The Nullarbor

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:17:37 +1000, kangaroo16
wrote in
:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:09:41 +0800, wrote in
:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:56:32 GMT, kangaroo16
wrote:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:15:39 +0800, wrote in
:

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:35:24 GMT, kangaroo16
wrote:

On 27 Sep 2007 02:38:22 -0400, Dick Adams
wrote in :

kangaroo16
Dick Adams wrote:

Where does the Nullarbor begin and where does it end?

No definite points, opinion differs. IMHO, when driving from
east to west, would say that Ceduna was the last eastern outpost.

{{{{{{{snip, see original posts}}}}}

Nullarbor Plain

"This is a vast, treeless, flat, limestone plain covering
270 000 square kilometres. It is 50 m - 200 m above sea level,
extending for 2000 km across the southern parts..."

Nullarbor plain...... 2000km across..... I don't think so......

NO way.......

Yeah, I know, it seems longer! :-) Of course, I crossed it, and
drove a goodly portion of it, decades ago, at night.

Have you crossed it? Was it paved when you did? In that case,
it might seem shorter.:-)

Only the odd few times..... First time was around 1965, when it was
still dirt from Norseman in WA to Port Augusta in SA.

That time it took a mate and myself three days just to do the Norseman
to Ceduna stretch, camping out each night along the way.

Still unpaved in 1967 when hitchiked from Sydney to Perth with a
mate. Hitching was easier in those days, and we had learned
enough to put large sign on one frame pack, magic marker on
flourescent orange plastic, that said "USA to Perth". Were just
west of Ceduna when a bloke in a car sped past, pulled up a 100
meters or so, then backed up to where we were.

Turned out to be a salesman who had to be in Perth the next day,
said that he had decided to pick us up to help keep him awake.
All of us had drivers licenses, so told him we could do better
than that, we could rotate the driving. He liked that idea even
better, so I drove the midnight to 4 AM shift.Got to Perth about
noon, from memory.:-)


In any case, I must admit that I didn't personally measure the
distance. I'm quoting data from The Australian Museum

http://www.amonline.net.au/geoscienc...h/nullabor.htm

Someone there seriously needs to get their bottom smacked over that,
as any map will show that is totally incorrect.


If you do a Whereis.com.au map directions enquiry, you'll find that
the distance from Norseman to Ceduna is shown as 1206.21 km.

You even make mention of a distance around this figure further down in
your original post, between these 2 places.

If they are in error, I'm sure that they would be grateful if you
pointed out why you think them to be in error.

See above, perhaps you could point this out to them.

If you don't want to, I'm certainly willing. I don't like to
make errors in posts, especially when am misled by a supposedly
reliable source. Perhaps we should both criticise them.

Or, if group members want to "stir" a little, over the
next few days we could all criticise them. :-)

Have read that advertising managers have called on the carpet
for a nationwide ad on the basis of 3 or 4 complaints.

OTOH, as a Christian I shouldn't even suggest that course of
action. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".

To be more precise:

John 8:7
King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain
[A Public Domain Bible] [KJV at Zondervan] [Zondervan]

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and
said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone at her.
John 8:7 (King James Version)


http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...:7;&version=9;

Or for those who wish to dig deeper:
http://bible.cc/john/8-7.htm


There is a lot of good info on the net, but a lot of crap as
well. What gets me is spelling errors by people who should
know better, such as a scientific or medical article posted by
some Ph.D. or M.D.

Am not talking here of spelling variations such as the English
"whisky" which Yanks spell "whiskey", but misspelling of common
words.

If they write it themselves, do they post it themselves or
dictate it to a secretary? If so, do they proofread it? Do
neither of them use a spellchecker program?

To be more charitable, perhaps at some point electrical
interference may flip a "0" to a "1" and vice-versa?
..... However, it seems to happen much more often than one would
think. In any case, would think that they would check their
posted website copy.


