Australian tourism

China is forecast to become Australia’s largest inbound tourism market.

In 2010, over 450,000 Chinese visitors spent $3 billion in Australia, which was 20 percent more than the year before.

China's youth are getting ready to have fun downunder!

By 2013 Australia expects to welcome one million Chinese visitors a year, making China the single largest tourism market for Australia.

Over 5,885,000 Tourists visited Australia in 2010 according to the Australian Bureau of statistics.

The average international visitor consumes around $4,005 of Australian tourism services.

There was strong growth from China and South Korea. Arrivals from these markets grew by 24 per cent, and 18.2 per cent, respectively.

Arrivals from Japan grew by 12.0 per cent in a slight rebound from 2009, when the H1N1 influenza outbreak led to a significant decline for this market.

Japanese tourists still love to visit iconic places, like Bondi beach and the Gold Coast

China overtook the United Kingdom to become Australia’s most valuable inbound market in 2010.

Australian Tourism advertisment in China

Tourism could help balance Australia's economic dependence, on the China resources trade, and also revive regional destinations, that are suffering from a decline in Japanese tourists

Worlds most dangerous spider

Spider in mans ear "gross"

Worlds most dangerous spider, would easily be the Australian funnel web, it is one of the three most dangerous spiders in the world and are regarded  to be the most dangerous and deadliest.

Australian funnel-web spiders are venomous spiders of the family Hexathelidae, represented by an estimated 40 species of Hadronyche and the sole species of the genus Atrax, A. robustus, commonly known as the Sydney funnel-web spider.

Funnel web spiders are medium-to-large in size, with body lengths ranging from 1 cm to 5 cm (0.4" to 2"). They are darkly coloured, ranging from black to blue-black to plum to brown, with a glossy, hairless carapace covering the front part of the body.



There have been 27 recorded deaths in Australia in the last 100 years from spider bites. Bites from Sydney funnel-web spiders have caused 13 deaths (seven in children),although since the introduction of antivenoms there have been no deaths from funnel web spider bites.

"The Australian Reptile Park is still the sole supplier of all snake and funnel web venom for the antivenom program here in Australia, saving approximately 300 lives here each year, they also save about a "1000 lives in New Guinea annually."

Wandering funnel-webs spiders often fall into backyard swimming pools and they can stay alive for hours.

Funnel-webs have been known to survive 24-30 hours under water.

They are mostly terrestrial spiders, favouring habitat with moist sand and clays. They typically build silk-lined tubular burrow retreats with collapsed "tunnels" or open "funnel" entrances from which irregular trip lines radiate out over the ground.

The Sydney Funnel-web Spider, is found from Newcastle to Nowra and west as far as Lithgow in New South Wales.

Other Funnel-web spiders live in the moist forest regions of the east coast and highlands of Australia from Tasmania to north Queensland. They are also found in the drier open forests of the Western Slopes of the Great Dividing Range and South Australia's Gulf ranges.

There is known to be at least one species found all over Papua New Guinea as well.

All suspected bites by any funnel-web spider should be regarded as potentially dangerous and treated accordingly.

Spider bites usually take place on a limb. A pressure bandage should be applied as soon as possible after a bite has occurred. This should be applied as tightly as for a sprained ankle, starting from the bitten area and binding the entire limb above the bite. A rigid splint should be bound onto the limb to prevent limb movement. The patient should be kept as quiet as possible and medical attention sought. If possible, keep the spider for positive identification.

Australia Citizenship Test

Australia Citizenship Test
 
The Australian citizenship test is a test applicants for Australian citizenship who also meet the basic requirements for citizenship are required to take. It has been introduced in 2007 to assess the applicants' adequate knowledge of Australia, the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship and basic knowledge of the English language.

You can become a Australian citizen by answering all of the latest 2011 test questions below

80% correct is a pass 

 

How many slabs can you fit in the back of a Holden Ute while also

allowing room for your cattle dog?

When packing an Esky, do you put the ice or the beer in first?

