Counting it Down

It's getting awfully close to departure time. Sooner rather than later, I'll be on a 15 hour flight heading to the land down under. Now, since I've been away from campus for the semester, getting all the little details out of class has been difficult. Whether it was scheduling conflicts or technical difficulties, I've missed a few more classes than I should have. But, the facts I did pick up are certainly interesting and gave me a good idea of what to expect.


Here's a sampler:

• Convicts in England were shipped to the island, they established what we now know as Australia
• Captain James Cook first found Australia, when he ran smack dab into it
• Australia is kind of like Canada. Even though they have their own government and all, they look to the Queen of England as their leader
• Australia is well versed in wheat production, cattle, and of course sheep
• Family's own and operate around 99% of the farms in the country
• Both JBS and Cargill have international operations in Australia
• The Australian grading system for cattle includes measures tenderness, color, and marbling to meet requirements for branded programs
• Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn cattle are prominent in Australia. But many breeds exist, including the Droughtmaster (a Brahman X Shorthorn cross)
• Over 77 million sheep call Australia home
• The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space, and is over 500 million years old
• If you don't vote in Australia, be prepared to fork up 20 bucks
• It was illegal to swim on Australian beaches during the day until 1902.
• Bob Hawke drank 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds, a Guinness World Record in 1954. Then, he became prime minister of Australia.
• 20% of the worlds poker machines are in Australia.
• Tamworth is equivalent to our Nashville

Lot's to soak up I know. Long story short, Australia is extremely interesting and I'm really looking forward to my time there!

Next time I write, I'll be putting some shrimps on the barbie!