It might be useful if you quote your full header, as follows:

[snip]

Doubt this? Click on it to show full header of your message. In
Agent Forte, you could toggle full headers on and off by pressing
key "h".

I don't know if this works for the free version, as haven't used
it for ten years or so, but it certainly works in Agent Forte.
Try it and see!

Incidentally, have been working on something else, and checking
groups every few minutes. According to your full header, your
message was posted at:
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:15:39 +0800

GMT +0800 is WA time ....not Kiwi time

_Mea culpa maxima_! You are right, of course! I shouldn't
write posts "off the top of my head" should I? :-)

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Current time Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 2:47:49 PM EST
UTC/GMT Offset Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +10 hours
No daylight saving time at the moment
Time zone abbreviation: EST - Eastern Standard Time
Daylight Saving Time DST ended on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at
3:00 AM local daylight time DST starts on Sunday, October 28,
2007 at 2:00 AM local standard time
See time changes/daylight saving time in other years

Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Current time Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 12:49:59 PM WST
UTC/GMT Offset Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +8 hours No
daylight saving time at the moment Time zone abbreviation:
WST - Western Standard Time

To me, this indicates you might be a "Kiwi" posting from
"Kiwiland" :-)

My mistake, thanks for the correction!

This doesn't negate your question, but am a bit interested in why
you don't think that 2,000 kM is a reasonable length for the
Nullabour Plain.

See above

After all, 2,000 km = 1,242.80 miles, and N.Z. does use the
metric system, doesn't it?

I don't claim to be free of errors, as I even managed to
get the Tropic of Capricorn confused with Tropic of Cancer.
[As don't usually proofread posts, just spellcheck.]

Now I could seek other sources, written or on the net, for the
2,000 km figure, and will do this if you think it necessary.

It may be interesting..... go for it. with all the stuff you put in
your posts, you obviously have the time to look around for
information.

True, but like most people, I don't bother, and take some things
for granted. Ask a yank the boiling point of water and the
freezing point of water and he will say 212 degrees and 32
degrees. If a bit pedantic, he might add "Fahrenheit".

Ask an Aussie the same question, and he will probably say
100 and 0, If a bit pedantic, he might add "C", or "Celsius"
or "Centigrade".

As you probably know, both are actually meaningless unless
one adds "using distilled water at "STP" or "Standard Temperature
and Pressure" using a certified class A lab thermometer or
other certified and calibrated scientific instrument. ....And
even then, to what decimal point accuracy are we considering and
when was the instrument last certified? :-)

I've read UFO books where the author used silica, silicon, and
silicone interchangably. IMHO, if the author hasn't checked his
facts, I shouldn't depend too much on his suppositions.:-)

Is attention to detail important? Well, it can be. Suppose
someone is searching the net for information on "scotch whiskey"?
A Yank would spell it this way, but a Pom would search for
"scotch wiskey".

So for the maximium number of returns, in practice, should
search under both spellings.

Search terms should all be in lower case as well, as you probably
know :-)

Proof? Well, I could ask readers to check on Google, but in an
attempt to atone for my mistakes, will save them a bit of time,
if they bother to read our posts at all. :-)

Results 1 - 10 of about 2,090,000 for scotch whiskey.
Results 1 - 10 of about 2,090,000 for Scotch whiskey.

.....So possibly the net has got this one sorted out.

scotch whisky: Results 1 - 10 of about 1,930,000 for scotch
whisky [definition].

Scotch whisky: Results 1 - 10 of about 2,010,000 for Scotch
whisky

Interesting! If do this excercise again, will try for a better
example!

"tyre" v.s. "tire" perhaps? Oh, well, won't take long.

Results 1 - 10 of about 12,900,000 for tyre [definition]. (0.12
seconds)

Results 1 - 10 of about 63,900,000 for tire [definition]. (0.04
seconds)

Oh well, should be enough to show a Pommie that if looking for
info on "tyres" or "tires" he or she should search with both
terms! :-)

Will avoid the temptation to insert a pommie joke. Perhaps am
mellowing with age! :-)

You really now need to make sure you get the correct information.

