ROCKS March 2014 by Edge In-flight Magazines

ADVENTURE TRAVEL • EVENTS • PEOPLE • FOOD • ENTERTAINMENT • SPORT

ISSUE 11 MARCH/APRIL 2014

ORRIGHT?

Party underground, London-style

HIT OF SICILY

Do it right when you’re in the ’hood

PidLeUmSining

R NE FO GAZI TRY A M THE R INDUS YOU

ins

2014 AFL PREVIEW

With big man Barry Hall

HORROR SHOW! aaron eckhart goes frankenstein psycho in Oz

BACK IN THE GAME AND SPITTING DUST IN ABU DHABI

Welcome to ROCKS, the in-flight magazine for Alliance Airlines Welcome aboard. We hope you’re enjoying your flight today, whether you’re heading off to work or coming home for a well-earned break. Whichever it is, hopefully you’ll get a chance to read this issue of Rocks and start coming up with some great ideas for a break somewhere in Australia or overseas soon. Where to start? So many places to go and people to see. Falls Creek and Hotham are always awesome ski destinations in winter, so we’ve wrapped up all the cool things to do when you’re not on your skis, boarding, or enjoying après ski drinks at the base of the slopes. Or if you feel more like an Outback getaway, we’ve brought together a special bunch of Outback pubs that are as kooky as the locals hanging out in them. We’ve also got the lowdown on partying and playing up in London, and one of our writers explores the many reasons why Sicily should be on your bucket list. Or you know what? You might not want to go anywhere. If you feel like a bit of couch surfing, then just kick back and get into our stories on Aaron Eckhart – the star of I, Frankenstein, or get the lowdown on the upcoming AFL season. It’s going to be a goodie. We’re glad you’re flying with us today, and Alliance always encourage you to contact us at executive@allianceairlines.com.au if you have any feedback from your flight. Have fun.

Scott McMillan Managing Director Michelle Hespe, the team at Rocks and everyone at Alliance Airlines.

Hobart, Tasmania

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Hespe DEPUTY EDITOR Ben Smithurst DESIGNER Rhys Prosser SENIOR DESIGNER Guy Pendlebury SUBEDITORS Kris Madden, Helen Eva PRE-PRESS OPERATOR Tarn Mount CONTRIBUTORS Adam Burnett, Karen Halabi, Liani Solari, Steve Cooper, Jo Bounds.

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Kelly Steinhauer kelly.steinhauer@edgecustom.com.au ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES advertising@edgecustom.com.au WA AND NT SALES AGENT Helen Glasson, Hogan Media: 08 9381 3991 E: helen@hoganmedia.com.au

ROCKS is published by Edge 51 Whistler Street, Manly NSW 2095 Phone: 02 8962 2600 edgecustom.com.au

PUBLISHER Geoff Campbell CEO Eddie Thomas PRINTER SOS Print & Media

ROCKS is published by Business Essentials (Australasia) Pty Limited (ABN 22 062 493 869), trading as Edge. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the Publisher. Information provided was believed to be correct at the time of publication. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. ROCKS cannot accept unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If such items are sent to the magazine, they will not be returned. A selection of images used in this publication has been sourced from Thinkstock, Getty Images and Corbis.

March/April 2014

When you’re out on the water, it’s nice to know you have the know-how of great brands behind you. Not just the terrific reputation of Stacer but also the engineering reliability of a factory fitted Evinrude E-Tec motor. You can’t go past ‘clean, quiet and no dealer scheduled maintenance for the first three years or 300 hours’. And with the purpose built trailer, you get the perfect package. Sure, you can get other boat, motor, trailer deals but you won’t get the same quality, experience, innovation and engineering as a Stacer/Evinrude factoryengineered package.

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Find your closest Stacer dealer at stacer.com.au

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7/01/14 3:23 PM

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DARWIN

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MELBOURNE

March/April 2014

ABOUT US Alliance Airlines was established in 2002, recognising the growing demand from the domestic mining and energy sector for a provider of safe and reliable air transportation services to and from remote site locations. Alliance commenced operations with two Fokker 100 aircraft servicing two FIFO contracts, both of which are still serviced today. Our company has since expanded its fleet and operational capabilities to better service the continuing air transportation needs of the mining and energy sector . Alliance is a leading mining services company specialising in providing: • FIFO services • Ad hoc charter services • ACMI, or wet leasing, services. In December 2011, Alliance successfully listed on the ASX as AQZ.

FLIGHT BOOKINGS For customers wishing to book flights between Perth and Karratha, this must be done online: www.allianceairlines.com.au/home For customers wishing to book flights between Adelaide and Olympic Dam, this can be done online: www.qantas.com

OUR FLEET FOKKER F100

Number

Passengers

100

Length

35.5 metres

Wingspan

28 metres

Engines

RR Tay 650-15 Turbofans

Cruise Altitude

11,000 metres

Cruise Speed

800km/h

Range

3,167km

Passenger Detail

All economy seat configuration, 33-inch seat pitch, galley, toilet, pressurised, air-conditioned

FOKKER F70LR

CHARTER BOOKINGS For corporate or private charters of Alliance aircraft, the following contacts are available: www.allianceairlines.com.au/charters sales@allianceairlines.com.au 07 3212 1501

SAFETY INFORMATION Even though you may travel frequently, please familiarise yourself with the Safety On Board card located in your seat pocket.

ALCOHOL Passengers are not permitted to bring alcohol on board for in-flight consumption. On flights where Alliance offers a bar service, our flight attendants adhere to RSA guidelines.

SEAT BELTS Please observe the ‘Fasten Seat Belt’ signs when illuminated. In the interest of safety, keep your seat belt fastened at all times in case of unexpected turbulence.

CABIN BAGGAGE

Passengers should ensure that carry-on baggage does not weigh more than 7kg and fits into the overhead lockers.

Number

Passengers

Length

31 metres

Wingspan

28 metres

Engines

RR Tay 620-15 Turbofans

Cruise Altitude

11,000 metres

Cruise Speed

800km/h

Range

3,800km

Passenger Detail

All economy seat configuration, 33-inch seat pitch, galley, toilet, pressurised, air-conditioned

FOKKER F50

Number

Passengers

Length

25 metres

Wingspan

29 metres

Engines

2 x PW125B Turboprop

Cruise Altitude

7,800 metres

Cruise Speed

500km/h

Range

2,600km

Passenger Detail

All economy seat configuration, 33-inch seat pitch, galley, toilet, pressurised, air-conditioned

March/April 2014

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AFL preview

CONTENTS THE PICK

39 FALLS CREEK AND HOTHAM

08 INCOMING!

Melbourne Comedy Fest, Outback horses, curry mania in NSW and cracking apps

11 ENTERTAINMENT

Books on gaming and mine hijinks, and a doco on the drug wars starring 50 Cent

12 MAN + MACHINE

IN ORE

UNLEASHED

ISSUE 11

Is Bentley’s new GT3 racer hip enough to rev up the younger crowd?

Skis and boards are all very well, but there’s more ways to get into the white stuff. Try not to crash your snow bike, tag along on a night snow-grooming ride, and get dragged about on a dog sled

46 PUBS OF AUS Hit the Outback and check ‘em out. Some have history and others charm. They’ve all got locals and beer

16 INTERVIEW: AARON ECKHART

54 SICILY

Even on the beach, life moves as fast as the traffic here: at about 130km/h. So speak with your hands, taste great seafood, meet a celebrity and warm up by a volcano

The Dark Knight’s Two-Face discusses his lead role in the upcoming I, Frankenstein

22 FROM OUTBACK TO DEEP SEA Miners tell tales of beauty and danger on the seas in a round-the-world yacht race

60 LONDON CALLING

Ditch the bowler hat and slip into latex. Discover a side of London more underground than the Tube

30 AFL 2014 PREVIEW

Our boldest calls, with help from FOX Footy’s Barry Hall

39 insidemining • • • •

news & current affairs international mining issues resources sector profiles finance & technology March/April 2014

THE PICK

ROCKS has sniffed out the best stuff so you don’t have to. Just sit back, relax and enjoy!

E VENTS + ENTERTAINMENT + TECH + MOTORS + FOOD & DRINK

ON THE DOWNLOAD Play, create, snap – 3 cool apps QuizUp

(Free, iOS) An all-in-one quiz app for anyone, no matter their pet subject, with well over 200,000 questions and a cunning multiplayer mode that feels real, even when it’s not.

GoComics

MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL > “Not a single metropolis comes close

to Melbourne for hilarity.” Who said that? Jerry Seinfeld? Eddie Izzard? Wil Anderson? No: the Herald Sun, who might be very slightly parochial, but they’re right – domestically, anyway (if limericks are your thing you’ll still need to go to Ireland). Whether your tastes run to Dave Hughes, Steven K Amos or Steve Hughes, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival will split your sides like a burst sausage. comedyfestival.com.au Mar 26–Apr 20

HORSES! RUNNING! IN CIRCLES! > The Alice Springs Cup Carnival race

program is the jewel in central Australia’s sporting calendar: five days of racing over four weeks starting on Saturday, April 12 and culminating in the XXXX Gold Cup on May 5. The 19th is Young Guns day – including a party marquee and live bands but (probably) not Emilio Estevez, although that movie was cool. The 26th is Ladies Day. Suit up! Win big! See tipsy orange ladies stumble home carrying their heels! alicespringsturfclub.org.au

FULLY SIKH AT CURRYFEST > One in 10 Woolgoolga locals (Woolgoolgans?)

are Sikh – and five per cent speak Punjabi at home. So where better for Curryfest? Held on Saturday 26 April, but incorporating events either side, the main event sees over 100 curry-peddling food and market stalls pop up. It’s not a drunken English stag do’s dream, it’s the world’s greatest cuisine – a billion Indians can’t be wrong! – and it’s on the NSW Mid North Coast. curryfest.com.au Apr 11–27

(Free, Android/iOS) A mobile (duh) comics portal for some of the world’s most popular strips. From the surreal topsness of Calvin & Hobbes to the face-shooting awfulness of Cathy. All free!

Paperless Post

(iPad only, Free, iOS) It’s easy enough to bash out a party invite via Facebook, but this is cooler. Knock up invitations on your iPad, beam ‘evites’ via intertoobs, feel like Hugh Hefner before NYE.

SAY WHAT?

Got something to say about ROCKS ? Is there something you’re burning to see covered? Don’t mumble it under your breath – tell us what you think! Send an email to rocks@ edgecustom.com.au and have your say.* *Please be kind – our fragile egos might not be able to take it.

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March/April 2014

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OUTER EDGE

BOOKS 1001 VIDEO GAMES YOU MUST PLAY BEFORE YOU DIE TONY MOTT, $39.95

DOCO

HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING DRUGS

illed as “an insider’s guide to the violent but extremely lucrative drug industry”, this documentary starts as a polished but tongue-incheek guide to a career peddling dope. Its experts know their stuff; featured are former street entrepreneurs such as 50 Cent and ’80s LA drug lord ‘Freeway’ Rick Ross. Ross, for example, who would eventually import cocaine by the ton, once

sold $300m worth of charlie in a single day. So far, so ‘Holy-Crap-how-werethey-allowed-to-make-thismovie?’ And, a bit like The Wolf of Wall Street: holy crap! I should become a career criminal! Well, quite. Except … Rick Ross was sentenced to life in prison and Fiddy was infamously shot in the face. And the hand, arm, hip, both legs and chest. Nine times. Similarly, HTMMSD evolves into a dark

condemnation of corrupt police, the drug war, racial inequalities, useless treatment and the law – but with genuine moments of hilarity. There’s also insight from a soul-baring Eminem, who looks more like a dapper aging lesbian/ pallid marionette doll every day, and a cameo by Susan Sarandon for some reason. It won’t make you want to begin a new career in import/export. But it will make you question The Man, man.

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This updated, consoleskewed tome touches on the cream from 1971’s The Oregon Trail (a year before Pong!) to 2013’s BioShock Infinite. Sure, there may be 100 games worth playing before you die, but 1001? Can’t I just respawn? A brick-sized trip down memory lane for those who still mourn their first splattered Frogger frog.

THE GODS OF GUILT

MICHAEL CONNELLY, $32.99 Connelly’s fifth thriller about LA lawyer Mickey Haller. This is a classy, if straight-down-the-line courtroom drama, lifted from a by-the-numbers airport read by the flawed likeability of its hero. Beginning with the murder of a Pretty Woman-esque hooker, Gods’ plot is tighter than a submarine porthole.

MINING MY OWN BUSINESS

XAVIER TOBY, $24.99 Toby might now be a city boy stand-up comic, but he also worked FIFO – three weeks on, one week off – on a mine for six months in 2012 (he’d gone broke performing at the Edinburgh Fringe). This is that yarn, involving drinking, talking bollocks, missing home, Damo, Jonno, Robbo and Dale, high-vis, safety briefings and poo jokes.

ANTIFRAGILE

NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB, $29.99 Taleb is an infuriating, pompous and clever ex-derivatives trader and now Professor of Risk Engineering at NYU. He says that while we strive to be resilient, we really need to learn to thrive in chaos; to be ‘antifragile’. He’s a dick, but he’s persuasive – even if he can rely too much on anecdotes and parallels drawn from fables. March/April 2014

THINGGSO THATRP BAA

habi 12 D u b A e h t Welcome to endurance race Hours – the y’s new GT3 had the le where Bent rst hot-blooded hit company’s fi s … ar out in 12 ye

GET Y E L T N BE Smithurst n e B : S D R O W

March/April 2014

MAN + MACHINE

“That absolutely used to be the case,” he says. “Six or seven years ago the average Bentley owner was probably mid-50s, very much the businessman who got to the top. But now with our extended global

“BENTLEY’S DEMOGRAPHIC IS CHANGING, AND THE NOUVEAU RICH WANT A LITTLE EXTRA.” network of dealers, especially into Asia, South America and parts of Eastern Europe, even into our traditional markets in Europe and North America, the profile of our customers has changed. I guess because of GT and GTV8, a distinctly younger and contemporary audience is buying our cars.” This, of course, is why we’re here. Yas Marina is hosting the Gulf 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi; the final race on the 2013 GT3 endurance racing

SPECIFICATIONS

magine your typical Bentley driver. What sort of Saville Row-sporting sunset-era Omar Sharif leaps to mind? That’s him: a sort of aristocratic ladies’ man for the over-60 set. Now, zoom out a bit: does this chap (whose name is probably Nigel, or Sir Henry, or The Brigadier) give the silverest of fox about car racing? Well, not really, no. Not since Stirling Moss, anyway. But here we are, in the warm Middle Eastern winter, with a 4.0L, 441kw V8 Continental GT3. Bentley’s back on the grid. In a specially built car – one with an engine note that sounds like an uppercut to the nuts of God. One with a rear wing the size of Tasmania, but four fewer cylinders than the twin-turbo powered V12 Continental GT road car from which it’s derived – a car that outweighs it by a colossal 1,033kg. What will the Brigadier make of this? Will Bentley’s blue-blooded bread-and-butter buyers even care? Just what is the point, old bean? “Ah, see, I’m going to stop you right there,” says Robin Peel, the quite smashing urbane, very English and very, very Bentley VP of sales and marketing. We’re at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi’s brilliant Formula 1 Grand Prix venue.

MODEL Bentley Continental GT3 ENGINE 4.0L twin-turbo V8 TRANSMISSION 6-speed RWD POWER 441kW WEIGHT 1300kg PRICE $750,000–$800,000

calendar. Outside, that furious GT3 – starved and angry at just 1300kg – is lined up against a drool-worthy field of race-specced Ferrari 458s, McLaren 12Cs, Porsche 911s and Mercedes SLS AMGs. Bentley’s demographic is changing, and the young-blood nouveau riche want more than a colossal, regally refined saloon car. Just five months earlier, Bentley announced that 2014 would see the company return to racing; specifically the 2014 Blancpain Endurance series. It has not graced the track for 12 years. The Abu Dhabi 12 Hours is its no-harm-nofail chance to get up to speed. For some marques, trying to inject motorsport grunt into your image is tricky, requiring the complex production of delightfully off-brand anomalies from scratch, such as Hyundai’s i20 WRC rally car. For Bentley, however, it’s… er, actually pretty simple. Now owned by Volkswagen (as fellow English icon, Rolls Royce, belongs to BMW; interestingly, both brands were made in the same factory in the railway town of Crewe, in northwest England, until 2002), Bentley’s current road offerings already deliver precision engineering and power. March/April 2014

March/April 2014

MAN + MACHINE

“WE ACTUALLY HAD A SERIOUS NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES FROM BUYERS ABOUT THAT SPOILER. THE ANSWER IS NO.”

