COVID-19 / Australia / March 28th Stats

Last  night Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced further social distancing measures.
These included: Restricting outdoor gatherings to two people.
Advising people to only leave their homes to shop for food or other essential supplies, seek medical care, exercise, or travel to work or education if this cannot be done remotely.
Urging those over 70 (and those with chronic illnesses over 60 and Indigenous people over 50) to "limit contact with others as much as possible".

COVID-19 / Australia / Some Stats

Living with COVID-19

The first indication that we were getting involved with this situation in our area was the run on specific goods at the local supermarkets.
Their managements tried to reduce the impact by limiting the number of items purchased and introducing seniors’ shopping hours.
All too late.
Shortages are still ongoing. And suddenly there is another new item on ‘the list’. Fresh meat is now one. Paracetamol and Ventolin inhalers were others.
Then there are the unconfirmed stories spreading through rural communities. Busloads of city people (Asian of course, to add a bit of racism spice) are raiding country supermarkets and stripping the shelves bare. This has been proven to be untrue. Even so, some supermarkets in our region are only letting locals in and IDing customers at the door.
The incidence of virus infection has taken off in Australia over the last couple of weeks.

The government has basically shut down the borders to all but citizens and permanent residents and even some states,eg. Tasmania, have restricted access to residents only.
Of course there are SNAFUs. A cruise ship, Ruby Princess, with four virus cases on board docked in Sydney and 2700 passengers were let disembark without testing.
The government is insisting on 14 day self isolation for people coming in from overseas and for those who have had contact with carriers, limited group gathering numbers eg. no sport spectators, and social distancing.
The latter has not been adhered to in a major way at famous Bondi Beach in Sydney. The picture below is from last Friday.

However threats were made to lockdown areas where the rules were being thwarted and the result is seen at the same beach yesterday.

We are practising self isolation. Easy enough on our rural property. We have enough food for a couple of weeks, enough wine for a month but very limited TP. Any top up shopping and hopefully medications, can be sourced in our small beachside shopping centre.
It is rumoured 10 people from a local club were passengers on the ship mentioned above and have returned home. Whether they are abiding by the 14 day self isolation rule, who knows. So that’s even more incentive to stay away from town.
The area’s major centre, Nowra, an hour’s drive to the north already has confirmed cases.
It’s creeping up on us!
Time to deep clean the house and get all those long postponed DIY projects done.
The honeydo list is quite long.

Update: 23rd March
Things have moved fast in the last 24 hours.
Non essential services will now be shut down.
Additional states, Queensland and Western Australia, have closed their borders

Here is what is closed from 12pm Monday (today):

Pubs, registered and licenced clubs (excluding bottle shops attached to these venues), hotels (excluding accommodation).

Gyms and indoor sporting venues.

Cinemas, entertainment venues, casinos and nightclubs.

Restaurants and cafes will be restricted to takeaway and/or home delivery.

Religious gatherings, places of worship, funerals (in enclosed spaces and other than very small groups and where the 1 person per 4 square metre rule applies).

Retail stores remain open. Shopping centres remain open. As do hairdressers, dentists, doctor surgeries, post offices.

The indoor gathering rules apply to those services and stores still open. No more than one person per 4 sqm and a maximum of 100 people. Keep your distance – at least 1.5m away from people.

National Broadband Network

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is a (supposedly) high speed broadband network rolled out by an Australian Government owned corporation.

This fast broadband initiative was announced in the run-up to the 2007 federal election by the Labor opposition with an estimated cost of A$15 billion including a government contribution of A$4.7 billion

The Labor Party Rudd government was elected on 24 November 2007 and initial NBN planning commenced.

It was originally to deliver its wholesale service through fibre to the node (FTTN) and reach approximately 98% of premises in Australia by June 2021. A new satellite network was to be built to reach the rest of the country.

Like so many good intended government plans, this one encountered many hurdles on the way, not the least being a change of government in 2013. 

Now in power, the conservative Liberal Coalition commenced a cost cutting ‘dumbing down’ of the project.

The result has been a mishmash of technologies with connection speeds much lower than first predicted and well below world average making ours the fourth slowest country for broadband in the OECD.

The current NBN broadband technologies include:

* Fibre to the premises or FTTP

* Fibre to the building or FTTB

* Fibre to the node or FTTN

* HybridFibre Coax (HFC) or more commonly known as Pay TV cable

* Fixed wireless

* Satellite

After the recent bushfires severely damaged the local underground cable network, our ADSL2 connection stopped working and, despite many visits from technicians over three months, could not be fixed. The only solution was to move over to the NBN.

