The Numbat

Numbats are Australian marsupial’s now only found in Western Australia. They grow to 35cm-45cm in size and have reddish-brown fur with distinctive stripes. They are the only Australian animal to feed entirely on termites (white ants), of which they can eat up to 20,000 a day.

Numbats are seen to be active during the day and live in open woodlands, taking shelter from predators in logs and burrows. They are best seen at Dryandra Woodland, near Narrogin, and at Perup Forest near Manjimup in Western Australia.

First discovered by European settlers in 1831, the numbat population has been wiped out in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia due to the introduction of the European red fox in the 19th century.

Australian Uranium Mines

Australia is one of the world’s largest suppliers of uranium along with Kazakhstan and Canada. Although uranium is a common element in the Earth’s crust – it is typically 40 times more abundant than silver – there are only limited places in the world where its concentration makes it economically viable to mine. Australia is believed to have the world’s largest deposits of uranium.

Australia currently operates three uranium mines: Olympic Dam and Beverly in South Australia and Ranger in the Northern Territory. There are several other notable deposits and potential mining sites scattered across the country.

In 2010 Australia produced nearly 7000 tonnes of U₃O₈ which was down significantly on previous years, with exports falling to A$700M in the year compared to over A$1B in previous years.

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles are an alien-like landscape located in Western Australia. Thousands of these limestone formations protrude from the ground in the Nambung National Park. Although the process of their formation is uncertain, it is believed the limestone material came from the sea shells of marine creatures in an earlier era. It is suspected that the pinnacles were exposed some 6,000 years ago and then covered again by shifting desert sands, only to be uncovered again a few hundred years ago.

Australia’s Longest River

Today’s Fun Fact Wednesday explores Australia’s longest river – the Murray. The Murray River is 2,375Km in length and is the world’s third longest navigable river after the Amazon and the Nile. It flows from the Australian Alps in New South Wales, along the New South Wales-Victorian border to Lake Alexandrina in South Australia, where it meets the ocean.

It joins the Darling River that flows from Southern Queensland to form the Murray-Darling system which is critical to the irrigation of much of Australia’s agriculture. The Murray River is responsible for irrigating 42% of over 1 million hectares of farm land.

One of the best ways to explore the Murray is in a houseboat which can be hired from various locations along the river.

Aboriginal Place Names

Did you know that the names of many places in Australia are of Aboriginal origin? European settlers would often adopt the names of locations and landmarks from Australia’s indigenous people. This also explains why several names – such as Woy Woy – are repeated, with the repetition creating a form or emphasis in the native language.

These are the translations of some well known places:

• Ballarat – Resting place;
• Bondi – Water breaking over rocks;
• Caboolture – Place of the carpet snake;
• Geelong – Tongue;
• Illawarra – A pleasant place;
• Indooroopilly _ Gully of running water;
• Mt Coot-tha – Dark honey;
• Parramatta – Place where the eels lie down;
• Pilbara – Mullet or Dry;
• Wagga Wagga – Place of many crows and;
• Woy Woy – Deep water.

There are many others and many are simply Aboriginal names for a particular place in their own right.

Australian Tropical Cyclones

As Tropical Cyclone Yasi heads towards the Queensland coast, today’s Fun Fact Wednesday discusses the phenomena of cyclones in Australia.

The Australian cyclone season runs from 1st November to 30th April. They are generated by warm ocean temperatures of 26.5^oC or higher, resulting in water evaporation that forms clouds. The rotation of the Earth then causes these cyclone clouds to rotate.

To be classified as a cyclone, wind speeds must exceed 63km/h. The severity of a cyclone is graded on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most extreme with winds above 280km/h resulting in almost total destruction on land. TC Yasi has been classified as category 5.

The names of cyclones are taken from a list of 104 names used by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Up until 1975, all of the names selected were female but now cyclones are given male and female names alternately. Cyclone names are reused unless the cyclonic event has a significant affect on Australia – such as TC Tracy. When a name is retired it is replaced by a name on a supplementary list. The Bureau  of Meteorology accepts requests for new names to be added to the supplementary list in writing.

2011 Australians of the Year

This evening the Australian Prime Minister Hon Julia Gillard MP announced Simon McKeon as the 2011 Australian of the Year. The 55 year Victorian has come to prominence due to his philanthropic efforts in supporting charities both nationally and internationally. Following a successful career as an investment banker, Mr McKeon has worked to support charities including MS Research Australia, World Vision International and Red Dust Role Models.

