#public holiday melbourne

[soft-serve-soymilk]

The problem with having puppers is that you start scolding everything out of habit:

Aus post who is keeping my package in customs for 387903 million years? No :(

C-ptsd induced emotional flashbacks with the classic flinch response? No 😓

youtube who paused my song RIGHT before the best part to ask ‘time to take a break ^^?’ even though I never set such a thing and I bet it’s choosing to be annoying on purpose bc I deleted it last week to prevent distractions and it has since been reinstated: Nooo 😡

[pinkybuttons]

i’m in melbourne. this is scary why is everyone wearing black

[fazcinatingblog]

Oh great, April 1st, when the footy humourists tell me Alex Fasolo has retired and I'm like WHAT NO HE CAN'T and then I realise what day it is and breathe a sigh of relief that Alex Fasolo still plays football and

[driftwooddestiel]

oh shoot its like THE grand final today

[mariacallous]

On Boxing Day pro-Palestine demonstrators met customers at the Zara sale in the Westfield shopping centre, in Stratford, east London. They were not there to wish them the compliments of the season.

‘Bombs are dropping while you’re shopping,’ they chanted, as police stood by to make sure the protests did not turn violent. ‘Zara is enabling genocide,’ their placards read.

Quite what they wanted bargain hunters to do about the Israeli forces bombing the Gaza Strip, they never said. Lobby their MPs? Politicians are on their Christmas holidays. Join the Palestinian armed struggle?  It was unclear whether the shopping centre had a Hamas recruitment office.

But on one point the demonstrators were certain: no one should be buying from Zara. Even though the fashion chain has not encouraged Israel’s war against Hamas, earned income from it, or supported Israel in any material way, it was nevertheless “exploiting a genocide and commodifying Palestine's pain for profit”.

Zara, in short, has become the object of a paranoid fantasy: a QAnon conspiracy theory for the postcolonial left.

The Zara conspiracy is an entirely modern phenomenon. It has no original author. Antisemitic Russians sat down and wrote the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in the early 20th century. There was an actual “Q” behind the QAnon conspiracy: a far-right activist who first appeared on 4chan message boards in 2017 to claim that a cabal of child abusers was conspiring against Donald Trump.

The Zara conspiracy was mass produced by social media users: an example of the madness of crowds rather than their supposed wisdom. The cause of the descent into hysteria was bizarre.

In early December Zara launched an advertising campaign featuring the model Kristen McMenamy wearing its latest collection in a sculptor’s studio. It clearly was a studio, by the way, and not a war zone in southern Israel or Gaza. McMenamy carried a mannequin wrapped in white fabric. The cry went up that the Spanish company was exploiting the suffering of Palestinians and that the mannequin was meant to represent a victim of Israeli aggression wrapped in a shroud.

The accusation was insane. No one in the photo shoot resembled a soldier or a casualty of war. Anyone who thought for 30 seconds before resorting to social media would have known that global brands plan their advertising campaigns months in advance.

Zara said the campaign presented “a series of images of unfinished sculptures in a sculptor’s studio and was created with the sole purpose of showcasing craft-made garments in an artistic context”. The idea for the studio setting was conceived in July. The photo shoot was in September, weeks before the Hamas assault on Israel on 7 October.

No one cared. Melanie Elturk, the CEO of fashion brand Haute Hijab, said of the campaign, ‘this is sick. What kind of sick, twisted, and sadistic images am I looking at?’ #BoycottZara trended on Twitter, as users said that Zara was ‘utterly shameful and disgraceful”’.

To justify their condemnations, activists developed ever-weirder theories. A piece of cardboard in the photoshoot was meant to be a map of Israel/Palestine turned upside down. Because a Zara executive had once invited an extreme right-wing Israeli politician to a meeting, the whole company was damned.

Astonishingly, or maybe not so astonishingly to anyone who follows online manias, the fake accusations worked. Zara stores in Glasgow, Toronto. Hanover, Melbourne and Amsterdam were targeted.

What on earth could Zara do? PR specialists normally say that the worst type of apology is the non-apology apology, when a public figure or institution shows no remorse, but instead says that they are sorry that people are offended. Yet Zara had not sought to trivialize or profit from the war so what else could it do but offer a non-apology apology? The company duly said it was sorry that people were upset.

“Unfortunately, some customers felt offended by these images, which have now been removed, and saw in them something far from what was intended when they were created,” it said on 13 December, and pulled the advertising campaign

That was two-weeks ago and yet still the protests in Zara stores continue. On 23 December activists targeted Zara on Oxford Street chanting , 'Zara, Zara, you can't hide, stop supporting genocide', even though Zara was not, in fact,  supporting genocide. On Boxing Day, they were at the Stratford shopping centre.

Zara has apologised for an offence it did not commit. There is no way that any serious person can believe the charges against it. And yet believe them the protestors do. Or at the very least they pretend to believe for the sake of keeping in with their allies.

Maybe nothing will come of the protests. One could have argued in 2017, after all, that QAnon was essentially simple-minded people living out their fantasies online. Certainly, every sane American knew that there was no clique of paedophiles running the Democrat party, but where was the harm in the conspiracy theory?

Then QAnon supporters stormed the US capitol in January 2021. Will the same story play out from the Gaza protests? As far as I can tell, no one on the left is challenging the paranoia. I have yet to see the fact-checkers of the BBC and Channel 4 warning about the fake news on the left with anything like the gusto with which they treat its counterparts on the right.

To be fair, the scale of disinformation around the Gaza war is off the charts, and it is impossible to chase down every lie. But when fake news goes from online fantasies to real world protests, from 4chan to the Capitol, from Twitter to the Westfield shopping centre, it’s worth taking notice.

Sensible supporters of a Palestinian state ought to be the most concerned. No one apart from fascists, Islamists and far leftists believes that Israel should not defend itself. And yet the scale of its military action in Gaza is outraging world opinion. Mainstream politicians, who might one day put pressure on Israel, remain very wary about reflecting the anger on the streets.

They look at the insane conspiracy theories on the western left and see them as no different from the insane conspiracy theories that motivate Hamas, and they back away.

The Palestinians need many things: an end to the Netanyahu government, and an end to Hamas. But they could also use allies in the West who do not discredit their cause with dark, gibbering fantasies.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 21 April 1856, stonemasons in Melbourne, Australia, went on strike demanding a maximum eight-hour working day – down from 10 hours per day Monday-Friday with eight hours on Saturday. They marched from their construction site, the Old Quadrangle building at the University of Melbourne, brandishing a banner demanding “8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest”. The workers were extremely well organised, and were soon successful in achieving their goal, with no loss of pay, for workers engaged in public works in the city. They celebrated on Monday 12 May, the Whit Monday holiday, with a parade of nearly 700 people from 19 trades. In 1903, workers in Ballarat, Victoria, erected an 8 hour day monument, commemorating the movement. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9337/Melbourne-8-hour-day-strike Pictured: The Melbourne eight-hour banner, 1856 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=612378520935367&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[justforbooks]

Bill Viola

Video artist who melded the material and the spiritual and applied modern technology to Renaissance subjects

In 1957, on a family holiday, Bill Viola fell in a lake. He was six years old. Sixty years later, Viola, who has died aged 73, recalled the event. “I didn’t hold on to my float when I went into the water, and I went right to the bottom,” he said. “I experienced weightlessness and a profound visual sense that I never forgot. It was like a dream and blue and light, and I thought I was in heaven as it was the most beautiful thing I had seen.” And then … “my uncle pulled me out.”

