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Gotta love the internet, so many lovely places to have a lot of fun!

The purpose of this site is to help you stretch your travel money that little bit further by offering hints and tips on finding the cheapest ways of getting around and enjoying your time downunder.

If you want to have a cheap Australian holiday it would be a good idea to first find a
cheap flight to Australia. Once you've got that sorted out you might want to look into getting discounted Australian domestic flights from a variety of airlines in Australia. Getting around on land requires transport - many travellers prefer automobiles and that's why cheap car hire is such a crowd pleaser. This is especially true if you happen to be hauling the spouse and kids along for a cheap family holiday in Australia. Unless you're planning on staying with friends (or camping on the side of the road) you'll probably want to suss out some cheap accommodation in Australia. It's hard to beat a good travel experience, just make sure you do plenty of research so you don't end up wasting a bunch of cash.

The best specials on Australian holiday packages can usually be found at the last minute but make sure you don't blow your budget stuffing fat commissions into the wallets of Australian travel agents.

You can find all sorts of great information in this travellers resource guide! Enjoy reading up on everything you find here and be sure to enjoy your time in this wonderful country. Last but not least, have fun!!

Nadal heads seedings for US Open

Nadal has won two Grand Slams this year

Rafael Nadal will be the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at next week's US Open following his elevation to world number one.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic follow him, with Scot Andy Murray seeded sixth. Ex-world number one Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out with injury.

Ana Ivanovic is women's top seed, with Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams next.

The singles draws for the tournament will be announced on Thursday.

Nadal officially became the new world number one on Monday, ending Federer's record reign of 237 successive weeks.

Federer was the top seed at the last 18 majors.

Murray will be looking to overcome his disappointing early exit from the Beijing Olympics and rediscover the form that took him to success at the Cincinnati Masters.

The British number one's best effort in New York was in 2006 when he reached the fourth round.

Hewitt will miss the rest of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on a long-term hip problem.

"Surgery was always the last resort, but unfortunately that's what it came down to," the 27-year-old Australian said.

"I am also shattered that I can't lead the Australian Davis Cup team in Chile (in Santiago from 19-21 September) in our bid to rejoin the world group, and hope that the boys can still come through with a great win.

"I am looking forward to playing again in January in my home country, and using that as a springboard to compete at my best again on the world stage for at least a couple of more years."

The most notable absence on the women's side is world number six and 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, who announced earlier this month that she is missing the event to recover from a shoulder injury.

I have been busy since the book launch, and have been meaning to place some pics here. The day was pretty much uneventful but it did allow me to catch up with some family and friends I had not been in contact with for a while. If anyone knows Nelson Bay, a brilliant sunny day means no shoppers regardless of how much food you are giving away. Besides, I can only wish I was J K Rowling. Only one book was sold, but by the Friday, the day before, our first print run had been oversold. There was a heap of food left over, and it has convinced me Australians are too well fed. Many people who passed by could not fathom that we were having a party and they were welcome to taste the food.  Gee, you really can't give anything away these days.

Below is the a picture of Shannon who won the “best dressed lamington” competition.

Just recently a group of scientists studied Indigenous Australian groups of children that can count without any kind of numerical system since it isn't in their language. They can even do this with high accuracy. This helps the case that human's have an innate system built in their mind at birth. In other words, we are not "tabula rasa" as John Locke so famously coined.

If this is true, what else have our minds been equipped with at birth?

Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_re_us/sci_counting_without_numbers;_ylt=Aobbd9DUJ50peqhWTARiWTQPLBIF

Posted by Alcamadus

Ah, the national anthem.

You know when you're doing something and a familiar song comes on and you either a) stop what you're doing and sing along to it or lip sync as the case may be or b) acknowledge silently to yourself that there is indeed a familiarity with the song and you just continue doing whatever it was you were doing?

Yesterday, I experienced B. The television was tuned to the Olympics, but, because either field hockey or handball or rhythmic gymnastics were on, I wasn't paying attention. The now-familiar "Advance Australia Fair," the national anthem of Australia, began to play in honor of the latest gold medalist medallist.

It's a familiar tune, of course, not because of the Olympics, but because I've been here a while now and I've heard it enough. When I first heard it, months ago when I first got here, I believed fully that it would never seep in. Such subtle changes in notes and what not. How odd it was, I thought, and, (gasp!) new! And, of course, I would never -- could never -- feel as comfortable with it as I do the Star-Spangled Banner, the words of which I must say I still tend to mangle every once in a while when I'm partaking in the aforementioned A. (That o'er always throws me off. Is it pronounced "oar" or as it looks "o-er"? One syllable or two?)