The ‘entry level’ model, the twin-turbo V8 Continental GT ($370–$495K), for example, has 373kW and 660Nm. The top-end Conti, a $495K W12, boasts 460kW and 800Nm, the same as the $423K, mid-level Flying Spur, the interior of which requires 11 whole cows to upholster… and 10 square metres of wood veneer. The halo-car Mulsanne, meanwhile, is yours in Australia for $663K. Its mere V8 produces 377kW… and 1020Nm of torque. This base, plus tinkering by Pom techno-race monkeys M-Spot, is how the GT3 came together so quickly. “We are absolutely about contemporising our brand,” says

Peel, “but the passion and emotion in the factory are absolutely there. If you were back at the factory in Crewe today, there would be updates on this race every 10 minutes.” As the race progresses, the crew back in Crewe could only be pleased. Racing beneath milky blue, cloudless, 27-degree skies, Bentley’s three GT3 drivers (including 2003, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Guy Smith) racked third place in the first six-hour race, then finished conservatively to come home fourth place overall. They were beaten to the line in front of vast and empty stands – the Abu Dhabi 12 Hours is fan-free, although supporter experiences, with track access, top-drawer facilities and food are offered (see events.bentleymotors. com/en) – by a series champion Mercedes Benz SLS AMG and a fleet pair of Ferraris. “In running an all-new car, our main goal today was to finish the race and be consistent,” said Bentley motorsport chief, Brian Gush. The first race of the 2014 season is in Italy’s Monza on April 12. But … has all this changed the minds of the Brigadiers? Er, no. “I’m not a really fanatical Bentley man,” says one gent, a bucolic businessman from Lancashire. “I just upgrade my Mulsanne every three or four years.” “He’s on to his third!” says his pal. Oh. So just a casual fan. Are you bothered by Bentley racing again? “Oh, not really,” he says. “And if they win next year, you watch, they’ll just retire again anyway. Hoho!” Not so the younger crew. For one, note that giant rear wing. “That spoiler,” smiles Peel indulgently, when asked, for the 17th

time, whether they could possibly make it any larger. “We actually had a serious number of enquiries from customers – younger ones, obviously, – asking if they could get one! Haha! I mean, it’s for proper hardcore racing, huge downforce, massive G’s … it’s not practical for a road car. But some customers have asked, especially in the Middle East and America.” And? “The answer is no.” Too bad. The GT3 will never be road legal, anywhere – although a pair of Australian privateer racers have shown interest in investing in their own version of the$730K– 820K race-car (a price before the associated cost of funding and transporting a race team around it). But so long as Bentley remains committed, 2014 podium positions seem assured. Outside, beside the $1.45 billion Yas Marina circuit, the indoor/ outdoor Ferrari World rollercoaster – the world’s fastest – blasts by at 240km/h. The coaster and the Yas Marina track are both plonked in the middle of a featureless beige desert. Hmm. The blue-bloods might not like it, but if a big spoiler impresses the kids, any chance Bentley could build a rival monolithic indoor rollercoaster to take on Ferrari? Only with acres of buttery upholstery? And cupholders for your Krug? “Ah … no, I think, is the safe answer to that,” demurs Peel, gracefully. “We have a different philosophy to how we … well. Ahem.” Yes, well. Quite. Bentley is becoming more hip to the kids. But the crowd to whom it’s hippest of all is still closer to a hip replacement than it is to being kids. Long may they drive.

March/April 2014

INORE

VY H O L LY W O O D H E A H A R T CK H IT T E R A A R O N E T E IN S B R IN G S F RA N K E N S C R E E N B A C K TO T H E B IG P H IC RA – IN A B A DA S S G M E D IL N O V E L U P D AT E F IN M E LB O U R N E

Y L L U F D E K N F RA NEVER ATE ESTIM UNDER N WITH A MA IZZA TWO P RS CUTTE

March/April 2014

INORE

ew classic horror stories seemed less ripe for a gritty Hollywood reboot than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – the story of a misunderstood, cobbled together corpseman animated by electricity (sorcery!) who is actually just a bit lonely. But, mix in a much-lauded, tremendously violent graphic novel and a cool cast and it’s a different story. Literally. Filmed in Melbourne in 2012, and produced by the company that made the Underworld films (hence Bill Nighy’s involvement) Aaron Eckhart’s I, Frankenstein should be everything for the thinking undead that Twilight wasn’t. Because in a world where zombies are overdone, werewolves have stalled on the

Zombies are overdone, werewolves have stalled on the runway, and vampires are now whiny schoolyard emos. Action horror needs to kick arse again. runway, and vampires have been reduced to whiny schoolyard emos, one thing is certain: action horror needs to kick arse again. And if Eckhart – genius of Thank You For Smoking; critical darling of Rabbit Hole and Towelhead; action star of Battle: Los Angeles and Olympus Has Fallen; and Harvey Dent/Two Face in The Dark Knight – can’t bring the awesome, who can?

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS ADAPTATION OF THE CLASSIC, BUT OVERDONE, FRANKENSTEIN STORY THAT INTERESTED YOU? I think it was the way it goes much further than the original story does. It’s not strictly based on the Mary Shelley story, but on the novel by Kevin Grevioux. That was a graphic piece of work that set the story –

March/April 2014

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INORE a weird European dystopia, and one that made Frankenstein more Gothic, which is the basis for the film. We are in the present rather than the past, but the essence of the story remains the same … about a man looking for his way in the world, looking for companionship, looking for love, looking to find himself. He’s just called Adam this time.

IN THE FILM, ADAM COMES BACK FROM THE ARCTIC – AND DOES A LOT OF FIGHTING. DID YOU HAVE TO WORK HARD TO GET IN SHAPE? Yes, very hard – as hard as I have for any film I’ve ever been in. I had to learn Kali stick-fighting, which is an old Filipino martial art. It was brutal at times. I got a good hiding most days for six months! I don’t mind hard work and I keep in shape, but this was on a different scale and I had to work really hard to meet the challenge and be able to match Adam’s physicality in the script when projecting it on screen. And it was hard, man: I’m 45 years old and it gets harder to meet the physical demands of roles like this. But I did enjoy it, even if it was quite a dangerous process. I’m probably lucky to be alive.

“I had to learn Kali stick-fighting, which is an old Filipino martial art. It was brutal.” FRANKENSTEIN IS SUCH A LEGENDARY FICTIONAL CHARACTER. DID YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE TAKING ON THE ROLE? You do, because you want to be responsible for adding something to the legend – a new interpretation of the story – and you want to be able to feel proud about it when it is finished. I’m not saying I have done it completely differently, as there are parts of the original Frankenstein in the role and that’s fine. At the end of the day you want to keep the myths as well as putting your own spin on it, but as much as you want to do that, you have to make sure you keep the integrity and spirit of the original themes.

IT’S ABOUT A MAN LOOKING FOR HIS WAY IN THE WORLD – HE’S JUST CALLED ADAM THIS TIME

YOU HAVE A REASONABLY HEAVY REPUTATION FOR BEING ‘INTENSE’ TO WORK WITH. IS THAT FAIR? Ha, well I do think sometimes that I could calm down a little bit on set. But that’s just how I am; I don’t know any other way to go about filming. I need to get into a place in my head where the character that I’m portraying is as real as possible, which allows me to get in the right head space to film. Every single role has to have that significance. If my character is in love, I have to feel like I’m in love too. If my character dies, then I have to feel that loss as if it was actually happening. And when you achieve that feeling, as if the emotion is real, it’s the best thing about acting.

IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MUST TAKE A LOT OUT OF YOU? Yes, but that’s the joy of acting for me. That is where you get the enjoyment. You know that for however long you’re filming, you are essentially turning into a different person. To achieve that psychologically is the key.

March/April 2014

INORE IF YOU COULD HAVE SOMEONE ELSE’S BODY PART STITCHED ON, WOULD YOU PICK SCHWARZENEGGER’S ARMS, STEVE BUSCEMI’S EYES, OR WILLEM DAFOE’S BIG, UM, WANG. Arnie’s arm? That sounds like the one. How would you not want that as a weapon?

YOU SURF, YES? WHAT’S YOUR WORST WIPEOUT STORY? I haven’t had too many bad ones, but I would say that my signature move is falling off. I do love to surf, I have surfed since I was young. But I had to make a decision to either be an actor or a surfer, and I chose acting. To be a surfer takes a whole level of commitment. I think I made the right choice.

WHAT’S THE CLOSEST BRUSH YOU’VE HAD WITH DEATH? Definitely an accident I had with a car a couple of years ago. I was crossing a road when a car came out of nowhere and struck me. I just remember the woman hitting me, my body hitting the ground and blacking out

completely. I was in a bad way but the pain ebbed away. It was like I was going somewhere, but I just wasn’t ready to die, so I didn’t let myself.

HOW SILLY DID CHRISTIAN BALE’S BATMAN VOICE SOUND IN PERSON? I wouldn’t criticise Christian Bale – he’s tougher than me.

DID YOU KEEP THE GIANT COIN YOUR CHARACTER FLIPPED AS TWO-FACE? No I didn’t – Johnny Depp has it. Really. We worked together on a movie called The Rum Diary and one day on the set he came up to me and asked what happened to the coin. I just told him that I didn’t have it because I gave to back to Warner Bros, which I did because I didn’t really think about it. Then he turned and said to me “Well, they don’t have it, I have it, I bought it off them.” Apparently his kid loved Two-Face so he bought him the coin, which I thought was funny because I never even thought about taking it. But at least it’s in good hands.

“THEY’RE BEHIND ME, AREN’T THEY?”

“I was crossing a road when a car came out of nowhere and struck me.” 20

March/April 2014

DEAD RISING Mary Shelley’s classic isn’t the only monster that Hollywood’s thawing out THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN According to freshly revived Hammer Films (bought by the Dutch tycoon who made Big Brother), the as yet uncast yeti reboot will recount “a scientific expedition’s illegal ascent up an unclimbed peak” of the Himalayas, which “accidentally awakens an ancient creature that could spell a certain end for them all.” Tsk. Could spell a certain end? Learn to grammar, Dutchy. Due 2015/16. THE MUMMY Not to be confused with the 1999 Brendan Fraser blockbuster, aka Indiana Jones Fights Imhotep, the new The Mummy is being prepped by Len Wiseman, who cack-handedly redid Total Recall. Nothing to do with Fraser’s pic, it’s more like the 1930s original, but set in modern-day New York. “It’s horror! It’s epic!” Len told movieweb. Although he might have been talking about watching his wife Kate Beckinsale’s sex scenes. In (very) early pre-production. POLTERGEIST Starring Sam Rockwell, penned (bizarrely) by highbrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David LindsayAbaire and involving Spiderman/Evil Dead legend Sam Raimi, Poltergeist Mk2 could be brilliant – as long as it has a blonde child chirping “they’re heeere!” in front of a now flatscreen telly. Out next February.

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INORE

Meet a pair of Australian novices competing in the year-long round-the-world yacht race. Beware: contains injury, huge swells and trapped smells â&#x20AC;Ś

HIGH SEAS

DRIFTER WORDS: BEN SMITHURST

March/April 2014

INORE

March/April 2014

INORE

he first half of the 17th Century was a romantic age on the high seas, one ruled by ‘clippers’ – small, fast sailing ships, captained by brave men with proud moustaches and cargo holds jammed with tea. In the long, dangerous journey from China to London, speed was of the essence; bets were made (and huge bonuses lavished) on the first boat back to Blighty each season. In a few short decades, the steamship would decimate the clippers’ trade – but the spirit of competition remains in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, a biennial, year-long contest that sets off from London and covers 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometres). Raced between 12 identical

March/April 2014

75-foot yachts, racers are mostly amateur, all matched with professional captains. Half a world in, having rounded Africa and stopped in WA, this year’s race took in the 2013 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. ROCKS spoke with two Western Australian first timers – and, in an out-of-their-element surprise, mining industry professionals – Peppermint Grove Beach geologist Mike Morowa, 45, and Perth HR manager Mike Carter, 35 – as they rounded halfway. These clippers no longer lug Chinese chai, and the influence of rum, sodomy and the lash has fallen right away. But make no mistake: circumnavigation by sail still ain’t everyone’s cup of tea.

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INORE MIKE MORAWA, 45 GEOLOGIST, PEPPERMINT GROVE BEACH, WA.

“YOU’RE NEVER COMFORTABLE.” “It’s relatively tough, even though it’s not very hard, the old water. It’s cold, wet, miserable – sometimes you wonder why you do it. But once you’ve come through a big storm, or you wake up in the morning and you just see the sea churning like a washing machine and the waves are half the height of the mast and you’re belting along and making great progress, it’s a bloody great feeling. “I had a limited sailing background – a bit of weekend sailing with a mate – and then I found out about the race, so I trained to sort out the fundamentals and slowly the yachting took over. “I was assistant watch leader for the last two legs. That means I run part of

March/April 2014

the crew as a semi-management position, just making sure tasks are completed; keeping the decks tidy, bringing people upstairs or down, making sure they’re okay. “We’ve had a couple of close calls. Just west of the Bay of Biscay we ran into a bit of a breeze that followed us and just kept building and building. We were only two weeks out of London and the wind built from around 15 to 35 knots and we had a massive crash jibe – that’s when the boat is going downwind on a tack and for whatever reason you end up turning into the wind on the wrong side – and the boom and the big sails as well are pointing into the wind, which is not supposed to happen. It puts a lot of pressure into your sail and you end up virtually sideways with the decks about 80 to 90 degrees to the water. In a big swell you’re basically looking straight down at not the sharks but lots of water. It’s not a good feeling. “I was thinking ‘Jesus Christ, I hope I get out of this because there’s people I

bloody well want to see after this!’ It’s pretty amazing how fast it can turn. But you get out of it. That’s what we train for. “You have to go through everything to become comfortable. For example, in Albany [WA] we had six people change and come on and it took about a week for them to go through a storm and get through it and know they could survive it. You’re never comfortable, but after three or four weeks you’re on course and have faith. “If it gets too rough you just have to reduce all sail and leave it up to the navigator. We had a reading of 150 knots on the wind meter, but we think that’s false – it’s probably more like 80 knots, but that’s still 150 kilometre per hour winds. Pretty serious stuff. Once you get to that range it’s not survival mode but it does get quite heavy. You can survive it, but you don’t relish it. You basically just rig down to almost nothing and try and get steerage. If it gets really bad you pull all that down, have lines out the back to point you downwind and, basically, wait it out.”

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INORE

MIKE CARTER, 35 HR MANAGER, PERTH, WA.

“IT’S WET, TIRING … AND BEAUTIFUL.” “We have 22 people on board, split into 10-11 people per watch, and you hardly see the other watch. It’s classic bunk beds below – we call it the ghetto. There’s washing hanging up, wet-weather gear drying, everybody’s personal gear swaying, bunks that are just under six-foot long – some of them are incredibly cramped. If you get up too quick you’ll hit your head. And the boats often lean at 45 degrees. All the triggers to get aggro are there: people snoring, people talking, people farting. It’s a challenge. “Plus, well, the food we eat gives you a lot of gas, which seeps up out the neck hole of your wet weather overalls and

March/April 2014

watertight top and you suffer for five minutes afterwards. The shower equipment onboard isn’t great … off France we were at sea for 31 days, and by the end we were all putrid. “I run the bow and helm most of the time. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit terrifying in big seas – the waves can knock you off your feet quite easily, so you get used to making yourself a small target and hunching down. We have a lot of water over our backs up the front and deal with quite severe angles; you’re lifting sails and lugging them forward and it’s very wet and tiring and physical, but it’s beautiful as well. We’re often up there with the dolphins. “I’m also one of two or three people who go up the mast. I had a bad incident in the Southern Ocean where I was lucky to get down without much injury – I ended up going horizontal a few times, and being thrown around onto the spreaders, which are the sticks on the mast that help support it by spreading out the shrouds. If

you get thrown across one of those from windward to leeward it’s a massive, jarring blow that will easily break your ribs. Luckily I was wearing a helmet, because my neck and head smashed into mast on the way back, and then I got dropped two metres due to some line being snagged up at the top. All one thing after another. “Then in the doldrums we had 10 days of no wind, and the heat was suffocating; I now know what the African slaves and Japanese POWs went through below decks in the heat and in a cramped environment because there’s not a lot of room. “But the sky every evening was just spectacular. We’d see a dozen shooting stars a night, some of which would light up the whole sky. And the amount of marine life – there are whales, turtles, lots and lots of porpoises, and you’re never without birds, no matter how far you are from land. You could sit up on deck on a still night with your lifejacket as a pillow and just be entertained by the Milky Way.”

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INORE REIGNING, TWO-TIME BROWNLOW WINNER GARY ABLETT JR: TROUBLES DEFENDERS, NOT BARBERS

AFL 2014

SEASON PR 30

March/April 2014

INORE

Where will the chips fall on the final weekend in September? Read on for Rocks’ fearless predictions!

t’s the closest thing Australian sport has to religion – including, arguably, actual religion – but predicting the premier remains harder than picking a broken nose with a busted finger. Fear not: Rocks has waded in with a verdict on every team. And if that’s not enough, look out for cameo foresights from the great Barry Hall, thanks to FOX Footy (who is showing every match from 2014 live). Does the biggest, baddest, baldest champion-turnedpundit on TV rate your team? Or is it another season of dashed hopes, cold pies and chewy on ya boot?

GWS GIANTS

Prediction: 18th They’ve lost legendary coach Kevin Sheedy, humiliatingly missed out on their bid for Buddy Franklin – and, by extension, Jesinta Campbell turning up at training – and won just three games in two seasons. Sadly for GWS fans, despite an ever-improving young roster of future superstars, it’s hard to see more wins than that in 2014. Key man: Jeremy Cameron narrowly missed out on All Australian selection in 2013 and again looms as the Giants’ major weapon.

BRISBANE

REVIEW WORDS: ADAM BURNETT

Prediction: 17th Alarmingly ginger former Lions flag-winner Justin Leppitsch comes in as coach and has been talking a good game at a club looking for a fresh start. Will rely on some good draft pick-ups to try and edge into the eight for just the second time since 2004. Key man: Uluru-sized forward Jonathan Brown. Has he gone a season too far? A huge (final?) year remains as crucial as ever for Brisbane’s hopes in 2014.

