For those that fear coming to Australia!

[JZ]

This may be Kemble, but this picture has won me a stubbie holder from the Fortune of War, The Rocks, Sydney.

They were asking for photos from anywhere in the world from customers.

Edited July 4, 2021 by JZ

[St Enodoc]

8 minutes ago, JZ said:

This may be Kemble, but this picture has won me a stubbie holder from the Fortune of War, The Rocks, Sydney.

They were asking for photos from anywhere in the world from customers.

One of about half-a-dozen claimants to be  "the oldest pub in Sydney".

[JZ]

20 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

One of about half-a-dozen claimants to be  "the oldest pub in Sydney".

Yes, I went to a couple of others.

[Ozexpatriate]

19 hours ago, Chris hndrsn said:

As I believe is the Melaleuca (stringy bark) which is now a pest in places like, I believe, Florida.

Oh well, they'll be under water before too much longer then. Maybe they'll evolve into mangroves.

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Oh well, they'll be under water before too much longer then. Maybe they'll evolve into mangroves.

 

Only according to some versions of evolution but I'd be on sinking ground if I dared to go there

[kevinlms]

This guy would put off anyone coming to Australia. What a DELIGHTFUL character.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-14/canberra-man-stalked-charity-manager-after-defecating-in-pool/100293570

[kevinlms]

Who would go near this guy? They are definitely different in Queensland!

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-16/qld-brisbane-man-sentenced-over-castration-surgeries/100298996

[Classsix T]

Can anyone recommend or otherwise on Goldstone please?

I've literally just seen five minutes before flipping to Tour De France highlights but if those 5mins are indicative of quality programming akin to an Aussie Fargo I'm in.

 

C6T. 

[monkeysarefun]

 

Just wanted to mention that series 3 of Mr Inbetween just finished.

 

Do ya selves a favour, you've got to check it out if you haven't already.

 

Definitely by far  the best thing to come from Oz since Mad Max (  not Mad Max 3).

 

Its our version of Breaking Bad, and not just because the trailer has a desert and a campervan in it and the main bloke has a shaved head and a little beard.

 

Dark comedy, shocking violence and more pure aussieness per minute than a 1970's beer ad.

 

Great stuff, 5 stars from me.

 

 

[kevinlms]

Testing for Covid-19 Ozzie style!

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-15/nt-covid-waterwater-testing-in-darwin-crocodile-watch/100365226

Edited August 15, 2021 by kevinlms
Wrong word

[manna]

17 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Testing for Covid-19 Ozzie style!

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-15/nt-covid-waterwater-testing-in-darwin-crocodile-watch/100365226

Dr Pain !!!!!!

 

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, manna said:

Dr Pain !!!!!!

 

It looks like he got his hat from Bunnings!

[Gwiwer]

I was crunching some numbers for another site but the results might be of passing interest here.  The issue raised was the lack of progress in advancing speeds and reducing journey times since the days of steam and in some cases since the "great speed-up" of the 1970s when HST trains were introduced.  

 

Quote

Currently the fastest advertised time over the full UK East Coast route is for the 05.40 Edinburgh - Kings Cross due in at 09.40  Precisely four hours at an average speed for 393 miles of 98.25mph / 158.1km/hr.  The maximum permitted is 125mph / 201km/hr but there are many somewhat lower restrictions plus a couple of station stops to factor in.  This was achieved by the "1970s era" HST sets, the class 91 electrics with Mk4 stock (and usually with the loco pushing towards London) and is now the preserve of the Hitachi "Azuma" trains which appear to have plenty in reserve and are well able to beat the four-hour timing if they are given a clear run.  The fastest average speed required between adjacent intermediate stops varies by timetable but has typically been in the region of 112mph / 181km/hr. 

Another interesting comparison is with Australia where the vast interstate distances do not favour rail travel.  Long-haul rail is almost exclusively the preserve of freight.  Nevertheless there are public services between the main east-coast cities as distinct from the land-cruise style of the The Indian-Pacific (Sydney - Adelaide - Perth) and The Ghan (Adelaide - Alice Springs - Darwin) which are extraordinarily slow overall because they stop for sightseeing tours and sometimes overnight.  These have never been public transport offerings. 

The XPT between Sydney and Melbourne takes (when Covid restrictions do not prevent it running) 11 hours 12 minutes  or on some trips only 10 hours 55 minutes to complete the 961kms (600 miles) at a modest average of just 53.5 mph / 85.9kh/hr.  That service uses XPT trains based on the British HST but designed-down to 160km/hr (100mph) maximum speed. 

And they wonder why people choose to fly.  It's about 75 minutes in the air or 3 1/2 hours city-centre to city-centre including transfers and check-in.  With between two and four flights every hour too and sometimes cheaper than the train.  

 

 

 

[Mark Saunders]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I was crunching some numbers for another site but the results might be of passing interest here.  The issue raised was the lack of progress in advancing speeds and reducing journey times since the days of steam and in some cases since the "great speed-up" of the 1970s when HST trains were introduced.  

 

 

 

 

This was also on the back of major infrastructure improvements on the east coast Peterborough was a major one however York and Newcastle/Gateshead remain with little prospect of change mainly due t geographic constraints!

