So just how big is Straya ?

rockylizard · Guru

So just how big is Straya ?

Hendo · Guru

No wonder the Internationals get confused with distance when over here. Met a Germany guy in a C/P in Byron Bay couple of years ago, on his departure he came across to say good bye and told me he was going to Cairns. When I asked him when he expected to get there he replied, "oh, about 4 o'clock" Had no idea that it would take him days.

GaryKelly · Guru

That's good stuff, RL. I have a lot of friends in the US who know that Oz is big, but not quite how big.

dorian · Guru

Hendo wrote:
No wonder the Internationals get confused with distance when over here. Met a Germany guy in a C/P in Byron Bay couple of years ago, on his departure he came across to say good bye and told me he was going to Cairns. When I asked him when he expected to get there he replied, "oh, about 4 o'clock" Had no idea that it would take him days.

You've obviously never been on an autobahn.

native pepper · Senior Member

One of the problems is many world atlases and maps you see represent how yanks and Europeans see the world. It's a known fact maps made by yanks make the USA look much bigger in comparison to other countries and continents that it really is and they have habit of downsizing Aus considerably. Same goes for European map makers, they downsize Aus and even Africa. Bit like how Aus treats Tas, leaves it off many maps and depictions of Aus and rarely gets a mention in surveys opinion polls or even economic discussion.

No longer amazes me when foreigners ask questions about getting somewhere and expecting they can catch a bus, train, cab or walk there in a few minutes or hours. Remember arriving at a camp spot and noticing some Asian people standing at a corner with a school bus shelter in the middle of the bush. After about an hour one of them walked over and asked when the next bus would arrive. Seems they'd walked from the town after asking where to catch a bus to Mildura and were told walk out of town and when you come to a bus shelter wait there. They'd walked down a side road instead of the main road for almost 10 klms until they came across the bus shelter and waited most of the day, when we told them the shelter was just for a school bus and they were on the wrong road, they still tried to insist they only had to wait. Saw them walking back late in the afternoon and next morning when we drove through town, they were standing at the real bus stop, just had to laugh.

2foot6 · Senior Member

Thanks for the comparison John,it shows a different aspect of Australia's land mass against other countries.It shows just how big we are and how small some countries are. cheers Peter.

brian · Guru

They say that we Aussies are from down under, but that is simply a European perspective.

There is simply no scientific evidence that we are at the bottom.

All satellite imagery is oriented according to the view that we are at the bottom but it could just as easily be the other way round.

kandagal · Guru

We used to get lots of O/S visitors (when we had a house in Qld). I used to inquire (as I planned day trips) where would you like to go? Lots replied Ayres Rock. Amazed when I told them how far that was.

JRH · Guru

kandagal wrote:
We used to get lots of O/S visitors (when we had a house in Qld). I used to inquire (as I planned day trips) where would you like to go? Lots replied Ayres Rock. Amazed when I told them how far that was.

had a Relative come out from Britain and stay with the M.I.L. in Adelaide. When asked where he would like to go for a day trip he suggested The Great Barrier Reef.

milo · Guru

that would be quite a day trip!

JRH · Guru

milo wrote:
that would be quite a day trip!

Low flying comes to mind. Needless to say he did not go that day but was put on a plane a week later.

03_troopy · Guru

when you think about it, driving from Newcastle NSW to Broken Hill, is like driving from London to Edinburgh and back, and I've done that in a day.

Joe50 · Guru

brian wrote:
They say that we Aussies are from down under, but that is simply a European perspective.
There is simply no scientific evidence that we are at the bottom.
All satellite imagery is oriented according to the view that we are at the bottom but it could just as easily be the other way round.

Exactly! At a trivia night a while back the question was asked: "In which direction does the Earth rotate - clockwise or anti-clockwise?"

When I asked from which perspective (looking at the Earth from above the North or South Pole), all I got was a blank stare.

Joe

The dog lady · Guru

JRH wrote:
kandagal wrote:
We used to get lots of O/S visitors (when we had a house in Qld). I used to inquire (as I planned day trips) where would you like to go? Lots replied Ayres Rock. Amazed when I told them how far that was.
had a Relative come out from Britain and stay with the M.I.L. in Adelaide. When asked where he would like to go for a day trip he suggested The Great Barrier Reef.