In the same ceremony the Prime Minister announced Jessica Watson as the Young Australian of the Year. The 17 year old from Queensland won the hearts of the nation when she successfully circumnavigated the globe, unassisted, in her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady in 2010.

The Senior Australian of the Year is Professor Ron McCallum AO of Artarmon, NSW. Having served as Professor and Dean of Law at the University of Sydney, Prof McCallum has been recognised as a fervent campaigner for equal rights. He is also totally blind and is a deputy chair of Vision Australia.

Australian research shows sharks are colour blind.

Researchers at the University of Queensland and University of Western Australia have conducted tests that conclude sharks are colour blind.

Professor Nathan Hart believes that wearing brightly coloured swimming costumes that are high contrast against the background, are likely to be more visible to sharks. This could be valuable knowledge in an attempt to reduce shark attacks.

Brisbane Floods

In January 1974, the city of Brisbane in the State of Queensland was flooded due to a combination of sustained rain over several months, high tides and heavy rain caused by Tropical Cyclone Wanda. The floods peaked at 6.6 metres on 29 January and nearly 7,000 homes were destroyed.

Today, the population of Brisbane is battling flooding once again with a flood peak expected at 2:30PM today. Please consider donating to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal to help those whose lives have been devastated by this natural disaster.

Did you know that the common architectural style of homes in Queensland, known as the Queenslander, was designed to help keep homes cool in summer and to offer some protection from flooding? The design involves building the house on large stumps with the main living areas being a full storey off the ground. Quite useful as this picture from the 1974 floods demonstrates.

Australia’s 1st Cricket Test Match

Did you know that Australia’s first cricket test match was played in Melbourne in March 1877 against England?

Australia managed to win by 45 runs with a score of 349 to England’s 304.

The highest score was achieved by Charles Bannerman – who opened for Australia - with 165 runs in the 1st Innings. This was also his career best.

Those were the days.

Australian Locust Plague

Australian farmers have a lot to contend with. There is drought for years on end, inevitably followed by unseasonal rain and flooding. They also have a variety of pests to deal with including rabbits, wild goats and pigs and foxes. But did you know that locusts too are a major threat to Australian agriculture?

The Australian Locust Plague Commission is tasked with monitoring locust swarms – especially of the Australian Plague Locust (pictured) - and forecasting their impact on Australian farmers. This year it is expected that there will be locust hatchings in late December and given this summer’s wet conditions, adults could be ready to swarm in late January 2011.

Although insecticide is the traditional method of control, Jason Fowler of Broome in Western Australia has taken to frying the critters and serving them up as a delicacy. Meanwhile, farmers in Victoria have found that their Christmas turkeys like nothing better than to munch on plague locusts.

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Fleet Decimated

This morning sees the yacht fleet in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race decimated with 16 boats retiring. The race is living up to its reputation as one of the world’s most challenging for sailors, as the crews battled stormy seas and winds of up to 50 knots last night.

Wild Oats XI is currently the leader for line honours being 156 nautical miles from the finish. Investec LOYAL, Lahana and Secret Men’s Business 3.5 are all challenging the race leader with Investec LOYAL only 20 nautical miles behind.

It is expected the winner will cross the finish line in Hobart early tomorrow morning.

Crews Prepare for 2010 Rolex Sydney Hobart

Boxing Day in Australia has become synonymous with the Rolex Sydney Hobart yacht race. This year 87 crews have prepared to tackle the 628 nautical mile course.

The race has gained a reputation as being one of world’s most treacherous yacht races after 6 sailors lost their lives in stormy seas during the 1998 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Meteorologists have warned crews to prepare for fierce winds and rough seas during this year’s race with a 20-30 knot southerly expected off Wollongong tonight. In these conditions skippers will aim to just make it across the finish line rather than break any race records.

The race starts in Sydney at 13:00 today. You can follow the progress of the yachts using the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s Yacht Tracker web site.

Santa’s Visitor Application

We apologise for the late notice but this has just come through from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. This year they are issuing Santa a restricted working visa from midnight to 4:00AM on 25-December-2010.

To assist Santa during his visit to Australia, please complete the attached form and e-mail to santa.claus@northpole.com before midnight on Christmas Eve.

We would like to thank you for your assistance and we wish everyone the best for the festive season and a very happy new year.