March/April 2014

INORE

EX SWAN SHANE MUMFORD PLAYS AGAINST GWS – HIS TEAM FOR 2014

BARRY SAYS... PREMIERS “I think Hawthorn can do it again. They’ve got the top-end talent, they’ve shown they can play well without Buddy Franklin, so they’re going to be thereabouts again. They’ll have the usual suspects competing with them, particularly Sydney, and I think Collingwood might improve quite a bit this season, but for me it’s Hawthorn to take the flag and make it two in a row.”

BIGGEST CLIMBERS “Two teams here. Firstly, Collingwood; I like Jesse White and what they plan to do with him gives Travis Cloke a bit of back-up – and it’s probably what Clinton Lynch was meant to do for them in 2013 – and the players seem to be getting their heads around the culture changes. Melbourne’s my other one – they just missed the finals last year but I see them making a big impact, especially with Nick Dal Santo with his skills and smarts around the footy.”

March/April 2014

INORE ADELAIDE

Prediction: 13th Adelaide is in the third year of a rebuilding phase under Brenton Sanderson, finishing mid-table last season after scaling impressive heights in 2012. Likely to fly under the radar a little in 2014, from its new home base of the revamped Adelaide Oval, but capable of making the top eight. Key man: Taylor Walker was outstanding in a good 2012 for the Crows, but was another who lost much of 2013 to injury. Back on deck, he looms as the ace up Adelaide’s sleeve. Not that any player really has sleeves much in 2014. Michael Tuck must be crying into his beer.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Prediction: 12th Shaping up as a big improver. Finished bottom four too often in recent times and can do much better this time. Strung together some good wins at the back end of last season and coach Brendan McCartney can realistically target the play-offs, but a lot will need to go the Dogs’ way. Key man: He was an All Australian ruckman last season and now Germantalking saxophonist Will Minson carries the club’s hopes on his powerful, if disconcertingly smooth, shoulders.

PORT ADELAIDE

Prediction: 11th Massive surprise packets in 2013, they’ll be looking to avoid a letdown this time around. Coach Ken Hinkley did a fantastic job with an average roster last year, but will find it difficult to reach those heights again. Key man: Incumbent club best-andfairest Chad Wingard, just 20, has already proven himself an excellent goal kicker in the midfield or forward line and has been lauded Port’s most exciting player since 2004 premiership star Gavin Wanganeen. If he can put up with David Koch, a decade-long Port Adelaide career beckons.

ESSENDON

Prediction: 16th The Bombers will be relieved to put 2013 behind them – surely 2014 can’t be any more catastrophic, although ASADA’s glacial drugs probe remains ongoing. Still, massive question marks remain. Interim coach Mark Thompson will perpetuate the siege mentality to his advantage but he has his work cut out in the face of ongoing dramas. Key man: Paul Chapman comes across from a Geelong delisting as a three-time premiership winner and one of the Cats’ favourite sons. Still just 32, he’s unscarred by the drugs scandal and from a winning culture.

MELBOURNE

Prediction: 15th The competition’s easybeats in 2013 look to have taken a step in the right direction with the appointment of premiership-winning coach Paul Roos. The consistently coiffed former Swans clipboard-carrier will help the culture at the club, and generally be nice to everyone from the chairman to the tea lady. That, together with some shrewd mature-age recruiting (Daniel Cross, Aidan Riley) could help them climb the ladder. Key man: Nathan Jones has played more than 150 games for the Demons now and can return to his hard-working ways in Roos’ modified midfield, rather than being forced into the role of talisman.

ST KILDA

Prediction: 14th It’s been a messy and expensive 12 months for the Saints, and the immediate road ahead looks a tough one. Difficult to see them making the finals, but furiously wooed new coach Alan Richardson will be confident of a few surprises. Although not of the Scott Watters “Surprise! You’re sacked!” kind. Key man: Still Nick Riewoldt. His ability to overcome knee and hamstring problems will go a long way to determining whether St Kilda can finish any higher than mid-table.

THE BOMBERS WILL BE RELIEVED TO PUT 2013 BEHIND THEM, 2014 CAN’T BE WORSE. March/April 2014

INORE

COLLINGWOOD

Prediction: 10th Word around Pies territory is that ruddy faced Aryan Terminator Nathan Buckley’s methods are being questioned, following the exit of Ben Johnson, Dale Thomas, Heath Shaw and Alan Didak. He’s shaping the playing group in his mould, except for the unalterable Aryan bit, obviously, but hard to see them scaling any great heights. Key man: Scott Pendlebury, 26, represents the ‘Buckley way’ and will be the club’s game-breaker in 2014 – and Collingwood’s new captain.

WEST COAST

Prediction: 9th The Weagles enter the 2014 season for the first time in their history as the ‘second’ team from Western Australia – unless you include sharks, or expat South Africans generally. They were plagued by injuries last season but have the quality on the park and the resources off it to fare better in 2014 under new coach, former Shinboner Adam Simpson. Key man: Nic Naitanui’s 2013 season was cruelled by injury, but if the 23-year-old ruckman gets a full season in, they’ll again be a finals contender.

GOLD COAST

Prediction: 8th They produced a series of upsets last year, and if they can put the off-season distraction of the Campbell Brown controversy behind them, the signs are there for a good year. Must improve a dreadful away record. A pity they didn’t recruit Shane Mumford so we could all enjoy Mumford & Suns. Key man: Gary Ablett Junior. The reigning Brownlow holder and a great of the game.

CARLTON

Prediction: 7th The beneficiaries of the Essendon dramas in 2013 as they snuck into the finals, the Blues over-achieved by reaching week two. It’s difficult to see them repeating the dose this time – the question is the health and/or age of key players Jarrad Waite, new dad/former Prius owner Chris Judd and fresh signing Dale Thomas. Key man: If Waite can play a full season at 100 per cent, and isn’t distracted by wife Jackie Spong’s pay TV show WAG Nation, Carlton’s prospects look a lot rosier.

NORTH MELBOURNE

Prediction: 6th They’ve been thereabouts for the past few years and there’s not much to suggest that won’t be the case again. The Roos remain lacking in serious star power; even their chairman is James Brayshaw. While the addition of Nick Dal Santo from St Kilda will help – on a three-year, multimillion dollar contract – he can’t turn them into a premiership force on his own. Key man: Dal Santo’s exit from the Saints was a high-profile one, and the 29-yearold will have a point to prove in his first year at Arden Street Oval.

GEELONG

Prediction: 5th Logic – not to mention Barry Hall – would suggest the Cats should be on the wane, but with a great coach, excellent CEO and superb roster, you simply cannot write them off. Will be singing the world’s most obvious team song, We Are Geelong, often enough once again at the business end. Key man: When small defender Corey Enright plays, Geelong usually wins.

LOGIC WOULD SUGGEST THE CATS SHOULD BE ON THE WANE, BUT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT WRITE THEM OFF. 34

March/April 2014

INORE NIC NAITANUI FLIES HIGHER THAN HAWK JOSH GIBSON

BARRY SAYS... BIGGEST SLIDERS “I’m tipping Geelong. It might be a little from left field but with their stars getting that bit older now; they’re still so important to the side but they might struggle. Paul Chapman’s gone, and I know there are some good young players coming through, but I think in every footy club, when you’re up for so long, you’re bound to have an off year. I think that’s this year for them.”

March/April 2014

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INORE SYDNEY

Prediction: 4th The most talked about side in the off-season thanks to the arrival of Buddy Franklin. Now the AFL will be watching to see how a team renowned for its ‘Bloods’ culture will handle one of the game’s wild cards. Key man: Kieren Jack remains an unsung member of a quality Swans midfield, but the son of a NSW State of Origin fullback typifies what the club is all about: no fuss excellence … and nabbing future league stars when they’re still kids.

FREMANTLE

Prediction: 3rd Serious contenders for the flag after finishing runnersup in 2013, the question will be whether coach Ross Lyon’s ultra-defensive strategy can produce a title – he’s now zero from four in grand finals. Defence wins flags … but goals are also useful. Key man: Along with his mate Chris Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands is running out of time to claim a flag. The tallest man ever in the AFL (211cm!), the 31-year-old is approaching 200 games with the Dockers and would love one of them to be a grand final success.

RICHMOND

Prediction: 2nd Half a rung below the big guns. Will still be smarting from their week one finals loss to Carlton in 2013. With a Rolls Royce midfield and the potential to go deep into the finals, Tigers fans will be dreaming about an end to a 33-year premiership drought. Key man: No-one doubts lunatic genius Dustin Martin’s talents, but the question is – can he stay on the straight and narrow off the park? He was target tested for recreational drugs in 2013, but that could be his hairdresser’s fault.

HAWTHORN

Prediction: 1st Buddy who? Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson saw the writing on the wall last year in regards to Franklin, and tailored his team around Jarryd Roughead instead, the man with the competition’s most fitting surname. The result: their 11th premiership. The midfield is aging but there’s no reason they can’t do it again. Key man: Brian Lake. The Hawks were just off the pace for a few years but the reigning Norm Smith Medallist has filled that void brilliantly.

BARRY SAYS... WOODEN SPOONERS “GWS for the spoon, but I think Melbourne will really struggle as well. Paul’s a great addition but there’s more pain to come – you can’t turn all your problems around in one pre-season. For GWS, Kevin Sheedy is a big loss as coach, but Leon Cameron has come in with big raps. And they took the No. 1 draft pick, 18-year-old Tom Boyd, so they’ve got some good stock waiting in the wings. They just have to let these kids develop and they’ll be a great side in five years.”

BROWNLOW MEDALLIST “Sydney’s Dan Hannebery’s a sneaky chance for mine. He polled well last year, he’s always around the footy, he’s got good skills and he’s a very, very smart footballer. I still think Gary Ablett Jr’s the best player in the game at the moment, but the best player doesn’t win it every year. Hannebery has his best footy in front of him and 2014 should be a big year for him.”

MAGPIE JAMIE ELLIOTT TAKES ONE OF 2013’S MARKS OF THE SEASON IN PERTH

March/April 2014

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UNLEASHED MOUNT HOTHAM and Falls Creek in Victoria’s high country both have a great rep for skiing and snowboarding, but what else can you get stuck into while playing in the white stuff this winter? Both Hotham and Falls are small ski villages in comparison to the larger resorts in Australia such as Thredbo and Perisher, but that’s what makes them so accessible – and so much fun. You can ski-in/ski-out of many of the apartments and hotels, and their highest summits are similar, with Hotham tipping the clouds at 1861 metres and Falls’ highest lifted point maxing out at 1780 metres. Hotham village sits at a height of 1750 metres,

making it the second highest resort village in Australia (after Charlotte Pass), and Falls Creek village is perched at a round 1500 metres above sea level. One thing is for certain when you’re up on either mountain – you won’t run low on motivation to get out and amongst it. If you’re heading south from NSW, Falls Creek is an exhilarating three-hour drive through the mountains from Albury, a popular spot for Falls-bound snow junkies to fly in to. The fine wine,

craft beer and top-quality produce along the way means there are plenty of reasons to fit in other indulgent itineraries en route, including the beautifully lush town of Mount Beauty and the wine-laden villages in the King Valley. If you’re coming from Melbourne, then it’s only a four-and-a-half hour drive from the Victorian capital. It’s worth a stopover in Bright – a picturesque town positioned right on the Owens River, with its own boutique brewery and plenty of cafes, restaurants and stores to fill your boots.

Marvel at how much adventure can you cram into the Falls Creek and Mount Hotham ski resorts … even if you’re not skiing or boarding.

WORDS: MICHELLE HESPE

N TWIORT RESORIAN T IAL! VICP C S E

FALLS CREEK VILLAGE

March/April 2014

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IT’S ALL IN THE GROOMING Falls is known for its off-piste skiing in the mountains surrounding Rocky Valley and Pretty Valley lakes. Keen anglers pull fat brown and rainbow trout from the alpine waters below; with the thick snowfall on high broken up by perfect niches in which to rest and take in the alpine views. One great way to get to know the slopes is at night when all is quiet in the peaks – apart from the lowpitched engines of Falls Creek’s 14 snow groomers. The mighty machines make their way up and down the slopes at night, smoothing out the mountains ‘til they look like they’re covered in beautifully soft, corduroyraked cream – every cut, pile and divot made by skis, snowboards, snow bikes and mobiles the day before wiped from existence. You can make a booking to join the groomers in a ridealong at the resort. Peering across these quiet, still mountains at night, it’s easy to imagine how Falls Creek might have been before the begoggled powderhounds sought it out. The nearby settlements of Mount Beauty, Bogong Village and Falls Creek once housed workers on the Kiewa Hydro-electric Scheme, which was established in the late 1930s. The scheme is the largest in Victoria and was created specifically for power generation, diverting and harnessing water from the Rocky Valley and Pretty Valley branches of the East Kiewa River, which rises on the Bogong High Plains, and the West Kiewa River, which rises near

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“PEERING ACROSS THESE QUIET, STILL MOUNTAINS AT NIGHT, IT’S EASY TO IMAGINE HOW FALLS WAS BEFORE THE POWDER-HOUNDS FOUND IT.”

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“IT’S STRANGE BALANCING ON A LOWSLUNG BIKE SEAT ATTACHED TO SKIS”

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Mount Hotham. The Rocky Valley Dam forms the main reservoir for the Kiewa scheme and can hold 28,000 megalitres, or 28 billion litres of water … or, in modern parlance, about 11,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In practical terms for lovers of snow, what this means is that even if Falls Creek does not experience big snow dumps, snow can be man-made using the 230 snow guns throughout the resort. In 2010, Falls Creek expanded its snow-making system and now has an area of 110 hectares for snow-making, meaning the resort can open earlier and have the best possible snow cover throughout the entire season.

“WE HAD A ‘MAMIL’ IN LAST WEEK, BUT HE FROZE TO DEATH. THANK GOD”

Another way to get off your skis, but still get down the slopes, is on a snow bike. Increasingly popular on the mountains during winter, it’s a strange feeling at first, balancing on a low-slung bike seat, which is attached to two small inline skis. But after many awkward side-veering moments – and most likely multiple episodes whereby you take out innocent bystanders on your wheelless pushie, you might get it. Who would have thought it, back when there was no-one up on the mountain except for the hydro-electric workers, bereft even of skis to enjoy the slopes? Now you can also snowboard, toboggan, snow mobile and snow bike, or even be dragged along by a team of super-enthusiastic huskies.

GET ON HOTHAM Get HAIRY hairy on Hotham Legs burning after several days of traversing the flat bits, labouring back uphill to collect a yard-saled pole or pair of goggles or après ski tabletop moshing? Then take a load off. With Australian Sled Dog Tours, you can get behind a train of steaming, slobbering hair and dog sweat and be hauled across the snow for a four kilometre ride. The tours offer an insight into how life was on the mountains before all the lifts and Pomas went in to make skiing more of a pleasure than a heart attack; and the six rambunctious Siberian

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED THE LOWDOWN STAY Elk at Falls Creek Smackbang in the middle of town so you can ski straight out on to one of the villages’ main roads and down to the lifts, Elk Lodge is friendly, cosy and has its own stylish restaurant with generous, creative dishes that hit the spot after a big day on the slopes. The rooms are from twin-share up to eight-person. bookings@elkatfalls.com.au

huskies reliably produce a wonderland tour that you won’t easily forget. Think of it as a dilettante’s Iditarod.

KAT ASSISTED SKIING

Kat skiing

In Hotham, guests with a valid lift pass can also jump aboard a Kat (snowcat, that is) and get a lift up the hill in a comfy eightseater cabin. It’s still possible to seek out a black diamond rush in pristine powder, carving through the back country and jibing off errant trees. It’s cheating a bit, but when you’re the one up the top, swooping through snowfall that no-one else has had a chance to touch, it’s difficult to care.

GET TO THE CHOPPER!

Get to the ’chopper!

If you really can’t decide between Falls and Hotham, why not be greedy and have them both? Jump onboard a helicopter with Helilink, and you can fly from Falls to Hotham, or the other way round. Once delivered you’re left to enjoy the slopes for four hours before pick-up for just $130 return. All you need is your gear and a valid lift pass for one or other of the resorts.

“TOSSING UP BETWEEN FALLS AND HOTHAM? DO BOTH … BY AIR.”

Night skiing

NIGHT SKIING

When the sun goes down, it’s not all about sundowners après ski – you can continue enjoying the slopes at Hotham and Falls as both resorts have introduced popular night skiing sessions in the past few years. At Hotham, night-skiing runs from Wednesday through to Saturday from 6.30–9.30pm. In Falls it rocks Monday ’til Thursday. Just rug up, rock up and buy your night skiing ticket before heading out under the artificial arc lamps. It’s an unmissable way to soak up the mountains in a different light, and there are fewer fellow skiers to compete with. The rush of night air on your face as you fly through the glare below the black ink heavens is worth every dollar – and it’ll give your liver a rest.