Being rural, our only choice was Fixed Wireless.

Fixed Wireless is where NBN constructs radio base stations like the ones used for mobile phones and then installs an antenna and a fixed modem (NTD - Network Termination Device) in the premises. This NTD is for broadband and telephony services, but the consumer can decide if their telephone stays on the existing copper network. 

Our new connection to the world

We decided to keep our phone on the copper after the recent bushfire situation exposed the limitations of the more modern technology ie. no electricity = no internet or phone; damaged towers = no mobile (cell) service.

With this system installed we have increased our connection speed x10 compared to the old one so no complaints from us.

Trip to New Zealand Cancelled 🙁

We had booked an end March/April trip to New Zealand for a few days R&R.

Getting away from ‘the burn’ and the kerfuffle surrounding the C-virus for a few days seemed like a good idea.

Three hours across the Tasman with Air New Zealand, a night in an Auckland airport hotel and then a short puddle jumper flight the next morning to Kerikeri near the Bay of Islands.

There we were to pick up a rental and head an hour north to a small village on Doubtless Bay with really nice accommodation (well it looked nice on the web) right on the beach.

There were a few restaurants, some cafes and, most importantly a wine shop, in the vicinity. It would have been good to get stuck into a few Central Otago Pinots at local prices. The $NZ is on a par with ours, not like other places eg. USA where our $ nearly halves in value.

No road trips or serious sightseeing were planned, just a relaxing time walking the beach and sitting on the balcony in the sun.

Then the hammer dropped!
Last night the New Zealand government decided, as a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19, all international arrivals from 15th to 30th March would have to self isolate for 14 days. A decision whether to extend that two week period further is pending.
We unfortunately fell into that category. It wouldn’t have been a very relaxing trip. Better to self isolate at home.
So now it’s a matter of cancelling a whole lot of travel plans and trying to get refunds.
Very disappointing.

30 Seconds Window Wonder / Product Endorsement

Following the bush fires, everything around was covered in a thick film of sticky ash.
Substantial rain since had washed most of that away but under the protective eaves of the house, our windows and screens were still covered.
It was going to to be a laborious task cleaning them all the normal way ie. brush, spray bottle and cloth/newspaper.
The co driver had seen an ad on TV for Full Crystal where you simply connect a bottle of the product to a hose, spray on the liquid and then rinse off.
Voila! Sparkly clean windows and screens!
I was cynical.

This product is sold with the 'order one now and receive one free' incentive so common with these TV promotions. It seems to have replaced the free set of steak knives.
And it isn't cheap.
Reviews of the product were mixed.
But we went to our local hardware store, Bunnings, and got a bottle of a similar product called 30seconds Window Wonder
And what do you know? Worked like a treat. Almost 100% effective against the ash build up on the windows and particularly on the screens.
Don't think the latter have ever been so clean.
I think we will be using this product from now on.
$25 well spent!

People are Strange

COVID-19 sure has turned the world on its end.
Health resources are being stretched to the limit and stock markets are tanking. Economies are most likely heading into recession.
Governments have been slow to react, some with leaders even denying the seriousness of the situation or down right lying about it.
Looking at you, USA!
Here at home, our government reluctantly lurched into action as cases started to appear. They procrastinated about bringing our citizens home from China and from the cruise ship in Japan. Now they have closed our border to visitors from specific countries eg. Italy.
An economic stimulus package is in the wings.

At a local ALDI checkout

But this is not what this post is about. It’s how our population reacted to to situation.
Hoarders moved into the supermarkets stripping shelves of what they considered ‘essentials’.
Toilet paper is for some reason one of those.
There is hardly a roll to be had anywhere unless you are willing to pay gouge prices on line. There have been fights in the supermarket aisles over them. Assault charges are pending.
We have local production of TP in Australia made from locally produced paper pulp sourced from locally grown sustainable forest plantations. It would never run out. Manufacturers are now running 24/7 to keep up with demand.
Nobody has been able to explain exactly why this item is on ‘the list’.

One supermarket had now has nominated products that cannot be returned for credit once all this madness subsides.
TP is #1.
Others are sure to follow.
So while these people in the very near future contemplate their decimated superannuation accounts (401Ks), they can be happy in the knowledge they will have many years’ supply of their favourite toilet tissue.