It seemed an unpromising start to an artistic career. However, in 1977 Viola began a series of five works called The Reflecting Pool. Four years out of university, this was his first multipart artwork, its constituent films occupying their maker for three years. In the title piece, a shirtless man – Viola – emerges from a wood, walks toward a pond, makes as if to jump into it and freezes in mid-air. The pool registers his entry nonetheless, its surface rippling as though disturbed; the flying man fades slowly away; and, after seven long minutes, Viola emerges, dripping, from the water and walks back into the woods. The Reflecting Pool drew on the near-drowning of his six-year-old self. It was also classic Viola, its most notable features – slowness, water, a numinous spirituality – recurring in his work of the next half century.

It was the subaqueous blue glow of the screen of a Sony Portapak video camera, donated to his high school in Flushing, New York, that first attracted Viola to the medium. He was raised in the neighbouring lower-middle-class suburb of Queens. It was not, recalled Viola, a cultured household, but his mother, Wynne (nee Lee) “had some ability and sort of taught me how to draw, so when I was three years old I could do pretty good motorboats”. A year before his near death by drowning, a kindergarten finger-painting of a tornado won public praise from his teacher. It was then, Viola said, that he decided to be an artist.

His father, a Pan Am flight attendant turned service manager, had other ideas. Fearing that an art school education would leave his son unemployable, Viola senior insisted that he study for a liberal arts degree at Syracuse, a respected university in upstate New York. “And in saying that,” Viola would admit, “he saved me.”

As luck would have it, Syracuse, in 1970, was among the first universities to promote experimentation in new media. A fellow student had set up a studio where projects could be made using a video camera. Signing up for it, Viola was instantly converted: “Something in my brain said I’d be doing this all my life,” he remembered. He spent the following summer wiring up the university’s new cable TV system, taking a job as a janitor in its technology centre so that he could spend his nights mastering the newfangled colour video system. In 1972, he made his first artwork, Tape I, a study of his own reflection in a mirror. This, too, would be trademark Viola, bewitched by video’s ability simultaneously to see and be seen, but also by his own image. The I in the work’s title was not a Roman numeral but a personal pronoun.

Tape I and works like it were enough to catch the eye of Maria Gloria Bicocchi, whose pioneering Florence studio, ART/TAPES/22, made videos for Arte Povera artists. When Viola took a job there in 1974, he found himself working alongside such giants as Mario Merz and Jannis Kounellis. By 1977, his own reputation in the small but growing world of video art led to his being invited to show his work at La Trobe University in Melbourne, his acceptance encouraged by the offer of free Pan Am flights from his father.

The invitation had come from La Trobe’s director of culture, Kira Perov. The following year, Perov moved to New York to be with Viola, and they married in 1978. They would stay in the house in Long Beach, California, that they moved into three years later, for the rest of their married lives. In 1980-81, the couple spent 18 months in Japan, Viola simultaneously working as the first artist-in-residence at Sony Corporation’s Atsugi laboratories and studying Zen Buddhism.

This melding of the sacred and technologically profane would mark Viola’s work of the next four decades. Viola listed “eastern and western spiritual traditions including Zen Buddhism, Islamic Sufism and Christian mysticism” as influences on his art, although it was the last of these that was the most apparent. At university, he said, he had “hated” the old masters, and proximity to the greatest of them in Florence had not changed that view. It was only with the death of his mother in 1991 that he began to feel the weight of western art history, and to acknowledge it in his own work.

Having struggled with a creative block since the late 1980s, he found that the grief of his mother’s death freed him. Summoned to her side by his father, Viola filmed first the dying woman and then her body lying in an open coffin. This footage would be used in a 54-minute work called The Passing, and then again the following year in the Nantes Triptych, its three screens concurrently showing a woman giving birth, Viola’s dying mother and, in between them, a man submerged in a tank of water.

The first of Viola and Perov’s two sons had been born in 1988. Nantes Triptych was, or appeared to be, a meditation on birth, death and rebirth through baptism. If the subject was traditional, so too was Viola’s use of the triptych form. His references to the old masters would soon become more direct still. In 1995, Viola was chosen to represent the US at the Venice Biennale. One part of the work, Buried Secrets, that he showed in the American pavilion drew openly on a painting by Jacopo da Pontormo of the visitation of the Virgin Mary to her elderly cousin, Elizabeth.

Not surprisingly in these secular times, Viola’s subject matter was not universally popular. The art world was particularly divided. When his videos were shown among the permanent collection of the National Gallery in London in an exhibition called The Passions in 2003, one outraged critic dubbed Viola “a master of overblown, big-budget, crowd-pleasing, tear-jerking hocus-pocus and religiosity”.

The pairing at the Royal Academy in 2019 of his work with drawings by Michelangelo from the Royal Collection drew the barbed comment from the Guardian critic that “Viola’s art is so much of its own time that it is already dated, dead in the water”.

Predictably, he was more popular with the public at large, a survey at a Viola retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris showing that visitors had spent an average of two-and-a-half hours at the exhibition. Churchmen, too, were won over by Viola’s work, particularly those of the Church of England. In 1996, the artist was invited to make a video piece, The Messenger, for Durham Cathedral. In 2014, the first part of a two-part commission called Martyrs and Mary was installed at St Paul’s, the second joining it two years later. The project, thanks to ecclesiastical wrangling, had been a decade in the making. “The church works kind of slow,” remarked Viola, mildly. “But then I also work kind of slow.”

That mildness, and the religiosity of his subjects, may have led critics to underestimate the rigour of his work. Like Viola’s art or not, he was a master of it. His appreciation of the promise – and the threat – of technology was profound. Viola chafed against the primitiveness of early video, seeing each development in the medium as an opportunity to be grasped. The close-up portraits of The Passions series, for example, made use of flatscreen technology almost as it was invented.

By contrast, the binary nature of the modern world bothered him. “The age of computers is a very dangerous one because they work on ‘yes or no’, ‘1 or 0���,” Viola mourned. “There’s no maybe, perhaps or both. And I think this is affecting our consciousness.” The dissemination of video as an art form had not been like the spread of oil painting by the Van Eyck brothers 500 years before, he said, video having appeared everywhere and at once. True to these beliefs, Viola saw no contradiction in treating Renaissance subjects, and a Renaissance belief system, with the latest inventions from Sony. “The two are actually very close,” he said. “I see the digital age as the joining of the material and the spiritual into a yet-to-be-determined whole.”

In 2012, Viola was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. His work after this was increasingly made with the help of Perov, a fact that lent a new poignancy to the themes of memory and loss that often ran through it.

Viola is survived by his wife and their sons, Blake and Andrei, and by his siblings, Andrea and Robert .

🔔 Bill (William John) Viola, video artist, born 25 January 1951; died 12 July 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[samkerrworshipper]

How’s your day been so far?

i’ve been teaching gymnastics clinics all day which has been fun but it’s 40 degrees in melbourne and i’m so tired but public holiday money for the W

[kyndaris]

Onward to the Gong!

Living in New South Wales, public holidays are few and far between with only 11 official days. That being said, not all of them lead to long weekends. And after the Monarch's birthday in June, we poor Sydneysiders must need wait until Labour Day in October before partaking of another extended rest. It's outrageous, I tell you! Atrocious!

Still, in the spirit of adventure and wishing to relive our halcyon days in the sun, me and a few of my friends headed down to Wollongong to enjoy the salty sea air and swan around their city centre, which is but a stone's throw away from the major hustle and bustle that is Sydney. The only major city one really needs to visit when on the east coast of Australia.

Melbourne, who?

I jest. Melbourne is a perfectly fine city to visit or live. It's just...you know, not Sydney.

Although, it should not be noted that a day trip out to Wollongong was not what I'd initially dreamt up for the long weekend. Oh no. Rather, I'd hoped to road trip to the capital of Australia, Canberra, to catch a performance of RENT. The addition of more people to my travel plans, however, scuppered the idea.

What we got instead was a fancy day out with good food and even better company. It involved lounging at a cafe as we devoured a huge breakfast, watched as a car in front of us mount the central curb before swerving across multiple lanes and tailgating the cars in front of it, and also testing our abilities with a devious escape.