My relly got quite irate when we refused to take him from Adelaide to Cooper Pedy for an afternoon's drive biggrin

jules47 · The Happy Helper

There was a French (I think) couple flew into Darwin and purchased a motorhome to drive round Australia. They got to Sydney, sold it and flew home - said they had no idea how big this country was, and how long the distance between towns! And they hadn't even been to West Australia!

I must say that sometimes it is worrying to see travellers (especially backpackers in unreliable vehicles) setting off from a campsite late in the day, to travel at night because it is cooler - much rather be hot and alive than cool and hit a roo or camel at night.

GaryKelly · Guru

Apart from the danger of colliding with roos and camels, what the hell is there to see at night?

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Min Min Lights???? UFO's? Bloody big headlights in the rear vision mirror as a road train comes bearing down on you!!!!!

Nelly · Guru

Knew some people that went to England and asked how far was it from London to drive to a castle that they were interested in seeing. The Brit said it would take at least 2 hours and you wouldn't make it by lunchtime. The aussie fellow has to drive nearly that far to his local town. Australia is certainly a big and beautiful place. Did anyone hear that certain people are trying to change Australia
Day into citizen day or some other name?

Cloak · Guru

I haven't heard that one yet Nelly.

I reckon it should stay as Australia Day.

Anyone have a problem with that should make stickers of what they want and put them on their own car.

The dog lady · Guru

jules47 wrote:
There was a French (I think) couple flew into Darwin and purchased a motorhome to drive round Australia. They got to Sydney, sold it and flew home - said they had no idea how big this country was, and how long the distance between towns! And they hadn't even been to West Australia!

I must say that sometimes it is worrying to see travellers (especially backpackers in unreliable vehicles) setting off from a campsite late in the day, to travel at night because it is cooler - much rather be hot and alive than cool and hit a roo or camel at night.

Met a cyclist from Europe in Rollingstone in October who planned to cycle from Cairns to Darwin in December! He said he knew it could get hot so would carry 2 litres of drinking water instead of his usual 1! But to be fair, there are a lot of little "named" dots on our maps that mislead travellers into thinking there are towns. The cyclist was amazed when I pointed out that some of these places were basically the ruin of a single dwelling. I hope he didn't pursue his plan, haven't heard in the news of a foolish tourist's death so I guess he didn't go biggrin

the ginger nomad · Senior Member

Hey Jules, I sat on a stump out the front of the Hamilton Hotel (1987 when it was still a pub ) watched theMin Min lights for about 3 hours until I realised it was the reflection of the moon on a road sign! I promise I hadn't had a drink,oh well maybe 8 or 9.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

the ginger nomad wrote:
Hey Jules, I sat on a stump out the front of the Hamilton Hotel (1987 when it was still a pub ) watched theMin Min lights for about 3 hours until I realised it was the reflection of the moon on a road sign! I promise I hadn't had a drink,oh well maybe 8 or 9.

Hahahaa - when we went to Boulia, lady in the info centre told us about a young bloke who had camped out near where the lights usually appeared for three weeks, was going to stay till he saw them!!!!

Off topic - but did you know that in 2011 the International Sperm Bank stopped accepting donations from redheads????????

the ginger nomad · Senior Member

what's wrong with redheads? this might set my blood boiling,you know us redheads have bad tempers!!!!

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Don't get yer knickers in a knot - nothing wrong with a ranga!!!!!!!!

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by jules47 on Sunday 19th of January 2014 09:26:49 PM

the ginger nomad · Senior Member

What are knickers?Lol
John
Ps aint life grand!

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Oh, yeah - life is indeed grand - best time of my life - right now!!!!!

Olley46 · Guru

Did you hear about the two read headed sailors that went out with Ginger Rodgers. biggrin disbelief Off topic sorry

Lance C

The Phantom · Guru

If you consider that China is as half as big again as Australia, you get a bit of an idea of the size of that country. Australia - 6,000,000 odd square kms, China - 9,500,000 square kms.

The Phantom