Is the traditional Aussie Christmas dinner:

a) At least two roasted meats with roast vegetables, followed by a

pudding you could use as a cannonball. And a sweaty ham. sitting in 40C heat.

b) A seafood buffet followed by a barbie, with rather a lot of booze.

And sweaty ham. In 40C heat.

c) Both of the above, one at lunchtime and one at dinnertime. Weather

continues fine.

How many beers in a slab?

Does "yeah-nah" mean "Yes and no" or "Maybe" or "Yes I understand but

no I don't agree"?

The phrases "strewth" and "flamin' dingo" can be attributed to which TV

character?

a) Toadie from Neighbours

b) Alf from Home & Away

c) Agro from Agro's Cartoon Connection

d) Sgt. Tom Croydon from Blue Heelers

When cooking a barbecue do you turn the sausages:

a) Once or twice

b) As often as necessary to cook

c) After each stubby

d) Until charcoal?

Name three of the Daddo brothers.

Who was the original lead singer of AC/DC?

Which option describes your ideal summer afternoon:

a) Drinking beer a mate's place

b) Drinking beer at the beach

c) Drinking beer watching the cricket/footy

d) Drinking beer at a mate's place while watching the cricket before

going to the beach?

Would you eat pineapple on pizza?

Would you eat egg on a pizza?

How many cans of beer did David Boon consume on a plane trip from

Australia to England?

How many stubbies is it from Brissy to the Gold Coast in a Torana

travelling at 120km/h?

Who are Scott and Charlene?

 

How do you apply your tomato sauce to a pie?

a) Squirt and spread with finger

b) Sauce injection straight into the middle?

If the police raided your home would you:

a) Allow them to rummage through your personal items

b) Phone up the nearest talkback radio shock jock and complain

c) Put a written complaint in to John Howard and hope that he answers

it personally?

Which Australian Prime Minister held the world record for drinking a

yardie full of beer the fastest?

Have you ever had/do you have a mullet?

Thongs are:

a) Skimpy underwear

b) Casual footwear

c) They're called jandals, bro?

On which Ashes tour did Warney's hair look the best?

a) 1993

b)1997

c) 2001 or

d 2005?

What is someone is more likely to die of.

1) Red Back Spider

2) Great White Shark

3) Victorian Police Officer

4) King Brown Snake

5) Your missus after a big night

6) Dropbear?

How many times must a steak be turned on a conventional four-burner

barbie?

Can you sing along to Cold Chisel's Khe Sahn?

Explain both the "follow-on" and "LBW" rules in cricket and discuss the

pros and cons for the third umpire decisions in the latter....

Name at least 5 items that must be taken to a BBQ.

Who is current Australian test cricket captain:

a) Ricky Ponting

b) Don Bradman

c) John Howard

d) Makybe Diva?

Is it best to take a sick day on:

a) When the cricket's on?

b) When the cricket's on?

c) When the cricket's on?

What animal is on the Bundaberg Rum bottle?

What is the difference between a pot and a middy of beer?

What are Budgie smugglers?

Did you cry when Molly died on a Country Practice? 

A "Hoppoate" is:

a) A breed of kangaroo

b) A kind of Australian "wedgie"

c) A disgraced Rugby League player? 

What does having a 'chunder' mean? 

When you were young did you prefer the Hills Hoist over any swing set?

What do the following terms mean:

a) Mate?

b) Maate?

c) Maaaaaaate?

Best Aussie name is what?

a) Cheryl

b) Charlene

c) Bazza

d) Thommo

e) Shazza

What does the terminology 'True Blue' mean?

Game of Thrones stars Aussie wrestler

Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO starring Sean Bean, Lena Headey Jack Gleeson and Aussie wrestler Conan Stevens.

Anticipation for the series was described by various media outlets as extremely high, with a dedicated fan base closely following the show's development. By April 2011 multiple entertainment news outlets had described it as the most highly awaited television series of 2011.

The premiere episode attracted 2.2 million viewers its initial airing on April 17 in the U.S

Conan Stevens is an Australian professional wrestler, actor and scriptwriter. He is 7' 1/4" in height.