Point taken, but like most people I do have some time
limitations. At my age, could "kark it" or "fall off the perch"
tonight.

Of course, as Kenny Rogers sang in "The Gamblers Song"

Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep"

http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Ken...e-Gambler.html

A link from:
http://drneau.com/poker_soundtrack_ideas.htm

------------------------

Unexpected break! Wife came in, asked if wanted to see a
documentary on Sydney channel 7, 4:30 PM,

"Is their life after death (PGa Rpt CC)
A doctoris pronounced dead after a heart attack, but awakes five
hours later. 55455

Have you seen it in W.A.? ... If not, I would suggest that you
try to. It might extend your horizons.

My wife interruped this post to you and others thinking I would
be interested.

I was, and and we discussed it on commercial breaks.

Excellent program, discussed both the "religious" and
"scientific" sides of the issue.

Before anyone asks, yes, I have a "N.D.E" or "Near Death
Experience".

If you and others have read this far, they might wonder why
I bother to "range far and wide" on groups.

Dunno, actually, perhaps just a "hunch" that some reader might
value my posts.(Shrug!) Not that unusual, many people have.

Most are reluctant to talk about it, though.

Why? ... Well as most psychologists, psychiatrists, or priests,
or even MD's would tell you, most people are aren't all that
truthful!

If into poetry, See:
http://www.wonko.info/albatross/default.htm


Too much other stuff down below to go any further.... Bye and have a
nice day.

Trying to, and has worked out rather well actually.

However, I do think you should be able to find a better
point to challenge me on. :-)

Perhaps something along the lines of how one differentiates
between a "kangaroo" and a "wallaby"?

Well, on usenet, I generally offer the very rough definition that
most Aussies use. If it is below waist height, and looks like a
'roo, then it is likely to be a "wallaby". If higher, a 'roo.
:-)

Then again, not many macropods in N.Z. from memory. The other
marsupials such as the opossums seem to be doing rather well over
there, though!:-)

Personally, am amazed at how many "yanks", of which I am one,
consider Australia and N.Z. to be "close together".



They aren't, of course, and must try to get there someday and
have a look. I actually am interested in volcanoes and
earthquakes.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Australia is outside the "Pacific
Ring of Fire". Those who don't know what this means should
"Google it" or check on "Plate Tectonics" as well.

Still, I don't mean to denigrate N.Z. It is at least somewhat
close to Australia, thus in one of the better parts of the world!
:-)

After all, you wouldn't want to live in the U.K. or the U.S.,
would you? :-)

Are you in N.Z. at all, or just using a server there? If there,
are you an immigrant, or born there?

Slow day on " rec.travel.australia+nz" but then again, seems to
be a very slow group, compared to most.

In other words, when I go online, doesn't take me more than a
couple of minutes to check both visitor and immigration groups.

Still, we have some tourist attractions on at the moment.

You, and others might like to check out:

--------------------------------------
Outback race to flush out fastest dunny

Posted 6 hours 5 minutes ago

* Map: Winton 4735

The world's eyes, and noses, are on the outback central western
Queensland town of Winton today for the Australian Dunny
Derby....

http://www.abc.com.au/news/stories/2...28/2045954.htm

[snip]

Perhaps I should say a few phrase in "strine" for the benifit
of brave readers who may read this post" A message to you in
"strine" you which may not be understatandable to others:

" Fair go mate! Don't come the raw prawn with me"! "Not an
"alf" "Gidday you old *******" I would assume from your posts
that you have have been "back of beyond".

Don't want to "Have a Barney" with you.