It wasn't until after a couple of notes that I stopped and considered the fact that I'm pretty used to the Australian anthem. I'm not saying I'm totally comfortable with it, but I will say that it's pretty ingrained. I've heard it enough. I hum along. And sometimes, much to the girl's dismay, I mumble along until the last, extended, word of the line is sung and then I sing that word as though I know what I'm doing. Until the next line begins and I begin mumbling again.

I am determined to memorize this so that I can actually lip sync or sing it. But I will never let it stand above the one I grew up with.

 I was in rugged remote country about 1500km NW of Brisbane - no one else about...my sort of place ! Whilst exploring the region earlier in the day I had spotted this large isolated red termite mound and put it 'in the memory bank' for a possible composition. As the sun descended an amazing bit of luck occurred as the elements came together and the last of the sun's rays continued to shine through the gap/gorge that had been eroded through the ridgeline to the west - hilighting the termite mound and surrounding spinifex. It was very special to witness and something I feel so lucky to have been the only one to see!

Spinifex and termites - Fuji G617, Velvia 50.

Australian plea for 'ugly' women

The last census showed there were just 819 women aged 20-24 in Mount Isa

The mayor of a remote Australian mining town has come under fire after saying that female "ugly ducklings" might benefit from its shortage of women.

John Molony told a newspaper last week that "with five blokes to every girl, may I suggest that beauty-disadvantaged women should proceed to Mount Isa".

The council has since been swamped with complaints from both men and women.

But Mr Molony has refused to apologise for the remarks, saying he was "telling it like it is" in the Queensland town.

Located 1,829km (1,136 miles) from Brisbane, Mount Isa is home to one of the world's biggest underground mines.

In 2006, there were just 819 women aged 20-24 living there out of a total population of 21,421, according to the most recent census.

'Lonely women'

In an interview with the Townsville Bulletin last week, Mr Molony proposed a novel solution to Mount Isa's shortage of eligible women.

It's an absolute disgrace - it's not council's view and it's not mine Mount Isa Councillor Jean Ferris

"Quite often you will see walking down the street a lass who is not so attractive with a wide smile on her face. Whether it is recollection of something previous or anticipation for the next evening, there is a degree of happiness," he said.

"Some, in other places in Australia, need to proceed to Mount Isa where happiness awaits. Really, beauty is only skin deep. Isn't there a fairy tale about an ugly duckling that evolves into a beautiful swan," he added.

A fellow councilor, Jean Ferris, said the invitation to "beauty-disadvantaged women" had caused consternation among both sexes.

"It's an absolute disgrace," she told the Courier Mail. "It's not council's view and it's not mine. It's hard when you've got to defend something someone else has said. We're definitely appalled."

Mr Molony has since refused to retract his remarks and insisted he is "a bloke who respects women".

"I believe we should look after women," he said. "I'm told men outnumber women here by five to one. If that's the case, then perhaps it's an opportunity for some lonely women."

I found out that it is called Yum Cha. Yum Cha, for those who don't know, is a Chinese custom of "eating small servings of different foods while sipping Chinese tea in Cantonese-speaking areas of Southern China." (Thanks, trusty Wikipedia).

I also found out the name of the woman who I despise so much. It is Sonia Kruger and she was in the movie Strictly Ballroom and hosts the Australian version of "Dancing With the Stars." This non-athlete has been sent to join a panel of other unfortunate Australian personalities that hop from reality show to reality show performing hosting duties, including one of the Daddo brothers, of which I hear there are a few. There is also a guy who put on traditional Chinese dress, including makeup, and then put his hands on the side of his head and pulled the skin back. Yes he did.

But there is much more Channel 7 should be embarrassed about other than this show. I'm thinking about all the equestrian and rowing and field hockey (field hockey!) I've had to watch, so now I'm mad. The funny thing is that Channel 7 is happy with its ratings. What the hell else is there to watch? Well, for one, the Olympic coverage on SBS. It's far superior. I'm actually watching volleyball that is not taking place on a fake beach.

To get the ball rolling, I would like to introduce you to Knitspirations .  These booties are fantastic, and as the owner of a couple of pairs, I can definately recommend them.  You can find some of Jen's booties on WAHmania.

How snuggly does this scarf look?  By Etsy seller Artish it is definately a unique little scarf, it even has little "hello kitty" beads knitted into it.

Shazza from Shazza's Knits also does some great works and I found this flapper style hat on Made It , a great place to buy handmade Australian items.

Here is a selection of more knitted goodies, all found on Made It which is a treasure trove for these goodies.

