OT: Australia, safest continent on the planet

[Legbreaker]

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[RN7]

So Legreaker how big is the Yowie? Surely its not bigger than Bigfoot!

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by Targan

I once did a driving run taking a truck-trailer rig from Perth to Brisbane, a load of caravans on the way there and a load of boat hulls on the way back (about 8700km round trip as the crow flies, add a couple of thousand kilometers for my trip). I saw many wedgies during the trip, and many times I saw them standing over some piece of roadkill. They would see me from many kilometers away and they wouldn't budge. They'd actually stare down the truck, like they were daring me to try and take their meal. They are seriously bold, proud birds.

The Australian Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment's mascot is a wedge tailed eagle named Courage. The mascots gain NCO ranks with their years of service. Courage is a Warrant Officer.

Courage the eagle posted to Townsville after 22 years in Darwin

So side question, is a warrant officer an NCO? It is one of those ranks that lots of groups use in different ways. Here in the US, it is basically a technical officer.

[Legbreaker]

At least that big, but depends on the species.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by CDAT

So side question, is a warrant officer an NCO? It is one of those ranks that lots of groups use in different ways. Here in the US, it is basically a technical officer.

Sergeant Major. Here's how it works in the Australian Army:

Australian Army Other Ranks

[StainlessSteelCynic]

In regard to Yowies, there's been two sizes typically claimed with a third size less often reported.
That is: -
1. smaller than a human adult but larger than a human child.
2. same size as a human adult and
3. larger than a human adult

Generally the sizes reported are 1 and 2 with number 3 being less common but some reports have claimed the tallest Yowies as in the 2 metre range.
It really comes down to what part of the country you're in as the local Aboriginal myths seem to play some part in what size creature people "see".

Of more interest to me is the difference in alleged behaviour, some reports have the Yowie as shy and easily frightened off while the human sized versions are often reported as projecting a malevolent presence and appear to have been spying on or otherwise checking out the humans who (claim to) have seen them.

What I find particularly interesting is that some Aboriginal groups have legends of fighting against tribes of "hairy men" when the Aboriginal peoples initially settled in Australia. The legends sound a little like an early human ancestor or perhaps proto-human and apparently the Aboriginals fought them to extinction so as to claim the land for themselves. I'm inclined to think that if these legends are correct then the Yowie is probably some sort of cultural memory of these earlier peoples.

[Legbreaker]

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[CDAT]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

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I do not care if that is a super small snake or not, but there is something very wrong with this (if I was a betting man that would not be my bet).

[Legbreaker]

It's the real thing.
http://www.livescience.com/53701-sna...der-photo.html
Even video of it.
http://www.livescience.com/53700-sna...s96qn1IC_cSI0Q

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I'm thinking CDAT meant something like It ain't normal and it ain't natural for spiders to catch snakes. The world is ending! type of "wrong" when he said that




And yeah, it was a small snake but still... It ain't normal and it ain't natural for spiders to catch snakes. The world is ending!

[CDAT]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

I'm thinking CDAT meant something like It ain't normal and it ain't natural for spiders to catch snakes. The world is ending! type of "wrong" when he said that




And yeah, it was a small snake but still... It ain't normal and it ain't natural for spiders to catch snakes. The world is ending!

Yes, this is the type wrong I was talking about. Not saying it is fake, as I believe you that it is real. The fact that it is not the world is ending breaking news says something. Also when I said small snake I was talking about one that is the size of a large worm, or at least what a large worm is here. I am not sure I want to see how big your worms get and what they have to protect them self with.

This got me thinking about a conversation I had years ago with a few guys. We had one guy bragging about how big his home state of Texas was, and all that. When we had one of the other guys say that if you cut his home state in half then Texas would be the third largest state of the Union. Kind of shut him up, so what is the point of all this, you may be asking. Just remember it can always be bigger/badder or worse in some way. But if you ever find the thing that makes the Australians say no way, I want nothing to do with it. I only briefly got to serve with some of them in Iraq and they were the craziest guys I have ever seen. If it gives them pause, I am not sure that I even want to know about it.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by CDAT

I am not sure I want to see how big your worms get and what they have to protect them self with.

