Aren't they all puppets?

In my last post I wrote that Aussie politics is a "wisdom-free entity in which 99% of time, energy and press coverage is spent on who's in charge, who wants to be charge, who used to be in charge ..." and on and on.

Guess what the New South Wales Labor party did yesterday? Ousted its leader of 14 months, a former 'garbo' (garbageman) named Nathan Rees, and replaced him with NSW's first female prime minister, US-born Kristina Keneally (right). Knowing he was on the way out, Rees had this to say yesterday morning: "Should I not be Premier by the end of this day, let there be no doubt in the community's mind, no doubt, that any challenger will be a puppet of Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi."

Hence, today's papers have labeled Ms Keneally a 'puppet premier'. She later retorted in Parliament: "Let me be absolutely clear on this: I'm nobody's puppet. I am nobody's protege, I am nobody's girl."

{yawn}

It's all just a big bloody sandbox to these nitwits.

One columnist opined that Keneally's "American accent will probably put western Sydney voters off." Yeah, that's sure to be her biggest drawback ... not her membership in the ever-swirling cesspool that is Australian politics.

Along the NSW coast.

Two-day drive from Sydney along the Princes Highway meant brushing up against the coast in between long stretches of fertile pastureland (below). Photo above was taken in Kiama, about 120 km south of Sydney.



Mom waits in the car as I snap away at the scenery.
In Bega Valley -- Australian cheese country.

Melbourne to Sydney

Mom and I headed to Sydney last Friday. The photo above was taken in the Blue Mountains, roughly 40 kms west of the Sydney CBD.
I took an inland route for the ride north (we'll follow the sublime southeast coast for the ride back to Melbourne). This route took us through a variety of charming Aussie towns, including Beechworth (above) and its seriously retro main street.
Fall colors were abundant in higher elevations.
The road to Wagga Wagga was a straight line -- literally -- treating us to a sunset on the left and moonrise (above) on the right.
Mom awaits hitting the road for Day 2. We stayed in Wagga Wagga, NSW for the night.
We wandered among Wagga's many shops on a perfect autumn morning.
Wagga's main drag.
A sign hanging within an organic licorice factory in the tiny NSW town of Junee.
We drove for several hours through 'country' NSW.
Mom didn't venture as close to this Blue Mountains ledge as I did -- she's either got more sense, or was worried I'd shove her over the edge after 2 days of driving!
A last look at the glorious Blue Mountains.

Terra Australis Extremus

Australia's climate has no sense of irony. How to follow months of drought, barren farmland, states playing chicken over river rights, cities debating the merits of recycled water (referred to by tabloids as 'drinkable sewage') and draconian water restrictions?

With a 'monster storm' that lasts 3 days and sadly takes the lives nine very unlucky people.

New South Wales is recovering from this cosmically comedic soaking. As this photo shows, not all tanker captains heeded the warnings of cyclone conditions near Newcastle.

Showers blanketed New South Wales the past few days, offering hope for suffering inland farmers and a new plaything for children of the drought: mud.