Questions about Australian culture

[Vasya Pupkin]

I am from far Northern Russia. I do the astrophotography as I am allowed to do it (Moscow is a too large city).
I like Australia as I can do it, I have never been to abroad (and, even if I have, Australia is too far from me). My astrophotos aren’t enough good to be really interesting for somebody, so I am rather alone here, in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition, I am too young, only 17. I am looking for a person, who lives in Australia, loves its culture, who would like to share it with someone. As for me, if suddenly somebody wants to know something about Russian culture (hardly), I can help, with pleasure.
For example, such question, which I can’t find an answer for: how often you see (or you do it by yourself), that people passes the road on the LED signal of the traffic light?
Please, don’t think about me, that I am a blond after this message.

If anything wrong, excuse me, I am not so good in English (and… communication too).

Vasya Pupkin

[LewisM]

Вася,
Игнорирование красного света: не столь обычный как в России, но все еще случается. Есть камеры, чтобы поймать обидчиков здесь. ДОРОГОЕ нарушение - $150 и 3 пункта недостатка, взятые из лицензии (12 общих количеств пунктов)

Извините ни за какие сообщения - я не проверяю часто электронную почту здесь.

[Allan_L]

Presuming you mean "running RED lights", not a lot.
There are some, of course, mainly due to inattention I think.
But as Lewis said, there are RED light cameras at trouble spots.
They tend to slow people down.
Especially now these have been upgraded to catch speeders as well.

But running the AMBER light, well that is an entirely different matter.
Some people regard that as almost a National Sport!

In my more mature years, now that I am seldom in a big hurry, I try to stop for Amber lights whenever possible. The trouble is that the guy behind you may have already decided to go through. Then you have a problem. :)

What is it like in Russia?

[Poita]

Hi Vasya,

Do you mean pedestrians crossing when the traffic light signal is green, or cars passing the traffic light when the signal is red?

[Vasya Pupkin]

So, you usually have cameras of traffic lights. Clear. Here, in Russia, we don't have them, so...
Lewis, excuse me for starting this thread. I am ashamed. I thought you had forgotten me.
What about such thing: I see, you haven't any snow, the temperature is too high, but waht winter do you have in that way? Mud, darkness, cold wind from the sea and etc? I know, winter is the Milky Way from the capital letter, his majesty, Sagittarius. But the weather? Some people from this forum say that the weather is very cold indeed.

[doppler]

Do not worry we are all good internet friends here. My parents were born in Latvia so I can understand where you are from. My daughter is 18 she loves photography and I think she would love to talk with you.

[Varangian]

Vasya, I have a Russian mother born in Novgorod. I wish my Russian was as good as your English! The only snow in Australia is in our Alps, they are small by European standards but they are a long mountain chain stretching from Victoria through to New South Wales (both states of Australia). There are no cities or even large towns in the Alps. Both Victoria and especially Tasmania get quite cold winters, although nothing like what you are used to in Northern Russia. We don't get mud as such unless our rivers flood, but here in Melbourne we get a very cold south westerly wind that blows in from Antarctica. It is cold in winter but it can provide relief when it is hot in Summer. All the best, John.

[Kunama]

Hello Vasya and welcome,
Surprisingly we actually have better snow depth here in winter than Finland does. As John said above, it is mostly restricted to one area from Victoria to southern New South Wales and at altitude of 1500m to 2228m.

This is what the Main Range of Kosciuszko National Park looked like this winter. The snow depth this winter was about 2 metres. The mountain in the distance directly above me is Mount Kosciuszko at 2228m, Mt Twynam (2196m) is on the right of the photo. There are 5 glacial lakes all located in the area behind me, which formed when the ice retreated after the last ice age. The only trees that survive up here are Eucalyptus Pauciflora (Snowgum), they grow to about 1900m altitude.

[Vasya Pupkin]

Doppler, thanks for your offer, I will glad to talk.

Varangian and Kunama, thanks. It's a new proof, that "Don't believe the statistics, if you have eyewitness". Statistics said, that temperature is above zero the whole year, you (and Kunama's photo) are the proofs of opposite.
And I naively thought, that the Crux and ice are compatible only in Antarctica and the "Great Island of the Land of Fire".

New question, creative. From Australian literature (classical) I know only "My country" (really powerful one!). But, we all love astronomy, surely you have some rhymes or songs about astronomy and night sky. Maybe, somebody knows them. As for me, I know one such song (our, Russian) about beautiful night sky. I would be pleased to post it (as I would be able to translate it), but it would be very interesting to learn yours.

[originaltrilogy]

You may find this interesting as well.
http://www.atnf.csiro.au/research/AboriginalAstronomy/examples.htm

[Blue Skies]

The Great Island of the Land of Fire? I can't think where this is. Do you mean New Zealand, which is also known as the "Land of the Long White Cloud"?

[Vasya Pupkin]

I mean Tierra del Fuego (in the South of Southern America).
Thanks for the link. I haven't thought that the Emu is such a national thing.
About that song, if somebody needs it, here is a translation (bulky, self-made) and the original variant (in Russian, but with music, in my opinion, rather good): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWOGN7YJ9Qk.
It's our national culture, so I would be glad to hear comments about it.

[Vasya Pupkin]

There is a such question. I live in Russia and I see a such phenomenon: the most active, all-pervading, with “hot” light etc we see in Spring, not in Summer. How we can explain this? I know only one thing: in winter (our) Earth passes the nearest point to the sun. But, only 1/30, how we can sight this little difference? But the phenomenon is observable in easy way, all nature feel this difference. Another proof: in summer darkening sunglasses became dark rather slow, even in clear days. But in spring they become dark rapidly! Why?
If the suppose about 1/30 is true, you will be able to see this phenomenon in autumn, so now. If you don’t see it, evidently, the reason is climate.
So, your comments…

[Camelopardalis]

Regarding the sunglasses conundrum - my guess is that in winter, the sun is so low in the sky that the light (including uv that sunglasses react to) must pass through much more atmosphere than in the summer when it is higher in the sky. This would be more pronounced at higher latitudes.

[pixelsaurus]

And The Shakey Isles. :D

[ZeroID]

Keeps us awake and on our toes ... :P

[AstralTraveller]

How about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7cJVStGT2Y

I'll keep thinking.

[Shano592]

Under the Southern Cross I stand ....