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  #501  
Old 29-11-2012, 10:22 AM
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jjjnettie (Jeanette)
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Rob, the major reason for us NOT want daylight saving, is that we're couldn't be bothered changing our clocks.
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  #502  
Old 29-11-2012, 10:34 AM
Rob_K
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Originally Posted by jjjnettie View Post
Rob, the major reason for us NOT want daylight saving, is that we're couldn't be bothered changing our clocks.
I can relate to that!

Cheers -
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  #503  
Old 29-11-2012, 05:04 PM
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AstroTourist (Terry)
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BOB's LOOKOUT for the eclipse

There has been some comments about what happened at Bob's lookout during the eclipse.
One person told me that:
"police did not make any serious attempt to close Bob's Lookout, despite that clearly being advertised as 'to be closed' beforehand and used for emergency services staging (none of which was visible inland except at Palmer River Roadhouse). Apparently they turned up at Bob's Lookout an hour or so before the eclipse and their half-hearted attempt to move people on at that point was quickly laughed out of town (they then just tried to stop people who parked where they were blocking the highway)"
When I queried this with the police superintendent today I was told that was not correct and that Bob's lookout was barricaded off at 9PM the previous evening, that a couple of cars parked there were moved on and it remained closed.
Can I please have any first hand reports from anyone who actually observed from Bob's lookout or who drove past after 9pm the evening before so that I can establish what actually happened.
I need to be sure that what I put in the eclipse wrapup report is correct. Any photos of the area would of course be especially valuable.
Thanks & regards,
Terry
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  #504  
Old 29-11-2012, 07:12 PM
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slt (Gunther)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroTourist View Post
Can I please have any first hand reports from anyone who actually observed from Bob's lookout
This actually peeved me a little. I had "staked out" Bob's Lookout about 3 years ago when I started to make serious plans, only to be told 3 weeks before the event that police would be closing it. So I didn't actually bother driving up there and instead parked the truck at the bottom of the hill and hiked up on the hill itself (not to the lookout).

Shortly after totality I drove up to the lookout just to see what I would have missed ... and there were about 50-100 cars and a couple of hundred people. A lot of them infringing on the road itself There was a lonely copper going up and down the hill (in a green highway patrol car) a few times before totality, but I didn't see him move anyone on either.

But I think I had a better spot anyway ... about 5 people in cooee!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunther...57632052790443
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  #505  
Old 29-11-2012, 10:44 PM
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dannat (Daniel)
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I drove past Bobs lockout on the afternoon before, about 2 or 3 pm & there was only 1-2 car spaces left (unless you dbl'd up & parked directly behind other cars)

I observed totality with Phil hart, James mchugh , nic ,Russell brown &co on the mulligan highway about 36km south of Palmer river rd house. Straight after totality ended I yelled out-jumped in my car & took off Sth down the highway as I had a flight to catch. I stopped periodically to capture some 2nd half partials.

When. I drove past Bob's lookout which must have been maybe half hr after totality there were barracades at the NTHen end of the cart ours out, but people were scattered about the rd mostly toward the sth..many were not on the lookout but on the edge of the rd itself below the lookout. I'm trying to think I there were cars parked in the turn in bay or just people...I'll have a think about it
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  #506  
Old 30-11-2012, 12:56 AM
Captain Charlie (Gareth)
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Daylight saving in FNQ

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_K View Post
I did notice one thing in regard to a recent thread on IIS about daylight saving in Queensland. While the State is in favour of DST overall, the Far North is against it on numbers. ... DST would seem to ideally suit FNQ with their shorter summer daylight hours, in fact far better than in the far south where daylight persists till 9:30 at night in midsummer! Or am I missing something???
Yes Rob, you're missing something. And for the first 50 years of my life when I lived in NSW and the ACT, I was missing it too. But having lived in FNQ for the past 5 years, I discovered what's missing. Funnily enough, the answer is astronomical.

