Why no answers to Aust PODs ?

I don't mean to criticise anybody here, but why have the majority of my PODs relating to Aust hist, such as a Bill of Rights, US military bases, and WI Aust hadn't federated, not been replied ? Is it because most posters here don't have too great a grasp on Aust hist ?
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
That's certainly my reason - I just don't know enough. Maybe if you made the posts a bit longer including some background and theories either which way I would have something to go on. I know about the separate colonies becoming federated, I remember that Prince Leopold of Albany had hoped to become Governor General of either Victoria or NSW (OK, I half know, lol, as I've forgotten) but don't know how to address your question on this issue

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Melvin Loh said:
I don't mean to criticise anybody here, but why have the majority of my PODs relating to Aust hist, such as a Bill of Rights, US military bases, and WI Aust hadn't federated, not been replied ? Is it because most posters here don't have too great a grasp on Aust hist ?

I didn't know Austria was federated.
 
Oh yeah dude, Aust is a federation of 7 states and 2 territories, which occurred with the formation of the Cth of Aust in 1901 after a referendum in all the then-colonies which approved of them all collectively forming a new country. Similar sorta deal as with the Union, the Dominion of Canada, and other federated nation-states.
 
Melvin Loh said:
Oh yeah dude, Aust is a federation of 7 states and 2 territories...

Err, did you actually read my post? I'm afraid there was an (apparently unsuccessful) joke in there. Well, a pun, at least.
 
Shouldn't ppl recognise Aust as shorthand for Australia, as is shown in the Olympics ? Aut OTOH is the short form for Austria...
 
Melvin Loh said:
Shouldn't ppl recognise Aust as shorthand for Australia, as is shown in the Olympics ? Aut OTOH is the short form for Austria...

Who watches the Olympics?

The ISO country codes are AU and AT, respectively. Aust, OTOH, is known throughout the world as the abbreviation for the Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology, in Dhaka (http://www.aust.edu/).

Is the abbreviation commonly used outside, errr, Aust?

Is there a common abbbreviation for Austrasia, or is it just "that place east of Neustria"?
 
Maybe if there were more Alternate Historians from Australia would help also. What besides Paul Hogan, Melba toast and taking the America's Cup has Australia done that has impacted world history? Most American's will know a little more about Australia this year when the movie Ned Kelly opens in the theater - it seems a little too biased to me, but I'll see it.

And I have to admit that everytime I saw Aust I thought about Austria. I mean, I would ask myself "Who could be so lazy as to not to be able to write out the full name?" Truncate at your own peril.
 
Melvin, let me tell you the extent of my knowledge about Australia:

1. Australian soldiers in WW1, WW2 and Korea wore really cool hats.

2. The Australian Light Horse made a cavalry charge at Beersheba in WW1.

3. Australians are mean to Aboriginies.

4. In Vietnam, Australian soldiers were really good.

5. Melbourne is in the Southeast corner of the country.

6. Australians eat this stuff called vegemite (which I have tried and dont like).

9. "Waltzing Matilda" isnt the national anthem (but I dont know what is!)


My lack of knowledge on things Australian is not intentional. I think Australia is cool but never learned much about the place.......
 
An Australian Alternative historian

Oh dear. I see ignorance runs riot outside my door about the OTL Australia :) . Quick, brase the gate! And to think I've heard that the internet would bring knowledge unto everyone. Nevertheless, help is at hand! Here's a link to my AH Australia site. Yes there's a lot of "regular" AH works there, but there's a good deal of Australian ones too...

http://www.geocities.com/dma1.geo/ah.html

cheers
 
Melvin Loh said:
I don't mean to criticise anybody here, but why have the majority of my PODs relating to Aust hist, such as a Bill of Rights, US military bases, and WI Aust hadn't federated, not been replied ? Is it because most posters here don't have too great a grasp on Aust hist ?

I picked up a tome on the early colonial history of Australia (A Fatal Shore) and found it quite interesting.

It may well be a couple of reasons for interest in the posts is stillborn.

Australia doesn't strike me has having the same type drama in it's history as America or Europe. Yeah, I know, I'll get toasted for that, but I'm from Canada whose history is similarly blessed or afflicted depending on your view. A western-centric view tends to focus more on America and Europe. You ever take Australian history in school? Not! Likely too many folks think it wouldn't make a good movie so they zone out.