A worthy consolation prize, if I do say so myself.

Better than that, we didn't have any time to pay a visit to Shellharbour, where I would have relived the trauma of my many date fails (he was an earnest young man but not, perhaps, what I was seeking in a life partner).

Our small group of adults of mostly over-30s did stumble upon a protest to Free Palestine, however. By then, it was nearing 4 PM. Why it was so late in the afternoon remained a mystery. But the slogans were, admittedly catchy, and it was far better than the preaching we encountered earlier about how we ought to read the Bible lest we burn in Hell. Even some Mormons passing by were caught in the crosshairs.

As for the reason why, I couldn't say. But perhaps different evangelical groups feel like only their own beliefs are true? And all others are corruptions that don't adhere to the correct teachings?

These mild gripes aside, our day trip down to Wollongong was pretty much a success. Even the planning was an exciting endeavour in and of itself. Although, it must be said, trying to negotiate with friends to agree on a date, an activity and location can be like trying to wrangle kittens. It took no small effort to work around people's different schedules and plans.

And while I would have preferred a slightly more challenging escape room than the one we got, it was, in hindsight, for the best. The escape room was at the Breakout Bar, next to Wollongong Central. It was themed with clockwork gears on the ceiling and tables with the entrances to the escape rooms looking like heavy thick-set lead doors. Arriving early, we were given a brief overview of the escape room and the narrative tying all five of them together.

Once we had reviewed the story, we stored our belongings in the locker, plonked on some steampunk-esque goggles and time travelled all the way to Medieval England on a quest to return Excalibur to the stone it had been lodged in.

Although the escape room was one of the easiest available, our group still struggled to solve some of the puzzles. Of note were the unintuitive nature of the nail tower as it was unclear if the key to a nearby bird cage had been released. This was primarily due to the hidden compartment having to be pulled out manually and there was no audio cue to tell us we had succeeded. Quite a lot of precious time was lost where we tried to find a way to open the hidden compartment through other means (as we thought it was activated by magnets).

One other puzzle stumped us terribly too.

Even when we asked for the easy hint, we were left scratching our heads until we looked at the opposite wall.

If ever I should complain about other people being obtuse, I ought to remind myself that I failed to see a huge red and black shield on a wall (although, to be fair, in our group of five, four pairs of eyes also failed to spot it as well).

Still, we managed to escape the room. With time to spare!

Overall, I'd say the escape room was a success in how it got us all to collaborate with its many puzzles. All of us got to contribute our expertise, allowing us to return Excalibur to its rightful place and head back into Professor B's time machine in order to search for his beloved in another time period.

And while Wollongong is certainly no sprawling Sydney, I like to think we enjoyed our time there: from soaking up the sun at Coniston Dog Beach and contributing to a driftwood hut, to nabbing free chips at Grill'd, having a dessert break at Kurtosh, or buying a couple more books to add to my ever growing collection.

Perhaps next we visit the Illawara region, me and my group of friends can look to a few coastal hikes or perhaps take a gander up on the treetops.

If heading south isn't an option, we can always go horseback trail riding instead!

Australia may not be as vibrant as other countries, but there are many a hidden gem for both locals and tourists to discover. After taking some time to explore the main thoroughfare of Wollongong, I can say there's plenty to do and see in the small coastal city that's only an hour away. An absolute steal considering how far other locations can be in the great big giant country I call home.

[beardedmrbean]

Five people have been killed and six injured after a car crashed into a pub’s outdoor dining area in Australia.

A white BMW SUV mounted the curb into the front lawn of the crowded Royal Daylesford Hotel in Daylesford, Victoria, just after 6pm on Sunday, police said.

Among the five killed were two minors.

A boy, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 40s died on the spot, said Victoria police chief commissioner Shane Patton.

A girl, reportedly a teenager, was airlifted to Alfred hospital in Melbourne where she later died on Sunday evening. The victims of the incident have not yet been named by police.

The driver of the car, a 66-year-old man, was injured in the crash and taken to hospital after he suffered shock and minor injuries, said police chief Patton.

The man remains under police guard.

“There were, in essence, two... different family groups that were known to each other who were significantly involved and impacted by this,” Mr Patton said.

The pub was filled with hundreds of patrons when the incident happened, ahead of the weekend before the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday on Tuesday.

The car had mounted a kerb and hit the patrons. Photos showed chaotic scenes in the aftermath of the crash.

Among those injured, a 35-year-old woman is said to be in a serious condition. She is being treated at the Royal Melbourne hospital’s intensive care unit.

The others who were injured included a 11-month-old baby, a six-year-old boy, a 38-year-old man and another woman in her 40s. Authorities said they are all in a stable condition.

The 11-month-old baby was flown to Ballarat Base hospital, while the six-year-old child was taken to the Royal Children’s hospital.

The man and woman were flown to Royal Melbourne hospital.

Mr Patton refuted suggestions that there was a delay in the police response as “totally incorrect”.

“The station was staffed, two police officers heard the collision and as I understand ran to the scene, it’s a matter of a couple of 100 meters or so, and they were some of the first officers on the scene,” he said.

“And they did exactly what they’re trained to do and we’re very proud.”

Several businesses in the area remained closed on Monday as community members attended the site of the accident and laid flowers on Monday.

Superintendent John Fitzpatrick called the incident “horrible” and said they are waiting to speak to the driver.

“The car crashed into an area that has been set up really post-Covid with lots of tables and chairs, not just for the Royal Hotel, there’s an ice-cream shop there as well, so there (would have been) a lot of families,” a witness told ABC Local Radio.

“And it was a really warm night, and we’ve got a long weekend... so it was pretty busy last night,” the witness said.

“It will really have shocked a lot of people, and I think we’re really only just be coming to terms with what happened today.”

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Claire Lehmann

Published: Jul 7, 2023

In medieval times, it was common practice for the wealthy to buy indulgences from the church to atone for their sins. These payments, the church assured, meant the person paying would not remain in purgatory for too long and would later ascend into heaven.

A wealthy person could even buy indulgences for their family members or ancestors who were long dead. Today we think of ourselves as far more enlightened than our medieval forebears. We secular folk would never pay a class of clerics large sums of money to atone for our sins. Or would we?

In recent years, billions of dollars have flowed into investment funds that market themselves as providing “environmental, social and governance” impacts. In Australia, industry super funds lead this trend, with money pouring into funds that then invest in companies that promote green, social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion causes.

The basic idea behind ESG, which has been promoted by organisations such as the World Economic Forum, is that one can make a profit and “do good” at the same time. Investors argue they can contribute to a net-zero future while making solid returns, or contribute to social justice alongside their fiduciary duty.

Rating agencies and research firms issue ESG “scores” to companies that are then used by bodies who advise institutional and retail investors which organisations they should invest in. Because ESG has no standardised metrics or even standardised definitions, such scores can be massaged by those companies that have enough money to play the game.

An entire industry of consulting agencies and non-profits exists today to implement cosmetic changes within companies to boost their ESG scores. Such cosmetic changes may include sponsoring a float at the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or offering paid leave for staff who wish to change their gender.

As I commented in these pages last year, “gender affirmation leave” is offered by our two biggest supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, and contributes to these companies earning “gold- and platinum-tier” status by the Australian Workplace Equality Index – despite the fact both companies are simultaneously implicated in wage theft scandals.

Sometimes called “wokewashing”, the practice of buying virtue through ESG allows corporate entities to deflect attention away from their PR embarrassments, like Henry VIII’s Indulgences allowed him to go on indulging.

Such practices are called wokewashing because these changes usually do not go deep enough to really cause change within a large organisation. By sheer virtue of their size, our largest corporations often make mistakes that only a complete overhaul of management practices could possibly address.

