Adventure Ausrama Blog

Every year at about 3 pm on the first Tuesday in November, all Australians stop what they’re doing and turn on the television or radio. Why? They’re waiting for the country’s most famous horse race, the Melbourne Cup. At the first Melbourne Cup back in 1861, 17 horses competed in front of a crowd of about 4000 for the grand total of £170 prize money and a gold watch! These days 24 of the world’s best horses run the 3200-metre race, competing for some of the biggest prize money in the business - about $5 million. Not only are the crowds huge at Flemington Racecourse, but more than 700 million people around the world also watch the race on television. A lot of people only ever bet on a horse race once a year — on the Melbourne Cup. The event is a party. It doesn’t matter if you are not at Flemington to see the race yourself. People all over the country, and many in other countries too, hold Melbourne Cup parties, where they dress up, catch up with friends, and of course, watch the race...

More women are moving into academia every year. This is the overall picture. Some areas are still sparsely populated by women. Physics is such a sector of learning. Name a woman physicist - any woman! Few recognise that maths is easier for men, but this is true. There is something about the male hormone that creates this state. Just like women are better at using words. Notably female physics students at the University of Melbourne have admitted that most women do not have the capacity to master physics. There will always be a few exceptions. However, the reality is that generally, women find study in this specialty difficult. Many female students who try physics ultimately end up in chemistry. They do feel more comfortable there. The survey of first year females showed more than 50 per cent had a negative outlook of their chances of succeeding. This makes one wonder why they are in the course. However, some were studying physics as a requirement of other degree...

Just what has Australia got? Quite a lot actually. The visitor can indulge in the rich Australian culture - G'day mate! The largest island in the world, though for some reason it is not classed as an island, too big apparently. Wildlife sanctuaries, busy cities, dry mysterious deserts, tropical beaches, it is all here. Sydney is a clean city with bright blue harbour water. Must sees are Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Enjoy surfing Bondi and Manly beaches in the hot sunshine. Cairns in Queensland has the Daintree ainforest and the Barrier Reef. Go scuba diving, snorkelling and hiking. island resorts abound. Vacationers always view the whales and dolphins. Alice Spring in the hot center stands on it own. You can get a drink anywhere. It is a long drive but worth it. Two hundred miles away lies Ayers Rock (Uluru). Another ideal place to take a driving holiday. Darwin on the other hand is a busy place. Melbourne is the go ahead city. Somethi...

There has always been a battle between Sydney and Melbourne over which city is the best. It is a longing to be seen as the capital of the country despite the nation having built an official capital in Canberra, ironically, midway between Sydney and Melbourne. Sydneysiders think little of claims by Melbourne. A recent world survey put Sydney at ninth as the world's most attractive cities. Melbourne didn't rank in the ten. The problem was that the researchers only knew of Sydney as an Australian city. This says a lot about how outsiders view Australia. Most capitals have the highest population of any other city in a country. Sydney clearly has the highest population. Though many Australian companies choose Melbourne as their base, overseas businesses go to Sydney. Furthermore, Sydney is the main distribution point for Australian news to the world. Thankfully, tourists from other countries do not come to Australia to experience city life. They get that at h...

Be careful! There might be a gollywog about. A Melbourne woman saw a gollywog doll for sale and she is now campaigning to stop it. But is she stopping racism or preventing the gollywog from existing? This all goes back to the Noddy series of books by Enid Blyton. Gollywog, who held an important position as Toytown garage proprietor, was a major character. Enid Blyton had no racial intentions by including him. Though she did admit that she hated children. The woman says, “It’s a shock to see them brought back." However, they didn't actually go away. They have been available for many years in shops despite Gollywog's removal from Blyton books after 1980. These days you can buy Caucasion, Asian and African style dolls, so what is the big problem about selling gollywogs? Banning things always causes problems because it makes an issue out of something when no bad feeling is intended. Australians used to call people from Italy and Greece wogs in the 1960s and 70s. These new...

People get fat because it is normal. Our ancestors had to go out and find food so they burnt up a lot of energy. It is modern society that is making us fat. Food is readily available, at arm's reach. Our bodies are preparing for the hard times that would inevitably happen in centuries past. Being able to put fat on the body was a key to survival. That is why many dieters today are on a see-saw round of weight loss and weight gain. It is due to our hormones. When the body loses reserves hormones tell us to eat more. If you want to be slim you will have to put up with constant hunger. Work at the University of Melbourne has shown that hormone levels are indeed higher after people go on a ten week diet. It remains high up to a year later even though the dieting stopped nine months earlier. There is hope. New products are coming onto the market that swell up in the stomach thus stopping the craving for food. Whether these are safe is another issue. They do offer money bac...