Yes. And I think we all know which position that would be :P

Hee hee. The truth is nowhere near as interesting as this.


So instead I'll say I was having an operation and am now a 23 year old lingerie model from Sydney named Suzette.

Turn around ZenGum.

Glad to see your back.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Seriously, are you ok?

Zen's OK, it's just "that time of the month."

Yeah just very busy. I'm doing a training course at work and planing a trip up to Ye Bigge Redde Rocke soon as well.

Bring back a rock for me. ;)

Driving, flying or some other form of transport? Camping or more salubrious accommodation? Have you been before? Are you going to Kata Tjuta as well? (stupid question-you can't not go being so close and I reckon they're almost even more spectacular than the Rock itself). Are you climbing the Rock or observing the wishes of the original inhabitants? Hmmm, how many other annoying questions can I think of?:D

Wasn't there a horror movie about that place?

Maybe a dingo ate'chore babeh?

FTR, this was an off handed remark in response to something someone else posted, after 20+ years of government service I have never advocated nor would I ever support the violent overthrow of our government and in fact I almost always state something to the effect of "a change by any legal means". I hope this clears that up.

He's nearing the warning track, still backpedalling.....

And more to the point, when you speak of it, do you refer to it as Uluru or Ayers?

I think you are thinking of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" Also involving an Australian rock, but in a different part of the country, and with a totally different name.

Are you going to try to photograph the sites of gender-linked rituals?

There was Wolf Creek. That was set in central outback Australia. If you haven't seen it and you like gruesome movies, I recommend it. It's even worse for the fact that it's based on a true story.

Yes, Wolf Creek. That was good.

I regret having seen it actually. Some fo the scenes are still stuck in my sub conscious and pop up every now and then.

Here's a scarey fact too. My family and I visited that meteor crater when travelling through central Australia when I was a kid.

Not on your nellie, sir. (a) removing rocks from national park, (b) rude to Aboriginal people and (c) too many stories about people having a lot of bad luck after doing that - allegedly rangers regularly receive pebbles in the mail from people trying to return them.

Driving. Camping or cheaper hotels. Got six days in the Red Centre so I will see Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and spend three days in the Western Macdonnells, maybe some hiking near Ormiston Gorge. I won't climb Uluru but I will walk around it, and I maybe do a hot air balloon ride or something. Lots.

Uluru. That is the acid-test for Aussies on the Redneck / Pinko-greenie axis. That and climbing it.

No. See above. And I had a student in Japan who had taken some film photos of some of the sacred places before he knew they were sacred. When he got home he found that this roll of film had somehow become exposed and was completely black. :eyebrow:

My main thought here is that there has been far too much gratuitous insult (on top of injuries) offered to Aboriginal people in this country, I'm not going to add to it.

You'll have a ball, Zen!! We road tripped up there a couple years back and I love it.

I could live in Alice....actually, one of my mates is a nurse there and it was one of the places I considered when I made this move...I cant wait to go visit him there.

My advice would be DONT STAY AT COBER PEDY!!!!!

And dont watch Wolf Creek before making the journey, Im with Ali, I watched that one my own and scenes pop into my head from it....I cant look at the dude from Playschool the same ever again.

On the contrary, DO stay at Coober Pedy, (but only if you're going to stay in a dug-out) and visit the underground churches.

If you're heading further north than Alice (obviously not, just wanted to put my two unrelated cents worth in), avoid Tennant Creek.

Hmmm ... was planning to split the drive in Coober Pedy, it is about half way. It's 1578 km to Uluru and 847 to CP. Motel in town on a Friday evening, maybe visit a pub or two ... :hide:

That happens on the Big Island, Hawaii all the time as well. The museum there is filled with the rocks and the letters from the people who returned them.

I know you wouldn't, I was practicing my sarcasm.

I can't help but wonder if the rangers made the whole thing up to stop people from stealing rocks.

It is the real deal in Hawaii.

I think. :rolleyes:


:3eye:

Did any of see/like/get scared by Silent Hill?

Merc, is this connected to what happened to the Brady bunch with that Tiki thing?

Spexx, I'm scared by Peter Garret's dancing. He's now a (junior) federal minister, despite having been in charge of the most bungled of our stimulus projects.

:lol: Yea, that.