It's not about the amount of light. It's about the amount of heat. Daylight Saving is not necessary if you live and work north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Why? Because if you're north of the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun passes overhead twice during the year. Think about the extra heat (proximity of sun to earth) and the times that daylight begins and ends. It's different from the southern half of Australia, where the sun never reaches a position directly overhead.

North of the Tropic of Capricorn, DST would be better named DHT: Daylight Heating Time.
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  #507  
Old 30-11-2012, 08:41 AM
gary
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroTourist View Post
There has been some comments about what happened at Bob's lookout during the eclipse.
One person told me that:
"police did not make any serious attempt to close Bob's Lookout, despite that clearly being advertised as 'to be closed' beforehand and used for emergency services staging (none of which was visible inland except at Palmer River Roadhouse). Apparently they turned up at Bob's Lookout an hour or so before the eclipse and their half-hearted attempt to move people on at that point was quickly laughed out of town (they then just tried to stop people who parked where they were blocking the highway)"
When I queried this with the police superintendent today I was told that was not correct and that Bob's lookout was barricaded off at 9PM the previous evening, that a couple of cars parked there were moved on and it remained closed.
Can I please have any first hand reports from anyone who actually observed from Bob's lookout or who drove past after 9pm the evening before so that I can establish what actually happened.
I need to be sure that what I put in the eclipse wrapup report is correct. Any photos of the area would of course be especially valuable.
Thanks & regards,
Terry
Hi Terry,

We first drove past Bob's lookout at about 15:00 on the 13th. It it had
just been any day in the year with people stopping to admire the views, then
it was full. There were at least a couple of sizable camper vans and
many cars, but except for a few that appeared to be co-operatively double
parked, vehicles would have been free to come and go. However, it was
clear that everyone there was setup to stay. Camper chairs were out and gear
was set-up.

We then drove past again at 16:30 and one more time at 19:00.
By then some had parked on the outskirts of the lookout area in what normally
would not have been regarded as a wise parking spot. One 4WD vehicle on the south
side was arguably precariously parked, having made its way up to the very edge
of the drop-off where there was no safety railing.

However, all vehicles were well away from the road and posed no safety risk
to other passers-by.

So unfortunately I can't provide a first hand account of what happened there
after 21:00 the night before the eclipse.

If they had been asked to move on, what surprises me is that certainly nobody
turned up to our large obvious area which was a turn-off to the power line service
track.

The next morning we drove past one final time post-eclipse at around 08:30.
There were still quite a few there and they were packing up their gear.
We waved to them and they waved back as we passed by.

It would have been interesting to know what their eclipse viewing experience was like.
It certainly is one of the most fantastic vistas in the greater Cairns area and would have
potentially made the best of backdrops for any photography of the eclipse itself.
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  #508  
Old 30-11-2012, 09:05 AM
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AstralTraveller (David)
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I didn't see Bobs Lookout but, back in Cairns afterwards, my friends talked to some French tourists who were nearby. They spotted the roads in the hills above the lookout that go to the power line (quite visible on Google Earth). He managed to get one of those large Maui motor homes up there, a feat that amazes me at a few levels. Something that big and shiny on the top of the hill could be seen for kms and so they wound up with about 20 other cars up there. No mention of the coppers.

While I'm on matters of road management, a big hand to the cheerful copper at Mareeba who did me for doing 72km/h in a 60 zone. I believe I was about 20m past the sign when he got me and 300m up the road, when he stepped out from behind the bush to wave me over I was down to 50km/h. I hadn't seen him, I was just winding down as I approached the built up area. When he stopped me there were no other cars visible in front or behind me, it was a wide road with good vision under bright sunshine. I must have been stopped for 10 minutes and I think another couple of cars went by in that time. But a potential menace has been nipped in the bud and Qld coffers enriched by $148. He asked whether I had ever been booked before in Qld. I told him, "Mate I haven't been booked anywhere in 35 years." He told me I was doing well and not to let it ruin my day .
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  #509  
Old 30-11-2012, 09:31 AM
gary
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralTraveller View Post
I didn't see Bobs Lookout but, back in Cairns afterwards, my friends talked to some French tourists who were nearby. They spotted the roads in the hills above the lookout that go to the power line (quite visible on Google Earth). He managed to get one of those large Maui motor homes up there, a feat that amazes me at a few levels. Something that big and shiny on the top of the hill could be seen for kms and so they wound up with about 20 other cars up there. No mention of the coppers.
Hi David,

I think we spotted that Maui van The rental company would not have
been impressed.