Australia is what may be described off of the beaten track. It's taken a long time for people, whether they be Aborigines or Europeans, to establish themselves there. History has, in a sense, passed the place by. The lode of available material to mine in the context of alternate history is not as rich as other parts of the world. No that's not to say there's not interesting oppourtunities there. Imagine if the Chinese hadn't turned in on themselves 500 years ago and had managed to colonize Australia.

I think that Australia will be a happening place over the next fifty years though. China and India are rousing themselves. Australians have never demonstrated any particular fear of playing a role in the world and I can see them being quite engaged in the Pacific with the island nations there, having to deal with the threat of militant Islam and an emergent China and willing to take on a more current role as a partner of the US.

In the end, as a Canadian, I stay half tuned in to Australia because I find their politics fascinating. We have a similar heritage, a number of common attributes, some interesting differences. There are probably some lessons there for us and that makes the place worth watching.

Good luck with your future threads.
 
Australia? Australia you say...what could that be?

Kidding! :D

Hey, what are excellant ways to offend Australians?

Make some reference suggesting they are some British island off Scotland.

Refer to them as that little German-speaking nation south of Bavaria.

Go there and tell them that they speak English very well.

(For Brits only) Tell them they are just like Americans.

***NOTE TO BRITS: Be in excellant physical condition and wear running shows before saying that in a crowded place!***
 

Faeelin

Banned
Melvin Loh said:
I don't mean to criticise anybody here, but why have the majority of my PODs relating to Aust hist, such as a Bill of Rights, US military bases, and WI Aust hadn't federated, not been replied ? Is it because most posters here don't have too great a grasp on Aust hist ?

For the same reason there are few comments on medieval pods?
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Faeelin said:
For the same reason there are few comments on medieval pods?

Well true, its where people's knowledge and experience lies. btw you can run a 15th century English post thorugh me if you want :) I'm pretty good at 16th century except I lose some of Europe and get lost with all the marriage possibilities and stuff

Grey Wolf
 
How to offend...

Grimm Reaper said:
Australia? Australia you say...what could that be?

Kidding! :D

Hey, what are excellant ways to offend Australians?

Make some reference suggesting they are some British island off Scotland.

Refer to them as that little German-speaking nation south of Bavaria.

Go there and tell them that they speak English very well.

(For Brits only) Tell them they are just like Americans.

***NOTE TO BRITS: Be in excellant physical condition and wear running shows before saying that in a crowded place!***


lol... well to be honest, apart from the last one saying we're just like Americans, I'm affraid the others don't make the grade.

No it's far better to compare us with New Zealanders... or...

Yes, Australia is a great place to live; one billion flies can't be wrong!

Australia - where men are men & sheep are nervous.

If a field of Irishmen are a field of Paddy's, what's a field of Australians? A vacant lot.

Put another Aussie on the barbie.

Don't you mean Austria?

Is he speaking English?

Queensland - beautiful one day, police state the next.

Definition of confusion in Tasmania - Father's Day.

The New South Wales Police - the best that money can buy.

Anyone got a lame horse? We'll swop our Prime Minister for it.


I'll leave it to other's imagination to add to the list...
 
ML> at the risk of sounding cruel, it's because your threads are like chaff, the strips of metal dropped by Bomber Command to confuse German radar in WWII. There are so many of them that the interesting ones tend to get lost in the confusion.
 
A possible POD:
OTL: I heard that Western Australia wanted to secede because of the physical difficulties of communicating with Canberra across hundreds of miles of desert: getting a man there meant either a fullscale expedition with camels and supplies, or the hazards of a sea voyage in the 40-deg-south storm zone. That is why Australia built the railway across the Nullarbor Plain.
ATL: That railway is not built and Westarn Australia secedes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another POD:
ATL: South Asian explorers find Australia first and Cook coming to Australia finds it closely settled by Indonesians and/or similar.
 
Australian Religion

Who watches the Olympics?

Australians do, the first two Olympic games were held before Australia federated but there were Australians at both games and they competed as Australians. This resulted in the Austrian flag being raised when Edwin Flack won Australia's first gold medal in 1896 as we didn't yet have a flag or country for that matter. But then that's Australia, we even had a national Cricket team 25 years before we had a nation.
 
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