Port Arthur Tasmania

Port Arthur is one of Australia’s Best Known Historical sites, receiving over 250,000 visitors each year.

Port Arthur is also one of Australia's most significant heritage areas and the open air museum is officially Tasmania's top tourist attraction.
Port Arthur is located approximately 60 km south east of the state capital, Hobart, on the Tasman Peninsula.

From 1833, until 1853, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals, those who were secondary offenders having re-offended after their arrival in Australia. Rebellious personalities from other convict stations were also sent here, a quite undesirable punishment. In addition Port Arthur had some of the strictest security measures of the British penal system.

Port Arthur was sold as an inescapable prison, much like the later Alcatraz Island in the United States. Some prisoners were not discouraged by this, and tried to escape.

On the road between Hobart and Port Arthur the Tasman Peninsula and it’s famous coastal features can’t be missed. The Remarkable Cave is called that because when the tide is low enough and you can stand at the mouth of the cave you can see the shape of Tasmania through to the other end’s opening.

The Tasman Arch is also situated on the Tasman Peninsula in close proximity to the Remarkable Cave. This one of natures marvels on how over the years the waves have eroded the softer layers of rock from below and the stronger top layers are still withstanding the forces of nature. The famous Blow Hole is also here

On 28 April 1996, Martin Bryant went on a killing spree at Port Arthur, murdering 35 people and wounding 21 more before being captured by the Special Operations Group of the Tasmania Police. This led to a national ban on semi-automatic shotguns and rifles.

The Great Barrier Reef Australia

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world's largest reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs, and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi)
Over 99 percent of the World Heritage Area falls within the boundaries of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia.

Some Facts
Tourism to the reef generates approximately AU$ 4-5 billion per year.

Has 130 species of sharks and rays The smallest and largest sharks in the world have been seen on the reef: The Dogfish (less than 30cm), and the Whale Shark (up to 21m)

Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in the Great
Barrier Reef.

Home to approx 13,000 dugong (Australia's entire dugong population is
about 90 000)

Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed.

215 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) visit the reef or nest or roost on the islands.

Seventeen species of sea snake live on the Great Barrier Reef.

More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef.

360 species of hard coral.

One third of the world's soft corals.

5000 - 8000 species of molluscs (eg. shells)

400 - 500 species of marine algae

600 species of echinoderm (eg.starfish, sea urchins)

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. 
This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.


The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions.

Australia Vs New Zealand

New Zealand Armed Forces

 New Zealand defence story.
by David Blake

 It's well known that New Zealand's defence force is less than intimidating on a world scale.


Less well known is that our woefully inadequate defence spending, and sometimes isolationist foreign policy, could be jeopardising our trade links with key partners such as the US and Australia.

New Zealand defence spending has always been low by international standards, both in actual terms and as a percentage of GDP. A 2005 parliament briefing report shows New Zealand consistently spends less than the US, UK, Australia and Canada, spending less than one per cent of GDP between 2003-2004. Yet Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said in May this year that our defence budget is about right.

So what? New Zealand's physical isolation and happy-go-lucky nature will protect us from harm, you say? If not, our disarming sense of humour and all-round likeability... then surely our friends will come to our aid?

New Zealand Army reserves

While the threat of military aggression from another state is unlikely, New Zealand's lack of military prowess may be costing us in terms of trade negotiations and privilege if we are perceived to be unwilling or unable to pull our weight in maintaining global peace and security.

Recent criticisms from visiting geopolitical commentator, George Friedman, echo concerns made by policy analysts here and overseas.


Friedman says New Zealand's perception that it can pick and choose whether to engage in military operations, such as the Iraq war, and still expect to be listened to in trade talks with the US is naive.

By contrast, he says that Australia has obtained its privileged position of strategic ally with the US through a long-term commitment to military assistance and cooperation.

So New Zealand's joke of a defence force might not be so funny after all, especially from the point of view of some of our closest friends and allies.

New Zealand Airforce

In the 1970s, the international community imposed boycotts on South Africa in protest against its apartheid system. While most countries, including Australia, joined the boycotts, New Zealand continued to send the All Blacks on rugby tours and continued to receive Springbok tours to New Zealand.