March/April 2014

Staying in Hotham Hotham has a range of accommodation options to suit every snow holiday need, from self-contained luxury apartments and cosy chalets to shared lodge rooms, there’s something to ensure your dream holiday is all it should be. Save money by packaging lift passes, snowsports lessons and equipment hire with select accommodation. holidays@hotham.com.au

EAT & DRINK Feathertops at Falls Creek A charming bar and restaurant with generous, delicious meals. Cosy and inviting, meet some locals or other visitors while enjoying pretzels and mulled wine at the bar. feathertoplodge.com.au Dinner Plain Hotel An iconic bar, bistro and live entertainment venue. Family-friendly with hearty pub meals and great pizza. dinnerplainhotel.com.au

DO For all activities in Falls fallscreek.com.au NIGHT SKIING: HEALTHIER THAN JAGERBOMBS

For all activites in Hotham mthotham.com.au

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Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scorched heart is dotted with great Aussie pubs in towns where true Australian country hospitality is still alive and well.

OUTBACK PUBS WORDS: KAREN HALABI

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ext time you’re passing through a country town, head for the wide verandahs and cheery atmosphere of the local pub. It’s here you’ll discover the soul of a town. It’s also where the beer is cold and yarns are spun. Pubs across this wide brown land are brimming with character. And characters. There’s nothing Aussies like more than to crack a cold one on a hot summer’s day. When you’re in the bush, stopping at a welcoming watering hole to wash away the taste of dust with an ice-cold beer is as close as you’re likely to get to heaven. The bush pub is a gathering place for locals. Here you’ll find fair dinkum Australians who’ll share a story, crack a joke and apologise when their dog eats one of your thongs. Shout the bar, buy a ticket in the meat tray or just tear a wet coaster into 1,000 bits – the choice is yours, and you’re more than welcome. Then order a counter meal and bed down for the night. Here’s a state-by-state rundown of Australia’s best bush boozers.

NEW SOUTH WALES

In Broken Hill, call into The Palace Hotel, the historic, three-storey pub with long verandahs and elaborate cast-iron balustrades that featured in the movie, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Or visit The Silverton Hotel, 26 kilometres away, in a mining ghost town known for its hospitality and 50 or so quirky local residents. Much further north you’ll come across The Billi Pub in historic Billinudgel, the former home of Mar Ring, Australia’s (and possibly the world’s) oldest publican. Mar was publican for 53 years until the age of 101. She lectured Bob Hawke on how to pull a beer; and was awarded an MBE. A painting of her still hangs over the public bar. This timber pub in the Brunswick Valley, close to Byron Bay, is steeped in history, with many photos of the old township and with a good collection of memorabilia. The Billi is simply a good old country pub of yore with tall stories and a friendly atmosphere. The Bistro tucker is home style cooking and Norma is the best pub chef this side of the Black Stump.

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QUEENSLAND

The Tattersalls Hotel in Winton has also been serving up genuine outback hospitality for 120 years, and is a top spot to share an icy beer with a Banjo Patterson poem’s worth of locals including miners, station owners, ringers, truck drivers, cattle buyers and shearers. All that’s missing is a drover and a beardy bushranger in a slitted tin hat. A little further north along the Matilda Highway, be sure to stop and drink a toast to Australia’s hardest working dog, the blue heeler, at The Blue Heeler Hotel in Kynuna. It’s the 100-year-old hotel where Banjo himself observed Champagne being handed through the window to end the angry shearers’ strike of the 1800s. The Combo Waterhole, the famed billabong featured in ‘Waltzing Matilda’, is 20 kilometres south of Kynuna. On the same outback highway headed north towards Mt Isa, you’ll meet locals as colourful as Mick Dundee. Many point out what is and isn’t a knife at the historic Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay. It’s famous as Crocodile Dundee’s regular drinking spot in the original film of the same name. Known originally as the Federal McKinlay Hotel, it was sold for $290,000

THE BIRDSVILLE HOTEL

QLD

“BANJO SAW CHAMPAGNE HANDED THROUGH THE WINDOW TO END A SHEARERS’ STRIKE.”

after the movie was made and is now a tourist attraction – McKinlay’s only one. One of Australia’s most legendary watering holes is The Birdsville Hotel. On the desolate Birdsville Track in Outback Queensland near the South Australian border, it dates back to 1884 and epitomises the essence of the Outback. Historic Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast boasts Joe’s Waterhole. Formerly The Commercial Hotel, which is obviously a much better pub name, there is something special about this quirky Queensland pub. Wide balconies and timber latticework shades dimly lit bars and swirling ceiling fans. At Nobby, in the Darling Downs around Toowoomba, masses of memorabilia adorn the walls of Rudd’s Pub. This 100-year-old pub isn’t named after a recent Prime Minister; rather it’s a memorial to outback poet Steele Rudd. The walls of this pub-cum-museum are covered with photographs, knick-knacks and reminders of the times in which Steele Rudd lived. Rudd also inspired the hugely popular 1930s-50s Dad and Dave radio series, and you can sit back and listen to ‘Dad and Dave’ yarns and even order a ‘Dad and Dave Combo’ for dinner.

‘PUB WITH NO BEER’ As country singer Slim Dusty once lamented, “There’s nothin’ so lonesome, morbid or drear, than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer”. But as legend has it, that’s exactly what happened at one famous boozer. The original song was based on a poem about the Day Dawn Hotel in Ingham, written by an old Irishman, Dan Sheahan, and published in The North Queensland Register in 1943. Gordon Parsons picked up the verses, injected the characters, set it to music and Slim Dusty recorded it for him, calling it ‘Pub With No Beer’.

March/April 2014

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Roebuck Bay Hotel, or ‘Roey’ as the locals call it, lives by the saying “if it’s going to happen in Broome, it’s going to happen at the Roey”. If you stumble across local character, ‘Swindle’, pull up a chair and order a coldie because he has enough tales about pearling and gangsters to last a week. While sunset camel rides on Broome’s Cable Beach are world famous, it’s the tales about beer drinking camels that draw attention at The Whim Creek Pub. Halfway between Karratha and Port Hedland, this pub has its own wildlife sanctuary and was once home to a camel with a penchant for beer. You can’t miss it – it’s painted bright pink! The biggest and best-known pub in Kalgoorlie, with 11 beers on tap, The Exchange holds the record for the biggest sales of Jim Beam bourbon in regional WA. It was originally constructed as a shed in the late 1800s. The population of the small goldmining town of Kookynie, 200 kilometres from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, is fewer than 10 people, but the town’s 1894 vintage Grand Hotel, with its big verandahs and spacious rooms, survives. It was once the favourite watering hole for local prospectors.

INSIDE WILLIAM CREEK PUB

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The only stopover on the 528 kilometre Birdsville Track, the Mungerannie Hotel sits on the edge of the Sturt, Stony, Simpson, Tirari and Strzelecki deserts, and beside the Derwent River – an oasis in sharp contrast to its surrounds. Right in the heart of Burke and Wills explorer country, the Innamincka Hotel at Cooper Creek in South Australia played host to early drovers who brought cattle down the Strzelecki Track. The pub’s convivial ‘Outamincka Bar’ has become the stuff of bush legends and is a muststop for anyone travelling in these parts. You can’t get more outback than the famous Prairie Hotel at Parachilna in South Australia. Built in the 1890s, the pub attracts visitors from all over the world who come to try the renowned Australian native cuisine or bush tucker, otherwise known as ‘feral food’, while drinking in draught beer as well as the view of the magnificent Flinders Ranges. The William Creek Pub is bang in the middle of the world’s largest cattle property, Anna Creek Station. At 23,800 square kilometres, Anna Creek is almost half the size of Tasmania, but by way of contrast, William Creek – population: six – is SA’s smallest town. The William Creek Pub has an almost legendary status and is the only ‘watering hole’ on the Oodnadatta Track between Marree and Oodnadatta. The only corrugated iron hotel still trading in SA, this original pub is filled with mementos from thousands of visitors.

TOURISM WA

THE EXCHANGE, KALGOORLIE

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED NORTHERN TERRITORY

The colourful Daly Waters Pub, clad in corrugated iron, served Australian and American airmen – including a fighter squadron – who were based in the town during WWII. Once a popular drover’s rest, this unusual pub, built in 1930, gained fame as a stopover for pilots and passengers arriving on the new Qantas airline in 1934. (Daly Waters, incongruously, was the site of Australia’s first international airport.) Today, it’s a pit-stop for thirsty tourists travelling the Explorer’s Way between Alice Springs and Darwin. You can spend hours browsing the walls of the pub bedecked as they are with foreign currency, souvenirs, underwear and machinery.

LOCAL GATHERING AT DALY WATERS

“WHATEVER THE LOCATION, LOCALS WILL GREET YOU WITH A FIRM HANDSHAKE AND A STEADY GAZE AND CALL YOU ‘MATE’.” At Maluka’s Bar at Mataranka Springs, just south of Katherine, you can lean against the bar with its bright paintings and then toddle off to see the nearby replica of the hut in which Jeannie Gunn lived at Elsey Station. The first white woman in the area, Gunn told her story in the 1908 autobiographical novel We of the Never Never. The world-famous Humpty Doo Hotel in Arnhem Land is conveniently located for travellers heading to Kakadu. The hotel has many slightly mad local characters, as per all great frontier boozers; pull up a pew. At The Barra Bar & Bistro on the Kakadu Highway, you can cook your own local delicacies on a supplied barbecue with an accompanying buffet. Just south of Darwin on the Darwin River Road at Berry Springs, you’ll find The Litchfield Pub, home of the bull arena and shed, which has a 55-metre long bar. True Australian country hospitality is still very much alive and well in our Outback hotels. Whatever the style of accommodation or the location, the locals will greet you with a firm handshake and a steady gaze and call you ‘mate’. Our great Aussie pubs are about the people and the places, and they’re undoubtedly the heart of our nation. 52

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED

SICILY ELEVEN

TURNS IT UP TO

What makes Sicily so Sicilian? Is it the intense vibe, the 130-kilometre-per-hour speed limit or the most explosive volcano in Europe? The region at the tip of Italy’s ‘boot’ is made for kicks.

WORDS: LIANI SOLARI 54

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED

COASTAL SYRACUSE

BAROQUE RAGUSA

epeat adventures in Italy have given me insights into ‘the Italian way’. But on my first trip to Sicily – a two-week circumnavigation of the island, armed with an Italian-speaking GPS – it’s immediately clear Italy’s southernmost region turns it up to 11. Everything is louder, more pronounced, more in-your-face. Besides the intense vibe, an overabundance of prickly pears and Godfather souvenirs, what else makes Sicily so Sicilian?

1. THEY DO THE PASSEGGIATA

The Passeggiata is to Italians what Vegemite is to Australians: you’re born doing it. The best place in Sicily to observe the phenomenon of evening promenading is Trapani. Night after night the locals trot out plenty of attitude – but never the same outfit twice – while doing multiple laps of the same streets without actually going anywhere. Go figure.

2. THERE’S A BEACH SCENE

La spiaggia (the beach) is broadly defined as a patch of pebbles or a stretch of sand. Nothing compares with the surreal, glaring white cliffs of the stunning Scala dei Turchi on the south coast. However, arguably the best white-sand beach resort is Cefalu, in the north, where overbaked, leather-skinned nonnas flaunt their life experience in teeny bikinis. Beware.

3. THERE’S OTHER GREAT OLD STUFF

Some old stuff in Sicily is really new stuff that just looks like old stuff. Call it rustic if you’re a romantic, or run-down if you’re a realist. It’s all Greek to me. Yes, the really old stuff is. The Greek colony of Akragas (now Agrigento) was one of the greatest cities of the ancient Mediterranean world. Today, walk the talk in the Valley of the Temples, a monumental row of temples flanked by century-old olive groves. At the archaeological museum on Lipari check out the first ‘situation comedy’ character types represented by terracotta masks from the Aeolian island’s classical Greek heyday. “Lines on the forehead signify a reflective, meditative character; their absence, an emptyheaded person,” says the sign explaining the Athenian New Comedy masks that predate the Golden Age of Botox.

4. THEY DRIVE LIKE THEY’RE IN THE TARGA FLORIO RALLY

The train system in Sicily is patchy, so get behind the wheel and strap yourself in for an interesting ride. Here’s how to navigate the road rules like a local: • If the scenery looks blurry, it’s because the standard speed limit on the autostrade (highways) is 130 kilometres per hour. • Why waste time driving around the mountain when you can drive straight

FAST FACT In ancient Rome (and Greece), the clean marble statues we know today were painted in bold colours.

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED

CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO

ITALY BUCKET LIST WATCH THE RACE THAT STOPS SIENA On July 2 and August 16 the Piazza del Campo in Siena is lined with mattresses and filled with sand to form the track for the Palio horserace. Avoid the crush and book your accommodation early. ilpalio.org

KAYAK ON THE CANALS Explore Venice under your own steam on a guided kayak tour in and around the city, including evening paddles along the Grand SKIING IN CanalBLANC or lagoon tours to Burano and Torcello MONT CHAMONIX islands. venicekayak.com

SEE A TRAVELLING MUSEUM From May 15–18, 2014, ogle the Italian vintage cars vying for attention in the Mille Miglia, the historical 1000-mile car race from Brescia to Rome and back. 1000miglia.it

through it? Impatience being the mother of invention, the tunnels along the autostrade are a feat of Sicilian engineering. • Traffic lights will slow you down. They are just a suggestion. Who does a traffic light think it is, trying to dictate to you? Pah! • If a parking spot (designated or otherwise) isn’t big enough, it’s not a problem. Stick your nose into the space and park on a perpendicular angle to the adjacent cars. Shrug your shoulders and utter “Eh” as you walk away. If your car isn’t dented or scratched, you’re not doing it properly.

5. THEY SPEAK WITH THEIR HANDS

This can be useful if you don’t have the language. However, mention disgraced former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to your chatty taxi driver while on the autostrada and hands-free takes on a whole new meaning. But at least you won’t need air-con – he’ll be waving so wildly he’ll become a mobile in-car fan. Don’t wince at near misses.

6. IT’S AN ISLAND …

Fish swim around it, which means fresh seafood in anyone’s language. Except for the frozen shrimp (Eh). Il Saraceno Ristorante in

PRANCE AROUND IN A FERRARI Get behind the wheel of a new Ferrari on a self-driving tour of Italy’s most picturesque regions, living the sweet life in luxury hotels. red-travel.com

WHEN IN ROME, DRINK CRAFT BEER Craft beer is making a scene in the land of wine. On a private or small-group craft beer tour in Rome, learn why Italian microbrew is ‘microbirrific’. viniculturaltours.com

March/April 2014

BARRACUDA OF USTICA

Cefalu does a delicious authentic spaghetti with clams and mussels. Reserve a table on the terrazza sul mare – a timber deck extending over the rocks to the ocean – at sunset and down an ice-cold Birra Messina (a Sicilian beer) while the fireball-red sun disappears behind the Tyrrhenian Sea. It would be un-Sicilian not to sample a dish featuring pesce spada (swordfish). Better still if you catch your own on a fishing charter leaving from Favignana, the largest island of the Egadi archipelago, off the coast from Trapani. You don’t want to “sleep with the fishes” in Sicily, but hiring scuba diving gear is your ticket to an underworld that’s teeming with a massive amount of marine life, some living among submerged Roman columns and amphoras. Accessible from Palermo, the tiny island of Ustica has a big reputation as the home of Italian diving; red gorgonians, rainbow-coloured ornate wrasse, lobsters, spiny scorpion fish, barracudas, brilliant parrot fish and huge groupers and amberjacks thrive here in Italy’s first marine reserve. On the mainland, Taormina is where you can infiltrate the underwater cave hide-outs of those elusive fresh shrimp.

PIAZZA ARCHIMEDE

THE LOWDOWN STAY Sea Palace, Cefalu cefaluseapalace.it La Finestra Sulla Valle B&B, Agrigento lafinestrasullavalle.com Meridiana Hotel, Taormina meridianahoteltaormina.com Villa Angela, Taormina hotelvillaangela.com

EAT Il Saraceno Ristorante, Cefalu, Via Carlo Ortolani di Bordonaro, 50 +39 0921 922463

TAORMINA’S TEATRO GRECO

L’Osteria L’Ambasciata di Sicilia, Agrigento ristorantelambasciata disicilia.it La Tavernetta, Taormina latavernettataormina.it La Botte Trattoria, Taormina labotte1972.it

DO Valley of the Temples, Agrigento valleyofthetemples.com Fishing charter, Egadi islands charterdipesca.com 7. IT’S ALWAYS READY TO RUMBLE

Sure, you can watch the volcanic island of Stromboli put on a spectacular fireworks display from the safety of a boat at sundown. But why not get close to the action by hiking to the summit craters of Europe’s largest active volcano, Mount Etna? Choose from guided excursions that approach the summit from the northern or southern slopes. In winter ski on the volcano.

8. IT’S A CELEBRITY HOTSPOT

Celebrity-spotting is a summer sport in Taormina during the annual concert series at the spectacularly sited Teatro Greco (ancient Greek theatre). The venue attracts international performers (Patti Smith and Mark Knopfler last year) and hosts Taormina’s film festival. A regular visitor to Sicily’s poshest town is Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr, who owns

the hotel Villa Angela. (Yes, you can stay there, get an eyeful of Mount Etna and maybe rub shoulders with a rocker.) We spot Kerr’s ex, Patsy Kensit, and her two sons (by Kerr and Liam ‘Are you right?’ Gallagher) having lunch at the next table at a shady trattoria off the tourist beat. She’s in good company: the restaurant’s brag wall of diners features Robert De Niro (‘Vito Corleone’ in The Godfather II), Franco Zeffirelli, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas and John Malkovich. “The clams were amazing!” Patsy gushes to the nonna in charge, who responds by holding the English actor in an affectionate headlock, somewhere between a hirsute armpit and a grandmotherly bosom. Sure, Sicily can sometimes feel like hard work, but if you embrace her, she’ll hug you back. What’s not to love about that?

