Electrical goods cheaper
Inflation is a much talked-about topic in Australia at the moment. Interest rates are going up and the Reserve Bank is blaming inflation.
Wages, food, rent and petrol are all getting more expensive, no doubt about it.
Whether raising interest rates is the appropriate economic remedy remains debatable. I can’t see the logic myself, because it just adds to the cost of lending and housing, thereby stimulating the inflationary environment. Read more
Arrived in Mount Gambier
We arrived in Mount Gambier on Thursday afternoon after driving more than 600km from Moonta.
I picked up the house keys and everyone was excited to look around. Unfortunately the power wasn’t connected. The fuse box is inside the house and despite us arranging to have it turned off by the real estate agent, the power company failed to connect.
We made an adventure of it, got the wood fire burning and slept in the lounge room. Read more
Cost of living
It’s very expensive to live in remote towns such as Kalgoorlie. It’s worse in the Pilbara, from what I can tell, but Kalgoorlie certainly isn’t cheap.
We had subsidised housing there, which made it reasonably affordable.
When considering a move to Mount Gambier we calculated the impact of losing the housing assistance against lower costs for education, food and services. We figured it would be a balanced equation. Read more
Moonta Bay Jetty
We had a look around Moonta today. Some of the buildings date back to the 1840s.
Apparently Moonta was briefly the biggest town in South Australia while copper mining was in full swing. Many of the early settlers were Cornish.
The jetty was built in 1868 to encourage people to settle and purchase building blocks where the township had been surveyed.
The water is very shallow and I don’t imagine large vessels were ever able to access the port.
I like the mix of grey color tones in this photo I took today.
Marsupial lion
Listening to ABC regional radio in the car today I heard about the discovery of marsupial lion bones near Burra in South Australia earlier this year.
The marsupial lion is regarded as part of Australia’s “megafauna” which became extinct about 45,000 years ago.
These were giant versions of wombats and kangaroos, and in this case a carnivorous predator.
The lion’s disappearance is unexplained, although it’s generally linked to climate change or the arrival of humans.
I reckon these beasts would have eaten any blackfellas who came after them, but one theory is the humans introduced fire which changed the lion’s habitat.
It’s a fascinating story and fun to ponder what happened.
Former Premier exhumed
We arrived in South Australia to hear and read the extraordinary story about Charles Kingston, a colonial Premier and founder of Australia, being exhumed for a paternity test at the request of an Adelaide businessman.
Sounds like something out of Monty Python doesn’t it?
“The Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, approved an application to exhume the body of Charles Cameron Kingston, one of the Fathers of Federation, as part of a paternity case,” the Adelaide Advertiser reports.
The bodies of two other people suspected of being Kingston’s illegitimate offspring also were exhumed. They are Genevieve Grey and AA “Bert” Edwards. Read more
Oversize vehicles on the road
I mentioned in the previous post about crossing the Nullarbor that I saw a large number of oversize vehicles on the road.
I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say we saw about 40 or so between Norseman and Port Augusta in two days.
I can’t recall seeing any on my previous crossing in January 2006. Read more
Crossing the Nullarbor
We successfully crossed the Nullarbor in two cars with four kids and arrived safely today in Moonta Bay on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.
We’re resting here a couple of days while waiting for our furniture to catch up. We’ll head to Mount Gambier on Thursday and unpack on Friday.
We bought a house in Moonta Bay last year and will inspect it on Wednesday.
The trip across the Nullarbor was my second. Here are some observations and impressions: Read more
Farewell Kalgoorlie
I’m feeling rather sentimental to be leaving Kalgoorlie after two and a half years. Farewell drinks were enjoyed last night. Juliet and I then had a wonderful dinner with my current and former deputy editors and their partners.
The Kalgoorlie Miner staff today presented me with a mock front page (see below) as a parting gift. It was clever and thoughtful.
I have no regrets about coming here and no regrets about leaving. It’s been a wonderful experience and a fantastic new time beckons.
PS: Comments here will be held for moderation until I have regular computer access. To fellow bloggers, sorry I can’t visit your sites much over the next couple of weeks. Read more
New video camera
I bought a Sanyo Xacti nine-megapixel video camera through eBay from Hong Kong before it was readily available in Australia.
The gadget has only just arrived and I haven’t had much time to experiment with it yet, but first impressions are very positive.
It’s small and shoots high quality. There are recording options for television standard or web.
I plan to use it on our drive across the country to hopefully film a scene of the Great Australian Bight and the houses we previously lived in at Ceduna and Port Pirie. If they work I’ll post the clips here in a couple of weeks.
More importantly, I hope Dad will be well enough and willing to speak on camera. That was a great suggestion from a friend of mine to capture a special memory.
Down the track I hope to use the camera for recording some web news at Mount Gambier.
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