For those that fear coming to Australia!

[hmrspaul]

I love the way your supermarkets separate out the drink selling area and have it by the main entrance. So no need to be tempted by fruit or chocolate on the way to buying a few pints 😇. And yes, you have some decent beers on sale. 

 

Paul

Edited July 27, 2023 by hmrspaul

[monkeysarefun]

5 minutes ago, hmrspaul said:

I love the way your supermarkets separate out the drink selling area and have it by the main entrance. So no need to be tempted by fruit or chocolate on the way to buying a few pints. And yes, you have some decent beers on sale. 

 

Paul

Im having one now as I watch the cricket. Hopefully  the rain stays away.

Edited July 27, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[kevinlms]

5 minutes ago, hmrspaul said:

I love the way your supermarkets separate out the drink selling area and have it by the main entrance. So no need to be tempted by fruit or chocolate on the way to buying a few pints. And yes, you have some decent beers on sale. 

 

Paul

That's because of licencing laws for alcohol, the sale of such items MUST by law be separated, from the grocery section. So different check outs.

There is some sort of exception for the smaller supermarket operators - i.e. family owned shops, but I'm not up with the rules. Aldi is different too and don't allow selling to adults accompanied by under 18s.

https://help.aldi.com.au/s/article/What-are-the-rules-for-selling-alcohol

 

As you can probably guess, reputable supermarkets don't want to risk the fines and loss of licence, especially bad publicity. Some insist on ID, if you look under 25 - I'm at no risk of that!

[Gwiwer]

8 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

8 hours ago, sandwich station said:

 

Looks like you can buy Fosters from Dan Murphy's, BWS and Amazon.

Why?

As he said “You can”. Doesn’t mean you have to 🤣

 

Fosters and XXXX were available in Coles and Safeways supermarkets around Melbourne. Attempting to cater for the ex-pats and tourists? 
 

Tooheys Old was one of my favourite tipples out there. Coopers Pale if it was a really hot day. But the best of the best came from Grand Ridge Brewery in Mirboo North whose small-batch beers would be termed “craft” today.  
 

20 years ago they provided a very drinkable alternative to the revolting, gassy and over-chilled mainstream brews. 
 

The Australian climate, with the exception of Tasmania, is too warm to brew and keep a traditional English-style ale. That requires 13C for optimum taste. You can warm the brew in cool weather to maintain that temperature but if you try to cool it you kill the yeast. 
 

Horses for courses. 

[kevinlms]

You definitely don't take your pet rabbit with you on holidays, when the authorities are working hard to remove pest introduced animals from Kangaroo Island.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-28/easter-rabbit-beach-trip-on-kangaroo-island-leads-to-fine/102663094

 

The 2nd part of the article is about what NOT to do if you can't afford to look after your pets! Find another way.

[J. S. Bach]

9 hours ago, kevinlms said:

You definitely don't take your pet rabbit with you on holidays, when the authorities are working hard to remove pest introduced animals from Kangaroo Island.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-28/easter-rabbit-beach-trip-on-kangaroo-island-leads-to-fine/102663094

What a steamy pile of .......

 

From the article:

"Chair Andrew Heinrich said Kangaroo Island was free of "rabbits, foxes, deer, [and] goats", and that the board was working to extend that ban to feral cats to "protect native wildlife and biodiversity" from introduced species.

"Given the serious consequences that rabbits could have on the island, the KI Board decided to pursue prosecution," Mr Heinrich said in a statement."

 

Maybe extending the ban to all homosapiens on the island instead would be a much better idea!

Edited July 29, 2023 by J. S. Bach

[kevinlms]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-30/nt-world-record-darwin-underwater-drive/102665924

[monkeysarefun]

 

 

 

I reckon I know at least one of those cockatoos  - they've been round  here!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[hmrspaul]

With my sons family and our daughter we stayed at an airbnb in Katoomba just before Xmas. All of us adore animals, especially parrots and were therefore thrilled to find seed and feeder left for us to use. The Cockatoos, King Parrots, OZ Magpie and Crimson Rosella all queued for the food. And would knock on the kitchen window when the seed tray was empty - I'm glad we put out more for them! No fear!

 

Paul

[Gwiwer]

We had a huge pear tree on the block behind ours and which slightly overhung the fence. By huge we reckoned 50-60 feet high. And absolutely laden with fruit you couldn’t reach. 
 

The owners brought a cherry-picker in one year but even that wasn’t tall enough. 
 

It didn’t stop the cockys though. The tree was covered in a flock-a-toos for a few weeks every year. There were always a few which called it home but once the fruit started to swell it became fair game for upwards of 200 of them. 
 

All screeching, arguing for best perch, nomming the fruit and discarding the tougher cores which littered the ground.  They also discarded their waste products which littered the ground. 
 

But when the tree was in flower the delicate aroma of pear blossom was lovely. Our bees loved it too. We had a single hive and could tell where they had been feeding. 
 

The honey tasted subtly of pear one month, of aniseed the next when the fennel flowered, and of rose at other times. Which was all fine except that I intensely dislike fennel and the taste of aniseed. 
 

I have for many years used the name “@nusweed” to describe it. 
.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Gwiwer
You can say cockys but not the correct word for a bodily orifice. 🤔

[Ozexpatriate]

Where the fungi are not fun guys.