The Saltwood Cafe / Kioloa, NSW

Kioloa and it’s neighbours, Merry and Pretty Beaches are sleepy holiday towns just down the coast road from us. That’s about as far as this road goes in this part of the world. It disappears there into the Murramarrang National Park as multiple fire trails.

Kioloa is home to a marine rescue station situated on a headland at the southern end of a long sweeping beach, a RFS fire station, sporting grounds and a community centre.

It also has a huge camp ground which usually overflows with people during holiday periods. But not this Christmas.

For years the area was serviced by a general store which eventually closed down after a small shopping centre was established near Bawley Point a few kilometres away.

This fibro shack of a building lay abandoned and for sale for many years.

Early last year we noticed that the building had been demolished and the rumour was a new cafe/bar was to be its replacement.

And indeed a quite spectacular structure took shape and the Saltwood was ready  to open at the beginning of November; right at the beginning of the bushfire emergency in the area that was to last nearly three months. Kioloa was one of the many villages under serious fire threat and forced evacuation.

After that tough beginning and still suffering now a little from the dearth of tourists, we notice increasing numbers of customers every time we go there. Of course the locals are fully supportive and try to get there as often as possible. There is only one other eating out place in Merry Beach which is not all that good. At one time it was when taken over by a well known Adelaide chef and was quite spectacular but he moved on to bigger and better things in Ulladulla/Mollymook.

Saltwood is built in the Balinese style (which has caused some local controversy) with indoor and outdoor seating and open kitchen. It also incorporates a gift shop.

The coffee and cakes are great and meal menu is expanding as they are now open for not only lunch but also dinner. Not a bad wine list either.

So if you are in the area please support this burgeoning business. You won’t be disappointed.

The Holden is No More

In 1948 the Holden, Australia's first fully locally manufactured car was launched onto the market by General Motors Holden.
It became an iconic brand.
Despite ever increasing competition from other manufacturers entering the market place eg. Ford, Nissan, Toyota, British Leyland et al, they held their own for decades.
Granted the governments of the day supported the local industry with subsidies and by imposing huge tariffs on imported cars.

In the mid 60's my parents bought me an FB model which I had to pay off when I eventually found a job post a year's failed university course.
The colour (see below) caused much amusement among my friends who called it 'monkey bum pink'. Amazing how far a weekly salary of $21.25 stretched in those days having to pay off a 'car loan', pay board and income tax as well as having something left to live on.

Enriched by my employment after a few years I had enough saved to buy a brand new HR station wagon model of my own colour choosing. Fitted with board racks and a mattress in the back it became my mobile home away from home for my surfing days in Queensland.

When my employment took me interstate, I had to sell it as company cars were included in my package. I had a mixture of Holden and Ford from then on.
As time progressed, tariffs on imported cars were reduced and governments were reluctant to keep propping up local manufacture. Competition from imports, mainly from Japan and Korea, began to bite into the local market. One by one manufacturers closed down.
In late December 2013, General Motors announced that Holden would cease engine and vehicle manufacturing operations in Australia by the end of 2017.

Beyond then, Holden's Australian presence would consist of a national sales company, a parts distribution centre and a global design studio. They began to import their cars from Opel in Germany and GM plants in Canada, USA, Thailand, and South Korea.
Then on 17th February 2020, General Motors announced that the Holden brand would be retired by 2021.
The end of an era.

Bushfire Aftermath

After the rain, the bush around us leapt into life.
Ground cover began to emerge from the ash covered ground and burnt trees produced numerous new shoots.
The region is slowly turning from a desert of tall burnt sticks into a patchwork of green and black although in parts, where the fires were particularly intense, there is so far little change.
Stirls and I continued our fence repairs and got the critical highway boundary section done with new strainers and posts plus an extra fourth (barbed) wire. It was good to finally remove the protective electric fence that we had put in place as a backup to our initial temporary fix.

Our insurance claim has been paid in full and we await demolition and removal of our fire damaged structures. The government has agreed to foot the bill for this process and appointed a contractor. Destroyed businesses and houses are getting priority so we don’t except any action until the middle of the year.
We have a builder who had agreed to replace our farm shed when the site is clear. With so much damage in the area, securing a builder is not such an easy task. Luckily ours is a neighbour.

Recovery from this disaster will be slow. Community rebuilding will take time as government red tape is already raising its ugly head. Businesses are still under pressure from the lack of tourism. Personal trauma is turning out to be a large problem with counselling services stretched to the limit.
Unfortunately reports from the weather scientists seem to indicate a hotter and bushfire prone Australia in the future seems to be the new normal.