Stamos-a-rama

I picked this up on Dlisted (seeing as I am not in the habit of watching Kerri-Anne) and it is an absolute gem. Stamos is completely open and frank about what is left of his career and he manages to show Kerri-Anne up for the cloying monstrosity that she is.

In vino veritas...

Thanks Phil

UPDATED... To prove that D is the most eloquent letter in the alphabet, check out this response.

Prom Country

Andrew and I hit the open road (or as open as it gets in Melbourne) this weekend and headed for Prom country.

It was scenic though a little brooding, which I think is pleasantly euphemistic for bitterly cold and violently windy. Thankfully the rain held out while we were in the park chasing the kangaroos, emus and wombats.




Saturday afternoon we bumped into this funny fellow by the trail on the way back from Squeaky Beach.



Saturday night we stayed in Foster, in a little country house that had been turned into a 10-sleeper backpackers. We took the double room and nobody else was there (or almost nobody) so we got the entire place to ourselves, lounge, heating, kitchen. It was a bit of a bargain at only $60.

The next morning we hit Mount Oberon to catch the view. It was worth it (click through to have a gander).



The plan is to return in summer to have a crack at the overnight hikes, backpacks and all. Can't wait. Who's in?

Happy Ozlandia Day

I love Australia Day.

Not because we get to wave flags and feel proud of our achievememts.

I love Australia Day because we can go down to Edinburgh Gardens and sit in the park and throw frisbees and eat barbecued food and drink wine and throw gum boots and play croquet and talk with friends and listen to the Hottest 100 and dance barefoot.

And everyone else it out doing the same thing.

I don't love Australia Day because some of my friends who don't look "Australian" have been told all their lives to be especially careful on the 26th of January because their parents used to receive death threats every year.

And I don't like that our illustrious leader doesn't think Australia is like that.

I was wrong... Well, sorta!

Talk amongst yourselves, I'll give you a topic:

Australia is NOT a continent, while Australasia is.

Discuss!

Finished?

This was one of the exciting topics of debate from last night's dinner. Rog and Vic had had words on this a while back (including a 2 a.m. text battle and Internet/Atlas check- even I am not that much of a pedant! I mean, really!).

So anyway:

We says- Australia is a continent in its own right though it sometimes gets lumped in as the great continent of Oceania (named after the airline in Lost).

She says- Australasia is a continent (though it has nothing to do with Asia) and it includes New Zealand and probably some other islands, I can't remember.

Wikipedia says (okay, I am pedantic)-

Australia (also called Australia-New Guinea, Sahul, or Meganesia) is a continent made up of the Australian landmass, New Guinea, Tasmania, and intervening islands. These landmasses are separated by the Torres Strait (Australia and New Guinea) and the Bass Strait (Australia and Tasmania). From biological and geological points of view, however, they form a single unit.

It is the smallest and most low-lying of the Earth's continents. Though the Commonwealth of Australia occupies much of the continent and is often mistaken for being the entire continent, like the other continents its geographic area is defined by its continental shelf which covers some 2.5 million square kilometres including the Arafura Sea and Bass Strait and half of which is less than 50 metres deep. The total land area of the region is 8,560,000 square kilometres.

So basically, I was wrong (unfortunately I fall into the "often mistaken for being the entire continent" camp). As always though I take comfort in the fact that (that's right, go down fighting) the way I have used Australasia and Oceania are also valid, so I haven't been looking foolish all my life.

For a run-down of current thought on the matter click on these buzzwords: Continent, Australia (Continent), Australasia, Oceania, Incontinent.

Now, discovery or invasion!