Scuba diving Find PADI-certified centres in Sicily at padi.com/scuba Hike to Mount Etna summit craters: North: guidetnanord.com South: funiviaetna.com Summer rock concerts, Taormina teatrogrecotaormina.com 60th Taormina Film Fest June 14–21, 2014 taorminafilmfest.it

March/April 2014

SPECIALFEATURE

ISLAND CALLING

THE TUG IS THE DRUG Steve Cooper strikes silver on a fishing trip to Melville in the Tiwi Islands. ou’d think it was the opening day of duck season, listening to the sounds made by barramundi feeding. Boof! It’s music to the ears of an angler. And, sometimes, amid the boofs comes the crackle of timber as a barra lunges after prey seeking shelter in the small branches of a submerged tree. Boofs and crackles are followed by the plop of a lure landing on the surface of the water close to the action. Boof, crackle, plop and then whoosh! as a barra takes the lure and spears from the water in a burst of glistening silver. It’s the stuff of dreams – a scene re-enacted every day along the mangrove-lined rivers, streams and backwaters of Melville Island. Melville is about 30 minutes’ flying time north of Darwin and, at 5,700 square kilometres, is Australia’s second-largest island. It is not open to the public for tourism, but visits are organised by Tiwi 58

March/April 2014

Islands Adventures, and anglers who come here stay at Melville Island Lodge. Tiwi Islands Adventures managing director Mike Baxter says a stay at the lodge doesn’t preclude other activities: “Given we’re primarily a fishing destination, most guests prefer to maximise their time fishing, but this doesn’t need to be the case. “If you’re looking for an authentic Indigenous community experience, you will enjoy a visit to nearby Jilamara Arts & Craft Centre, a dip in a local swimming hole or even a visit to the Milikapiti Sports and Social Club. Just let us know when you arrive and we’ll make it happen for you.” The creature comforts include epic meals and it’s possible to leave the lodge, fish all day and return without getting your feet wet. For most visitors, the tug is the drug, and the lodge caters for all levels of fishing experience with its professional guides.

Barramundi is northern Australia’s premier sports fish, but the lodge also caters for anglers seeking varied piscatorial adventures. There are more than 40 species of fish, so when you think you’ve caught enough barra, you can seek a change of pace fishing for other species such as Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, jewfish, coral trout, saratoga and mangrove jack. When Queensland brothers Vic and Alex Solaga stayed at the lodge, they opted out of the barra fishing early. After hooking good-sized barra and realising the fishing was slow, the brothers decided they wanted some offshore action. Fishing with Victorian angler Steve ‘Trelly’ Threlfall, we stopped to fish a reef outside Jessie River, caught some golden trevally and then went up the river for barramundi. It was a stop-start run as we fished snags and creek mouths.

SPECIALFEATURE

ALL BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES Nigel Baxter Ph: 08 8947 3366 Mob: 0457 162 472 Email: fishing@tiwiadventures.com.au Web: tiwiadventures.com.au

Several kilometres upstream we hit the jackpot: a rich vein of silver seemed to be holding on to a single black stick of timber protruding from the water. The stick was a branch of what remained of a mangrove tree that had toppled and was now lying parallel with the riverbank, covered by less than a metre of water. Trelly cast, his lure plopping on the water’s surface alongside the stick. He paused, gave his lure a couple of twitches and started to wind. Boof! Splash! A barra about 70 centimetres long struck, going vertical as it attempted to toss the hooks. One cast, one fish. Very good. Our guide said, “This is it, boys. This is the one. Reckon we’ll pull some good barra off this snag.” And he was right. Soon, barra were striking lures on just about every cast. Trelly enjoyed a super run of 12 barra on consecutive casts. It was a rich vein of silver.

All good things come to an end, but not before we had reason to motor in to the bank to free a lure caught on a snag. We must have hooked 50 barramundi on that snag, and as we moved inshore we saw why. Beneath the arched roots of the mangrove trees it was like peak-hour traffic in Melbourne: hundreds of barramundi lay nose to tail. I dangled a lure near a barra and got an immediate strike. As one fish moved away from the snag, another moved forward to take its place. The fish were waiting for the next lure as you would for a bus ticket!

In another creek we came across schools of mangrove jack. We tossed lures under the green canopy, into the snags and mangrove roots, and then watched these tough, aggressive fish shoulder each other out of the way to get to the lure. Every day is a new adventure on Melville Island, where the fish are either lining up or knocking one another out of the way to get on the end of anglers’ lines. For more information about Melville Island Lodge and Tiwi Islands Adventures visit tiwiadventures.com.au.

BARRAMUNDI IS NORTHERN AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER SPORTS FISH, BUT THE LODGE ALSO CATERS FOR ANGLERS SEEKING VARIED PISCATORIAL ADVENTURES. March/April 2014

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LONDON

W A TR

March/April 2014

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Forget a stiff upper lip; post-noughties weekend London is packed with secret bars, wicked night-spots and graffiti street art. WORDS: JO BOUNDS

“WE’LL NEED TO spray it, after you’ve

tried it on,” says half of the gay male duo who run rubber clothing store Liberation in London’s Covent Garden. They’re the hidden face of one of London’s secret clubculture shops. And they’re talking about shining the skin-tight dress and pencil skirt with silicon spray – usually found in seedy Soho sex shops – after I’ve wriggled out of them. Forget the bowler hat and starched shirt – the new London is dressed in latex and heading to a nightclub in a grimy archway, with tube trains pulsing overhead. And come Friday evening, it’s routine for almost every city worker to sink a pint at a quintessentially British pub, before heading to a high-end eatery or to dance at a dark, decadent nightspot. I start my London partython in Soho. The strip club district of the city, now gentrified with pop-up restaurants and hipster bars, most of the neon-signed venues were once owned by porn baron Paul Raymond. That was until his death in 2008, when much of his multi-million pound estate was inherited by his now 20-something grand-daughters India Rose and Fawn. Nice work if you can get it.

HIGH SPIRITS

I join the post-work throngs in Soho for a glass of red at the French House ( frenchhousesoho.com). A tiny woodpanelled bar frequented by literary types and actors after they’ve finished performing at the nearby theatres, beer is served in more sophisticated half-pint

March/April 2014

UNLEASHED

THE COACH AND HORSES: HAS A FOOTPATH UNIFORM, APPARENTLY

glasses and mobile phones and music are banned. The bar is already three deep, so it’s on to another pub metres away – the Coach & Horses (coachandhorsessoho. co.uk). Formerly owned by Norman Balon, known as the ‘rudest landlord in London’, he frequently told drinkers he didn’t like to ‘f**** off’. By now the streets of Soho are teaming with drag queens in towering heels and platinum blonde wigs – besuited businessmen and gay boys wearing very little at all. Modesty is not the order of the day. It means sustenance is in order to power me through the night, so I drop by Herman the German (hermanze-german.co.uk) for a bochwurst (read: smoky hot dog) and fries, where diners sit cheek-by-jowl at communal tables in a dark basement diner that has a nightclub vibe.

PARTY PEOPLE

Then it’s time to jump on a tube at Tottenham Court Road, one of the busiest square metres in the city, situated on an intersection with shopping mecca Oxford Street. I’m avoiding the high street, though, as I’m heading to Camden, the London borough known for its alternative market, which sells everything from legal highs to platform Buffalo shoes. My boozer of choice is the Hawley Arms (thehawleyarms.co.uk), beloved

March/April 2014

“BEER IS SERVED IN HA LF-PINTS AND MOBILE PHONES ARE BANNED.”

of beehived soul singer Amy Winehouse before her early demise from spirits and class A’s. Locals and tourists alike toast by the open fire on wintery evenings, and hang out in the urban beer garden in the warmer months. Tonight it’s rammed with Friday evening drinkers and, in crazy Camden style, I sneak into a toilet cubicle to change into my Liberation latex outfit. Emerging Miley Cyrus-esque, I quickly hail an iconic black cab to south London nightspot Club Decadence (clubdecadence.co.uk). This is where the naughtiest of London’s party crowd gathers – the DJ is wearing a skirt, transvestites in pussy-bow blouses prop up the bar and there’s an ‘adult’s only’ room upstairs where – indeed – anything goes. Or at least so I’m told.

ART THROB

Feeling rather grubby from the night before, I decide to nourish my soul by immersing myself in the London art scene. First stop is Southbank, bang on the river Thames, and the Tate Modern (tate.org.uk) museum, which recently hosted a Damien Hirst retrospective, featuring his Mother & Child artwork (cow and calf sliced in half and immersed in formaldehyde) before lunch at its terrace café, with views of the Norman Fosterdesigned Gherkin skyscraper and Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Then to the National Portrait Gallery (npg.org.uk), where I take in the Gothic ‘blood head’ exhibit by artist Marc Quinn SP, complete with hidden refrigerator to prevent a body fluid meltdown; followed by street art

UNLEASHED

TEAMS TAKE PART IN THE THE VODAFONE FASHIONABLE PUB QUIZ AT SHOREDITCH HOUSE

“I BURN OFF MY HOT DOG – AND MORE – ON THE DANCEFLOOR.”

galleries The Outsiders (theoutsiders.net) and Rooke & Raven (rookandraven.co.uk) on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street, for graffiti art and assorted ghoulish pieces.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

Suitably cleansed, a plethora of drinking and dancing options come to light on Saturday night. There’s Shoreditch House (shoreditchhouse. com), the private members bar in a former east London warehouse, The Box (theboxsoho.com), in a former strip club venue, where avant-garde hosts and hostesses put on outrageous performances in an intimate setting wearing nipple tassles and not much else. Or velvety Madame Jojo’s (madamejojos. com), a club renowned for its drag queen

cabarets, cave-like atmosphere and Moulin Rouge-style sleaziness. Instead, I head to tiny underground nightclub Dalston Superstore (dalstonsuperstore. com), where US legend David Morales recently DJ’d to a sweaty dancefloor, for cult club night Homoelectric. I burn off my hot dog – and more – on the packed dancefloor and lose my bag (and my mind) on the way home.

FLYING THE FLAG

The next day I vow, once more, to experience London in a manner that doesn’t involve bouncers or dirty bars. A walk alongside Regent’s canal in London’s east takes me past bargescum-bookshops, picturesque locks, leafy Victoria Park and cafés with

wooden benches outside, designed to take in the sun. I go for a run up the Mall and past Buckingham Palace – the Queen is evidently at home, as the rooftop Union Jack flag is flying. Then I head to hipster jewellers Tatty Devine (tattydevine.com) for perspex necklaces in pop art colours; Agent Provocateur for salacious silk knickers (agentprovocateur.com); and Carhartt (thecarharttstore.co.uk) to check out the latest look in workwear suits. The only thing I don’t catch sight of is designer Henry Holland’s ice-cream van, which he’s converted into a cool (literally) fashion store. Not to worry – I’m happy in the knowledge I’ve had more than my (soft) serve of British culture …

March/April 2014

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FOREFRONT

MINING REVIEW

INVESTMENT

TECH TALK

Sandvik AutoMine™: The New Era of Mining. There can be only one true forerunner. In underground mining automation, it is undoubtedly Sandvik AutoMine™. The Sandvik AutoMine™ product family covers fleet automation, single loader automation, block cave draw control and process control systems. Benefits include increased fleet utilisation, improved working conditions and safety, increased production as well as reduced maintenance costs. Sandvik AutoMine™ provides industry-leading safety, productivity and peace of mind for your operations. Join the movement towards The Future of Mining. It’s This Way: mining.sandvik.com SANDVIK Part Sales 1800 1 726 3845 | General Enquiries 1300 1 726 3845 info.smc-au@sandvik.com 1 www.mining.sandvik.com/au

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advertorial

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news+views 2000 existing suppliers and no time or resources to answer every single phone call. Thus, a potential supplier will be much more successful with an actual face-to-face conversation with an engineer. Industry events are the perfect place to meet potential clients who are actively looking for goods and services in the mining and resource sector.

MINE GAMES

HANDLING THE HAZARDS OF TRENCHING Trenching is an integral part of pipeline installation, and because of the hazards linked to excavation and trenching jobs, the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act has provided detailed provisions covering this heavy work. The OHS&W Act aims to enlighten employers about their responsibilities regarding the safety and welfare of workers involved in trenching activities, and the regulatory provision covers guidelines on the quality of equipment used in trenching as well as the assessments and evaluations that should be done by the employer to ensure safety. OHS&W regulations require that thorough assessments must be made by an engineer for any trenching work that exceeds 1.5 metres in depth. The employer and the project manager must devise safety systems to ensure it is safe to work at the site. Trenching work involves

different safety risks, which can be due either to natural factors or the processes or equipment used by the employer. The type of soil is a big factor – disturbed ground, or previously excavated ground, presents bigger safety risks to workers and sufficient care is necessary when dealing with such soil. These risks can be considerably controlled with the help of a reliable contractor. Reay Services Group is focused on providing top quality contractor work for PE pipeline and mining services; specialising in pipeline installation as well as safe trenching work. The company makes sure all the necessary site studies are performed, and only the latest trenching machines are used to make work more efficient and less exhausting for the workers. More info at reaygroup.com.au

DECENT EXPOSURE

Expo) at Rockhampton Showgrounds from March 19–20, the inaugural North Queensland Industry and Resources Expo (NQ Expo) at Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre from March 27–28, and the Surat Basin Energy and Mining Expo at Toowoomba Showgrounds from June 18–19.

Why attend an industry expo? You will find a mother lode of important information and discover golden networking opportunities. Live demonstrations can help you find the best equipment for the best price; and you can talk directly with experts and even the creators themselves. Find ways to strengthen your existing business relationships, or field new ones. Seek out potential employment opportunities, or new training methods for your own employees. Australian Events are key players in the expo business and have three must-visit events coming up: the Central Queensland Industry and Resources Expo (CQ

THE ART OF SUPPLIES Speaking of industry gatherings, attending one may also be the best way to secure a mine supply contract. As Centennial Coal’s group contract manager Stewart Jolly explained at a recent Austmine event, most mining sites already have more than

No, we don’t mean playing bat and ball with a rock and a pickaxe; we mean applying game elements and design as a problem solving and training strategy for the mining industry. The fancy word for it is ‘gamification’, and it has the potential to address two challenges currently facing the mining industry: one – the need to quickly train a new, younger workforce as the old one retires; and two – the need to give miners ‘hands-on’ experience in a safe environment. Whether using an actual 3D simulation, like the aviation industry has for many years, or simple games encouraging teamwork and competition, companies have found gamification is a winner for encouraging stronger collaboration and more innovative thinking.

CSG CONTROVERSY New restrictions to coal seam gas (CSG) extraction announced by the government recently in New South Wales are not being well received. Following last October’s prohibition of CSG development within two kilometres of all its residential areas, the state government added more reforms in January. These excluded 2.7 million hectares of residential zones, future growth areas and land used for vineyards and horse breeding from CSG operations, and requiring mining and CSG ventures to have Gateway Certification before even applying for development on an additional one million hectares of the state’s prime farmland. The NSW government says it believes the reforms are well balanced and clear, but not everyone agrees. On one hand, the Australian Petroleum Production and exploration Association (APPEA) warn of skyrocketing gas prices, and argue the 3

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reforms are too broad and poorly timed, given that the NSW chief scientist has yet to release a final report on the impacts of CSG development. And on the other hand, many NSW farmers and lobby group ‘Lock the Gate’ assert the reforms are not broad enough and the Gateway process won’t actually stop unacceptable development. The only ones not complaining are those living in the metropolitan and residential zones where extraction is barred.

RIO BUYS NHULUNBUY Ahead of the closure of its alumina refinery in Gove at the end of July, Rio Tinto has announced a bailout package to help support the local community. Project director Jo-Anne Scarini says the packages show Rio Tinto recognises the adverse impact the refinery closure will have on the town of about 4000 people, especially given that 1000 jobs will be lost. “Rio Tinto recognises the regional economy will transition over a number of years and has committed to provide financial support to Nhulunbuy businesses and a safety net for residential property investors over the next three years,” she said about the package. There has been no dollar figure placed on how much the support package will come to, but Rio Tinto has committed to reducing local business power tariffs by as much as 50 per cent in the first year and will also reduce rents on the majority of its commercial properties in town by a similar amount. Local homeowners will have their council rates and charges subsidised, and mortgagees will get a reprieve with interest costs being reduced by 50 per cent in the first year. Ms Scarini also hopes to retain a workforce of approximately 300 from the operation to keep the local community as large as possible, and will be looking to support FIFO opportunities out of Nhulunbuy to other operations across Rio Tinto.

