Desalination Would Cost Too Much

Melbourne has been under permanent water restrictions for nearly two years. With a rising population, the restrictions are unlikely to lift. Currently, water can be used freely for drinking, washing, cooking and other inside-the-house uses, but watering of gardens is severely restricted. The Victorian state government is now planning to introduce more water pipelines and a desalination plant to guarantee the future water supply.

The government's current plans are just a knee-jerk reaction. We may be low on water, but that's no reason to introduce a costly and inefficient desalination plant. Surely it would be more efficient to pipe recycled water for large industrial users such as our La Trobe Valley power plants.

Recycled water is used for drinking in other parts of the world, in fact I've drunk it myself while living in London. On the world's driest continent I think we can learn to drink recycled water, just as we have learned to sweep our driveways rather than hosing them down.

Comment posted by Michelle at the age blog PotteringBy

Predicting Rain

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology announced its long range rainfall prediction today, (El Nino Southern Oscillation (ELSO) Wrap-Up). After years of dry weather, rain is expected. Anyone arriving in the next couple of weeks should make sure to pack a good coat and umbrella. Don't expect to buy them here because the shops are running out of winter stock.

The Bureau will be updating a range of predictors such as Tropical Pacific water temperatures, cloudiness near Peru and strength of Trade Winds in the Pacific are used to predict whether Australia is heading for drought (El Nino), floods (La Nina) or a normal year. A month ago, the Bureau was cautiously predicting wet La Nina conditions for 2007-8. With floods in southern NSW and Eastern Victoria since then, it seemed that La Nina was on the way, but the Bureau is even more cautious now. The floods may have caught the news, but the total rainfall is still about average and some areas of eastern Australia have had less than average rainfall for the month.

A La Nina year would have an enormous impact throughout the Eastern half of Australia. In the cities, massive rainfall could mean water restrictions are removed, meanwhile city and country alike have been turning green as normal rain has resumed. In country areas, reservoirs and dams are severely depleted and farmers are hoping for signs that autumn plantings will not be wasted, there will be enough grass to feed livestock and irrigation can be maintained over summer. Rain continuing through spring and summer would also be good news for fire fighters, as the eucalypt forests which cover large parts of eastern Australia more flammable when dry.

La Nina is looking less likely now, but visitors should still expect cold, cloudy weather with lots of rain over the next few months, with a good ski season on the Victorian and NSW mountains.

Rajan, will these clothes be sufficient?

Will these much clothes will be sufficient ???
like i m bringing in Feb...
5-6 jeans
4-5 kargos
2 formal black trousers
1 comlete formal suit reymond
6-7 half sleve t-shirts
5-7 full sleves
6-7 printed shirts
3-4 formal shirts
3-4 jackets (formal + informal)
anything + or -
advice will be highly appreciated
thanx in advance

That is more than enough i guess.

This post is copied from the Melbourne Community on Orkut: Rajan's thread, First time in Melbourne? Few tips for you, with permission from Rajan.

Arriving in Melbourne in summer - clothes

Summer in Melbourne is unpredictable. A day may start with hot north winds and reach 40 degrees C, before a cool change in the afternoon which drops the temperature to 20 degrees in half an hour. Then the next 3 days can be cool and wet, with night temperatures down to 10 degrees and maximum daily temperatures below 20 degrees. A few days later the wind direction will change and the temperature rise again.

For people coming from tropical climates, you need to bring warm clothes for the cool nights. People coming from cooler climates can be uncomfortable on the hottest days and you'll need to bring something cooler than jeans. Air conditioning is not always installed in homes or workplaces.

Australia gets some of the highest levels of UV in the world. I think all foreign visitors are surprised by the ferocity of Melbourne's summer sun. Spend too long outside without sunscreen and you will change colour. If you have ever been sunburnt, bring some sunscreen (sun burn cream) with you.

Clothes to bring for a Melbourne winter

First of all, if you're staying for a year or more, don't buy a whole lot of warm clothes in your home country to wear in Melbourne. Inevitably the fashions here will be different & you'll either be left with a whole lot of clothes you won't use or feel out of place for the next six months. If you arrive in June or July, there should be warm clothes here in the shops at half the normal price, as they sell out of their winter stock.

My advice seems to conflict with others talking of the high price of clothing here. Do bring any warm clothes you already have, especially underwear and bedding, as clothes are cheaper in some parts of the world. You can expect to pay $A50 for a sweater, $A100 for a coat, $50-$100 for a pair of shoes. If you bug me, I'll write a blog on where to go to get clothes cheaply.

What you'll need:

• sweater / jumper / pullover / windcheater
  

• coat or jacket

• closed footware eg: shoes, boots, etc.
  

• probably a scarf

• gloves and hat are purely optional. You don't need to buy these before you arrive.
  

Melbourne winter temperatures get down to 2°C regularly, but only at night. The daily variation is wide, with daytime temperatures commonly reaching 14 or 15° C or even higher, even in the winter months.