Take BHP, for example. The biggest company in Australia, and largest mining company in the world, is now embroiled in one of the biggest wage theft scandals in history. Accused of underpaying 28,500 workers $430m in wages for deducting public holidays from leave entitlements, BHP is now supporting the Yes vote in the voice referendum and has pledged a $2m donation to the campaign. This pledge is likely to boost its ESG score, but whether it satisfies the workers who have been underpaid is yet to be seen.

It is not just the mining industry that seeks ESG redemption. The banking industry wants to buy its way into heaven as well. Following on the heels of the disastrous royal commission into the sector, the Big Four are all doubling down on ESG. NAB faced criminal charges in 2021 for failing to pay casual employees long-service leave entitlements, but this is offset by its sponsorship of Midsumma – Melbourne’s queer arts and cultural festival. Last year ANZ was fined $25m for misleading consumer practices, but it also announced it was offering its staff paid leave for a sex change.

Commonwealth Bank has been in hot water in recent years for breaching money-laundering laws and Westpac was required to pay a $1.3bn fine after 250 customers made transfers that were linked to child exploitation. Both organisations are atoning for these sins by campaigning for the Yes vote.

Almost every large corporation that has signed on to the Yes campaign for the voice referendum is embroiled in some kind of scandal that involves their core business. Whether Coles is underpaying its staff, or Rio Tinto is dealing with dozens of accusations of sexual harassment, each company has significant work to do internally.

And this is why ESG is so popular among our corporate class. Symbolic gestures that can be outsourced to consultants and NGOs are an easy box-ticking exercise. Systemic changes to management habits, or making sure business practices are fair, is much more costly and time-consuming than simply waving a rainbow flag.

In the medieval period, wealthy elites would pay indulgences in order to curry favour with the church because the institution was incredibly powerful.

It is not surprising then that our biggest corporations are pledging their support for ESG goals that are also supported by the government, unions, the majority of our media, academia and non-profit sectors.

While commitment to ESG is not necessarily a sign of true moral fibre, if it can assist in washing away the stain of sin, then every dollar pledged will be money well spent.

==

Whenever a large corporation pledges its commitment to some movement or ideology, especially those that are unrelated to their actual business, you should assume that it's hiding something.

The more controversial the movement or ideology, the bigger the scandal they're trying to distract attention from.

For reference, the "Voice to Parliament" is a referendum to embed in the Australian constitution a vaguely defined independent body with unknown powers, unclear authority and unidentified influence to be a whisper in the ear of the Australian political system, supposedly representing all indigenous (Aboriginal) Australians. In essence, it functions as a form of "reparations."

When it's rejected, as current polling indicates it massively will be, as with Affirmative Action, citizens will be scolded by the supporters for their "racism," and the country will be told it's irredeemably racist. Rather than recognizing the diverse objections to the initiative: the lack of transparency of what the body is or does; progressives who insist it doesn't go far enough (e.g. a desire to literally "hand back" the land); Aboriginal Australians themselves who are concerned about establishing a "separate but equal" system; importing Critical Race Theory ideas from the US to racially divide the nation; the rather racist notion itself that any single "voice" could represent all indigenous people, ignoring that their viewpoints are as diverse as everyone else's; and the very simple answer of "I don't like this particular solution."

But while all of that is going on, the companies will be looking for their next diversion.

[bushdivingbushranger]

Hiii I hope this isn’t weird but I’m traveling to Australia soon and I would like to know

what to do{I got recommended The Blue Mountain(The3sisters)}

Is there things(places) I should avoid?

Is there any customs Americans have that should avoid doing while in Australia?

Thank you so much I appreciate your time and response ♥️

Hey! Depends on where you're going. By the sound of it, if you've been recommended the Blue Mountains you're going to NSW. I don't know anything about NSW unfortunately, but I can tell you some stuff about Victoria!

I'll try and write some general stuff up, but if you send me another ask about what sort of stuff you'd be interested in doing/seeing, and how you're travelling (if you're planning to hire a car, or if you're going to rely on Ubers and public transport), I'd be more than happy to point you to some specific things :)

This'll be long, so I'll put it under the read more.

It depends what you're after, really. If you want to immerse yourself in nature, then we have some really fantastic natural areas such as the Otways, the Great Ocean Road, the Dandenong Ranges (not to be confused with the suburb Dandenong), the Yarra Ranges, the Macedon Ranges, and Victorian High Country etc. These are really fantastic places to walk around in the beautiful land. All these offer different hikes/bushwalks/walking trails that you can enjoy either by yourself or a mate. All these areas are very safe.

AVOID: TBH Victoria and Australia as a whole are very safe places, the only places I would recommend avoiding are outer suburbs of Melbourne. If you're going to the countryside you're largely going to be safe, I wouldn't recommend Ararat at night (they do have a really fantastic Chinese Museum there though), or some parts of Shepparton.

If you're interested in hanging out by the beach, there's heaps here. I wouldn't recommend Brighton beach, just because if it's a pain in the arse to get parking there depending when you'll be here, nor would I recommend Rye because it gets mad crowded. I'd also suggest going to Phillip Island, which has some cool stuff to do such as A Maze N' Things, which I think is geared more towards young children/families but I can't really recall. Phillip Island is most famous for its penguin parades, where you get to watch all the tiny little fairy penguins arrive home from their long days of fishing and swimming about. If you're really keen on animals, I also recommend Healesville Sanctuary (near the Yarra Ranges, it's about an hour and a bit from Melbourne), Werribee Open Range Zoo, and Melbourne Zoo (if you go to Melb Zoo, leave the car at home and take the tram! There's a stop right out the front :) ).

If you're keen on relaxing there's Daylesford, which is known as Victorian Spa Country because of... I'm sure you've guessed, the spas! It's also nice and close to some beautifully country towns such as Kyneton and Romsey which are part of the Macedon Ranges I believe. I used to holiday every year in Kyneton and Castlemaine, and they're really beautiful places. Castlemaine has a really great farmer's market every first Sunday of the month.

Near there, about an hour away, there's Sovereign Hill, which I highly recommend as it's SO much fun! It's a historical town, where everything is built like it would have been in the 1850s during the goldrush. You can do fun activities there like ride in a horse-drawn carriage, make your own traditional wax candles, and pan for gold in the river. If you go, I recommend you buy at least two jars of raspberry drops from the gift shop there: they are the best that you will find in the entire world.

Sovereign Hill is also close to Ballarat, which is a massive country town with beautiful architecture and some pretty nifty restaurants if you know where to look. I recommend The Forge, really delicious pizza, all wood-fired so the bases have that beautiful smoky taste. It also has a really nice ambience, and is IIRC next to a cute alleyway that has 100s of umbrellas hanging over like a little ceiling which is a great place to take photos :)

I'd also recommend Echuca, which is a far drive away but is worth it. Another old-style town with old-style shops. They have a really fun old-timey PENNY arcade (for reference, we stopped using pounds and pennies and switched to dollars in 1966) with arcade machines from 1900 to 1950. They also show old silent black and white films there. Just be careful with the bloke who runs the store because he'll try and trick you into electrocuting yourself on the electrocution arcade game 💀 it doesn't hurt dw but it does feel really weird.

Now for Melbourne. If you're looking for nightlife recommendations, I couldn't really tell you--however I can ask around and let you know. I would recommend checking out Melbourne Museum, of course, which is FANTASTIC. Beautiful displays of insects, they're absolutely mesmerising. We currently also have a display on Horridus, the triceratops fossil. It's a beautiful exhibit and you might cry a bit (I def did). There's also the State Gallery of Victoria, which is great fun as well. Do Not Go To The Restaurant There. It's nice! But it's overpriced. From there, you can hop on the tram back towards Federation Square, where you can find ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image--very interactive) and the Koorie Heritage Trust (which is a great place to go if you're interested in learning a bit more about the traditional owners of Australia and their art). If going to Fed Square, I recommend checking out Mabu Mabu which is an indigenous owned restaurant that uses native ingredients and flavours to make mega delish food. It can be a bit pricey tho, but definitely worth it!