PEOPLE MAKE IT HAPPEN, SAYS McLANAHAN

MINERS HIT PAYDIRT advertorial

George Sidney, president of McLanahan Corporation, is a firm believer that ‘people make it happen’, and it is this attitude that has guided the mining and minerals processing equipment company through 179 years of continuous operation; through war, depression, boom and bust. McLanahan Corporation has had its fair share of extraordinary people, such as Samuel Calvin McLanahan who developed the first single roll crusher and log washer. However, the company has found it is often ordinary and practical people with good experience and intentions from diverse backgrounds who mould and remould company culture, leading to success over time. In Australia, McLanahan’s people follow the philosophy of continual improvement. This does not just mean making a better product, it also means delivering a better experience. The company strives to deliver real value to its customers in every area, from customer service and equipment manufacture through to field services. Another favourite catch cry from George Sidney is: “Make it safer, simpler and smarter.” McLanahan provides equipment with significantly lower part counts, more standardised parts, and lighter stronger materials – all to make life simpler. Design changes have also led to faster installation times, with fewer personnel, through modularisation. Also, innovations in sealing and protection lead to vastly improved wear rates and replacement intervals to deliver greater overall availability. Better still, using new automation telemetry, data management, trending analysis and condition status monitoring, the need for human interaction and constant maintenance is removed – making it a safer experience for all workers. mclanahan.com

Jobsearch giant Seek has released its annual salary survey, and it looks like the mining industry is still reaping rewards. Resources and energy jobs rank at the top of the food chain when it comes to take home pay, commanding the top five positions in the survey. Top spot goes to oil and gas 5

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geoscientists with an average salary of $158,671, compared to a national average across all salaries of $81,055. The next four on the ladder are mining managers, mining geoscientists, oil and gas drillers and mining engineers. Interestingly, the sector stayed on top even though the average salary across mining, resources and energy dropped six per cent to $138,083; reflecting an overall drop in salaries across all sectors nationally.

SCALING BACK THE SCALE A new automated scale control system – the first of its kind in Australia – is decreasing both time spent unclogging pipes and the production costs for Western Australia’s Boddington gold mine. Senior metallurgist Paul Petrucci said Boddington used to accidently dose excess lime in the process water during unplanned outages; causing scale build-up. However, the new system has substantially reduced the problem. It can be monitored remotely and around the clock – and includes a customised, site-specific, anti-scalant based on water quality tests. This means build-ups, blockages and other scale events can be dealt with much more quickly and efficiently, minimising chances of production down-time or even a full plant shut down.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

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In an effort to attract more Indigenous workers, CopperChem, owner of the Great Australian Mine on the outskirts of Cloncurry near Mount Isa, is skewing its workforce in favour of a local workforce over fly-in fly-out employees. Between February and November 2013, FIFO’s dropped from 80 per cent to just 20 per cent. According to the mine’s Indigenous liaison officer, Leon Gertz, the local Indigenous workers are much more stable as employees because they’re already established in the area. Most of these workers are graduates of the 10-week course at Dugalunji Training Camp near Camooweal. The program guarantees most graduates a job, and Scott Seymour, one of 30 Indigenous workers at the mine, said the opportunity changed his life. Other mining companies, such as Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, and Fortescue Metals Group are also increasing their Indigenous workforce.

TARANAKI’S GROWTH CATCHES MINER’S ATTENTION Taranaki in New Zealand is catching the attention of miners wanting to find work close to a place they are happy to call home. The region is in the midst of its busiest onshore program yet, and next year the attention will head offshore. All of New Zealand’s oil and gas production happens in Taranaki, and things are booming there at the moment. Miners are attracted to its innovative oil and gas industry, which offers plenty of job opportunities along with the region’s exciting lifestyle. Globally there aren’t a lot of locations that offer both. Because Taranaki is undergoing growth, a lot of job opportunities are becoming available, spanning a raft of projects from prospecting to engineering and more; however the region is most popular for its lifestyle. It offers everything from epic surf breaks, to an impressive events calendar, and many miners end up living less than 10 minutes from work, making it suitable for young families. For more information on Taranaki check out swapsides.co.nz

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forefront

Bigfoot SOME SAY THE MINING AND RESOURCE SECTORS’ IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT IS JUST A SMALL FOOTPRINT; OTHERS CHARGE IT’S TOO HEAVY A TREAD.

Illustration by Gregory Baldwin at illustrationroom.com.au.

WORDS: ORYANA ANGEL

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The clearance and land disturbance can be dramatic, which is why we have a strong regulatory system.â&#x20AC;? 9

T E L E H A N D L E R S

Illustration by Gregory Baldwin at illustrationroom.com.au.

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THERE’S NO denying it. Mining in Australia has an impact on the environment, but experts in the sector say damage is actually minimal – and, to an extent, justified. “Mining creates less than one per cent of the national footprint,” says Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) CEO Simon Bennison. “When compared to other land use activities, like agriculture and urbanisation, it’s very small,” he adds. The main environmental impacts of mining are deforestation; greenhouse gas emissions; surface and groundwater disturbance; and soil and air pollution – impacting native vegetation and fauna. But then there’s the dollar value the mining and resource sector injects into the economy, helping to support a way of life Australians have become accustomed to. The Reserve Bank recently estimated the Australian resource sector makes up 18 per cent of gross value added to the economy. With mining becoming increasingly important, its contribution to the economy has doubled since 2003-4. Taking into account the demand, supply and the spill-over effect created 11

from the industry, mining makes up nearly a quarter of the Australian economy. “Apart from export dollars, employment, revenue and tax streams that flow back to various government bodies, mining provides raw materials that are the basis for many of our dayto-day infrastructure and facilities we are dependent on,” says Bennison. He further adds the Australian mining and resources industry is so heavily regulated, on a state and federal level, that environmental impact is examined in great detail before any project is passed. “Overseas, we are [regarded as] one of the leading nations in mine rehabilitation practices,” says Bennison. In Western Australia, our richest state in terms of natural resources, the management of environmental protection, in relation to mining, is largely overseen by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP), the Department of Environmental Regulation and the Environmental Protection Authority of WA. DMP executive director of environment Dr Phil Gorey says athough it’s a weighty income for the

state, the mining footprint is actually quite small. For exploration licences, the disturbance [to the environment] is 0.1 per cent of the actual tenement area. For mining, it’s a bit higher; around five per cent of mining lease area is disturbed, according to Gorey. “At that scale, the clearance and land disturbance can be dramatic, which is why we have a really strong regulatory system where every decision to approve a mine site is informed with clear understanding of what the environmental impacts might be and all practical measures taken to offset those impacts.” One of the big issues for WA, and other parts of the country, is mine rehabilitation after operations have ceased. In July, the DMP rolled out a new environmental security system, the Mining Rehabilitation Fund, which requires holders of mine tenements to pay a levy for the rehabilitation of abandoned mines in the state. Essentially the fund is an insurance policy for the state, for instances when the mine goes bankrupt. “The small cost required to plan for mine closure is greatly offset by the company then avoiding unnecessary costs later on, when closure is not better planned,” says Gorey. The fund will also contribute to the rehabilitation of some 10,000 abandoned mine sites from earlier mining days, which now mar the outback landscape. Today mining projects are in a different league than they were 100 years ago, and gaining approval is a far more complicated process. Not all projects get the go-ahead either: the bid by Central West Coal to develop a coal mine south of Eneabba, in 2011, was rejected by the Environmental Protection Authority, as it didn’t meet environmental objectives for protecting flora and fauna. Indeed, last year the WA government knocked back Vasse Coal Management’s underground black coal mine proposed for an area about 15 kilometres from the popular Margaret River wine destination. 11

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And then there’s the battle raging over the proposal to construct the world’s biggest coal port at Abbot Point, Queensland, 25 kilometres north of Bowen – on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef. The planned port expansion will see the relocation of three million cubic metres of mud and sediment dredged up in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It’s been approved by state government, and recently got the green light from federal government. Australian Marine Conservation Society Great Barrier Reef campaign manager Felicity Wishart, says the project will cause considerable damage to the reef. “All this seabed dredge spoil will be dumped in the reef’s waters and recent new modelling shows that sediment from dredge dumping travels much further and for longer (it can be suspended and resuspended numerous times) than previously thought,” says Wishart. “The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage Area and a marine park. It needs to be adequately protected.” This project is just one of many

dredging proposals in the reef – about 40 million cubic metres of proposals are waiting approval, according to Wishart. Of course there are differences of opinion, and the peak representative

A battle is raging over the proposal to construct the world’s biggest coal port on the Great Barrier Reef’s doorstep. group for Queensland mineral and energy companies says the project will not cause significant harm to the reef. “Neither an increase in shipping traffic nor decades of port dredging has been scientifically recorded as contributing to coral cover loss or a historical decline in the environmental health of the reef,” says Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche. Yet the expansion is critical for the state economy and jobs, he says. “As well as supporting the industries that drive the state’s economy – minerals and energy, agriculture and tourism – functioning ports and shipping are essential for the livelihoods and well-being of almost one million Queenslanders who work and live alongside the Great Barrier Reef.” However, Roche agrees the mining sector, like other human activity, impacts the environment. “Where the government has a role to play is in assessing to what extent a proposed development may have a ‘significant impact’ on the environment. “As such, both the Queensland Government and the Australian Government have various environmental legislation that

require a proposed project to assess the extent of their proposed impact, and to then first avoid, then minimise, mitigate and then offset an impact,” says Roche. Dr Stuart Rosewarne, a senior lecturer in the department of political economy at Sydney University, says there are two major problems with the development of the mines in the Galilee Basin (where the coal will be sourced to be exported from Point Abbot). These are the likely damaging consequences that dredging to accommodate coal vessels will have on the Great Barrier Reef, and the longer term implications the issue of greenhouse gases – in the vicinity of 100 million tonnes – could have in exacerbating climate change. “The challenge we have in trying to limit the onset of problems is that governments are unconditionally wedded to supporting the resource boom for short term economic gain and not considering the longer term consequences of those developments,” says Dr Rosewarne. Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia environment manager Kane Moyle recognises that, in some instances, there are unavoidable environmental impacts, however the value a mine may bring in terms of future employment and financial benefits justifies that impact. In those instances, the mining companies have to offset that impact through other means. “Offsets are typically a direct acquisition of land, which is then vested in conservation. “There are also indirect offsets such as research programs to boost scientific knowledge or other environmental management programs in the region,” says Moyle. The resource sector is a big contributor in this area, taking in scientific research done in remote WA for museums and other university research institutions, he adds.

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HEAVY HAULERS EYE GROWTH LAST YEAR WAS CHALLENGING FOR THE MINING SECTOR, BUT AUSTRALIA’S MAIN RAIL FREIGHT OPERATORS FOR THE RESOURCES INDUSTRY ARE PREDICTING GROWTH IN 2014 – AND PUTTING MONEY INTO EXPANSION AS A RESULT. WORDS: FIONA POYNTER

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The Australian

mining sector faced its fair share of challenges in 2013, but the future looks bright for the country’s heavy haul infrastructure groups, who are determined not to let a weaker coal export market derail their expansion plans. Australia’s main rail freight operators for the resources industry, Aurizon and Asciano, are predicting continued growth in haulage volumes, underpinned by expectations of long term growth in the country’s resources sector. With big projects afoot, the firms are gearing up for an exciting 2014. Aurizon, formerly known as QR National, is Australia’s largest rail freight operator. The firm manages the 2670-kilometre Central Queensland Coal Network that links the state’s coal mines to ports at Bowen, Mackay and Gladstone on Australia’s eastern seaboard. From these ports, black coal is bound for energy hungry markets in Japan, China, South Korea, India and Taiwan. With a keen eye on growth, Aurizon is in the midst of a massive staged expansion of its central Queensland rail infrastructure to service the new Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) at the Port of Gladstone. The project aims to add 70 million tonnes annually to central Queensland’s export capacity. Queensland is already Australia’s largest coal exporting state, with annual exports of around 200 million tonnes. “The $900 million Wiggins Island Rail Project (WIRP) is one of the largest rail expansions in Australia and represents a significant commitment to the

Fast fact: Trains transporting coal are among the longest in the world. They can comprise as many as six locomotives and 148 wagons, amounting to a length of more than two kilometres. A train of this size can carry about 8500 tonnes of coal.

future growth of Queensland’s coal industry,” a spokesperson from Aurizon told Inside Mining. WIRP will develop new rail lines and upgrade existing lines in stages, creating a vital link between WICET and mines in the southern Bowen and Surat basins. Stage one of the project involves six segments of expansion, allowing for a 30 per cent increase in coal tonnage transported from the southern Bowen Basin by 2015. But Aurizon’s vision for growth extends well beyond WIRP. The rail group is currently investigating the huge potential of Queensland’s last vast coal reserve in the Galilee Basin. It is working with mining and infrastructure firm GVK Hancock to unlock the basin’s resources through the joint development of a rail line and a new coal terminal at the existing Abbot Point Port. “This work not only brings us a step closer to jointly providing the primary rail and port solution for the Galilee, it brings the whole region a step closer to realising the benefits of one of the largest regional development opportunities this state has seen for decades,” says Aurizon managing director and CEO, Lance Hockridge. GVK Hancock’s involvement in the project allows the miner to provide an integrated ‘pit to port’ solution for exporting coal, comprising mining, rail and port capabilities. “We will create jobs, contribute to the economic development of the region and improve quality of life,” the firm says. GVK Hancock owns the Alpha, Alpha West and Kevin’s Corner coal projects in the Galilee Basin.

industryfocus

Fast fact: The construction of aluminium wagons equipped with rotating couplings was a crucial innovation for the Queensland coal industry at the beginning of the 1980s. This reduced unloading times by enabling the wagons to be emptied simply by being turned upside down.

The proposed rail and port infrastructure development is expected to attract an investment for Queensland in the order of $6 billion, providing more than 1300 jobs during construction, and around 300 long-term jobs once operational. But initially only 300 kilometres of the 500 kilometres of new corridor and track under the original GVK Hancock proposal will be constructed, before connecting into existing Aurizon infrastructure. This will allow a phased development at the Abbot Point T3 terminal to match volumes and ramp-up, thereby materially reducing the initial cost of infrastructure, according to GVK Hancock and Aurizon. “We’re pleased this also aligns with government objectives – getting early tonnes out of the Galilee, at lower cost by tapping into existing infrastructure and consolidating tonnages onto a common corridor,” says Aurizon’s Hockridge.

Competitive edge Minimising costs remains top of the agenda for mining firms in the face of soft global markets, high production costs and a high dollar. Increased competition in the rail haulage sector is key to enabling miners to reduce costs. There are signs that port and rail haulage group Asciano (which owns Pacific National Coal) could be encroaching on Aurizon’s territory, according to some miners. “Gradually, we are seeing more competition in coal transportation,” Australian mining firm Bandanna Energy told Inside Mining. “Bandanna

Energy recently signed a 10-year contract with Asciano, which competes with Aurizon. Increased competition is a good thing, but there is room for more,” the miner’s chief development officer, Stuart Clarke says. Asciano’s Pacific National Coal is the largest operator in New South Wales and the fastest growing coal haulage operator in Queensland. The rail group has recently expanded its Australian east coast operations with the acquisition of Newcastlebased integrated logistics company Mountain Industries. The investment boosts the capabilities of Asciano’s ports and stevedoring division, aiding the development of a ‘pit to port’ logistical solution for its customers. But while infrastructure operators may be focused on expansion, rail and port fees have become an increasing problem for miners struggling to cope in the downturn. Many are facing charges regardless of whether they actually use the infrastructure – an industry practice known as take or pay. This is forcing some miners to continue coal production, even if it is uneconomical. Take or pay is one the biggest challenges facing the coal industry today, according to Bandanna Energy, which is yet to enter into production. It is an especially big liability for small, independent producers. In the case of Bandanna Energy, rail and rail freight makes up over 20 per cent of the cost of production, with this figure rising to around 40 per cent when port charges are taken into account. “It is a double-edged sword because you need port and rail allocations in order to get project financing, but once you have secured these, you then have the perceived burden of take or pay commitments,” says Bandanna Energy’s Clarke. But it is less of a burden for the miner compared to other juniors, as Bandanna’s Springsure Creek mine is only 38 kilometres from an existing rail line, unlike some mines, which are hundreds of kilometres from any existing rail lines. Queensland’s coal industry is undoubtedly feeling the effects of a weaker export market. Spending in the Mackay region – comprising the city of Mackay and the northern Bowen Basin coal region – fell 12 per cent as a result of the coal industry’s belt tightening, according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics breakdown of resources sector spending across Queensland in 2012-13. “The state’s resources diversity has delivered a record economic contribution to the people of Queensland but there’s also a salutary reminder that our hard won reputation as a minerals and energy supplier of choice should not be taken for granted,” says Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche, in response to the figures.

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While the Australian mining industry relies heavily on human resources, it is equally dependent upon the machines that drive the sector. Christine Retschlag examines the fuels, lubricants, tyres and machinery that keep the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key exporter well-oiled.

