G'Day from "Down Under"

BritDownUnder · Post by **BritDownUnder** » 11 May 2012, 13:01

Actually I am from the UK originally but now live in Australia. I have been watching this forum for a while now and hope to take part in discussions when the time difference allows.

Peak oil and its possible consequences is what prompted me to leave the UK for a less populated country in the first place. I am hoping to pick up lots of advice or suitable preparations from this site though what is good for the UK may not necessarily be good for Australia.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 11 May 2012, 13:04

Hi BritDownUnder and welcome.

Australia - coal, gas, uranium.

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 11 May 2012, 13:38

And lots of free sunshine

lots of wide open available land to put the mirrors and collectors on.

no problem

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 11 May 2012, 14:00

G'day mate and welcome.

Can you send us some sunshine when you get a chance.

It's the middle of May and it's still bloody freezing over here.

ArowxGames · Post by **ArowxGames** » 11 May 2012, 14:47

Climate Change, the other side of the peak oil dilemma.

The main issue with Australia will be water, and the impacts of climate change, which you are already seeing as drought followed by flooding.

BritDownUnder · Post by **BritDownUnder** » 12 May 2012, 12:42

Thanks for the warm welcome. Lots of sun here this week.

Probably the most usable resource I have is the sun. I have a 1.5kW PV grid-tied array and solar water heating and have had them for about 6 months. Except for 2 days I have not had the immersion heater on at all saving about 6kWh per day. The solar array is averaging about 8-10kWh per day. Note it is summer here so the winter figures will be more interesting. The house is all electric at the moment but I am getting a wood burner and bottled gas is also installed but not used. Woodburners are becoming a trend over here too. I wish we had the Rayburn we used to have when I was younger. Wind is next to useless here. Hydro is probably fully exploited already.

Australia has lots of coal, some gas and uranium. There have been lots of ideas for utility scale solar energy and not one has been started. I read that a 100km x 100km square of the outback covered in PV cells would power the world.

Climate change will be the biggie here. Diesel could always be made from coal as a vehicle fuel if lack of availability of conventional oil were the only consideration.

ujoni08 · Post by **ujoni08** » 12 May 2012, 21:48

Welcome! I like your cool avatar

I agree that water will be a big challenge in Australia, but as Maudibe said, you have all that wonder sun energy beating down every day, free! Very little, if any, heating needed, and a growing season that lasts ages. With well-designed houses, you won't even need air-conditioning. Big country, small population, lots going for it. Climate change, droughts and floods, etc. mean it's not all going to be plain sailing though...

madibe · Post by **madibe** » 12 May 2012, 22:55

Re the water issue - if you're coastal based, as are most settlements in Aus, then with all that sun de-salination should really not be an issue if the PTB pulled a finger out.

Great to hear about your PV set up. Yea....bring on some sun here. It's lousy... and my plants are still in pots on the windowsill!

Kentucky Fried Panda · Post by **Kentucky Fried Panda** » 12 May 2012, 23:21

What hunting opportunities are there where you live?

I mean being in Hunter's valley and all that...

By that I really mean, learn to shoot and buy some guns

BritDownUnder · Post by **BritDownUnder** » 14 May 2012, 11:30

Kentucky Fried Panda wrote:What hunting opportunities are there where you live?

I mean being in Hunter's valley and all that...

By that I really mean, learn to shoot and buy some guns

I have heard that goats and wild pigs are in the gunsights here. Also kangaroo of course if you can prove that they are a pest. Hunter Valley was named after John Hunter but there is some goat hunting about 50 miles away.

Learning to shoot is on the cards for me but getting the house as energy efficient is more important as well as learning to grow food. Only then I will learn to shoot what I cannot grow.

featherstick · Post by **featherstick** » 14 May 2012, 11:35

BritDownUnder wrote: Only then I will learn to shoot what I cannot grow.

For me, that would mean shooting brassicas, garlic, oh, and plum tomatoes too. Tried them for 5 years running, can't grow them at all.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 15 May 2012, 11:40

featherstick wrote:
BritDownUnder wrote: Only then I will learn to shoot what I cannot grow.
For me, that would mean shooting brassicas, garlic, oh, and plum tomatoes too. Tried them for 5 years running, can't grow them at all.

Brassicas no problem here and garlic! Tons of the stuff. Made garlic soup the other day and I haven't seen a single vampire since.

As for plum tomatoes, we have started some off; we'll let you know how we get on.

snow hope · Post by **snow hope** » 15 May 2012, 13:19

Seeing as it seems to be still winter in most of the British Isles, then good luck with the round things, I hope they go red sometime! Snow forecast for the Cotswolds, Pennines and hilltops in N Ireland tonight and tomorrow. Nevermind Scotland of course.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 15 May 2012, 13:24

Hey, we have grape vines for the first time this year! They're thriving, though whether they reward us fruit-wise remains to be seen.

jonny2mad · Post by **jonny2mad** » 15 May 2012, 13:44

I'd think the big issue for both Australia and new Zealand will be china and Indonesia, and being invaded by hordes of people from Asia if times get bad there .

But unlike the last time when you feared a invasion from Asia in the form of imperial Japan, you may not have the UK or USA to help this time