I don't really think that you are "trying Big note yourself", or
are really "Doing your Block"

Cheers,
kangaroo16

On 9/29/07 3:29 AM, in article ,
"kangaroo16" wrote:

snip
Am not talking here of spelling variations such as the English
"whisky" which Yanks spell "whiskey", but misspelling of common
words.

These spelling are not an English-US variation. Only scotch whisky and
Canadian whisky can spell the word without the "e" Apparently, is an
acknowledgement of the quality and history of the product. They are both
quite different in flavour.

Martha Canada

snip

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:49:20 GMT, MI
wrote in :




On 9/29/07 3:29 AM, in article ,
"kangaroo16" wrote:

snip
Am not talking here of spelling variations such as the English
"whisky" which Yanks spell "whiskey", but misspelling of common
words.

These spelling are not an English-US variation. Only scotch whisky and
Canadian whisky can spell the word without the "e" Apparently, is an
acknowledgement of the quality and history of the product. They are both
quite different in flavour.

Thanks for the info! Was unaware of that, as scotch is one of
the distilled spirits that I seldom drink as I actually don't
like the taste. Given a choice of spirits, I much prefer a good
bourbon, or even vodka.

When attending university in the US, took organic chemistry.
Every student was regularly issued 100 ml of ethanol,
C2H5OH, to remove traces of water from washed
glassware.

However, students being students, a considerable percentage
of the ethanol was diverted for beverage purposes!

Chemically pure ethanol suitably diluted to the proper
percentage makes the purest vodka obtainable.

It could even be cautiously sipped. I have heard from
a reliable source, a naval officer, that a medical
corpsman on a ship used to fill a small glassful of
pure ethanol when he went on duty, and sipped
it occasionally.

Unfortunately, he found that an officer was about
to make an unexpected visit to the sick bay, so, not wanting
to be caught, grabbed the glass and drank it all.

What he hadn't realised, though, is that alcohol is
very volatile. He gasped as he drank it, vapors
hit his lungs, and he ended up with frostbite of the lungs.

Somewhat stupid of him, actually, but he made a full recovery
after a couple of days.

In another case, a medical student decided that a quick
drunk could be obtained if he injected himself I.V. with
ethanol.

Unfortunately, he injected it far too rapidly, and died
quite quickly as a result.

From memory, Alexander Pope wrote in an "Essay on Criticism":

"A little learning is a dangerous thing: Drink deep or taste
not the Pierian spring . . ."

However, not wanting to make further errors, will check it
online.:-)

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or
taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate
the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/10400.html

For full poem, see first line of 16th stanza at:
http://poetry.eserver.org/essay-on-criticism.html

A recommended exercise for those readers who think
I suffer from prolixity ;-)

Cheers,
Kangaroo 16

""A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or
taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate
the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."




taste of it.

Martha Canada

snip

Actually, should have gone into a bit more detail here. On many
highways and roads, even comparatively near the major cities.
most people prefer to travel during the day.

Would very much like to see the Nullabor some day!!

On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:33:49 -0500, wrote in
:

Actually, should have gone into a bit more detail here. On many
highways and roads, even comparatively near the major cities.
most people prefer to travel during the day.

Would very much like to see the Nullabor some day!!

From your full header I gather that you might be from
the eastern USA. If so, I can appreciate your yen for the
"wide open spaces" with a low population.

Before migrating to Australia, most of my life was
spent in the western states of the USA.

Horace Greeley, from memory, said "Go west, young
man, go west". If already on the west coast of the
U.S.A., the alternatives of Hawaii or other islands
didn't appeal to me. Australia was further west, and
seemed more potentially interesting.

I don't regret my choice, or I would come back to the USA.
I haven't been there for decades, even for a visit.

Some people think the Nullarbor boring, and I suppose it
is for some people who are merely crossing it to get to
W.A. However, it is limestone, which means that lots of
sinkholes and limestone caves. Some, but not all, have
been discovered and explored, so the Nullarbor is
of considerable interest to spelunkers.

