours of 12 and 1 o’clock, Gratis.

He obtained a valuable supply of genuine Vaccine Matter, from a cow in his possession, and having communicated the infection to a large number of children, is now in possession of the virus, as obtained from a most perfect development of the disease in the human subject.”
– Omnibus & Sydney Spectator 4, Dec 1841

“Reward for Runaway

All persons are hereby cautioned against harbouring or employing John Chauner, a native of the Colony, he being regularly indented to me for the period of 7 years.

A reward will be given for his apprehension. Description: short and thick set, scar on left cheek, brown eyes, hair cut short in the front; had on, when absconded, dark spotted waistcoat, white trousers, grey cap; age about 13. signed J.R. Holden, Clarence-st., Sydney.”
– Omnibus & Sydney Spectator, 9 Nov 1841
   (ADU Editor … notice the boy’s age! )

Come see our Flashback Blog!

Max and I are happy to announce the official opening of our Flashback Blog.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the fun

Flashback Blog has an Australian Birthday of the Day, interesting places to visit in Australia, and Today in Australian History.

There’s also Max’s Best Videos and Jokes to enjoy.

We hope you will come to Flashback and learn more about Australia and have a bit of fun too.

Bird Watching & Aboriginal Stories

If you enjoy watching our Aussie feathered friends (and I don’t mean at Mardi Gras), Denise Goodfellow’s website is worth a look. Aside from the books she’s written starting back in 1983, she also has quite a bit of advice on bird tours and native animals.

What I enjoyed the most on her website were her first-hand stories about interacting with Aboriginals and the cultural misunderstandings. I particularly enjoyed The Importance of Nail Polish. It’s an insight into a different world well worth exploring.

New Dance Link

James S. from the Sydney Swing Katz told us that they have a new website. Australia has always had a strong tradition of dance starting with Indigenous Aboriginal cultural traditions long before Captain Cook arrived.

We’ve updated our Australian Dance page and now have over 90 Australian dance websites listed from the classical to the contemporary.

The Bible Museum

Ellen R. wrote us about her Bible Museum website. It showcases her museum in St Arnaud, Victoria (250 km northwest of Melbourne).

Ellen has been collecting and studying bibles and religious artefacts for over 30 years. The museum reflects her passion holding over 1,000 bibles plus archaeological artefacts and related items.

The Bible Museum is wheelchair friendly. The admission and guided tour is free.


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