Aside from maintaining sporting relations with white South Africa and devaluing the ANZUS treaty, the nature of New Zealand's international relations can be inferred from their bid for the 2003 rugby World Cup.

When stripping New Zealand of its right, the IRB issued a statement declaring:

"Generous accommodations made by RWCL to meet the needs and problems of the NZRU were repaid with consistent failures and wholly inappropriate behaviour. Despite this, the Council determined to give full and fair hearing to New Zealand's position and to its most recent submissions. However, the outstanding Australian proposal held an attraction, a professionalism and a logic which were irresistible. "

Is it time that we gave up our independent foreign policy aspirations and toed the line for our trading partners?

Save Australia

When the shearing sheds are silent and the stock camps fallen quiet

When the gidgee coals no longer glow across the outback night

And the bush is forced to hang a sign, '. Gone broke and won't be back'

And spirits fear to find a way beyond the beaten track

When harvesters stand derelict upon the wind swept plains

And brave hearts pin their hopes no more on chance of loving rains

When a hundred outback settlements are ghost towns overnight

When we've lost the drive and heart we had to once more see us right

When 'Pioneer' means a stereo and 'Digger' some backhoe

And the 'Outback' is behind the house. there's nowhere else to go

And 'Anzac' is a biscuit brand and probably foreign owned

And education really means brainwashed and neatly cloned

When you have to bake a loaf of bread to make a decent crust

And our heritage once enshrined in gold is crumbling to dust

And old folk pay their camping fees on land for which they fought

And fishing is a great escape; this is until you're caught

When you see our kids swearing in the street and substance blood shot eyes

And the soaring crime and hopeless hearts is no longer a surprise

When the name of RM Williams is a yuppie clothing brand

Not a product of our heritage that grew up off the land

When offering a hand makes people think you'll end their fate

And two dogs meeting in the street is what you call a 'Mate'

When 'Political Correctness' has replaced all common sense

When you're forced to see it their way, there's no sitting on the fence

Yes one day you might find yourself an outcast in this land

Perhaps your heart will tell you then, ' I should have made a stand'

Just go and ask the farmers that should remove all doubt

Then join the swelling ranks who say, '. Don't sell Australia out'

The Wiggles

The Wiggles for several years now have hovered around the top of the BRW's top 10 list of Australia's richest entertainers,with earnings of $45 million in 2009 and taking out third spot in 2010 with earnings of $33.5 million from live performances, merchandising and television endorsements.

 Who would have thought? Throwing two former preschool teachers, a rock band keyboardist and a singer together, to create the world's most famous pop band for toddlers.

They have earned seventeen gold, twelve platinum, three double-platinum, and ten multi-platinum awards for sales of over 17 million DVDs and four million CDs.

2006 Australian export of the year award

The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album. In 2006, Page was forced to retire from the group due to illness and was replaced by understudy Sam Moran.

Source: Peter Nicholson http://nicholsoncartoons.com.au/

Their debut performance was at a pre-school in Randwick. They busked at Circular Quay, performing for crowds disembarking from Manly Ferry, and toured in Westfield shopping centres. They performed at pre-schools, for small audiences of 300-400 people,and were promoted by local playgroups or nursing mothers' associations with whom they split their proceeds.

The Wiggles first album in Australia, cost approximately A$4,000 to produce and it sold 100,000 copies in 1991.

In 1993, Field, Cook, and Page, along with Fatt, decided to give up teaching for a year to focus on performing full-time to see if they could make a living out of it.

The Wiggles created thirteen episodes of a self-produced television series, which they funded from their tours and video sales. They sold the program to Australia's Channel Seven, and then moved it to the ABC in 1998 and to the Disney Channel in 1999. and the rest as they say is history.


Characters

Dorothy the Dinosaur
Dorothy is a rososaurus, a yellow-spotted herbivorous green dinosaur with surprisingly scary teeth.

Captain Feathersword
Captain Feathersword, "the friendly pirate", wears a hat, patch, and puffy shirt and wields a "feathery saber.

Henry the Octopus
Henry the Octopus, who directs an underwater band, likes to sing and to breakdance with his eight legs.

Wags the Dog
Wags is a tall, brown, furry dog with floppy ears and a happy face.

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/