 

CNN: Four relatives came to lunch. Three died with symptoms of ‘death cap’ mushroom poisoning

[kevinlms]

3 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Where the fungi are not fun guys.

 

CNN: Four relatives came to lunch. Three died with symptoms of ‘death cap’ mushroom poisoning

More info from the ABC website. I suspect that this investigation has a long way to go. Not least because the 4 relatives went to hospital and transferred to more specialist hospitals, which almost certainly delayed full investigation. How likely is that any plates/cooking pots etc, have long been through the dishwasher and any would be evidence destroyed?

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/death-cap-mushroom-poisoning-death-toxicology/102707792

[kevinlms]

On RMweb, we often joke about eBay and empty boxes for model railway items.

 

Now in Australia, empty boxes for tobacco products can't be imported (for filling locally) anymore.

Part of the ongoing drive to reduce smoking.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/border-force-illegal-cigarette-raids-queensland-730/102711896

[kevinlms]

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

More info from the ABC website. I suspect that this investigation has a long way to go. Not least because the 4 relatives went to hospital and transferred to more specialist hospitals, which almost certainly delayed full investigation. How likely is that any plates/cooking pots etc, have long been through the dishwasher and any would be evidence destroyed?

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/death-cap-mushroom-poisoning-death-toxicology/102707792

More from a survivor. Not something to be messed with!

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/death-cap-mushroom-survivor-victoria-lunch-730/102714728

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, kevinlms said:

On RMweb, we often joke about eBay and empty boxes for model railway items.

 

Now in Australia, empty boxes for tobacco products can't be imported (for filling locally) anymore.

Part of the ongoing drive to reduce smoking.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-10/border-force-illegal-cigarette-raids-queensland-730/102711896

 

 

 

Its  cheaper to take up snorting cocaine off of supermodels these days.   I was at Coles service  counter tonight and the bloke in front of me got a carton of Winnie Blues (8  packs of 25 cigarettes).  Cost was $470.00!!!!  I thought he'd been ripped off, but   nuh...

 

https://www.coles.com.au/product/winfield-flow-filter-blue-cigarettes-25's-x-8-1-carton-5305264

 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[DavidB-AU]

20 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Where the fungi are not fun guys.

 

CNN: Four relatives came to lunch. Three died with symptoms of ‘death cap’ mushroom poisoning

 

This has happened before. It's easy to mistake them for edible types.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-04/two-die-from-death-cap-mushrooms/3757764

[ikks]

7 hours ago, DavidB-AU said:

 

This has happened before. It's easy to mistake them for edible types.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-04/two-die-from-death-cap-mushrooms/3757764

Easy answer, do NOT eat any fungus growing in the paddock.........just eat the stuff from  the grocery/supermarket, at least your surviving relatives  can sue!!!

Mike

[SRman]

"All mushrooms are edible: some only once."

I think that was from Sir Terry Pratchett, but it may date from even earlier.

[figworthy]

9 hours ago, SRman said:

"All mushrooms are edible: some only once."

I think that was from Sir Terry Pratchett, but it may date from even earlier.

 

Anyone else fancy a pre-eaten mushroom ?

 

Adrian

[billbedford]

13 hours ago, ikks said:

Easy answer, do NOT eat any fungus growing in the paddock.........just eat the stuff from  the grocery/supermarket, at least your surviving relatives  can sue!!!

 

<sigh>

Edible field mushrooms are one of the most accessible fungi to recognise. There are the only ones with pink or, later, black gills—anything with white gills you have to be very careful of. 

 

[SRman]

1 hour ago, billbedford said:

 

<sigh>

Edible field mushrooms are one of the most accessible fungi to recognise. There are the only ones with pink or, later, black gills—anything with white gills you have to be very careful of. 

 

 

Does that apply to all the different species found in Australia?

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, SRman said:

 

Does that apply to all the different species found in Australia?

A guide to (not) collecting your own, can be found here. Certainly a lot on the Death Cap.

 

https://fungimap.org.au/about-fungi/edible-poisonous-fungi/

 

I'm of the opinion that a mistake in identification, is likely to result in a very poor outcome.

[Joseph_Pestell]

In France, all pharmacists are expected to know their mushrooms. Foragers who are uncertain can take their basket of mushrooms to be checked.

Our local rugby pitch produced quite a crop. Harvesting before the crop would be ruined by the Sunday afternoon match was supervised by the local retired pharmacist.

[St Enodoc]

Just now, Joseph_Pestell said:

In France, all pharmacists are expected to know their mushrooms.

As distinct from French men in striped shirts and wearing berets while cycling, who are expected to know their onions...

[monkeysarefun]

9 hours ago, billbedford said:

 

<sigh>

Edible field mushrooms are one of the most accessible fungi to recognise. There are the only ones with pink or, later, black gills—anything with white gills you have to be very careful of. 

 

 

 

From fungimap.org.au:

 

The edibility of most Australian species of fungi is untested (1996).

Fungimap does not encourage eating wild Australian mushrooms because so little is known about their edibility and many poisonous species are virtually indistinguishable from safe varieties.

 

Some Australian mushrooms and other fungi look similar to edible species from overseas but may be highly poisonous.

 

This is Australia,  so  obviously  they are all venomous!

Edited August 12, 2023 by monkeysarefun