In Game of Thrones he is playing the role of Gregor Clegane. He made himself known to the fan community and to the series producers early in the development of the series and lobbied for the role, gaining fan support due to his enthusiasm for the project. He auditioned for the part of Khal Drogo in the pilot so as to put his name in circulation for Gregor when auditioning for the series itself took place.

Game of Thrones is about seven noble families who fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. The dominant families are the Houses Stark, Lannister, and Baratheon. Robert Baratheon, King of Westeros, asks his old friend Eddard, Lord Stark, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official.
Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Eddard accepts in order to investigate further. Meanwhile the Queen's family, the Lannisters, may be hatching a plot to take power.

Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Targaryens, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between these clans, and with the remaining great Houses Greyjoy, Tully, Arryn, and Tyrell, leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest North. Amidst the war and political confusion, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Conan Stevens feature Films


"The Hobbit" - Azog (in Production)

"Mystic Blade" - Butch (post production)

"Largo Wynch 2" - Nazachov's Bodyguard

"True Legend" - Kungfu/Action. Stunt Actor. International cinema

"E Tim Tai Nae" - Action/Comedy. Stunt Actor. Thai cinema

"Chandni Chowk To China" - Action. Principle Role/Stunts. International cinema

"Drona" - Action/Fantasy. Stunt Actor. Prosthetics and wire work. Indian cinema

“Som Tam” - Action. Principle role/Stunts. Thai cinema.

“Bangkok Adrenaline” - Action/Comedy. Principle comedy role/Stunts. Thai cinema

“Hanuman, The White Monkey Warrior” - Action. Stunt actor. Thai cinema

“Bodyguard 2” - Action/Comedy. Stunt actor. Thai cinema

“L'ile Aux Tresors” (“Treasured Island”) - Comedy/Action. Stunt actor. French cinema

“Powerkids” by Baa Ram Ewe. Drama/Action. Stunt actor. Thai cinema

“Man-Thing” (Marvel Comics) - Horror. Played as Man-thing. Full suit work/Stunts. International cinema.


Script Writer (Produced Movies)
"Bangkok Adrenaline" - feature length action/comedy. Thai cinema/International DVD

Hangover Cures

Hangovers are no fun even if the events leading up to the hangover were awesome.
Hangover cures may include virility laced beers, drinking raw eggs, Rocky-style, sweating it out in a sauna, running laps and mega-dosing on vitamins, are all examples of things people do to beat back a hangover but are they really so helpful?

Hangovers have a variety of symptoms, that may include dehydration, fatigue, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, weakness, elevated body temperature and heart rate, hyper salivation, difficulty concentrating, sweating, anxiety, dysphoria, irritability, sensitivity to light and noise, erratic motor functions (including tremor), trouble sleeping, severe hunger, halitosis, and lack of depth perception. Many people will also be repulsed by the thought, taste or smell of alcohol during a hangover. The symptoms vary from person to person, and how hard you have partied.

Hang over cures FACT OR FICTION

Virility laced beer: A UK company has designed a beer laced with viagra. Downing just three bottles is equivalent to taking one pill of Viagra, which will distract you from your hangover, for some time.
The new brew is called Royal Virility Performance, and was specially created to mark the  Royal Wedding.

A fried breakfast or Greasy Takeaway: like Mc Donalds, or eating bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes may provide salts and vitamins that have been lost, it wont stop you from feeling like crap.

Hair of the Dog:  Unfortunately for you  it’s completely ineffective.
Drinking when you’re suffering from a hangover makes you  feel better simply because alcohol dulls your senses. You could just as easily prescribe a double-shot of Tequila as a “remedy” for a cracked skull that you smashed on a urinal. You will get temporary relief from your hangover. but you’ll just prolong the agony.

Honey: (a significant fructose and glucose source) is often suggested as a way to reduce the effect of hangovers, and has been noted in many ancient manuscripts to be a hangover cure.

Mild analgesic: A couple of paracetamol either before going to bed or on waking may help the headache. Alcohol irritates the stomach lining so analgesics that irritate the stomach such as aspirin or ibuprofen are a big no no, you could end up spitting blood like a crazed zombie.