Otherwise in Melb I would recommend the Queen Victoria Market (massive market with heaps of stuff for pretty cheap, can get really great food from here too!), Fitzroy Mills Market which is... it's a very trendy spot where you can get heaps of cool clothes and accessories. TBH it's not my cup of tea but there's also a bloke there that sells pretty nice toasties so it's fun to go to for that. I also recommend the Rose Street Market, beautiful handmade market with heaps of cool stuff. Can be pricey though, but even if you don't buy much from there, there's a lot of nice cafés and bakeries around that rule. It's also very close to the Fitzroy Market, so you can walk between them, as they run on the same days.

TBH for Melbourne, if you're interested pls send me an ask with stuff you're interested in, and I'll be able to narrow down some recommendations there. There's just a LOT of stuff to do in Melbourne as it is the State Capital.

Now for customs as an American that you should avoid while in Australia: this is a bit hard for me to answer as I've only been to the USA once so can't really remember that many differences so if any of these seem offensive to you, sorry. I would say you don't need to tip, but if you do it's appreciated. If you're on public transport, don't speak loudly on public transport, if you're driving, use your indicator/blinker. Our service culture is a lot different here, I would follow the etiquette of: the server/cashier/storeperson/whatever is doing me a favour, not the other way around, and this goes without saying but use please and thank-you with everyone for everything. Stick to the left!!! This goes for driving but for walking too, if you're walking around the city, stay on the left side of the footpath!!

God, that got long. Sorry!! Let me know if you have any other questions, esp regarding travelling around Victoria as I've done a HEAP of it with my family and can give you more specific recommendations if you would like :)

Most of all, when you're here, have fun! Strike up conversation with friendly looking locals and you will have a total blast.

[smalltownwonderlandau]

BATHURST

WHAT IS BATHURST KNOWN FOR?

Ironically, this normally beautiful and peaceful little country town is known for car racing. Every year, the famous Liqui - Moly 12 Hour car race takes place on Mount Panorama and this usually quiet town suddenly becomes as crowded as  Sydney. Of Course, car racing isn’t Bathurst’s only claim to fame, Bathurst has a long rich history with gold mining, the first gold ever discovered in Australia was discovered in Bathurst, the gold rush which took place between the 1850′s and the 1870′s transformed this small provincial town into a major regional centre.

GETTING THERE AND AWAY

AIR Bathurst has a small regional airport. Pelican Airlines do daily direct flights from Sydney to Bathurst, however this is the most expensive way to travel to Bathurst from Sydney. Pelican Airlines Operates direct flight Between Sydney Airport Terminal T2 and Bathurst with two return flights per day Monday To Friday and 1 return flight on Sunday.

CAR Car is the easiest and most convenient way to get to and from Bathurst.

TRAIN The “Bathurst Bullet” train service link Sydney with Bathurst daily.Daily NSW Trainlink Services from Sydney To Lithgow with coach connections to Bathurst are also avaliable. Bathurst Bullet The Bathurst Bullet departs Bathurst Station at 7:35AM and returns earlier in the afternoon, departing Sydney at 3:05PM and arriving in Bathurst at 6:47PM. There are variations to this schedule on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to allow for existing Indian Pacific and Intercity services. 

GETTING AROUND

The easiest way to get around Bathurst is by car, While Uber does exist, it can be difficult at times to get one as they are not as common as they are in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Bathurst Taxis are another option if you do not have a car but you will have to call for them as taxi’s are not something that you will see frequently whilst walking around Bathurst. There is a Bus company in Bathurst, Bathurst Buslines check the website for more information and for bus routes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

OPENING HOURS Most businesses in Bathurst are closed on Sundays. Cafes typically open at 7:00AM and close at 3:00PM while restaurants tend to open and close a bit later than this typically around 5:00PM to 9:00PM. Shops usually open at 10:00Am and close at 5:00PM. On or around public holidays such as Christmas and New Year, you can expect most businesses to be closed.

ROAD SAFETY Kangaroos are abundant in Bathurst, unfortunately, that also means that the chance of a collision with one whilst driving is higher than it is in Sydney particularly at night. Drive extra cautiously, especially around areas like Mount Panorama and further out away from the CBD.

PLACES TO STAY

HOTELS

The Victoria  Locally owned and operated, this newly refurbished hotel is the ultimate hub for food, drink, arts, music, events and accomodation. There is a pub which serves craft beer, local wine, cocktails and tasty pub food. Dogs are allowed in this hotel. Facilities: Bar Family Rooms Free Wifi Restaurant Shared Bathroom Location: 3 Keppel St Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia Phone: 0263315777 Email: hello@thevictoriabathurst.com.au Website: thevictoriabathurst.com.au

Photos from The Victoria Bathurst on Facebook

Littomore Hotels And Suites  Located only a 2 minute walk to the CBD of Bathurst, Littomore Hotels And Suites is the only Motel in Bathurst that does not have a main road or major highway running past its front door. Off street parking is provided and there is a salt water pool. Facilities: On Site Parking Swimming Pool Location: 19 Charlotte St, Bathurst NSW Phone: 0263312211 Email: bathurst@littomoresuites.com.au Website: littomoresuites.com.au

Photos from Littomore Bathurst on Facebook

Mantra  The Mantra Bathurst Hotel, is extremely close to Bathurst’s CBD and the second closest to Mount Panorama. Most of the 50 newly refurbished room have a new plush top king bed and ample parking is provided. A free continental breakfast is included and there is also a spa, sauna and swimming pool. Facilities: Bar Coach Parking Continental Breakfast Family Rooms Free Wifi Function Rooms Laundry Facilities On Site Parking Sauna Spa Swimming Pool Location: 344 Stewart St, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia Phone: 0263321800 Email: reception@mantrabathurst.com.au Website: www.mantrabathurst.com.au

Photos from Mantra Bathurst on Facebook

Rydges Mount Panorama  Located on the iconic Mount Panorama race circuit, all rooms have a spectacular view of Mount Panorama and if you’re lucky, you will see large groups of Kangaroos. There are 131 rooms, all come with spa baths and balconies. There is a pool and a restaurant which has a buffet breakfast as well as on site parking. Facilities: 24 Hour Reception Air Conditioning/Heating Free Wifi Grocery Delivery Service Gym Kitchen Laundry Facilities On Site Parking Restaurant  Room Service Swimming Pool Location: 1 Conrod Straight, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia Phone: 61263381888 Email: reservations_rydgesbathurst@evt.com Website: rydges.com

Photos from Rydges Mount Panorama Bathurst on Facebook

MOTELS

Gold Panner Motor Inn  If you are looking for affordable accomodation, great country hospitality this newly refurbished motel is the place to stay. Located only 10 minutes from the Bathurst CBD, the Gold Panner Motor Inn has 34 ground floor rooms with secure parking right at your door. A free continental buffet breakfast is included, there is also a BBQ area, a children’s playground and a swimming pool Facilities: Continental Breakfast Family Rooms Free Wifi On Site Parking Swimming Pool Location: 260 Sydney Rd, Kelso NSW 2795, Australia Phone: 0263314444 Email: goldpannermotorinn@bigpond.com Website: bathurstgoldpannermotorinn.com.au

Photos from Gold Panner Motor Inn on Facebook

Panorama Bathurst  This Motel with its 70 rooms is the largest motel in Bathurst . It is conveniently located near the  Bathurst CBD and there is a swimming pool, a restaurant and bar  and off street parking. Facilities: Bar Family Rooms Free Wifi On Site Parking Restaurant  Swimming Pool Location: 51 Durham St, Bathurst, New South Wales 2795 Australia Phone: 0263312666 Email: reservations@panoramabathurst.com.au Website: panoramabathurst.com.au