There were also a few other moments where we would look on top of a steep hill
or across the valley and see vehicles where you would not expect roads to be
and we would say to each other, "I wonder how they got there?!"

Sorry to hear about getting picked up on the RADAR. If there had been a few
vehicles coming the other way, I noticed they liked to use the flashing headlight
telegraph system up there and you might have got the tip-off.

The delays with the roadworks on the Tablelands when going from Cairns to
Atherton certainly pushed out the travel times.
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  #510  
Old 30-11-2012, 10:42 AM
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AstralTraveller (David)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gary View Post
Hi David,

I think we spotted that Maui van The rental company would not have
been impressed.
And they weren't impressed with the rental company. They had come from Adelaide up the center and complained that the water had been awful everywhere they went. My friends noticed they had been given ordinary garden hose to fill the tank rather than the food grade hose you need. They drained the tank and refilled using the good hose and suddenly the water was fine.

BTW Another friend hired a car from Britz and when we collected it the depot was packed. It's the only time I've seen a triage desk at a car rental place. Apparently they had 350 vehicles going out that week. When we returned it it was passably quiet but they had a queue of 30 vehicles on the street earlier in the day. I noticed one of those big campers had a scrape on the right hand rear which I think happened while going forward. My guess is that someone swung to the left without thinking that the rear would move to the right - the overhand is >2m. In general they must have a few problems with those big rigs. Most users would never have driven anything so big and most are driving on the opposite side of the road to what they are used to.
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  #511  
Old 01-12-2012, 11:26 AM
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slt (Gunther)
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20 seconds of totality (plus diamond ring)

https://vimeo.com/54641999
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  #512  
Old 03-12-2012, 10:12 PM
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Zubenel (Wes)
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Your observing LOCATION: Mulligan Highway 12 Km West of Mt Carbine.
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? Nil…….
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? Nil…..
Access to WEATHER info? Nil no mobile service....
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? 45 minutes out from totality we wondered if the eroding Cumulus clouds coming over from the coast would interfere but decided that we'd be OK. Half the sun was covered enough to Miss the first Diamond ring But cloud left very quickly for an unobstructed view for the rest.
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? Didn't see any public warnings. Glasses were available at the caravan park
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? Rang on Tuesday morning for a tent spot at Mt Carbine Caravan Park and they said no problem .. Come on up. No availability if we had had a caravan or RV.
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? …no but all the tee shirts were gone .
What could have been managed better? Warnings of road closures made my decision to travel from Carins the day before a no brainer…..
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? Totality was awesome !!….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? Positive.
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? …Australia .. Bris..
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? independent….
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? …1. Wirramina.2002
age: up to 30 - 55,
Cheers Wes

Thanks very much for your comments & regards,
Terry Cuttle
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  #513  
Old 04-12-2012, 12:45 AM
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AstroTourist (Terry)
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Thanks for the Eclipse Feedback

Thanks very much to all who took the time to give me feedback of their eclipse experience. It was very useful for the eclipse debrief last week.
I will do a summary to be posted shortly of the eclipse outcome as I saw it incorporating some of the main issues raised.
If anyone has any other comments (no need to fill out the full info) it is not too late to do that.
Thanks & regards,
Terry
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  #514  
Old 09-12-2012, 06:46 PM
tomtom
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Sorta late here, but....

Your observing LOCATION: Palm Cove, side of the mountain/coast road.

Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? Fine, got there the night before and wasn't much traffic.
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? Not really. I did think my tent was going to get blown off the cliff, as it was really windy the night before. Tied it to my motorbike and went back to sleep haha
I suppose the cars and trucks driving on the road 5 metres from me were a potential danger....