Multi-vitamins: While dehydration may mean that your body is low on vitamin B and C, there is minimal evidence to show that supplements such as vitamin B will help. But it will make your wee smell for days.

Coffee: While the caffeine in tea and coffee may make you feel more awake, too much caffeine will dehydrate you further,making you feel like your head was being squeezed in a sweaty sumo's arm pit.

Exercise: For the brave, exercise will actually speed up the detoxification process and take your mind off feeling terrible. It is important that you drink plenty of water before, during and after exercising, and don't exercise if you're feeling too groggy, as it may increase your risk of an accident, like riding your bike into a creek. ( Believe me I have done this before)

Water: Even better than just drinking a lot of water after the fact is drinking water throughout the prior night.
My unofficial never-have-hangovers routine is to drink a tall glass of water for every unit of alcohol I consume — a unit being one of the equivalency portions they teach in you in health class.
1 shot = 1 glass of wine = 1 beer.
Lets be honest though, would anyone do 20 shots in an evening, if they had to drink around seven litres of water to go with them?

Sleep: It won't end your hangover any quick but at least you'll be asleep while you wait it out."

 Remeber your liver can only process a certain amount of alcohol within an hour and nothing you do can increase the speed with which the liver can process the alcohol.

Tropfest short film festival

Tropfest is Australia’s most prestigious short film festival and one of its most iconic cultural events. It is also the largest short film festival in the world. At home, Tropfest is recognised for its enormous contribution to the development of the Australian film industry by providing unique platforms for emerging filmmakers through its events and initiatives, and new and expanded audiences for their work.


The annual short film competition is open to anyone who wishes to enter – regardless of their background or experience.
16 Finalists are selected from an entry pool of an average 650 annual entries and compete for more than $150,000 in prizes.

Worlds Largest Ship

Worlds Largest Ship measuring 480m (about six times as much as the largest aircraft carrier) and costing  Billions of dollars, will house a liquefied natural gas plant and float over offshore gas fields 220km from the Kimberley Coast in north-western Australia.

Displacing 600,000 tonnes and carrying 50,000 tonnes of equipment, the 75m-wide vessel, would use 260,000 tonnes of steel, and will be built to withstand "one in 10,000-year" tropical cyclones.

Gas for the vessel will come from the Browse Basin's Prelude field, which is thought to contain up to three trillion cubic feet of gas, and the Concerto field, about 16km away. The gargantuan ship will suck up the equivalent of 110,000 barrels of oil per day.

Freedom Ship will be a floating city that will contain over 50,000 permanent residents.

Unlike a cruise ship, Freedom Ship will be a floating city with permanent residents. The ship will circle the globe every two years and offer everything available in your hometown, including a hospital, college and one of the world's largest shopping malls.

Freedom Ship would not be a cruise ship, it is proposed to be a unique place to live, work, retire, vacation, or visit. The proposed voyage would continuously circle the globe, covering most of the world's coastal regions. Its large fleet of commuter aircraft and hydrofoils would ferry residents and visitors to and from shore. The airport on the ship's top deck would serve private and small commercial aircraft (up to about 40 passengers each).

­Freedom Ship will  become a home for the rich and famous. Suites start at $121,000 for a 300-square-foot room and go up to $11 million for a 5,100 square foot suite on the ship's exclusive 21st floor, where prices start at $3 million!

Grey Nomads Caravans and Campers

Doug i f***** told ya ten times to leave that boat back in Brissy !!!!!

Living in Outback Queensland, it is the time of year again (winter) when our quite little country towns become chock a block full of grey nomads, they boost our economy and bring tales of there travels.

Grey nomads are loved by people in the outback, they are always polite and are mostly interested in our community and what we get up too out here.

Birdsville Hotel

Grey nomads are normally older Australians, who after the kids have flown the coop and are no longer life's daily preoccupation, thousands of them hit the road and stay there.
Many of the grey nomads i have met outback, have been on the road for many years, one couple i met are still doing it after 16 years.

