@timrichards@aus.social
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timrichards

@timrichards@aus.social

Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia. Rail travel expert, current books on sale include Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys: World. See my published writing at iwriter.com.au.

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timrichards, (edited ) to random
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Waiting for the movie at Quambatook - they project it on the old wheat silos. Tonight's feature: Race Like a Girl. https://www.quambatooksilocinema.com.au

timrichards, (edited ) to melbourne
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Melbourne Mastodon Meetup!

@mike, @ThermiteBeGiants, @NarrelleMHarris and I would like to get together IRL for some drinks, and you're all invited...

On: Thursday 18 January, from 6pm
At: The Quiet Man pub, 271 Racecourse Road, Kensington
PT: Newmarket Station or Tram 57 (Stop 24).

We can meet for a drink in the front bar, and there'll be a table booked in the dining room from 6.30pm. (Find menu etc here: https://www.thequietman.com.au/)

If you can definitely make it, could you let me know by replying below? Then I can get the numbers right when booking the table.

See you there! (Please boost for reach)

timrichards, to sydney
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This George Street tram is useful, but IMO the CBD stops are too far apart. It's a fair walk if you happen to be halfway between some stops (eg QVB and Wynyard). #Sydney #Trams #Tram

timrichards, to Travel
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"Ok, is everyone in Europe this summer?"

I can answer that, Lizzy, having been there earlier. Yes. Yes, they are.

Lizzy Hoo wanted a European summer holiday. So did half of Australia

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/there-are-so-many-bogan-aussies-in-europe-it-feels-like-the-new-bali-20230830-p5e0rp.html

timrichards, to Europe
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All the places I've been in Europe. Still quite a bit to see.

timrichards, to books
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That is a surprising figure. I'm so glad I have the reading habit, it's among the most affordable culture - and highly rewarding.

Here's the article that the snippet is from, about a survey of Australia's culture habits: https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/australians-are-reading-less-and-staying-in-more-what-s-behind-the-culture-shift-20230913-p5e495.html

timrichards, to melbourne
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Interesting concept. Maybe the way to deal with places this small is to require them to have sizeable common areas – which this building does. And definitely no parking, there's no need for it if you live in the inner-city. That keeps the price down too.

Tiny apartments: Melbourne housing crisis solution or glorified slums?


https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/tiny-apartments-housing-crisis-solution-or-glorified-slums-20231005-p5ea0w.html

timrichards, to auspol
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Fair enough. Maybe increase the House of Reps to 200 members, and the Senate to 100 (16 Senators per state, plus the four territory Senators). Or maybe go crazy and have 15 Senators per state (8 in one half-election, 7 the next), two for the NT, and 8 for the ACT. What do you think?

Number of federal MPs in Australia needs to rise. Here’s why

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/if-there-s-one-thing-australia-needs-it-s-more-federal-mps-no-really-20230818-p5dxhx.html

timrichards, to random
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If I was in charge I'd abolish all public holidays except the following four, and give workers the number of abolished days to use as additional leave:

New Year's Day
Australia Day (on a new date)
Anzac Day
Christmas Day

Chosen on the basis that these are the only days that we mark collectively (Christmas being broadly a family-getting-together festive occasion beyond its religious meaning).

The other seven or so public holidays are just generic days off for most people. Or a complete nuisance to people who aren't full-time workers (raises hand).

Discuss. :)

timrichards, to australia
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A passing thought while I'm in Western Australia...

WA was never part of New South Wales, so 26 January 1788 - Sydney's foundation day - can have no meaning for it per se.

The only significance 26 January can have for this part of Australia is a celebration of the arrival of white settlers on the continent. So nothing to do with the modern nation state of Australia, and everything to do with white supremacy.

It really won't do as the date for a unifying national day.

timrichards, to DoctorWho
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Who here has been watching the new Doctor Who episodes on Disney? Haven't seen much DW chat here on Mastodon. (BTW they're very good!)

timrichards, to melbourne
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Melburnians - where am I?

timrichards, to melbourne
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Having a drink with a friend at the Mitre Tavern. Look at these food prices!!! Gordon effing Bennett. Who pays $31 for a beef and Guinness pie?

timrichards, to random
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Am I the only one that regards efforts to craft "new" songs from the Beatles and ABBA etc as tacky? You can't go back.

timrichards, (edited ) to australia
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Hard to feel sympathetic for the supermarket chains when they do this:

"... they – along with other supermarket chains – continue to throw out vast volumes of stock. As Banducci told media last week, theft was just 'one of the components [of] stock loss'.

On a recent trip to the loading zone at my local Woolies in Sydney, the bins were so heavy I struggled to move them. One was completely full of sourdough loaves and other baked goods – all of them still soft and fresh. Dumped into the other bins were bananas, oranges, mandarins, avocados, tomatoes, punnets of apples, eggplants, organic green beans, bundles of asparagus, green capsicums, 2kg bags of washed potatoes, mushrooms, various fancy cheeses, 5kg packets of basmati rice, muesli bars, cartons of a dozen eggs, tubs of yoghurt and long-life milk – all in edible condition."

Instead of pursuing shoplifters, the big supermarkets should use their record profits to prevent food waste - Drew Rooke https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/04/instead-of-pursuing-shoplifters-the-big-supermarkets-should-use-their-record-profits-to-prevent-food-waste

timrichards, to random
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There's nothing more annoying on social media than when you share something lighthearted, positive and personal, and some arsehole decides to make themself feel good by criticising you over it. Instant block.

timrichards, to Trains
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Now free for all to read... I caught the Overland train from Melbourne to Adelaide - passing attractive scenery and historic stations on the way. The food was good too!

Overland to Adelaide - by train https://www.patreon.com/posts/97019550

timrichards, to random
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I'm thinking, for a change, of not buying a local SIM (or eSIM) for my upcoming trip to Switzerland. It's only ten days, so if I use data sparingly and stick only to wifi on some days, I should be able to use my Australian number on Telstra's $10/day international roaming day pass, and not spend much more than a new SIM. Hmmm worth a try I think.

timrichards, to random
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Have to say this... "lay" has a different meaning from "lie". You don't "lay around" on the sofa, you "lie around".

"Lay" is transitive, ie it is connected to an object. So you lay a coat on a chair, or you lay a towel on the sand. Then you lie on it.

This has been a public service broadcast from Vocab Pedants United. :)

timrichards, to melbourne
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Right, that's my first swim of the summer season from St Kilda Beach. The bay is bloody freezing though! Hasn't had time to warm up from winter yet.

timrichards, to Trains
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Lunch aboard the Spirit of the Outback. What would you choose?

cc @diningcar

image/jpeg

timrichards, to australia
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Fair point - if you're not using digital payments, you should make the effort to get used to them. Cash is (mostly) going away. (This article also contains a guide to getting started with digital.)

Cash is dead. Why are we still pretending it isn’t?

(maybe paywalled) https://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/cash-is-dead-why-are-we-still-pretending-it-isn-t-20240510-p5jcl1.html

timrichards, to random
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A round of applause for my brand-new backpack, which has just completed its first journey with me. This is the third High Sierra backpack I've owned in 19 years, all about the same size and layout.

timrichards, to random
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Sigh daylight saving time gives on too long in eastern Australia (we still have four weeks of it!). The March mornings get darker and darker, so we have to get up later to avoid getting up in the dark. If we must have DST, it should just run late October to late February IMO.

timrichards, to random
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OK people, what am I ordering for dinner at this fine Queenscliff establishment later on?

cc @LifeTimeCooking @sister_ratched

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