Left to Right - Pompomfrieda Booties, Sheeps Clothing Beanie, Tilly the Pig by Mydogzac, Belkemp Knitted Pinafores

The one stipulation was that only ostriches were allowed to run the race.

A fellow decided to enter, but not having an ostrich of his own, and hearing that the fastest ostrich in the world was the mascot of the local police department, he stole the bird and entered the race.

As luck would have it, when the pistol shot went off to start the race, the ostrich buried its head in the sand and the fellow lost the race.

Moral: Never run afoul of the law!

A (somewhat) irrational fear that I have is that marrying outside of my culture will lead to an erosion of my culture both for myself and any kidlings I may spawn. While I was been born and raised in Australia, I also consider myself Sri Lankan, even though I don’t speak any relevant languages and have never lived there. I have, however, travelled back there extensively and I feel like I “belong” (as much as someone who is stuck on a bridge between two worlds can) in Sri Lanka as I do here. Obviously, it plays less of a part in my life than it did for my parents who only immigrated to Australia in their late 20’s. And I can only imagine that they envisioned I would turn out to be a less Westernised version of my current self.

Putting aside the negative aspects of Sri Lankan culture that have played a great part in my upbringing, I’ve always considered it an important feature of my identity and something that I look upon in a generally positive light. But there is no doubt that I am less immersed in that culture than my parents before me. How could I not be? While my immediate environment is a mix of both Eastern and Western influences, my external environment is anything but Sri Lankan. I don’t think of this as a bad thing, but rather that it has allowed me to access two separate places in ways other people never can. What I am trying to say in a very roundabout way is that culture is important to me. And if I ever get around to breeding, I would like for my culture to have a somewhat integral role in their lives too.

I want them to appreciate the traditions and values of their history and still feel a part of the Sri Lankan community, albeit in Australia. That’s not to say that they can’t do any of this even if I don't marry someone of mine own race, but just as I know less about that world than my parents do, so too will they and so then will their own children.

One of the bigger regrets I have in my life is that I never learnt Sinhalese or Tamil. Since my parents almost always spoke English at home I never had the opportunity. I don’t want my children to think of Sri Lanka as a foreign country but rather, their second home as I do.

As the world increasingly turns a darker shade of white, I’m sure there are many other families that struggle with this same problem. After spending a childhood rejecting my “brownness” and then finally accepting and embracing that part of me, I would hate for it to all get eroded away. Ultimately, all I can hope for is that my children – whatever colour they turn out to be – will eventually show the same interest and curiosity about their heritage as I did and appreciate its relevance in their lives.

British protester held in Beijing

The banner was unfurled on a building next to an Olympic promotion

A British man has been held by police in China after unfurling a pro-Tibet banner on a building in Beijing.

Philip Kirk, 24, of St Albans, Herts, and Australian-Canadian Nicole Rycroft, 41, scaled the Central Television building to make their protest.

The pair, from the group Students for a Free Tibet, and three other supporting protesters were detained on Friday.

Han Shan, spokesman for the campaign group, said the banner read "Free Tibet" in English and Chinese.

Kate Woznow, also from the group, said the protest happened at the headquarters of the state-owned China Central Television building in east Beijing.

She said Mr Kirk and Ms Rycroft were detained after climbing up part of the building to reveal the banner.

Previous protests

Last week, two other British pro-Tibet protesters, Lucy Fairbrother, 23, from Cambridge, and Iain Thom, 24, from Edinburgh, were deported after scaling a 120ft-high (36.5m) lighting pole and unfurling banners reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet" and "Tibet will be free".

The activists said the action had been worth it - but their job was not done and there would be more protests during the games.

We are in touch with the Chinese authorities and we are seeking further details British embassy spokesman

Eight demonstrators from Students for a Free Tibet were also detained on Wednesday after staging a demonstration.

Wang Wenjie, of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said he did not have any information about the latest protest.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Beijing said: "We are in touch with the Chinese authorities and we are seeking further details."

Officials expect Mr Kirk to be deported some time on Friday.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang, warned activists on Wednesday to obey the law in China, which does not allow unauthorized protests.

He said: "No matter Chinese citizens or foreigners, in China if you want to have processions or demonstrations, you should abide by Chinese laws and regulations."

This week has certainly been a good news one.  And, for once, I'm not actually talking just about me.

One of my friends from early theatre days, the gorgeous and talented Miranda Barber (pictured above), left Australian shores for London (as many of us have done) to follow her dreams of working as an actor and singer.  Last year, she entered a singer-songwriter online showcase called Slice The Pie.  In September 2007 the public voted her as the winner of the showcase and Miranda received 15,000 pounds sterling to make her first album.