Access to WEATHER info? Nil, I didn't watch TV or have internet or radio.
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? Nope
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? Nothing really except on the website which I didn't see advertised anywhere. Actually I honestly can't remember seeing a single advertisement of any kind, just around the streets, shops etc. I also did not see any eclipse glasses being sold, anywhere! Just got lucky that the beautiful family parked next to me at viewing location had a spare welder's mask glass piece.
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? Average. Got overcharged (IMO) in Cairns one night. I camped for the rest of the nights I spent around there and I am glad I didn't get bothered by anyone; cops or random people.
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? Nope.
What could have been managed better? Selling of merchandise.
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? Nope.
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? Overall positive. Great weather most of the time, nice people generally. I'd love to live there. Not in Cairns, but Palm Cove, Port Douglas or further down around Innisfail etc.
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? Vic.
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? Independant, rode motorbike up. Oh BTW, the roadworks EVERYWHERE (literally everywhere!) were really terrible, could have chosen a better time for it. On the motorbike I had to spend many many km's on gravel roads (roads had been pulled up) and that was horrible.
Previous eclipse experience (totals) first eclipse, 1 - 5, 5+, etc? First one
age: 23
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  #515  
Old 11-12-2012, 04:27 PM
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circumpolar (Matt)
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Your observing LOCATION: Mulligan Hwy past Mt Carbine
Ease of ACCESS to observing location (road closures, congestion, info on suggested observing locations and access, transport difficulties etc.)? No Probs, Left Cairns at 3am
Any PROBLEMS AT OBSERVING LOCATION (crowding, tides, streetlights, information on available facilities, information on or any unexpected dangers or annoyances)? No probs. Only about 20 people with us on side of road
Access to WEATHER info? Locale tv news and personal weather obs was enough.
Did you RELOCATE due weather and any problems with that? Yes. We were staying with family in Cairns. Was planning to view from Palm Cove but had witnessed early morning clould before the day.
Comment on EYE SAFETY MESSAGES (good or bad, visible or invisible, availability of eclipse glasses etc.)? We brought along our own Eclipse glasses.
ACCOMMODATION (ease of, or any problems in arranging, comment on cost, suitability, etc.)? WE have family in the area. Got 4 cheap $98 tickets midyear.
Did you attend any of the ORGANISED EVENTS centered on the eclipse (Music festival, Marathon, Port Douglas eclipse festival etc.) and any good or bad comments? No
What could have been managed better? We saw no problems. We knew where NOT TO BE and avoided any issues.
Anything that went well that you want to comment on? ….
Overall, did you leave with a positive or negative IMPRESSION OF THE REGION? We go there every year. The one thing I still hate about the area is the entries and exits to roundabouts. They dont feel natural.
ABOUT YOU:
Where did you come from (Aus state or country)? Western Sydney
On an eclipse tour or independent travel? Independent traveler (with wife and kids)
Previous eclipse experience (totals) First one!
age: 38
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  #516  
Old 28-12-2012, 02:06 PM
Spacedout
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Liz View Post
Very tricky to decide Spacedout. Do you go to cairns itself, north, south, inland????? Weather could be kind (or unkind) to all of us.
There are a few of us staying at Mt Carbine caravan park, inland a little.
Who knows though?????
I would just like to thank Liz (Alien Female) and all the others for steering me towards Mt Carbine, had an excellant view near the graveyard, met people from england, germany plus aussies, also had 5 weeks looking around Qld to make a trip out of it
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  #517  
Old 28-12-2012, 02:27 PM
Spacedout
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and thanks iceman for setting up iceinspace and keeping it running which helped me make the right decision
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  #518  
Old 05-05-2013, 10:04 PM
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Willoughby (Willoughby)
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I never got around to sharing my shot from Milingimbi, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. This is before totality which was cloudy.

Solar Eclipse - 14 November 2012

The experience was none the less very, very, VERY cool with in effect... a reversing sunrise.
Some video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=928VZJZ72Yg
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