Photos From Panorama Bathurst on Facebook

PLACES TO EAT

ANNIE’S OLD FASHIONED ICE CREAM PARLOUR This Ice Cream parlour, all of which is made in house, looks like something out of the 1950′s with its pink walls, booths, duke boxes and vintage posters of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. The most popular flavour is Sofala Gold, but all of the flavours are good. Cuisine: Ice Cream Opening Hours Monday To Wednesday: 9:00AM - 5:30PM Thursday To Friday: 9:00AM - 9:00PM Saturday: 10:00AM - 9:00PM Sunday: 11:00AM - 5:30PM Location: 82/26 George St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263318088 Website: anniesicecream.com.au

CHURCH BAR Located in a former Anglican School House, this bar serves the best woodfired pizzas in town as well as variety of alcoholic beverages. The Church Bar is extremely popular and you will need a booking if you plan to go on a Friday or the Weekend. Cuisine: Pizza Opening Hours: 12:00PM - Late Location: Church Bar I Ribbon Gang Lane, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263342300 Email: churchbar@bigpond.com Website: churchbar.com.au

First two photos from Church Bar + Woodfired Pizza on Facebook

DOGWOOD BX This American themed restaurant serves everything you would expect to find a true American diner such as buffalo wings, mac n cheese, southern fried chicken and more. Cuisine: American Opening Hours Monday To Tuesday: Closed Wednesday To Thursday: 5:00PM - 8:30PM Friday To Saturday: 5:00PM - 9:00PM Sunday: 12:00PM - 5:00PM Location: 87 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263312410 Website: dogwoodbx.com.au

Photos from Dogwood, BX on Facebook

EL GUAPO CANTINA A classic Tex - Mex restaurant, El Guapo Cantina also have a restaurant in Neutral Bay. Cuisine: Mexican Opening Hours Lunch: 12:00AM - 3:00PM - Closed Monday And Tuesday Dinner: 5:00PM - 9:00PM - Closed Monday Location: 49 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 1300548276 Website: elguapo.com.au

Photos from El Guapo Cantina on Facebook

PICCOLO’S ON WILLIAM Serves the best coffee in town as well as juices and smoothies. They also do an all day breakfast as well as other delicious meals. The cakes are to die for, they are made by a local woman who delivers them fresh to the cafe daily. Cuisine: Cafe Opening Hours: 7:00AM - 3:00PM Location: 4/40 William St, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia Phone: 0263319955 Website: piccolosonwilliam.com.au

Photos from Piccolo’s On William on Facebook

SWEET CARAMEL This cafe and patisserie serves both Thai Food and desserts such as cakes and waffles. They also do a high tea which is $45.00 per person. Cuisine: Thai And Dessert Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 3:00PM  - Closed Mondays Location: 185 George St, Bathurst NSW, Australia Phone: 0263310535 Email: vanilla.bean@bigpond.com

Photos from Sweet Caramel Cafe & Patisserie By Marissa & Pom on Facebook

SHOPPING

BAKE, TABLE AND TEA This cute little kitchenware shop also has a cafe which serves coffee and cake and small meals. Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 8:00AM - 5:30PM Saturday: 8:00AM - 3:30PM Sunday: Closed Location: 76, George St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263245422 Email: cu@baketableandtea.com.au Website: baketableandtea.com.au

Photos from Bake, Table & Tea on Facebook

DEJORJA & CO Dejorja & Co consists of three businesses under one roof, Dejorja Boutique & Homewares which sells beautiful clothing and homewares, Florence Grace Floristry and The Crows Nest Cafe which uses fresh produce. There is a little farm with chickens out the back near the cafe courtyard. Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 9:00AM - 5:00PM Saturday: 9:00AM - 2:00PM Sunday: 10:00AM - 2:00PM Location: 37 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263315554 Email: dejorjaboutique@yahoo.com

All but the last photo from Dejorja on Facebook

ECLECTIC COLOUR This small family run store sells a variety of unique gifts, homewares and furniture. Some items are new while some a second hand and will only be available once so if you see something you like thats second hand, make sure to grab it before it goes. Opening Hours Monday To Thursday: 10:00AM - 4:00PM Friday To Saturday: 10:00AM - 2:00PM Sunday: Closed Location: 57 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Email: eclectic.colour57@gmail.com Website: eclecticcolour.com

Photos from Eclectic Colour on Facebook

ENID’S EMPORIUM Enid’s Emporium is a teddy bear and giftware shop with a focus on toys and other items for children and babies. Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 9:30AM - 5:00PM Saturday: 9:30AM - 2:00PM Sunday: Closed Location: 43 Keppel Street, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263316818 Email: enidsemporium@gmail.com Website: enidsemporium.com

Photos from Enid’s Emporium on Facebook

GORGEOUSNESS HOME A boutique homeware store which also sells clothes, shoes and accessories. Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM Saturday To Sunday: 10:00AM - 2:30PM Location: 116 - 120 William St, Bathurst NSW, 2795 Phone: 0263323474 Email: bronaberley@bigpond.com Website: gorgeousnesshome.com.au

GORGEOUSNESS BOUTIQUE A clothing boutique and sister store to Gorgeousness Home Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM Saturday To Sunday: 10:00AM - 2:30PM Location: 124 William St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263326333 Email: bronaberley@bigpond.com Website: gorgeousnessboutique.com.au

Photos from Gorgeousness on Facebook

LOVE DAPHNE Love Daphne is a small vintage boutique that sells clothing inspired by the 1940′s and 1950′s. Opening Hours Moday To Friday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM Saturday: 10:00AM - 2:00PM Sunday: Closed Location: 105 George St, Bathurst NSW Phone: 0263316703 Email: sales@lovedaphneretro.com Website: lovedaphne.com.au

Photos from Love Daphne on Facebook

THINGS TO DO

ABERCROMBIE KARST CONSERVATION RESERVE There is much to see in the Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, most notably Abercrombie Caves which boasts the largest national arch in the southern hemisphere as well as several other grand and richly decorated caves. You can spend the night at the campground or the cosy cabins at Arch Cottage. Dont miss Mount Gray walking track where you can see historical relics of an old gold mining community from the 1880′s or the Grove Creek Falls. Note the price below is for self guided tours only. The guided tours cost more, call the park for prices. Admission: Adult: $20.00 Opening Hours Thursday To Monday: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Tuesday To Wednesday: Closed Location: Cave Rd Abercrombie River, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 1300072757

Photos From nationalpark.nsw.gov.au

ABERCROMBIE HOUSE This heritage treasure which doubles a private home for the Morgan family is open to the public to explore and provides guided tours. The 50 room Scottish - baronial mansion built in the 1870′s contains exhibitions, displays, collections, grounds and gardens, outbuildings and property walks around 18 hectares. When the house was built in the 1870′s it was owned by the Stewart Family who were Bathurst pioneers, in 1968 the house was purchased by Rex Morgan  and restoration work has taken place ever since. Concerts, themed days and high tea days take place throughout the year. Admission Adult: $15.00 Concession: $10.00 Child Under 14: $5.00 Infants: Free Opening Hours Monday To Tuesday: Closed Wednesday To Friday: 10:00AM - 4:00PM Saturday To Sunday: 9:00AM - 5:00PM Location: 311 Ophir Rd, Bathurst NSW Phone: 0263314929 Email: abercrombiehouse@bigpond.com.au Website: abercrombiehouse.com.au