In June this year, her debut album, Lips' Decision was launched in the UK to rave reviews, which was so very exciting.  But, the latest news is that Miranda has just been nominated by the Australian Songwriter's Association in the Top 10 Best Songs for 2008 in their Folk/Acoustic category - for not just one song, but TWO!!

Tracks Sweetheart's Embrace and Too Damn Hard (which I LOVE - such a great song) are the two that have been nominated from the album, and the winners of the awards will be announced at the ASA National Awards Night in Sydney on August 28.

I can't say how thrilled I am for her.  She's such an amazing talent and deserves all the accolades and attention.

I'm even more excited for her because when she and I were spending time treading the boards together, singing and acting our little hearts out, she was diagnosed with a paralyzed vocal chord and told she would never sing again.  I remember all of us going into shock (as I know she did) and not quite believing the news.  She was a serious star on the rise and that news was, well, unreal.

But, she didn't accept what the doctors told her and she persevered and rehabilitated her voice and ... well, the rest is history - the chord recovered and look at her now!!

Haven't experienced Miranda's amazing voice and beautiful songwriting skills yet?  Shame on you.  Get over to her official site here.  And listen to samples of her work here.  And buy her album (or an earlier EP) while you're there.

Need more convincing?  Here's a sample of what people who don't know her personally are saying:

"Barber plays the audience & piano like a Broadway nightclub hostess in a Sinatra film. The rich, cigarettes-&-whisky harmonics in her voice give her songs a seductive mix of the vampish & innocent. She has the rare gift of projecting intimacy whilst opening up a peephole into her personal world." - Smallfish

"Originally from Melbourne but based in London, Miranda Barber specialises in torch songs powered by energy-saving light bulbs ... all the heady mournful balladry of Bessie Smith or Billie Holiday, but it's all executed with the sparse efficiency of Joni Mitchell or Damien Rice." - Overplay

Couldn't have put it better myself.  'Nuff said.

Seconds away from an almost certain semifinal place, the "Aussie stingers" had a player excluded for a foul, and Hungary's Aniko Pelle took advantage.

"The referees are arseholes," said a Australian coach Greg McFadden. "The Hungarian player has hold of us, and we get excluded. It's total rubbish as far as I am concerned."

With both teams winning their opening fixtures, the game was seen as the decider in Group B. The Group winners get an automatic semifinal place, with the runners-up facing the third-place team from Group A in the quarterfinal. (news)

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association secretary Steve Purvinas said the screw could seize up, leading to a disaster, if it was not lubricated regularly.

An Alaska Airlines MD-80 jetliner crashed off the coast of Los Angeles eight years ago, killing all 88 people on board, after its horizontal stabilizer jammed. (news)

Did you know that those 6% take, on average, two days, 17 hours and 59 minutes to do so?

That means it takes, on average, 3959 minutes for an Australian business to follow up a web enquiry by phone (if they bother at all). It took Apollo 11 just 4526 minutes to fly to the moon.

A pretty place. Quiet and posh, with a colonial feel (it was built in 1908, and used to be... the house of the fire chief back in the day, I hear?) Pricey though, but good for special occasions. Now, on to the food.

The Pan Fried Foie Gras (okay, I've actually kind of forgotten the price for everything, but I think this was... $20plus-$30, I will check) was done pretty well - it was melt-in-your-mouth as good foie gras should do, complemented by a nice warm fruit on top which helped to offset the savoury taste of the sauce and the liver, which resulted in an explosion of flavours on the palate.

The mains we had were the Roasted Black Cod with Teriyaki Sauce, Roasted Butternut Pumpkin & Wilted Tatsoi ($35) and the Grain Fed Beef Tenderloin ($39).

The accompanying garnishes and vegetables were very well matched to the meats, I feel; the cod came with some sweet potatoes and chye sim like vegetables which tasted great with the teriyaki sauce and the fresh and light taste of the fish, and the beef came with mashed potatoes, golden mushrooms and a small piece of marrow. The fish itself was tasty and pleasing to the mouth, separating easily into soft, tender pieces when sliced. The beef was pretty good as well, but not super fantastic or anything.

All in all, a rather pleasant and delicious meal. Pleasant for the good ambience and fairly decent service, as well as adding a nice touch by specially dressing up the dessert (Chocolate Fondant, $15, which was pretty good also - molten chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream I believe) for the birthday boy. And delicious, because well, the food was quite well done. Of course, good company as well.