Hey man which way to Nimbin?

The nomadic lifestyle is becoming an option not just for hippies and tourists. The driving force behind its surge in popularity is our Baby Boomers retiring.

According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics there were more than 48,510 registered camper vans in Australia in 2010 an increase of  19.2% since 2005.

Seasonal work might once have been the domain of the young and the restless, but older workers are also increasingly getting into the industry.

While fruit picking might sound like back-breaking work, there are plenty of less demanding jobs available on fruit farms.

You can grade fruit, drive machinery, pack fruit, do some pruning and weeding, so fruit picking is something that has a growing appeal to grey nomads.

Grandparents Gwen and Ron Hellyar  travelled more than 1500km to help a family in western Queensland

Some of the remote outback stations out here, also look for extra help during their busy seasons.
Small odd jobs like painting, looking after the kids, or any handyman things that may need fixing, is a big help for these remote stations.  contact  www.frontierservices.org/outbacklinks/

 

Canetoad Timeline

EVIL CANETOADS ATTACK!!

Canetoads were released in Queensland in 1935.

Following the apparent success of the cane toad in eating the beetles that were threatening the sugarcane plantations of Puerto Rico, and the fruitful introductions into Hawaii and the Philippines, there was a strong push for the canetoad to be released in Australia to negate the pests that were ravaging the Queensland cane fields.

As a result, 102 canetoads were collected from Hawaii, equally comprising males and females, and brought to Australia.

After successful testing, by 1937 62,000 toadlets had been released into the wild. The canetoads became firmly established in Queensland, increasing exponentially in number and extending their range into the Northern Territory and New South Wales.
Recently, the toads have made their way into Western Australia and one has even been found on the far western coast in Broome.

Canetoads have rapidly multiplied in population and now number over 200 million and have been known to spread diseases affecting local biodiversity.

However, the canetoads were generally unsuccessful in reducing the targeted beetles, in part because the cane fields provided insufficient shelter for the predators during the day.

YUMMY!!! Lunch time

Canetoads have also been known to be a significant source of food for humans in their native environment; cane toads are cooked by skinning them and removing the internal organs (including the poisonous glands), then roasting them. It has been said they are like chicken except with a drier taste.

canetoad kung-fu

In Australian states where the canetoads are common, some 'sports' have developed, such as canetoad golf, and canetoad cricket, where canetoads are used as balls.

Australias biggest surf

Shipsterns Bluff Tasmania
Australias biggest surf breaks are very dangerous, a breaking wave can push surfers down 20 to 50 feet (6.2 m to 15.5 m) below the surface. Once they stop spinning around, they have to quickly regain their equilibrium and figure out which way is up. Surfers may have less than 20 seconds to get to the surface before the next wave hits them. Additionally, the water pressure at a depth of 20–50 feet can be strong enough to rupture one's eardrums. Strong currents and water action at those depths can also slam a surfer into a reef or the ocean floor, which can result in severe injuries or even death.


One of the greatest dangers is the risk of being held underwater by two or more consecutive waves. Surviving a triple hold-down is extremely difficult and surfers must be prepared to cope with these situations.

Tassie!

One of Australias biggest surf breaks and scariest, is Shipsterns Bluff it is located in between Cape Raoul and Tunnel Bay, Tasmania. It is approximately a 2 hour drive to the Westside of Tasman National Park where Shipsterns Bluff is located, it has two-hundred-metre cliffs rising vertically out of the ocean, and if you are looking for a reassuring hint of civilisation you won't find it.

It is approximately a 30km boat/jet ski ride to the location and is regarded amongst the surfing community as one of the wildest and most dangerous locations in the world, also considering waters surrounding the Shipsterns are known as habitat of great white sharks.

Shipstern Bluff's ferocity when seen at close quarters, will leave little doubt that this scary hellish right-hander could indeed be a crossover point to the Underworld. For decades this wave was more myth than reality, as no one had even considered surfing it.

Shipsterns Bluff ya ever love it or hate it!