AUSTRALIAN FOSSIL & MINERAL MUSEUM Housed in an 1876 former public school is the Australian Fossil & Mineral Museum, home to the internationally renowned Somerville collection, the lifetime work of Warren Somerville. The collection contains more than 5,000 of some of the rarest and most exquisite mineral crystals and fossils from around the world. The main exhibition is the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.  Admission Adult: $15.00 Concession: $10.00 Child Under 12: $7.00 Infant: Free Opening Hours Thursday To Tuesday: 9:00AM - 4:30PM Wednesday: Closed Location: 224 Howick St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263382860 Email: museumbookings@bathurst.nsw.gov.au

BATHURST GOLDFIELDS Bathurst has a long history with gold mining, the first gold to be discovered in Australia was found in Bathurst in 1823 by James McBrien. Bathurst Goldfields on Mount Panorama provides public tours during school holidays which allow you to try gold panning, see a blacksmith at work and explore the outdoor museum. Bathurst Goldfields also offer accomodation and a souvenir shop. Admission Adult: $20.00 Child Under 12: $10.00 Child Under 5: Free Opening Hours Tours Only Run During School Holidays Monday To Friday: 1:00PM - 3:00PM Saturday To Sunday: Closed Souvenir Shop: Location: 428 Conrod Straight, Mount Panorama, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263322022 Website: bathurstgoldfields.com.au

Photos from Bathurst Goldfields - Education Centre on Facebook

BATHURST REGIONAL ART GALLERY (BRAG) Bathurst Regional Art Gallery’s exhibition program includes surveys of local artists, like Mandurrama based Mandy Martin and Hill End based Luke Sciberras. BRAG’s permanent collection of over 2,000 works is valued in excess of $11million. BRAG also has touring exhibitions such as AGNSW’s Brett Whiteley: West Of The Divide, Jam Factory’s Glass and Wiradjuri artist Johnathan Jones’ guwiinyguliya yirgabiyi ngay. Admission: Free Opening Hours Monday: Closed Tuesday To Saturday: 10:00AM - 5:00PM Sunday: 11:00AM - 2:00PM Location: 70 - 78 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW Phone: 0263336555 Email: brag@bathurst.nsw.gov.au Website: bathurstart.com.au

Photos from Bathurst Regional Art Gallery on Facebook

MOUNT PANORAMA Mount Panorama Racing Circuit is Bathurst’s main attraction, famous worldwide for hosting several major events on the Australian and International motor sporting calendar. When there are no motor sporting events taking place, you are able to drive around the circuit, be aware that the road is a public road and as such the New South Wales road rules apply. There are camera’s along the circuit and police regularly patrol the circuit. Admission: Free Opening Hours Monday To Friday: 8:30AM - 4:45PM Saturday To Sunday: Closed Location: Mountain Straight, Mount Panorama, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263336100 Website: mount-panorama.com.au

Photos from Mount Panorama Circuit on Facebook

EVENTS

RELIANCE BANK ROYAL BATHURST SHOW Long regarded at the best Royal Show west of Sydney, the Reliance Bank Royal Bathurst Show is run by the Bathurst Agricultural, Horticultural and Pastoral Association and has seen an average annual attendance of more than 20,000 people. Things to see and do include market stalls, food trucks, rides and amusements, face painting as well as shows and competitions. Month: April Admission Adult: $28.00 Concession: $21.00 Child Under 16: $14.00 Child Under 6: Free Location: Kendall Av, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263313175 Email: admin@bathurstshow.com.au Website: bathurstshow.com.au

Photos from Royal Bathurst Show on Facebook

BATHURST WINTER FESTIVAL Each Year, the locals of Bathurst welcome and embrace the icy cold winter with the Bathurst Winter Festival. There is much to do and see such as skating around the McDonald’s Bathurst Ice Rink, browsing the bustling markets, having a ride on the giant ferris wheel and jamming to live music in the Winter Playground. Be sure to also check out the building illuminations, Kaleidoscope mirror maze and the Asteroids multi - player illumination game. There are also feature events such as foodie events, movie afternoons, days filled with kids entertainment, accessibility day and even a day for pets. Month: July Admission: Free Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 9:00PM Location: 160 Russell St, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263336111 Website: bathurstwinterfestival.com.au

Photos from Bathurst Winter Festival on Facebook

SPRING SPECTACULAR Like the Winter festival but for spring, the Spring Spectacular features market stalls and displays, live music and open gardens. Month: October Admission: Free Opening Hours: 9:30AM - 5:00PM Location: Bathurst, NSW 2795 Phone: 0499049299 Email: springspec@bathurstgardenclub.org.au Website: bathurstgardenclub.org.au

Photos from The Bathurst Gardeners’ Club Spring Spectacular on Facebook

BATHURST OUTDOOR EXPO AND CHRISTMAS MARKETS Bathurst’s Outdoor Expo And Christmas Markets is an annual event which has been running for over 20 years. Held at the Bathurst Showground, there is something here to please everyone, three beautiful pavilions are packed with stalls selling a variety of things such as jewellery, home wares, gift wares, toys, books, crafts, beauty products, clothing and more. Outside is a variety of food and market stalls, entertainment and children’s rides. Month: November Admission Adults: $5.00 Child Under 10: Free Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Location: Bathurst Showground, Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0407489634 Website: bathurstbiggestexpo.com

Photos from bathurstbiggestexpo.com

ABERCROMBIE HOUSE HIGH TEA Enjoy tasting plates filled with scrumptious savoury and sweet treats and sip tea or coffee while elegant live classical Celtic harp music plays in the background. The main rooms and gardens are open to explore so be sure to check them out once you’ve filled yourself to the brim with pastries and sweets. Month: January April May June July September October December Admission Adult: $55.00 Senior: $50.00 Child Under 14: $40.00 Opening Hours Sunday: 2:30PM - 4:30PM Location: 311 Ophir Rd, Bathurst NSW Phone: 0263314929 Email: abercrombiehouse@bigpond.com.au Website: abercrombiehouse.com.au

Photos from Abercrombie House on Facebook

LIQUI - MOLY BATHURST 12 HOUR By far, Bathurst most famous annual event is the Liqui - Moly  Bathurst 12 Hour car race that take place on Mount Panorama, where the world’s best GT3 teams and drivers race around the circuit to the finish line. Month: February Admission: Check Website Location: Mountain Straight, Mount Panorama, Bathurst NSW 2795 Email: administrator@bathurst12hour.com.au Website: bathurst12hour.com.au

Photos from Bathurst 12 Hour on Facebook

RIVERSIDE MARKETS Small but quaint markets that has a range of stalls selling unique handicraft items such as clothing, accessories, candles and beauty products, home wares and more. The Lions Club BBQ offer drinks and hot food and there is a kids playground. Month: Monthly Event Admission: Free Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 1:00PM Location: Lions Club Dr, Kelso Bathurst NSW 2795 Phone: 0263371203 Email: riversidemarketsbx@gmail.com

[taylorssewingcircle]

2022 - Aug to Oct

August 2nd - Kelsea easter eggs THE LITTLE THINGS in this TikTok.

Kelsea and Fletcher take pictures with a fan at Lipstick Lounge in Nashville.

August 4th - Christina posts (cuuuuute pics) and Cari interacts.

August 6th - Fletcher easter eggs Sting in this post.

Kelsea easter eggs THE LITTLE THINGS in this post and Cari interacts.

August 9th - Kelsea posts and Fletcher interacts.

August 15th - Kelsea posts and Fletcher interacts.

August 16th - Fletcher posts from Austrailia and Kelsea interacts.

August 29th - Kelsea and Morgan's divorce goes public. They both post on instagram.

August 30th - Fletcher easter eggs Holiday in this post.

August 31st - Fletcher easter eggs Sting in this post with the lyrics "xo, do you ever miss me"

September 2nd - Kelsea and Christina go on a trip. Christina posts and Cari interacts.

