It's raining! It's raining!

@dlowan,

Sky just did a pretty convincing impression of a summer storm.

Without the hail, I might add.

Four mills only in the lie detector out back.

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@Builder,

Quote:

..... the people need to go to the water, rather than the other way around. You're from Melbourne? Do you really want more people there? Last time I was in the city of four-seasons-in-one-day, it seemed pretty crowded already.

Yes, I live in Melbourne, Builder. And you won't find a bigger supporter of decentralization than me. Don't get me started on how short-sighted thinking can over-populate a city in a relatively short time, with less than wonderful consequences! It's crazy here right now ... the "(inappropriate) development led savior of the local economy"! Ha. Rolling Eyes

But I agree with you that a small number of extremely bloated east coast cities, with sparsely populated regional centres inland, is not a great idea. Though insisting that asylum sealers or Newstart recipients be forced to populate those regional centres ... no. The answer is government & business job creation initiatives in those places ... & also making those centres more appealing places to live. In other words some genuine, committed forward planning ... which has been sadly lacking to date.

But putting that aside, if people were to move to regional cities in my state (assuming that sufficient work actually existed in those cities - which it doesn't), the the "water problem" would remain, unless addressed & properly planned for ..... many of those regional centres are much dryer & experienced more dire water problems than Melbourne during the worst of the drought.
-

1 Reply

It's officially over.
(touching wood.)

Let's hope this lasts & we don't see parched land like this again for a long time!

Quote:

Australia drought-free for first time in decade
Updated April 27, 2012 16:13:53

Cracked earth Photo: For the first time in more than 10 years, Australia is set to be free from drought (Ian Waldie: Getty Images)

The Federal Government is set to declare Australia drought-free for the first time in more than 10 years.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-27/australia-drought-free-for-first-time-in-decade/3975924

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@msolga,

El bloody niño is back.

Crossing fingers.

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@msolga,

Have you (not you personally ,but you as a nation) done anything to forestall any lasting effects of another dorught? Have you recalculated water needs and storage means? Have you looked at emergency plans and things like firebreaks about settlements and developments?
How about dry land farming, anything done with that?

Every time we go through a major drought or water excess, there is some tweaking of things like storage or trasmission of water so as to minimize future effects of similar weather anomalies.
Weve begun to realize that THERE ARE NO ANOMALIES IN WEATHER. Even vast departures from norms are not without porecedent ad are somewhat cyclic, so we should be planning for these levels.

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@msolga,

actually denser development is MORE economical to water and other resource usages than is decentralization. We in US have this hard-on for "one acre and a mule" mentality. SO we **** up the entire countryside, remove productive ag lands, and spend lots more on watching infrastructure for such stuff as water just go bust and we stand around with our thumbs up our asses and watch our "half-vast" water systems just leak more water in a day than wed use in a week.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

SE Australia copped the worst of the prolonged drought (Victoria, South Australia & parts of NSW) ...
I can't say with too much authority what other states are doing to ensure long-term water supply, but in Victoria the state government is in the process of building a (hugely expensive, short & long-term) desalination plant for an ever expanding Melbourne, via a private company. We aren't privy to all the details of the deal. But water is going to become very, very expensive as a result.
Problem is, we used to have just one (state run & operated) water authority. But, under a previous zealous free market government that was broken up into a bunch of different corporations ... because, it was argued, this would be more "competitive". (Don't get me started! Grrrrrr!)
Just this week there has been talk of the virtue of capturing run-off after heavy rains .... but I haven't come across too many details of the hows & whys & wheres.
I think it's fair to say that future planning appears to have been a rather haphazard process.
As to farming methods like dry farming, etc, I honestly don't know, farmer. Perhaps some of our Oz A2Kers who live in rural areas will be able to comment? Hope so.
I wish dadpad was around. I'm sure he could tell you a lot more about such things than this city person can.

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@farmerman,

We export dry land farming techniques.

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Quote:

actually denser development is MORE economical to water and other resource usages than is decentralization.