 Rumours of a wave in Tasmania far gnarlier than anything on the mainland first drifted across Bass Strait in 2000. Up until that point the true, awful potential of Shipstern Bluff was known only by the local guys who'd already surfed it (at that stage about three of them).

Nature's raw power is not often on display like this.

Australias biggest surf breaks

Cow Bombie is deep water reef break about 2 km offshore from the Western Australian suburb of Grace Town, south of Perth. It is now recognised as one of Australia's big wave hot spots, having produced XXL awards Australasia biggest wave, upwards of 40ft in 2009
More recently big wave rider Mark Viser has said "If the conditions are right, it could be up to 60ft (18m)," Visser said. "It's a massive wave which rarely breaks and it's the biggest wave in the country."

Mark Visser

LOVE and hate. Fear and bravery. Tragedy and humour. Life and death. Blind panic and an exhilaration beyond comprehension. Fine lines.


Alfy Carter rode the line. He rode the line with a bunch of his mates at a previously secret place, "Cow Bombie", in Western Australia. Here, the waves resemble mountains. Here, courage, patience, sanity and heart are tested as never before. Here, Carter made his name.

He isn't claiming his wave was the biggest ever ridden in Australia - he doesn't want to sound like a smart-arse. He doesn't have to. Everyone else is doing it for him. The proof is in the photograph. The proof is in his nomination for the hugely prestigious 2006 Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards. The proof is in the shaking heads, the rolling eyes, the disbelief in anyone who speaks about it.

The fine line. Carter rode it and landed on the preferred side, the side where there's love and bravery and humour and exhilaration and life.

He's getting all the kudos, but he's lucky he wasn't killed that day.

Before the thunder rolled in - his wave - Carter had been pummelled by a wave of comparable magnitude. He went down so deep it was as black as night. Twice he had to equalise the pressure pounding in his head. He was tossed around like a rag doll, unable to take a breath, telling himself not to freak out . . . don't freak out, whatever you do, don't freak out . . . but, with every passing second, the time to start freaking out drew closer. Forty seconds after going under, he came back up.
Australias biggest surf breaks.

 

Bondi Beach

One of many celebrities who visit our fair shores, Snoop Dogg enjoys a leisurely stroll along Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach, what better place to find yourself during 100-plus-degree temperatures in Australia, than along Sydney’s iconic beach.
Bondi beach is also a haven for backpackers, with lots of hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation.

Bondi Beach is one of Australia's most famous beaches and among the world's most well-known beaches. The beach is roughly a kilometre long and is patrolled by TV celebrity lifeguards.
Bondi Rescue is an Australian factual television program which is broadcast on Channel Ten. The program follows the day to day life of the lifeguards at work patrolling Bondi Beach.
Bondi Rescue is also broadcast in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Hong Kong and worldwide on National Geographic Adventure.

Bondi beach is the closest beach to the Sydney city centre (8kms), this south facing beach can attract more than 40,000 visitors on a typical summer weekend.

Offering topless sunbathing, swimming and great surfing for boards and bodies, the beach is popular with Australians as well as international tourists.

Amy Winehouse helping out the lifeguards at Bondi

Bondi Beach lifeguards perform around 2,500 rescues over the summer period, dealing with lost children, shark scares, sexual deviants, and thieves on the beach in addition to watching the water. Every once in a while celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Russell Crowe, Richard Branson, Hugh Grant, Zac Efron, Rowan Atkinson, David Hasslehoff, and the Indian Cricket Team also make appearances on their shores.

In 2007, the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot was set at Bondi Beach, with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part.

Year after year, thousands of backpackers, travellers, visitors, even locals converge on the golden sands of Bondi Beach to spend Christmas Day at one of Sydney’s iconic beaches. Decked out in bold red Santa hats and proudly wearing Christmas decorations around bikinis, girl elves in short red skirts and men in Santa costumes are common sightings.

Beachgoers park their decorated Christmas trees next to their beach towels, pose for photographs in the front of the surf, even take on to surfboards in their best Christmas beachwear.

Bondi Beach is patrolled 365 days a year

DON'T FORGET - Always swim between the flags