https://www.ozervnews.com

Here in Tas, we will see how good the nbn really is next week, when they shut the schools and go online. Our local school is virtually empty and lots of kids travel to Hobart for school are home, but not on the streets. We have a very small town, now it looks smaller and not even the cray fishermen are working.

NP said,

Been watching the lifestyle channel and youtube westerns, so sick of never ending virus stuff. Turn the sound down on the lifestyle channel, can't stand hearing yanks talking, they are so far up themselves it's annoying. They do have some lovely scenery on the shows, which is what i like seeing as you don't get to see scenes like that on the average show, especially the international house hunters one. some beautiful places hidden away on this planet.

With you on that one, NP!

Watched "Outback Truckers" & another Yank-made doco on the Ghan t'other night.
Both used sub-titles so the Yanks could understand the AUSTRALIAN accent!
Maybe all Yank-originated programs should have compulsory sub-titles so we can understand THEIR accents!!
... and the way the Yank on the Ghan carried on, you'd have thought he had just personally discovered Australia for the benefit of his audience Back Home!
They are a very insular people, who think the Good Ol' US of A is the only land on the planet with worthwhile scenery, and is God's gift to the rest of the world. And as for the Oz outback truckers... every creek crossing & tyre change was high drama!

Teacher friend (now retired) did a six-week exchange with a school in LA. Over lunch one of their teachers asked her what Perth was like. (Friend had explained that she lived in Melbourne, on the SE corner of Oz.) She replied that she had never been to Perth, as it was on the other side of the country.
They were amazed that she hadn't visited the other side of the island.
She then asked if the questioner had been to New York. "Of course not," came the reply, "that's over 2000 miles away."
"Well," our friend explained, "Perth is about the same distance from Melbourne." Stunned silence.
In the ensuing discussion they revealed that they thought, as Australia was an island, it must be about the size of Hawaii.

Mannum is turning into a bit of a ghost town, the Easter week-end will be the real test to see how we are fairing. two pubs and the club are shut, but the bottle shops at each pub are still operating.

It is the same up here at Yarrawonga-Mulwala. All the pubs, clubs and pokie palaces are closed. I haven't been over the bridge today to see if the Vics have cleared out the C/park yet, but they say they will. I think that a few will wander over the bridge and park up in the bushland adjoining the river on the NSW side. Some of us Qlder's can't can't get back home now, because the dodo's have closed that border. I will have to check with some of the old workmates that used to border hop every day to see how they went.
Easter sure will be a big test. One day we will get back to our new normal. Who knows when that will be.

Greynomad wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:06 am With you on that one, NP!

Watched "Outback Truckers" & another Yank-made doco on the Ghan t'other night.

Always amuses me Ray when some of the know it all medium actors come to Aus and are blown away by what it really is like. In reality, we are probably the only people on the planet who really understand what open space is, compared to covered or desert space. If you've traveled a lot overseas, particularly of the touro track, you soon get to appreciate what the planet is really like and when in my opinion, you've also trucked round the big brown land using various methods. My best times when traveling, was always when going by commercial shipping, you get to see places very few would be game to go near and from the deck or under the shipping umbrella, you get to see a lot of frightening and sometimes fascinating happenings.

Pushed a few 40m+ rigs around the back blocks myself Ray, never a dull moment, not even when parked up for the night lots of times. Never got used to seeing the amazing stars shows at night, sometimes horizon to horizon of sparking brilliance and it got me into amateur astronomy (sadly neglected since music came along). Outback trucker started off pretty good, but like most Aus TV today just pathetic replica's of yank crap, which concentrates on dramatic emotional outbursts and outcomes. All boring to me, having such a great time watching old westerns, especially John Wayne, never had much time for him, only saw him once when very young and couldn't stand the drawl. Since watching him in movies going back to the early 1930's recently, that guy was amazing. He did all his stunts, was an amazing rider and could shoot 27 shots out of six gun. I admire that sort of rationalisation of resources.

So will leave you Ray, with thoughts going through my head of tomorrow, sitting by the fire, eating water melon and freshly ground peanut butter on home made lots of grains bread for brekkie watching the cowdies save the girls, chase Indians and shoot each other. What better life could one want in the muddle of a crisis, when you're not in the middle of it as most of us aren't I believe. Hi Ho Silver, come back

NP John Wayne's 6 gun was in reality a 28 shot. He never had that chamber with a round in it incase he accidentally shot his hip off ... truth I wouldn't lie about suppin like that
Bernie .

Bugger missed that fine detail, probably to much watermelon.