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[CDAT]

So I am sitting here with my family and on comes Crocodile Dundee II. At the point he goes back to Australia, and his buddy said something like civilians would not last three days. Made me think I three days may be on the generous side. But on the side what do you all think of Crocodile Dundee? Is it even semi accurate? Or total out there?

[Targan]

I've seen some crazy, crazy shit during my times in the great Australian outback. To be honest most Australians aren't rough, tough supermen, but that's because most Australians are born and bred city dwellers who don't have a clue about even the basics of outback survival. People who were born and raised in the bush, they're a different breed. I feel I can say these things without bias, because I'm a city dweller who has spent time in the bush and been around real outback people and spent time as an Army Reservist. I won't say I could just walk off into the Never-Never and survive for years, but I wouldn't be one of the typical Australian city people who would literally die within two days of being dumped in the middle of nowhere.

People from other countries who have spent time in similar environments would probably do ok at least for a while in the Australian outback, particularly if they asked the right questions of those with experience before they went bush. Australia has a huge variety of climate types too, so there's no one-size-fits-all skill set that will get you through. The south coast of Western Australia, large parts of Tasmania (where Legbreaker lives) and parts of Victoria have cold, wet forests and woodlands and particularly in the case of Tasmania there's some pretty rugged terrain. Exposure would be the biggest problem in those regions. As is widely known, large parts of Australia are at least arid, at worst full-blown desert, out there if you can't find water you're doomed real fast. Then up in the tropical zone there's thousands and thousands of klicks of coastal mangrove, swamps and tropical rainforest. Anywhere near bodies of water up there you have to be really careful about crocodiles, but there are other things that'll have a crack at you too, including feral razorback pigs and water buffalo. And of course all across the nation there are any number of venomous snakes and spiders that don't leave you with much time to seek treatment before you die in misery and agony.

Every year there are cases of people that drive out into the middle of bloody nowhere, woefully under-prepared, and then their vehicle breaks down and the silly buggers start walking. A day, a week, a month later the Aboriginal trackers eventually find their corpses, in various stages of desiccation, pitifully curled up under a bush or whatever shade they could find.

[Legbreaker]

Attachment 3690

[TrailerParkJawa]

Originally Posted by Targan

I've seen some crazy, crazy shit during my times in the great Australian outback. To be honest most Australians aren't rough, tough supermen, but that's because most Australians are born and bred city dwellers who don't have a clue about even the basics of outback survival. People who were born and raised in the bush, they're a different breed. I feel I can say these things without bias, because I'm a city dweller who has spent time in the bush and been around real outback people and spent time as an Army Reservist. I won't say I could just walk off into the Never-Never and survive for years, but I wouldn't be one of the typical Australian city people who would literally die within two days of being dumped in the middle of nowhere.

I just got back from a vacation in Australia. I visited Melbourne, Cairns, and Sydney. What I observed matches what you say. Most Australians are city or suburb types. The country seems to be a bit of a nanny-state with warning sings that border on ridiculous; there was a sign on a strip club warning that you might see situations inside that may offend. Like wow?!

My dad spent a lot of time in Alice Springs in the 90's and his descriptions of the folks that live there match people you might meet in Nevada or rural America. Tough folks that mind their own business..

Overall though I really liked it. Melbourne and Cairns in particular. I was stuck however that in the T2K timeline some of these cities probably got nuked and it represents most of Australias actually population.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by TrailerParkJawa

I was stuck however that in the T2K timeline some of these cities probably got nuked and it represents most of Australias actually population.

