The Old Wolf Express - Random impressions of Australia

[theoldwolf]

Ow.

Ran out last night to get the Australian equivalent of Solarcaine and Tylenol, by the grace of which I was able to sleep well last night, but I'm sore today.

This is my second trip to the merry old land of Oz, but the first one in which I've really been able to experience the country. This is just a few thoughts in no particular order that occurred to me this morning.

• The people are friendly to a fault.
  
• Driving on the left is weird, no matter how you look at it. 45 years of driving has trained my subconscious to know where the steering wheel should be with reference to the left edge of the road, which means if I lose focus for even a split second I'm either straddling the lane or off into the ditch. Fortunately, both I and the car are still in one piece. It's getting easier.
  
• It's odd that roundabouts, which were designed to create an orderly flow of traffic, are being removed at many intersections. (I know, because the GPS with 2006-based maps gives me instructions for roundabouts that are no longer there.) It may be due to an increase in population which necessitates standard semaphore-based control. Perhaps a roundabout doesn't work well when there are too many people trying to get through at once.
  
• Things can be expensive here. A pastry that would be a buck in Smith's at home costs around $3.00 at a kiosk in the mall. A can of the Australian version of Tinactin was $14.00. In addition to a higher base pay here, much of what is sold must be imported, which affects prices. Candy is expensive - they must have to bring in all their sugar.
  
• It's humid, at least here on the East side. Like average 65% humidity. Australia is coal-fired, homes heated where necessary by means other than forced air. Hence central air is a rarity. It costs about $3,000 to put in a single wall-mounted cooling unit that would handle one average-sized room. I'm always feeling like I've had a swim in a molasses pool.
  
• North NSW and South Queensland has some of the most beautiful, fertile, lush and abundant land I've ever seen over such a large area.
  
• I think the whip bird has the most delightful call of any bird in the world.
  
• Pastry shops that sell meat and veggie pies are a gift from Heaven.
  
• I could spend years exploring this country.
  

More as I think of it.

Comments

[dhlawrence.livejournal.com]

^ What he said. They're plonking them down all over where I am. One road is going to be getting them all the way along (except for one lit intersection to allow sidestreet traffic to enter. Give it time and some of those roundabouts will be going back in. scottrell001 and I have a theory that Australia's infrastructure planning is 30 years behind the US and Canada.

[secoh.livejournal.com]

There is no planning here.
They do infrastructure only when the electorates start to shift against whoever is in government, and when they do it is only to fix current problems, not to plan for the future.

I'm fairly sure the road and traffic authority buy roundabouts in packs of ten, and use them before they go past the expiry date and start to stink up the depots.

[thefoxaroo.livejournal.com]

What Steamwolf said times ten!