September 5th - Fletcher easter eggs Better Version in this post.

Fletcher posts the track list and they interact.

September 8th - Fletcher performs on Jimmy Fallon.

September 9th - Fletcher posts and Kelsea interacts.

Sept 12th - The girls both attend fashion week.

Sept 13th - Carter posts this tiktok (has since been deleted)

Fletcher's post.

September 15th - Fletcher posts and Kelsea interacts.

Sept 17th - Girl of My Dreams drops

September 20th - Kelsea posts Cari on insta.

Sept 23rd - SUBJECT TO CHANGE drops

Sept 24th - Kelsea posts and Cari comments.

October 2nd - Kelsea gets the call from her lawyers saying that Morgan wants half the house or alimony.

(source: CHD interview)

Kelsea writes about the experience in Penthouse

And it stings rolling up the welcome mat Knowing you got half

October 6th - Cari attends Kelsea's concert at the Greek in LA and brings her parents.

Girlfriend behaviour.

Kelsea thanks her friends for coming.

And the infamous lesbian flag dress.

October 7th - Morgan performs Over For You (full analysis here) in Melbourne.

October 16th - Kelsea laughs at a sign that said "Fletcher??" during "Yeah Boy"

October 17th - Fletcher posts and Kelsea comments "ugh i can’t wait to see this showwww you"

October 18th - Morgan officially releases Over For You.

October 22nd - Kelsea posts and Fletcher interacts.

October 26th - Fletcher posts on insta and Kelsea interacts.

October 31st - Fletcher posts and Kelsea interacts.

CONTINUE TO 2022 NOV-DEC

[beta-lactam-allergic]

I can confirm that in Australia, public holidays aren't part of annual leave. By law public holiday leave & annual leave are separate & don't overlap. You can game this so your annual leave starts just after or ends right before a public holiday. Parents usually aim for leave around Easter & Christmas to match when their kids are on school holidays.

So add New Years Day, Invasion Day, Easter Weekend (Friday to Monday), ANZAC Day, Labour Day (actual day varies state by state), EKKA Day (Greater Brisbane only, I know Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek & Launceston have equivalents & I would be surprised if Hobart, Perth & Adelaide didn't have equivalents), AFL Grand Final Day (Victoria only, I'm from QLD & don't watch AFL), Queen's Birthday, Melbourne Cup Day (Victoria only), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & New Years Eve.

So that's 13 days as paid public holidays where I live, 12 days in the places with the fewest holidays, 14 for most of Victoria & 15 for Melbourne. That's in addition to the paid annual leave we can take whenever. Depending on the type of employee, this paid annual leave is either 4 weeks or 5 weeks (round it to average of 22 days to make it simpler). So we have anywhere from 34 to 37 days where our employers have to pay us when we aren't working.

Also note that this doesn't include paid parental leave (which the government pays for rather than employers but which employers still have to honour as time off) that parents get when they either (a) have a newborn biological child or (b) adopt a child (child defined as anyone beliw 18 years of age). This is also separate from paid annual leave

Until I saw this post, I didn't know the USA didn't have paid annual leave. It's one of the accomplishments of the union movement that we in Australia celebrate on Labour Day, alongside the 5-day work week & the 8-hour work day (though this last one has been eroded over the past 20 years). I didn't think I could be surprised by how bad the USA is anymore, but whoa, no annual leave. That's really bad. Another reason I'm glad I don't live in the USA.

I think adults need summer vacation. Like let's just close down all our jobs for three months and play outside. Please. I'm so tired.

[locksmitharrivaltime]

 Average Emergency Locksmith Arrival Times in Melbourne

In emergency situations, the ability of a locksmith to respond quickly can make all the difference. Melbourne, with its bustling city centre and sprawling suburbs, presents unique challenges and opportunities for locksmith services. Understanding average response times and their influencing factors is crucial for those relying on emergency locksmiths in the area.

Average Locksmith Response Times in Melbourne

Emergency locksmiths in Melbourne generally aim to arrive within 20 to 30 minutes after a service call. However, actual response times can vary based on several factors:

City Centre: Locksmiths in central Melbourne typically reach customers faster, often within 15 to 20 minutes. This is due to the higher density of locksmith businesses and more accessible roads.

Suburbs: In Melbourne's suburban areas, response times are usually longer, averaging 25 to 40 minutes. Greater distances and less direct routes contribute to this increase.

Impact of Peak vs. Off-Peak Hours

The time of day significantly affects emergency locksmith response times in Melbourne:

Peak Hours: During peak traffic times (7:00–9:00 AM and 4:30–6:30 PM), response times in both the city and suburbs increase by an average of 10–15 minutes. Congested roads and delays make timely arrivals more challenging.

Off-Peak Hours: Off-peak periods see much faster service, with city centre response times often under 15 minutes and suburban response times closer to the lower end of the 25–40 minute range.

Factors Influencing Response Times

Several key factors determine how quickly an emergency locksmith in Melbourne can respond. These considerations not only influence arrival times but also highlight the importance of selecting a locksmith service with well-optimised operational strategies.

Traffic Conditions: Melbourne’s traffic patterns play a critical role in response times. In high-density areas, such as the CBD and inner suburbs, congestion during peak hours can add significant delays. Unexpected traffic incidents, roadworks, or detours also contribute to variability in response times. Locksmiths equipped with real-time GPS systems and familiarity with alternative routes often perform better under such conditions.

Location of Locksmith Bases: The proximity of a locksmith’s service base to the customer's location is a primary factor. Locksmiths with multiple strategically located service points across Melbourne can dispatch the nearest available technician, ensuring faster response times. Suburban areas with fewer locksmith bases may face slower responses due to greater travel distances.

Time of Year: Seasonal events and holidays significantly impact response times. During major festivals, sports events, and public holidays, increased road traffic and higher demand for locksmith services can lead to delays. Additionally, extreme weather conditions—such as storms in winter or heatwaves in summer—may hinder travel efficiency and increase service requests, putting further strain on response times.

Demand Levels: Locksmiths experience peak demand during certain hours, particularly late at night for lockouts or during mornings when people are rushing to work. High-demand periods can stretch a locksmith’s availability, especially for smaller operations with limited staff.

Availability of Technicians: The number of on-duty locksmiths at any given time also affects response times. Well-staffed locksmith services with rotating shifts can maintain quicker responses around the clock. Conversely, solo or smaller teams may struggle to meet demands promptly during busy periods.

Specialisation of Service Vehicles: Emergency locksmith vans equipped with advanced tools and replacement hardware can save time during a callout. This reduces the need for multiple trips to complete a task, which is especially beneficial in suburban or remote areas where hardware stores may not be nearby.

Technological Integration: Locksmiths who utilise sophisticated dispatching software and real-time updates can assign jobs more efficiently. These systems often prioritise proximity, technician availability, and traffic conditions, ensuring the fastest possible service.

Why Response Times Matter

When locked out of your home, car, or business, every minute counts. Faster response times improve:

Safety: Quick assistance reduces vulnerability, especially at night or in unfamiliar areas.

Convenience: Minimal disruption to daily schedules.

Customer Satisfaction: Prompt arrivals foster trust and repeat business.

Locksmiths in Melbourne who maintain consistent response times, even during peak periods, stand out in a competitive market.

Conclusion

Understanding the average response times of emergency locksmiths in Melbourne highlights the importance of choosing a reliable provider. Whether you are in the city centre or the suburbs, response times can vary from as little as 15 minutes to over 40 minutes, depending on location and traffic conditions. Prioritising locksmiths with proven track records and efficient dispatch systems ensures timely assistance when you need it most.

For dependable and swift service, look no further than a trusted locksmith in Melbourne to secure your peace of mind.

https://yourlocallocksmith.com.au/response-times-matter-average-emergency-locksmith-arrival-times-in-melbourne/