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Despite its crucial

impact on mining operations, little has been written about the exact cost of machinery downtime and failure. In fact, one of the most recent pieces of research harks back to a 1998 paper produced by Kreilis and Singleton at the Coal Operators’ Conference at the University of Wollongong. While the paper itself is dated, the sentiment it contains remains pertinent, if not more important, today: that both costs and equipment reliability have one significant thing in common – they are driven substantially by maintenance. “Maintenance, once the Cinderella of the boardroom, is a pivotal function and demands management attention and, if it is managed well, can be a source of competitive advantage,” the research states. “They [major miners] made the decision to put maintenance high on their agendas because they realised that good maintenance is a vital factor to achieving excellence.” While major miners and some machinery suppliers appear reluctant to speak publicly about their machinery citing “competitive reasons”, the Kreilis and Singleton research paper states maintenance costs are commonly between 30 and 50 per cent of mine site total operational costs,

with BHP spending between $1 billion and $1.5 billion each year on servicing its machines and equipment. The Construction & Mining Industry Group (CMEIG), told Inside Mining it was “critical” in this billion-dollar industry, that every facet of machinery works. The CMEIG was formed in 2003 as a non-profit organisation to represent the construction and mining equipment industry and allied equipment and services on issues impacting on the delivery of business. Members of the CMEIG national executive read like a Who’s Who of the mining machinery business and include representatives from Tutt Bryant, Caterpillar, Volvo, Komatsu, Clark Equipment, Hitachi, Toyota Material Handling and Atlas Heavy Engineering. Liebherr-Australia sales and marketing general manager Dave Pichanick has told Inside Mining the German-based company – which has

been operating in Australia for 20 years – had 55 per cent of the market share in its machinery classes of main mining excavators and ultra-class trucks. Liebherr manufactures the biggest ultra class trucks in the world at 360 tonnes. “Our reputation is very strong, we are a reliable market leader and have the most popular machine in our classes. We are ahead of the pack,” he says. “It is a simple business where we don’t have all the other processes and equipment the other companies have.” Pichanick says, while lubricants needed to be changed every 500 to 1000 hours and tyres every 3000 to 5000 hours, much depended on the mine site conditions such as abrasion, twists and turns and gradient. “Maintenance has to be really good. The bigger the equipment, the more maintenance and planning. If you don’t service it at the right time, eventually something will go,” he says. “The

“Maintenance, once the Cinderella of the boardroom, is a pivotal function and demands management attention and, if managed well, can be a source of competitive advantage.”

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bigger you go, the more tender loving care you have to give.” Pichanick said the mining machinery market is currently more competitive than it had been even two years ago. According to the Mining and Construction Machinery Manufacturing in Australia: Market Research Report, released by IBISWorld in November last year, slowing growth in the mining sector is adversely affecting demand for industry products. “The Mining and Construction Machinery Manufacturing industry is forecast to decrease by 2.3 per cent over 2013-14 to $4.9 billion. This is in contrast to the past five years, with revenue estimated to grow at an annualised 1.7 per cent over the five years to 2013-14,” the report states. “Weak construction activity and volatile consumer sentiment has reduced demand for [specialised] mining machinery. “In light of less than favourable business conditions, growth has slowed as mining firms have shifted their focus from capacity expansion to lowcost production.” The report, subtitled, ‘A small cog in the works: Downstream industries weaken, containing industry demand’, goes on to say industry players are intensifying their efforts to improve operational efficiencies to curb expenditure, which suggests the mining industry could be poised for some exciting machinery innovations in the coming years. “Investment and research expenditure remain crucial for companies to produce more durable and efficient machinery and equipment. Large players recognise the value of innovation in obtaining a greater market share,” the report states. “During the past few years, there have been moderate improvements in technology ranging from advanced drilling equipment to innovative shovel and crushing equipment.” Robert Trzebski, CEO of Austmine, which is the leading industry association for the mining supply sector, has told Inside Mining Australia

DID YOU KNOW • The CMEIG directly represents employers of more than 10,000 Australians, and services a construction and mining industry employing tens of thousands. • With annual sales revenue of more than $10 billion, CMEIG members supply and maintain equipment for the nation’s mining, quarrying, construction, electric power generation and forestry industries. Most of the world’s major manufacturers are represented in the association’s membership.

leads the world in mining technology and services. “It is all about the technology. The mining industry is faced with four key issues – productivity, cost efficiency, safety and responsible mining/the environment,” he says. “Automation is the future. Rio Tinto recently announced that it is getting rid of 250 train drivers in the Pilbara, but where there are losses there are also new opportunities. Mining is not the most progressive industry, but it has to be because cost pressures will continue. “Other parts of the world, such as China, are good at copying similar products and they are at lower prices but also lower quality. There is competition and pressure but quite often even under normal circumstances, the most expensive product and service in Australia leads the world.”

Trzebski says while factors such as volume, price, availability and suitably of operations are all considered when mining companies are selecting machines and products, supply is the biggest issue that is affecting the mining industry. “There was a time probably three or four years ago when you had to wait 1.5 years to get the tyres delivered. Now there are plenty of trucks sitting around,” he says. “The buyer is king now. There is an oversupply of everything at the moment.” But miners shouldn’t get too complacent about the current competitive prices, says Trzebski, with reports Southeast Asia will be requiring $30 billion worth of mining equipment in the next three to four years. “The boom times are definitely over but demand will continue growing,” he says. 23

overseas&underground

THE NEW PILBARA As the iron boom changes gears in Pilbara, West Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s untapped resources are drawing eyes down under. WORDS: IAN NEUBAUER

This image: Gabon’s President Ali Bongo came to Australia in 2013 to spruik mining investment opportunities in Gabon.

overseas&underground

IN APRIL last year, President Ali Bongo of the West African nation of Gabon flew into Perth to address a meeting of the Australian African Business Council. His mission? The Western Australian equivalent of selling ice to the Eskimos: asking local mining companies to throw their hats into the ring at Gabon’s Belinga iron ore deposit, one of the largest undeveloped iron ore deposits in the world. “We have a stable country in the heart of Africa that offers many investment opportunities, particularly in the mining sector,” Bongo said. “We are asking Australian companies to help us to develop our mining sector. Gabon will welcome you with open arms.”

OUT OF AFRICA Investing in foreign mines is a risky proposition, especially in Africa where civil unrest, unstable government, endemic corruption, skills shortages and byzantine labour laws are par for the course. Gabon, however, boasts significantly lower sovereign risk than its neighbours in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a democratically elected government, a relatively small population of 1.6 million 26

in a landmass larger than Victoria, well-established offshore petroleum and refinery industries and one of the region’s most modern deep-water ports. Outside the capital Libreville, infrastructure is generally poor with only one major railroad, the Trans Gabon Railway (TGR). But things are about to get a whole lot better. Over the next six years, Gabon’s $12.8 billion National Infrastructure Master Plan will see 21 major projects in health, education, housing, internet, rail and road come online. Gabon is an “attractive investment destination”, according to CIA’s The World Factbook. Oil money is being used to pay for the new infrastructure. But with oil production now passed its peak and

estimated to fizzle out by 2025, the Gabonese Government has began planning for an after-oil scenario. Since 2010, it has attracted more than $4 billion in direct foreign investment outside the oil sector. Industrial extraction of gold began in 2012, with production projected at 1.2 million tonnes per year, and Gabon is now the world’s second-largest producer of manganese, which is a key ingredient in the production of stainless steel. Australia has played a hand in Gabon’s progress, becoming our third largest merchandise trading partner within Africa and accounting for $400 million of trade on top of the $1 billion worth of crude oil we buy each year.

Industrial extraction of gold in Gabon began in 2012, with production projected at 1.2 million tonnes per year.

overseas&underground

The senate building, Libreville, Gabon.

Last year, when Gabon revoked a Chinese company’s rights to mine manganese and iron ore at Belinga for failing to get a start on a 250 kilometrelong railway needed to connect Belinga to the TGR, BHP came knocking. In January, Bloomberg reported a deal was about to be inked following a high-level meeting between Gabon and BHP. But in March, BHP closed its offices in Libreville without warning and froze all its projects in the country.

BHP’s reversal was attributed to a slump in Chinese demand for steel that has seen the miner scale back nonperforming assets all over the world. At the time it was seen as a huge blow for Gabon but, looking forward, it’s likely to be remembered as a temporary setback. The Belinga Deposit could hold as much as four billion tonnes of iron ore, so the safe bet is it’s only a matter of time until another mining giant takes over from where BHP left off. A number of small Australian mining companies are placing millions on that bet by exploring mining concessions that lie in close proximity to the Belinga. Among them is Perth-based Volta Mining. In June, the company announced it was on track to formalise finance, drilling services and access to rail for its Mbombo iron ore project, a 4000 square kilometre concession that lies roughly halfway between Belinga and the TGR. “We are pleased with the progress of discussions achieved to date and look forward to successfully concluding arrangements,” says Volta’s managing director David Sumich. “The resulting agreements will better enable us to generate significant value for our shareholders and Gabon.’’ Then there’s Sydney-based Waratah Resources. In July, Waratah’s managing director Ben Fitzpatrick brought a delegation of South Korean Government officials and corporate investors to discuss a rail solution for its Mekambo-Est iron ore project, a 1300 square kilometre 28

concession some 100 kilometres west of Belinga that could hold up to one billion tonnes of iron ore. “BHP and RIO are so big they are like governments, but we are a lot more flexible in the way we operate,” Kirkpatrick says. “Our mines won’t go online for a couple more years but that’s fine with us, we’re in it for the long run. Meanwhile, we’ve created a revenue stream for the project by selling

commodities in China and we’re looking at building thousands of new houses together with the Gabonese Government. “It takes a lot of time and money to do things in the jungle. It’s going to be a slow burn,” Kirkpatrick says. “But the Gabonese are striving to build a great nation and I’m confident they’ll succeed. In five years’ time, mining companies are going to be rushing in to get a piece of the action.”

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TOP-GRADE COLOURED GEMSTONES CAN BE A PROFITABLE LONG-TERM INVESTMENT, BUT INVESTING IS NEVER WITHOUT SOME RISK. WORDS: LIAM EGAN

Traditionally,

Australians are not gemstone investment oriented, but coloured gemstones can be a worthwhile long-term investment. Investment-grade coloured gemstones represent a stable asset class that, historically, has shown consistent price growth, say industry sources. Industry pundits attribute this growth partly to demand for diversity, and partly to a mainstream asset investment portfolio, particularly since the onset of the global financial crisis. Coloured gemstones are also increasingly in demand as a portable source of wealth in turbulent economic times. Price growth, furthermore, is set to escalate over the next few decades, the sources said. This will result from an anticipation of increasing scarcity of investment-grade stones coming onto the market as existing supplies are held onto tightly by investors and few new natural sources of supply are being discovered. The impact of this anticipated shortage is already evident in the market for investment-grade pink diamonds, says Varoujan Djeva, managing director of Australian Diamond Brokers. Recently, price increases have been more substantial for pinks than for any other type of diamond, the result of a growing investor awareness that the Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region – which produces 90 per cent of the world’s pink

diamonds – has limited production time left to unearth investment-grade pinks, and the equally valuable and even rarer blue, green and red diamonds. Adding to their appeal as an investment is the fact that each Argyle diamond comes complete with an Argyle certificate, Djeva says. This certification will only help to drive the price of pinks upwards as Argyle production of the stones winds down over the next decade. Graham Easy, executive officer of the National Council of Jewellery Valuers’ New South Wales division, says, however, that while investment-grade coloured gemstones “have a fine record as a stable asset over the long term,” investing in them is not without significant risks. Of crucial importance is ensuring the gemstones you’re buying are natural and not enhanced stones, he says. For example, 90 per cent of sapphires currently being sold in the marketplace are treated in some way to enhance their colour or quality. While enhanced stones do have commercial value, it is far less than the value of an investment-grade natural stone, albeit the fact that both can look equally beautiful to the untrained eye. To mitigate this risk, cautions Easy, no gemstone should be purchased without certification from an internationally recognised gemological laboratory, as some current methods of treating non-natural stones can be difficult to detect.

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Adding to the risk is the fact that a lot of laboratories internationally are capable of testing and certifying stones as natural and untreated, but only a few of them can provide stones with globally recognised certification. These are the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS), the Gübelin Gemological Laboratories and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). For coloured diamonds not originating from the Argyle mine, the Antwerp Diamond High Council (HRD) can provide investors with this globally recognised certification. Easy also cautions against buying gemstones purely on the basis of their valuation. “It is interesting the recognised laboratories mentioned above would never provide a valuation on a stone,” he says. “They would only ever tell you what the stone is and whether it is natural and untreated.” Equally, he emphasises no-one can tell you what a particular gemstone will be worth in the future. A valuation gives you nothing but a quote on what it would cost to replace the stone at the time of purchase. “If a client asked a reputable valuer what the value of a stone would be in 20 years, he or she would undoubtedly be told to come back in 20 years and get a replacement value quote done.”

Australia’s gem industry Australian diamonds were first discovered in Bathurst in 1851

90% of diamond production takes place in the Kimberley, WA

16m total carats produced

annually in Australia

$578.3m bi-annual revenue

from diamonds, 2012-13

Easy added there are “outrageous claims” on the internet by some companies about gemstone value and price appreciation. It goes without saying an investor should never buy a stone without seeing it, he cautions. Auctioneer David Bubb of ABA Associates in Sydney advises self-education is critical for would-be investors in coloured gemstones, and provides an extra layer of protection against the high risks involved. He advises any intending investor to complete a course in gemology, such as one of those offered by the Gemmological Association of Australia (see end note). “These courses will ‘never make you an expert’,” he cautions, “but you will at least learn the rules of buying and selling gemstones.” These sales take place principally through retail jewellers, some of which also act as brokers, as well as through auction houses and internet-based dealers. There are also some wholesalers who will sell to investors. On the other hand, Bubb says, the marketplace has benefits for skilled investors, in that it means gemstones are bought and sold in a “true supplyand-demand market” (as opposed to the colourless diamond market, for example, which, historically, has been price-controlled by the De Beers

Coloured stones: Among the most valuable coloured gemstones are rubies, sapphires, emeralds and rare coloured diamonds.

investment

Fast facts:

corporation). By extension, this means that an investment-grade coloured stone will “get a world price based on supply and demand”. It also potentially increases the liquidity of gemstones as an investment, he adds. “If, for example, the market climate is bad for a gemstone’s sale in Australia, you can try to sell it in America; or if it’s bad in America, you can always try to sell it in China.” Currently, there is strong demand for investment-grade gemstones from within China, Central Europe and America, says Kenneth Marks of Sydney gemstone jeweller and broker Percy Marks Fine Gems. The auction houses in New York, for example, are now fetching some “incredible prices” for good gemstones, Marks notes. Recently, an Argyle diamond sold for more than US$1.3 million at Christie’s Auction House in New York; 30 years ago, the same stone would have sold for US$50,000 to US$100,000, he says. The most valuable coloured gemstones are emeralds, sapphires, rubies and pink diamonds, as well as blue, green and red diamonds, although the latter three types are very rare nowadays, Marks says. Outside the coloured diamonds, he adds, most global demand currently is for Burmese sapphires, Burmese rubies and Columbian emeralds. There is also significant demand for Alexandrites, aquamarines and black opals. Over the past 10 years, the approximate per-carat price of investment-grade Columbian

The factors that give gemstones an investment value are carat weight, colour, clarity and cut, as well as certification – however, base prices for investment-grade gems are ultimately set by supply and demand. A stone’s ‘beauty’ depends on its colour (hue), vividness and tone, along with its brilliance, clarity, transparency, proportion, symmetry and finish. In general, the bigger the investment-grade stone, the greater its potential value and prospect for growth. The largest pink diamond discovered in Australia is known as the Argyle Pink Jubilee, at 12.76 carats unpolished. It was unearthed at the Rio Tinto Argyle diamond mine in Western Australia in 2011.

emeralds would have doubled to US$50,000, depending on the size of the stone, Marks says. In general, bigger stones are more valuable than smaller stones. A Burmese ruby would have more than doubled in value from the approximate US$16,000 per carat price it would have fetched 10 years ago, he notes. Generally, rubies from Thailand are not as valuable as others, but they would still fetch substantially more than the approximate US$8,000 they would get 10 years ago. Kashmir sapphires, which are in particularly strong demand in China right now, would also have nearly doubled in price from roughly US$16,000 10 years ago, which is a significant jump. Alexandrites from Russia have a very limited market, Marks says, but these rare gems would easily have doubled in value on the approximate US$12,000 per carat they fetched in 2003. The value of other beautiful gemstones, such as tsavorite, tanzanite and tourmaline, would also have grown significantly over the past decade, he says – however, because they have a tendency to dip in and out of fashion, it has been more difficult to give a reliable estimate of price growth for these. The Gemmological Association of Australia (gem. org.au) offers courses such as the GAA Diploma in Gemmology, as well as other short introductory courses.

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Sandvik automated mining system for single loaders Sandvik is delivering multiple safety solutions, putting better work practices at the forefront. andvik’s AutoMine Lite for Loading automated mining system is designed for single load-haul-dump operations in hard rock underground mines, providing a safer, more productive alternative to conventional remote control systems. With a number of highly successful installations around the world, it provides full remote load-haul-dump (LHD) supervision and control of a single loader – and can be easily upgraded to a fully automated Sandvik AutoMine system. According to Rowan Melrose, Sandvik’s global head of automation, automated operations improve working efficiency, reduce risks in hazardous production areas, and can eliminate the need for operators to travel underground during shift changes. “AutoMine Lite significantly enhances working safety and makes operating easier through automating as much as possible of the load-haul-dump cycle,” he said. “Repeatable tasks of tramming (hauling) and dumping are completely automated while the bucket loading cycle is tele-operated.” AutoMine Lite is designed to suit a range of different mining methods and applications, including: • Sub-level caving and open stoping, loading to ore passes, crusher, stockpile • Backfilling • Transfer level loading from ore passes or crusher • Block caving in hazardous areas • Mine development, including loading after blasting • Other operations requiring high levels of safety and remote control of a single LHD. AutoMine Lite consists of an ergonomically designed operator station,

an integrated onboard automation package for the loader, a purpose-built safety system, and a reliable and simple communications system between them. In addition to AutoMine Lite for Loading, Sandvik offers a full suite of AutoMine solutions for fleet and single machine operations, across both surface and underground mining. In other recent news, Sandvik and the Australian-based Maptek Pty Ltd have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop integrated planning, execution solutions and automation systems for the entire mining industry. The MOU is designed to develop automated mining equipment, which can connect to and work directly from

the data produced by Maptek’s industry leading range of mine planning and measurement products, said Sandvik’s Rowan Melrose. Peter Johnson, Maptek’s general manager – Australia, said the agreement would result in miners being able to send detailed design and modelling data flowing though their mine operations, and monitor real time performance and conformance. “This is the next step towards further unlocking the inherent value in resource and mine planning data,” he said. “The biggest challenge remains consistent delivery across the mining value chain, and this initiative between Maptek and Sandvik is aimed directly at achieving that.”