Australian Roads

Did you know that Australia’s road network is the 9th largest in the world? Today’s fact for Fun Fact Wednesday is that Australia’s roads span 940,000 Km¹. Less than half of this distance is paved roadway.

Sadly, in 2009 there were 1,490 fatalities on Australian roads. 250 road deaths occurred between 1-Dec-2009 and 31-Jan-2010.

During the holiday season please drive safely and if you are travelling long distances, remember to Stop. Revive. Survive.

1. Source: CIA World Fact Book

Australia’s Tallest Building

Today, Fun Fact Wednesday is about Australia’s tallest building which is Q1 located on Queensland’s Gold Coast. The structure is 323 metres (1,060 feet) high and is currently the world’s tallest residential building.

Completed in November 2005, it has 78 floors and is topped by a 98 metre spire that weighs 87 tonnes. There are 1,331 steps from the top to the bottom so it is recommended you take the elevator which can cover the distance in 42.7 seconds.

The top most floors host an observation deck and bar known as QDeck which is a popular Gold Coast holiday attraction. It is open to the public and provides views from Brisbane to Byron Bay, which are some 80 Km away.

Australian Snake Bites

Amongst Australia’s incredibly diverse and unique wildlife are some of the world’s most venomous and dangerous snakes. Today’s Fun Fact Wednesday is about snake bites in Australia.

It is estimated that several thousand people are bitten by snakes in Australia each year. There are approximately 300 cases requiring treatment with antivenom and around 2-3 bites which are fatal¹.

The most venomous snake is the Fierce Snake (or Inland Taipan) but the deadliest snake is the Eastern Brown which is responsible for the largest number of deaths.

In reality, the risk of snake bite is actually very low and if someone is unfortunate enough to be bitten, the recommended treatment is as follows:

1. Seek medical assistance;
2. Calm and reassure the patient;
3. Apply a pressure bandage to the wound.

1. Source: Australian Venom Research Unit

Farewell Mr Squiggle

On Monday, Australian cartoonist Norman Hetherington OAM, passed away. He is best know as the creator of the Australian children’s television character Mr Squiggle.

Mr Squiggle first aired on the ABC in 1959. He lived on the moon and would fly in his rocket each episode to visit Miss Gina, Miss Pat or Miss Jane and other friends including Blackboard, Snail and Steam Shovel. Using his pencil nose, Mr Squiggle would create an upside down picture from squiggles sent in from children around the country. In reality he was a marionette puppet operated by Norman Hetherington from above.

The ABC is running a tribute to Norman Hetherington over the next week that you can watch on iView.

Last Flight of Australia’s F-111s

After 37 years of service, the Royal Australian Air Force is retiring its fleet of F-111 aircraft today. This long-range, supersonic, strike fighter is operated by No.1 Squadron and No.6 Squadron out of the Amberley RAAF Base in Queensland.

Although being replaced by the F/A-18 Super Hornet from McDonnell Douglas and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from Lockheed Martin, their retirement has been shadowed by controversy. Many believe that the upgraded F-111 is still best suited to Australia’s defence needs, despite the age of its design.

The final flights of the aircraft are low-level flyovers of Brisbane and the Gold Coast today.

Oprah’s Australian Itinerary

In her farewell season, the US queen of chat – Oprah Winfrey – is heading to Australia and she’s bringing 300 fans with her. The details of the visit are a closely guarded secret other than that two shows will be taped at the Sydney “Oprah” House on Tuesday, 14-December-2010.

With Australia being such a large place it is hard to guess which parts of this amazing country Oprah will showcase to the world. After a bit of research, here is our speculation on Oprah’s itinerary for her upcoming Australian visit.

Tue	7-Dec	Fans arrive in Sydney to explore the city and visit Taronga Zoo.
Wed	8-Dec	Oprah arrives in Cairns and heads to Hamilton Is. to explore the Whitsunday Islands.
Thu	9-Dec	Fly to Alice Springs and travel to Uluru.
Fri	10-Dec	Explore Uluru. Fly from Alice Springs to Melbourne.
Sat	11-Dec	Shopping in Melbourne. Visit Great Ocean Road & Wilsons Promontory.
Sun	12-Dec	Fly to Adelaide. Visit wine making regions.
Mon	13-Dec	Fly to Byron Bay then on to Sydney.
Tue	14-Dec	Taping of the 2nd & 3rd shows at Oprah House.
Wed	15-Dec	Explore Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains.

View Oprah's Itinerary in a larger map