As may have mentioned before on this group, Australia has a lot
of surprises. The only country in the world with wild camels.
From memory, about 95% of insect species haven't been
scientifically classified. So it is possible to achieve
immortality by having the opportunity to have a species
named after you.

Not only insects, of course. It wasn't that long ago when
someone discovered a new species of frog.

However, no one has scientifically proven the existence of the
legendary "bunyip".

The Australian bush at night can be an interesting place.
I will never forget the cry of one nocturnal bird whose cry
sounds exactly like a woman screaming. Almost guaranteed to
awaken most travelers or migrants who haven't heard it before!

Most Australian flowering plants are only found growing wild in
this corner of the world. All native vertebrate animals are
marsupials, not placental mammals.

In the USA, the only wild marsupial animal, from memory, is
an opossum. Many years ago someone introduced them to New
Zealand, where they have become a nuisance, but Cath can tell the
group about these if she wishes. She should be an expert on
nuisance behavior, after all. :-)

I'm actually surprised at the percentage of Americans who
have never had a passport, or even traveled to Canada or Mexico!

When there, once met a Yank in his fifties who had never traveled
more than 150 miles from his place of birth.

IMHO, Australia is one of the most desirable tourist destinations
in the world. It is not only very interesting but it is a safe
destination. Safer than many parts of the USA, actually, let
alone some other exotic destinations, such as Africa.

Americans are popular here, even Texan visitors and migrants.:-)

Added just to reassure Janet! :-)

If you, or other readers, have any questions, I will try to
answer them. I could provide a valid e-mail address, of course,
but see no reason to do so. For the simple reason that it isn't
necessary. If anyone has any questions, they, and the answers,
may be of interest to other readers.

Note to "Cath": I don't do long distance medical or
psychological assessments even by e-mail, let alone on groups. I
would suggest that she contact a qualified local practitioner.

Possibly she won't, as "arrogant" or "controlling" personalities
often refuse to seek help for their condition.

They tend to "suppress" or "repress" their condition. Even
though it is fairly obvious to many others. Especially if
they have a few drinks at a party.

As someone once said, to use Freudian terminology,
"Alcohol is a superego solvent." :-)

Which, as usual, reminds me of another joke: Two psychoanalysts
pass in a hallway. One says "good morning". The other wonders
what he meant by that.

Also applies to some psychiatrists, actually. Usenet often
offers a fruitful field of research, though.

Anyway, have been busy on other tasks yesterday and today, so am
a bit behind on usenet posts.

I would recommend that you, personally, try to visit Australia,
as not only has the Nullarbor, but many other experiences as
well.

Must try to answer other posts on groups, though, so will
close for now.

Cheers,
Kangaroo16

From your full header I gather that you might be from
the eastern USA. If so, I can appreciate your yen for the
"wide open spaces" with a low population.

I'm in Missouri..the Midwest.... but have always been
attracted to desolate and wide open places. Just
something abt them

I first learned of the Nullarbor when reading this book
last winter. se link

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Beer-Croc.../dp/0792263650

Here is a photo of the Nullarbor taken from the side of the highway.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tlydv

This one is of that part of the highway near Eucla WA. The "fog" is actually
sea mist off the Southern Ocean.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2lxbb4

Ross

ps. these files are about 300 K each.

wrote in message
...
From your full header I gather that you might be from
the eastern USA. If so, I can appreciate your yen for the
"wide open spaces" with a low population.

I'm in Missouri..the Midwest.... but have always been
attracted to desolate and wide open places. Just
something abt them

I first learned of the Nullarbor when reading this book
last winter. se link

http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Beer-Croc.../dp/0792263650

Here is a photo of the Nullarbor taken from the side of the highway.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2tlydv

This one is of that part of the highway near Eucla WA. The "fog" is actually
sea mist off the Southern Ocean.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2lxbb4

Ross

ps. these files are about 300 K each.

wow!

Incredible!!