Not really a lot of targets here in Aus though www.forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=1254
You are right though about the population - something like 80% live in urban areas, 60% (approx) live in the capital cities where the majority of likely targets are located.
On the positive side of the coin however, the cities are spread over a wide area - it would take probably a dozen warheads to adequately cover just Sydney (takes up to two hours to drive from one side to the other, a lot longer in peak traffic times).

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Yeah, we tend to build cities horizontally more so than vertically so even though you'll find plenty of commercial (and even industrial buildings) rising dozens of floors into the sky, there's never been as much of a desire for masses of high rise apartments and so on. They do exist, but not clumped together like the "estates" or "projects" found in the UK and USA respectively.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

Yeah, we tend to build cities horizontally more so than vertically so even though you'll find plenty of commercial (and even industrial buildings) rising dozens of floors into the sky, there's never been as much of a desire for masses of high rise apartments and so on. They do exist, but not clumped together like the "estates" or "projects" found in the UK and USA respectively.

True, but we're just starting to see a concerted effort by state governments to promote "urban infill" and higher-density living. Here in Perth inner city living has been heavily promoted over the last 10 years (as I'm sure you've seen, Stainless) with accompanying highrise, but obviously we're still a long way from the kind of population densities seen in our nearby Asian neighbour nations. I live just outside of the inner city in a two-storey townhouse myself.

[Legbreaker]

And this is BEFORE the post nuke, radiation induced mutations...
Attachment 4172

[ChalkLine]

I've just moved from Tasmania to Queensland. It's hot here, we're getting regular 35ºc weeks and it's only spring. It's going to be a bumper year for bush fires. However the snakes here are impressive. I thought the filthiest place for snakes was south west West Australia (in the salt swamps there's a tiger snake for every square metre and yours truly went through it on foot back in 2004) but I've been told that's nothing compared to near waterway here

[Legbreaker]

I went the other direction a couple of decades ago. MUCH prefer the cooler temps here in Tas than the heat up there!

[Targan]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

It's going to be a bumper year for bush fires.

That's a spooky bit of prophecy.

There are currently MASSIVE fires raging in Queensland. My thoughts are with everyone in the fire zone, and I wish them the best of luck and hope all are safe.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Targan

There are currently MASSIVE fires raging in Queensland. My thoughts are with everyone in the fire zone, and I wish them the best of luck and hope all are safe.

And it's barely even the start of the season....

Hmm, fires. Now there's an thought for the ANZAC book.
No water bombing aircraft from the northern hemisphere, plus limited fuel for fire trucks, a drought, and enemy agents on an arson campaign. I feel an idea coming on...

[ChalkLine]

Originally Posted by Targan

That's a spooky bit of prophecy.

There are currently MASSIVE fires raging in Queensland. My thoughts are with everyone in the fire zone, and I wish them the best of luck and hope all are safe.

Yeah, 36ºc+ temperatures and the wind is the strongest I've seen outside of heavy storms. It's like it's straight out of a furnace. I thought we were going to lose the roof.

After Christmas you'll see Tasmania go up as well. Lots of fuel on the ground

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

After Christmas you'll see Tasmania go up as well. Lots of fuel on the ground

We've had a bit of rain here recently which has damped things down a bit. There'll be fires of course (always are), but I doubt they'll have the intensity of a couple of years ago.
Of course the greenies are doing their best to increase the fuel load by locking up even more of the state from proper management, so it's just a matter of time...

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

And it's barely even the start of the season....

Hmm, fires. Now there's an thought for the ANZAC book.
No water bombing aircraft from the northern hemisphere, plus limited fuel for fire trucks, a drought, and enemy agents on an arson campaign. I feel an idea coming on...

Now that is a real idea - how do you get destruction of cities without a nuke - well one hell of an out of control fire (i.e. see recent fires in CA) with greatly reduced fire fighting capabilities - helped on by say high winds - would definitely do the trick (add in the use of explosives to create fire breaks and it really gets the job done)

[Legbreaker]

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[Legbreaker]

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[Legbreaker]

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