Mebbe you should ask SN where he hid it. :p:

I was talking to someone who works for the state gov., but in that industry (i.e. environmental engineer putting together policy and projects for encouraging the masses to use their electricity more wisely). His take on it was that the insulation industry are basically cowboys and always have been and that this is well known and the scheme basically gave them carta blanche to do whatever they felt like.

Now, this one I'm not sure about, but I thought I also heard that there were concerns prior to the whole thing blowing up (i.e. people dying when installing insulation) and Peter Garrett flagged them and was shouted down. In short, this last paragraph basically ends up being political gossip, so until we've verified the truth of it, no constructive comment can really be made.

On a personal level, I wonder for Peter Garrett if it would have been better to gracefully retire from the role he had as frontman of Midnight Oil - the music was just a sideline really, from what I can see, it was getting their message out that was the most important thing for them-and perhaps go and work for an NGO, rather than become involved in government. As much as I agree with Zen on this point, I hope that people do remember Peter Garrett for more than the insulation bungle because Midnight Oil were hugely influential in bringing issues like Aboriginal Land Rights into the public consciousness in a way that a talk fest never could have done.

Bit of nostalgia here-I think my earliest memory is the Coober Pedy drive-in (that, a purple valiant and a round 1970s caravan somewhere in the desert around CP)

I haven't been to Coober Pedy since 1998, but last time I was there, there were postcards available depicting a reminder to miners against having explosives in their boots (translation: trunk) when at the drive-in. :)

I did that on the way up, Zen. Scariest fucking night of my life with 2 little kids!!!!

On the way back, drove straight through from Uluru to Port Augusta...no way I was staying there again and yes, Casi, we stayed in a dug out.

Still a shit hole!!

That's my opinion of Port Augusta!

BTW Zen, have a great trip. Will look forward to the pics when you get back (with native fauna-not invisible unless you wish to call on my superior wildlife identification skills. Speaking of which, on my way back down from the foothills this evening, I saw a dead kangaroo. This is nothing unusual, except it was on the side of a road in what is pretty much a suburban area :().

:lol2:

Been three weeks for SamIam, hope she isn't having trouble with her meds again.:(

I was wondering about where she was as well.

I just booked a room in Coober Pedy.
The only information they took was my given name. :eyebrow:
This is for a dorm room 6 metres underground, mind.

That was Suzette?

Why are dorms rooms in Coober Pedy six meters underground? Do I need to wiki Coober Pedy?

Never mind, just read up on CP

Yes, foot. You do. You'll find it interesting.

Cooter Petey must be some dwellar I ain't never done heard of, who has gone missing.

So, anyway, where has Redux been?

Coober Pedy is Redux spelled backward.

That is xuderly ridiculous!

Very boring of me...apologies and no doubt Wikipedia will sum up better, but basically Coober Pedy is an opal mining town in the middle of the desert. Any living quarters worth its salt is 6 metres underground simply because its much cooler. There are also churches, hotels etc... underground for the same reason. Rumour has it that many a mine, where either the opal has already been found, or there was no opal to be found, has been turned into a house.

I think I need to have another child, just so I can name her Coober Pedy.

No, those Pedy-philes would chase her.

Peter File? Is there a Peter File here?
[/The IT Crowd]

giggle Groan:facepalm: snicker

Or just change their name(s) by deed poll.

Another interesting fact about Coober Pedy: the golf course is about 95% red sand. Diesel is used to keep the sand around the holes in place (so the sand doesn't blow away). Golfers carry a piece of turf around with them to tee off. The best thing I seen that explains Coober Pedy is Episode 2 of Robert Hughes' TV series The Fatal Shore . It's got the golf course, the dug outs, how one opal miners rationalizes what is basically a fairly useless activity (mining for a decorative stone). The rest of the episode is pretty good too.

By the way, whatever happened to Cowhead?

Oh, that's me, I'm Peter File!

Where the heck is Razz???????????????

gettin' hitched?

and or moving , or ,,,,,,,,

Oooh! Merkins watch the IT Crowd!
Cool!
Just don't remake it (mumble, grumble)

Where is Big Sarge?
He's home and well and in gainful employ and seeing his kids....
But leaving us alone :mecry:

CycleFrance?

I thought about him a few days ago, and then saw this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11447348
...right up his boulevard, I'd say....