That may well be, but a lot depends on the rate of the development & population growth & proper planning to accommodate expansion.
In my - & many others' opinions - that simply hasn't happened. Not here in Melbourne, anyway. It's been extremely rapid population growth without too much sensible planning.
And more to come.

Quote:

....we **** up the entire countryside, remove productive ag lands....

Which is precisely what has happened to the outskirts of Melbourne.
Suburbs are growing at an alarming rate. Endless suburban sprawl eating up what used to be market gardening land, destroying the habitat of native animals ... (many of those suburbs without access to public transport - & other desirable facilities - & reliant on cars for transport....)
It seems to be unstoppable.

It seems bizarre to have so much of the states population in one city:

Quote:

Victoria in Future 2012 shows that Victoria's population is expected to grow from 5.6 million to 7.3 million, an average annual growth rate of 1.3 per cent between 2011 and 2031.

Melbourne's population is expected to grow from 4.1 million to 5.4 million, an average annual growth rate of 1.3 per cent between 2011 and 2031

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/3700-updated-population-projects-paint-a-clear-picture-for-victorias-future.html

Which is why I think planned decentralization to country cities would be a very desirable thing.

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@dlowan,

Do we, Deb?
To which countries, do you know?

1 Reply

@msolga,

Dry ones?

I don't really recall. It's an especially South Australian thing, cos we are practically all desert. Especially after you eastern staters have buggered up And used up all the Murray water!

1 Reply

@dlowan,

Yes, the whole Murray River thing was a scandal. No argument here.
What a stuff-up!
But I assure you that I didn't personally profit from it, Deb. Wink

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Is there no end to all the drama?

I don't like the sound of this AT ALL!

Quote:

Rainfall leads to rise in rodents
Leigh Cohen
April 30, 2012/the AGE

Rats move into people's houses to seek warmth and shelter as the weather cools down.

RATS are invading houses across Melbourne, as changing weather conditions lead to rising numbers of rodents.

Mark Elgar, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Melbourne, said changing weather conditions over the past couple of years may account for rising numbers in Melbourne. ''As far as I'm aware there's no change in the number of potential rat predators in Melbourne, which means there must be more food,'' Professor Elgar said.

He said greater rainfall in the past two years had led to additional food sources for rats. ''[There are] more grains, feeds and other things that rats like and of course more insects that rats will feed on as well,'' he said.

''Over the last few years there's been an increasing abundance of food and when there's more food, more individuals can survive.''

Professor Elgar said increased sightings of rats in the home may be due to a shortage of places for them to live.

''As the population increases … an increasing number of rats would be facing a housing crisis so they would then be increasingly encroaching on potentially more risky human habitation.''

Department of Health spokesman Bram Alexander said rats move into people's houses to seek warmth and shelter as the weather cools down and their food supply is depleted.

Allgone Pest Control owner Robbie Williams said there had been a surge in Melbourne's rat and mice population over the past month, with rodents accounting for about 70 per cent of his work.

Bayswater Mitre 10 manager Rob Vanderkolk said sales of Ratsak, rodent traps and rat blocks had increased significantly over the past few months.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/rainfall-leads-to-rise-in-rodents-20120429-1xt26.html

1 Reply

@msolga,

I predict a concomitant rise in the numbers of snakey predators. Every time we see rats in the barn it means available food has bumped up. Then, about 6 months later, we see a rise in black snakes

1 Reply

@farmerman,

Is that so?

Just not either in my house, ....please!

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@msolga,

Wild weather on the way here.....it buffeted Perth first, now us....then YOU, Msolga!

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@dlowan,

OH NO!!!

Ha. It's OK, I'm getting used to real winters again, Deb. We've had a few wild & woolly episodes already this year.
And luckily for me, I'm not in one of those parts of Melbourne which is prone to constant flooding.
Best not to live to close to the bay.

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@ehBeth,

Running season are so interesting, I want to like a dutch in rain. This season gives us a lot of happiness.

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