Its so desolate it appears you can see the curve of the
earth!

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:34:57 GMT, kangaroo16
wrote:

SNIP0ES Huge snips.....

Further to our previous discussions regarding the location and size of
the Nullarbor......

The plot thickens !!

Here are the transcripts of the e-mails I sent to and received from
the Australian national Museum, and their information from their
geosciences staff, regarding the information you posted
previously.....

I am Astounded !!


--------- Original message --------

Tony ned said on :

Hi,

Just reading one of the newsgroups, and the subject of the Nullarbor
plain was mentioned.

The person posting quoted your page on the Nullarbor plain, and the
figure of 2000km being the length of the plain.

This is all news to me as from Norseman in WA to Ceduna in SA is only
around 1200km.

Perhaps someone could clarify then, where the supposed start and end
of the actual Nullarbor Plain are.

Sent by the AM Public Enquiry System from Australian Museum Enquiries
on Wednesday October 10, 2007 at 09:01 AEST




Which attracted this reply....

On 10 Oct 2007 at 9:02, Australian Museum Enquiries wrote:

Dear Tony,

Thankyou for your enquiry. I checked with our Geosciences' staff and
got this response:

"Hi Ondine,
some investigation revealed my original figure of 2000 km came from
the Wilderness Society web page. I must now assume that this figure was
in error, although it is still on their web site. The more correct
figure should be close to 1200 km (Norseman to Ceduna), although I have
also seen a range of figures and a range of boundary places."
Ross Pogson, Geosciences.

Thankyou for letting us know - we will correct the text as soon as we
can!

Regards

Ondine Evans
Web



My last reply to them this evening by return to Ondine Evans....

OH Dear dear dear !!!

A scientist whom supposedly knows about the Earths physical formation
giving you, the Australian National Museum information that is
patently incorrect I find very disturbing.

Enough said.

Tony

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:11:42 +0800, wrote:

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:34:57 GMT, kangaroo16
wrote:

SNIP0ES Huge snips.....

Further to our previous discussions regarding the location and size of
the Nullarbor......

The plot thickens !!

Here are the transcripts of the e-mails I sent to and received from
the Australian national Museum, and their information from their
geosciences staff, regarding the information you posted
previously.....

I am Astounded !!


--------- Original message --------

Tony ned said on :

Hi,

Just reading one of the newsgroups, and the subject of the Nullarbor
plain was mentioned.

The person posting quoted your page on the Nullarbor plain, and the
figure of 2000km being the length of the plain.

This is all news to me as from Norseman in WA to Ceduna in SA is only
around 1200km.

Perhaps someone could clarify then, where the supposed start and end
of the actual Nullarbor Plain are.

Sent by the AM Public Enquiry System from Australian Museum Enquiries
on Wednesday October 10, 2007 at 09:01 AEST




Which attracted this reply....

On 10 Oct 2007 at 9:02, Australian Museum Enquiries wrote:

Dear Tony,

Thankyou for your enquiry. I checked with our Geosciences' staff and
got this response:

"Hi Ondine,
some investigation revealed my original figure of 2000 km came from
the Wilderness Society web page. I must now assume that this figure was
in error, although it is still on their web site. The more correct
figure should be close to 1200 km (Norseman to Ceduna), although I have
also seen a range of figures and a range of boundary places."
Ross Pogson, Geosciences.

Thankyou for letting us know - we will correct the text as soon as we
can!

Regards

Ondine Evans
Web



My last reply to them this evening by return to Ondine Evans....

OH Dear dear dear !!!

A scientist whom supposedly knows about the Earths physical formation
giving you, the Australian National Museum information that is
patently incorrect I find very disturbing.

Enough said.

Tony


By the way, I forgot to mention, you should go have alook at the site
from which this Geoscientit got his information.....

The Wilderness Society......

Slightly biased Tree Hugging colourful slant on things from the "Rent
a Crowd" mob !!