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, Mark Saunders said:

This was also on the back of major infrastructure improvements on the east coast Peterborough was a major one however York and Newcastle/Gateshead remain with little prospect of change mainly due t geographic constraints!

Absolutely. Other constraints include the long slow approach to Kings Cross and the speed restriction (albeit steadily lifted to 100mph) over the Newark flat crossing. 
 

If passenger rail were important in Australia the key interstate routes would benefit from similarly-comprehensive upgrades allowing fast running, rolling crosses on single lines (or doubling throughout) and frequent rather than occasional trains within the scope of a smaller and dispersed population

[Ozexpatriate]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

If passenger rail were important in Australia the key interstate routes would benefit from similarly-comprehensive upgrades allowing fast running, rolling crosses on single lines (or doubling throughout) and frequent rather than occasional trains within the scope of a smaller and dispersed population

I would say that if passenger rail were important in Australia (or the US) they would need to build an alternative infrastructure (like TGV). There are no practical improvements to existing lines that can provide viable alternatives to air travel.

 

Even Paris - Marseilles via TGV is about 660km with a journey time of 3 hours, 3 minutes. Air mileage from Sydney to Melbourne is 706km with a flight time of 1 hour, 19 minutes.

 

I once attended a lecture by an HS2 consultant - along the lines of the topic "is high-speed rail practical in the US". Distance of course is the most critical factor and there are break-even points where the advantage of having a downtown/CBD station rather than a more remote airport starts to lose out, once the distance is too long.

 

The one route that might make sense is the much hyped LA - Las Vegas corridor (around 420km). Most of the land is desert with no need for stops once out of the greater LA metro. Many people drive to Vegas from LA - avoiding area airports is a big plus, so a train that is twice as fast as driving could work.

[Ozexpatriate]

What you might expect to find in an Australian supermarket.

 

A diamond python in the spice aisle.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What you might expect to find in an Australian supermarket.

 

A diamond python in the spice aisle.

Too close to where I live. Not funny.

[kevinlms]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Too close to where I live. Not funny.

This more your style?

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-19/nt-crocodile-attack-toes-amputated/100390506

[St Enodoc]

Just now, kevinlms said:

This more your style?

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-19/nt-crocodile-attack-toes-amputated/100390506

Yep. Darwin might as well be on the dark side of the moon as things are at the moment.

[kevinlms]

5 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

What you might expect to find in an Australian supermarket.

 

A diamond python in the spice aisle.

At least the right person found it, much to the relief of the supermarket.

 

I suspect the supermarket, didn't bother checking out her qualifications too closely. Oh yes, please get rid of it, ASAP!

Edited August 19, 2021 by kevinlms
More info

[AndyID]

On 16/08/2021 at 12:56, Ozexpatriate said:

I would say that if passenger rail were important in Australia (or the US) they would need to build an alternative infrastructure (like TGV). There are no practical improvements to existing lines that can provide viable alternatives to air travel.

 

Even Paris - Marseilles via TGV is about 660km with a journey time of 3 hours, 3 minutes. Air mileage from Sydney to Melbourne is 706km with a flight time of 1 hour, 19 minutes.

 

I once attended a lecture by an HS2 consultant - along the lines of the topic "is high-speed rail practical in the US". Distance of course is the most critical factor and there are break-even points where the advantage of having a downtown/CBD station rather than a more remote airport starts to lose out, once the distance is too long.

 

The one route that might make sense is the much hyped LA - Las Vegas corridor (around 420km). Most of the land is desert with no need for stops once out of the greater LA metro. Many people drive to Vegas from LA - avoiding area airports is a big plus, so a train that is twice as fast as driving could work.

 

Even TGV isn't really up to it for the US and Australia. The distances are just too great.

 

E Musk esq. is right (although I'm not a big fan :)) Tubes are the answer. Suck all the air out and you can go as fast as you like. It's like traveling in outer-space without actually leaving the planet. Because the occupancy duration is very brief the tubes don't have to be large. The greatest problem might be limiting accelerations to levels that humans can tolerate.

 

 

EDIT:

And if there is little to no air in the tube there is little to no friction which means there is very little energy required to maintain speed. Much of the energy used to accelerate the vehicle can be recovered during deceleration.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by AndyID
Moinfo

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, AndyID said:

Even TGV isn't really up to it for the US and Australia. The distances are just too great.

Shorter journeys like LA to Vegas (420km / 261 miles), or Portland to Seattle ( 286km / 178 miles) would work for high speed train infrastructure. Whether it is worth the cost is a different matter.

 

Otherwise, yes, the distances are too great.

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Shorter journeys like LA to Vegas (420km / 261 miles), or Portland to Seattle ( 286km / 178 miles) would work for high speed train infrastructure. Whether it is worth the cost is a different matter.

 

Otherwise, yes, the distances are too great.

And too many alternatives such as the private car which overall is slower but far more convenient.

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

And too many alternatives such as the private car which overall is slower but far more convenient.

Not necessarily. Portland to Seattle is 180 miles. Without traffic, this should be around 3 hours by car but traffic can be horrible and can easily take four hours or more. Scheduled running on the train is about 3 hours, 30 minutes. Compared to dealing with traffic, a high-speed train would be highly desirable.