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The safety is in the fabric When safety is involved, fabric is critical. Use this guide to help choose your manufacturer of flame resistant workwear wisely.

Flame resistant

workwear is an essential piece of safety equipment for protecting workers exposed to heat, flames, arc flash and flash fire. It’s the last line of defence in these hazardous environments in the event an accident occurs. However, the success of your flame resistant (FR) clothing program depends heavily on the fabric used to construct the garments. Both arc rating and flash fire testing are done by fabric brand and weight; the fabric brand is also the key factor in durability of FR properties, initial and long term comfort, shrinkage control, wear life, and more. For these reasons, it’s very important you take an active role in specifying a proven fabric brand such as Westex Ultrasoft for the production of your finished garments. Here are a few questions to consider when evaluating fabric manufacturers: • Are the fabric’s flame resistant properties guaranteed to last the life of the garment (and if so, by whom, and with what qualifiers)? Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion about the difference between “inherent” and “treated” FR fabrics. These terms refer to the methods used to achieve a fabric’s flame resistant properties. And while some manufacturers would like you to believe this issue is important, it’s important to remember these terms have no basis in textile science. A better approach to choosing the right fabric is to look for data and performance characteristics that prove how well it performs in the real world, over time. Flame resistant fabrics such as Westex Ultrasoft, with its 28 years’ experience and tens of millions of garments in circulation worldwide are evidence of the irrefutable facts, which solidify a

reputable brand. Combine this with the results of multiple independent laboratory evaluations and you have a sound basis for a safety decision. It’s not how the flame resistance is engineered that counts; it needs to be FR for the life of the garment. • Is the fabric comfortable? Let’s face it – no one on your team is going to want to wear an uncomfortable, stiff garment that shrinks a size or two as soon as you get it near a washing machine. In order for your FR clothing program to be successful, it’s critical the garments you select are made from durable, yet comfortable, fabric that your employees will want to wear. Cotton rich flame resistant fabrics such as Westex Ultrasoft® are worn

by workers worldwide because of the combination of durability, protection and comfort. Learn as much as you can about the fabric’s feel against the skin and susceptibility to shrinkage. • Is the fabric’s brand reputable? You get what you pay for; so don’t be afraid to pay for quality—it’ll pay off in the long run. Generic and offbrand fabrics often claim to provide excellent protection, but their bargain basement prices should definitely make you think twice about their claims. A marginally lower up-front investment on a low-quality product is a high risk that could lead to employee injuries, program dissatisfaction and/or significant additional costs downstream. 41

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Position Partners acquires DynaRoad software distribution rights SURVEY AND MACHINE CONTROL SPECIALIST COMPANY POSITION PARTNERS HAS ACQUIRED THE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR DYNAROAD MASS-HAULAGE AND SCHEDULING SOFTWARE IN AUSTRALIA.

Position Partners

is now the distributor of DynaRoad software, in close collaboration with Dr Russell Kenley, CEO of Location Based Management Systems (LBMS). The distribution announcement follows the recent acquisition of Helsinki-based DynaRoad Oy by Topcon Positioning Group and the establishment of the Topcon Helsinki Technology Centre. The new centre will see collaboration and integration between Topcon’s positioning and machine control systems and DynaRoad’s construction project planning and scheduling solutions. “As Topcon’s exclusive Australian partner, Position Partners and DynaRoad’s local supplier LBMS were able to take the opportunity to work together and create an ideal setup for the Australian market,” said Martin Nix, Position Partners CEO.

“We are thrilled Dr Kenley has agreed to work with us in an advisory capacity. His expertise with DynaRoad software will be a terrific asset to our customers and employees alike.” Dr Kenley added: “The synergy between Topcon and DynaRoad from a development perspective will be mirrored in Australia at a distribution level, as I work alongside Position Partners to deliver well supported solutions to our customers. “Market adoption of DynaRoad has grown considerably in recent years, so it is the perfect time for Position Partners to take on the distribution. As a national company with extensive knowledge of the civil construction industry, they are the ideal fit,” Dr Kenley said. DynaRoad is a workflow solution specifically designed for major earthworks projects. In addition to traditional project

management software, it features mass-haul optimisation, advanced resource-based scheduling and site monitoring. DynaRoad can build powerful models to rapidly calculate and optimise haul distances, reduce the need for stockpiling and plan and control project execution. The DynaRoad software, when combined with Position Partners’ Tokara telematics and Topcon’s SiteLink 3D Enterprise platform, will create an integrated machine control and planning solution for all phases of an earthworks project, including estimation and preplanning, through to construction and completion. For more information about DynaRoad mass-haul solutions and Position Partners, please visit positionpartners.com.au or call 1300 867 266.

Did you know? With offices in every state and more than 200 people, Position Partners is the largest Australian-owned company that focuses entirely on the distribution and support of positioning and machine control solutions for surveying, civil works, mining and building projects. Position Partners is committed to increasing productivity for its customers and building lasting business relationships around high calibre positioning activities. Position Partners is Topcon’s exclusive Australian partner for machine control and positioning systems. A full range of leading instruments and systems is backed by superior service and industry expertise to give its customers the support they need for any project.

INDUSTRIAL LAND FOR SALe OR DeVeLOPMeNT ROCKHAMPTON

Gracemere Industry Park is the first of its kind in the region and is set to become Central Queensland’s leading industry park.

Key features:

The park is designed with Type 1 Road Train access in mind, with wide estate roads and immediate access to the Capricorn Highway and the purposebuilt Gracemere Industrial Area Overpass.

• Gateway to Central Queensland’s mining region, ideally located to major road infrastructure with immediate access to key transport routes

The park offers competitive land solutions for local and international businesses looking to be part of the region’s continued economic growth. Land allotments cater for High, Medium and Low Impact industrial users, with sites from 2000sqm to 5Ha.

• The only High Impact industrial land of greater than 3Ha immediately available in the market • Purpose-built Toll NQX Logistics Facility already under construction

• Direct multi-combination vehicle Type 1 Road Train access • Design and Construct warehousing and workshop solutions also available • The land is not flood affected • Government Incentives available

For more information on this exciting opportunity: Neale Crow - Knight Frank T: 0418 886 162 Glen Wintour - Gibb Group T: 0456 816 260 Matt Thiselton - Gibb Group T: 0433 197 729

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SMART MINING

WHILE MINERS IN THE FIELD WILL ALWAYS OPERATE WITH A CERTAIN DEGREE OF RISK, GREAT MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN TO IMPROVE SAFETY CONDITIONS – AND A BIG PART OF THIS PROGRESS IS THROUGH NEW TECHNOLOGY. WORDS: ORYANA ANGEL

n an industry where 10 tonne trucks are driven for 12 hour shifts, work is conducted hundreds of metres under the ground and explosives regularly employed, it’s little wonder that safety and comfort is a serious issue for miners. Tragedies like the Pike River coal mine accident, where 29 miners were killed in New Zealand, the Beaconsfield mine collapse in a Tasmanian gold mine, the Chilean mining accident in 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico and hundreds of other deaths in mines around the world serve as a grim reminder of the inherently risky nature of the work. The mining industry is the sixth-most dangerous for employees, according to recent Safe Work Australia figures. In 2009–2010, it had 14.9 serious injury claims per 1000 employees, and six fatalities for a rate of 3.5 per 100,000 workers. Figures aside, there has been big progress in improving the safety of mine workers through the development of new technology. Robert Trzebski, CEO of

Austmine, the peak body for the Australian mining equipment, technology and services sector, says there has been a major shift in the industry since the GFC. “We have entered what we call the technological age of mining. It’s really about smart mining and using technology to make mining more pleasant and safe,” says Trzebski. “Mining technology minimises

the contact between humans and machinery. It removes the risk of impact of operations on human beings,” he says. Baseball caps that monitor driver’s conditions; glasses that predict micro-sleeps; autonomous trucks, trains and drills; and collision avoidance technology are just some of the technologies being used to improve safety.

Clockwise from top left: Mining engineer shows the minister the importance of stone dusting in an underground coal mine; aerial view of mine site – with the use of VR, the layout of mine facilities and terrain can be studied; simulation of underground coal mine Longwall, with simulation of chocks and shearer.

techtalk Sponsored by

Mark Williams, the director of Simtars – a new virtual reality (VR) mine training facility in Brisbane – acknowledges working in the mining industry is dangerous. The three big-ticket issues, supported by statistics and fatalities, are mine ventilation, strata control or supporting the roof of a mine, and transport management, he says. “Most of the mining injuries in the past 10 years have been as a result of vehicle collisions – both underground and above,” says Williams. “It’s all about situational awareness. In mining, the environment changes constantly and you have to be able to identify hazards and manage risk.” The new VR training facility, the most advanced of its kind in the world, is based on an exact replica of an underground and open-pit coal mine at the Carborough Downs Mine near Moranbah, in the northern Bowen Basin. “Because we expose trainees to the environment and put them under a range of situations to test their reactions, it’s all about how they identify hazards – for example, we can simulate fires, a roof or wall collapse and vehicle collisions,” says Williams. Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA workplace health and safety manager Richard Wilson says using 46

technology to improve the life and safety of its workers is paying off. “The long term injury rates have halved in the sector over the past 10 years,” says Wilson. Autonomous technology has brought about great change, he adds. “Take for example autonomous trucks – there’s a huge safety advantage. The drivers of the 10 tonne trucks that lift hundreds of tonnes of ore every day, are not sitting in the cab all day; they are in an air-conditioned office in Perth where they are less likely to be fatigued and are more aware of their surroundings. “If an accident does happen, and the truck runs off the side of the road, the driver won’t be injured,” says Wilson. This technological revolution in the industry has also helped raise the bar on comfort for workers. Rio Tinto has developed the mobile camp, which is used in the exploration stage of a new project

when there is nothing on site yet. “It’s a palatial camp on wheels, with the latest technology, that can literally be dropped in the middle of the desert and be fully-functional from day one,” says Wilson. This is a far cry from conditions miners lived, and worked in, just a decade or so ago. “Back then, camp might have been a row of dongers with communal bathroom facilities,” says Wilson. “Today they have full service gyms, five-star conditions, commercial gyms and everything else needed to ensure workers are healthy and happy,” he adds. With loneliness and isolation a big risk factor in modern day mining, internet connectivity is now a given at most mine sites – no matter how remote it is. “Often there are iPads on loan for workers so they can speak to their family in the privacy of their own accommodation.”

“If an accident does happen, and the truck runs off the side of the road, the driver won’t be injured.”

Clockwise from top left: Walkway above the conveyor transfer – roof mesh is secured using roof bolts; trainer shows the minister how VR can help workers understand hazards associated with moving parts of the conveyor; simulation of underground coal mine Longwall with simulation of chain conveyor – with VR all areas can be safely visited.

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National

propertyguide

Check out some of the latest hot properties on the market in our regional towns and cities.

Want to know where the next big property market wave will hit? With Blue Horizons, you can be assured to be in the right place at the right time. The heart of good property investment is ﬁnding the next boom but it can be tricky. Traditionally it was seaside towns that displayed the double-digit growth we are looking for. Today it’s locations with high employment growth that send property prices soaring.

Blue Horizons is your perfect partner. We specialise in offering high yield, rapid capital growth property investments resulting from mining and industrial expansion. We have been 100% focused on the Surat Basin since 2008, personally investing in these areas ourselves. We act as your property partner, taking care of business while you are at work. From choosing colours to ﬁnal inspections, and everything in between, we provide a personal and complete service.

Blue Horizons has identiﬁed resource towns backed with the strength of mining and gas developments, that are packing a ﬁerce punch. For example, Chinchilla, Miles and Wandoan located in Queensland’s Surat Basin; rural towns set to explode with $30 Billion worth of coal and gas projects surrounding them. A boomtown is about more than just the booming employment – it’s about the corresponding development in both residential and commercial arenas. Skyrocketing rents and capital gains are in store for anyone smart enough to invest in property now. You are in the perfect position to expand your wealth beyond your expectations.

Once you start working with Blue Horizons, we will inform you of new releases as they happen. We have a diverse selection of properties to offer - House and Land, Duplex and Land, Townhouses and Villas, all competitively priced and delivered turn key with the highest level of ﬁnishes.

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S U R AT B A S I N I N V E S T M E N T O P P O R T U N I T I E S PACKAGE A - DUPLEX 2 x 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, double car lock up units, ducted A/C, stone benchtops standard. Price: $715,000 Rent: $1600 per week Gross return: 12% per annum

PACKAGE B - HOUSE 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, double car lock up, ducted A/C, stone benchtops as standard. Price: $460,000 Rent: $1000 per week Gross return: 11% per annum

PACKAGE C - TOWNHOUSE 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, double car, lock up, separate fenced yard, ducted A/C as standard. Price: $439,000 Rent: $865 per week Gross return: 10% per annum

Disclaimer: Information provided is not intended to be Tax, Financial or Accounting advice. We recommend you obtain independent advice from your own Tax, Financial or Accounting Professionals as individual tax or ďŹ nancial positions may vary.

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COASTAL PROPERTIES WITH POTENTIAL FOR LONG TERM CAPITAL GROWTH. North Stradbroke Island is just an hour from Brisbane with some of the best beaches in Australia. Discover Stradbroke has a range of unique houses and apartments for sale with magnificent views in walking distance to beaches, shops, cafes and restaurants. Make your dream a reality.

Take a virtual tour on discoverstradbrokerealestate.com.au Or call Julie Elliott on 0408 853 940 or 07 3415 3949.

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Brand New Townhouses for Sale Each townhouse consists of: - 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms - Ensuite & WIR to main - BIR to the second & third bedrooms - Double Lock up garage - Open plan living area - Modern fittings and fixtures - Landscaping with shared recreation area - Deck LISTED: $495,000.00 REF: One11

Contact our Residential Sales Team: Sophie Keily 0408 380 091 Karley Geale 0412 474 341 Commercial Industrial: Nellie Smithurst 0413 121 241 Kim Coghlan 0432 168 952

77 Camooweal Street, Mount Isa Jays Real Estate is family owned and operated, boasting 3 generations who work in the business. As Mount Isa’s largest agent, Jays has remained independent of national franchise agencies, standing alone on its record of professionalism for over 30 years. We strive to give old fashioned service and care, with plenty of local knowledge.

Ph: 07 4744 8000 sales@jaysre.com.au

Investors be aware: Mount Isa continues to have a strong demand for modern, brand new, quality accommodation

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CASH POSITIVE INVESTMENT PROPERTY FEATURE PROPERTY ANDERGROVE, MACKAY

$379,900 Terrace Home and Land With No Body Corporate rent unfurnished @ $450pw/rent furnished @ $550pw Cash Flow Per Annum $4,238 The Mackay Regional Council area is one of the fastest growing in Queensland, with an average annual growth rate of 2.9% The Mackay region is the gateway to the rich coal deposits in the Bowen basin.

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Whether you’re a first time investor, or an investor adding to your portfolio our professional team will assist you to develop an individual investment strategy and to locate quality, high performing properties that will enable you to achieve your individual investment goals. Our professional team can arrange financing the deal with lenders who understand the needs of property investors

HOUSES, TOWNHOUSES & DUPLEXES FROM $330,000 TO $550,000 SUITABLE FOR SELF-MANAGED SUPERANNUATION FUNDS In the following high-growth areas in QLD: • Chinchilla • Miles • Roma • Emerald • Gladstone • Mackay • Moranbah • Clermont • Blackwater • Kingaroy • Coomeran • Pimpama • Northlakes • Brisbane ALL OF OUR PROPERTIES ARE LOCATED IN PRIME RENTAL AREAS AND WILL HAVE PROFESSIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Contact Alan at: info@wilsonrealty.com.au or on 0421 705 116.

Positive Cash Flow From Day One. Since it’s inception after the Reserve Bank Reforms in March 2009, ATM ownership continues to hit all the right keys.

Owning a ﬂeet of ATMs, has become a well known business

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BENEFITS OF OWNING YOUR OWN ATM

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Instant income - you will be paid calculated from the very

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ﬁrst day you purchase your machines.

p.a. returns that an ATM business provides for the life of the agreement.

Buy in cash or borrow with property equity and pay down your non tax deductible debt on your home faster.

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investments in the future. Unlike a term deposit, where you are liable for tax at the ﬁrst dollar of interest earned, ATMs being plant and equipment, can be depreciated to offset transaction income earned. These

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BUSINESS HOURS ATMs TRANSACTION FORMULA 0 -783 transactions $235 per month 784 + calculated at $0.30 per transaction Site Name

Serial Number

Total Transactions

Total Monthly Amount Due

national ATM deployers place the machine in the site and

Luna Park

KIC090600143

2,002

$600.60

manage it.

Sea Lake Foodworks

KIC090600146

1,282

$384.00

Caloundra Caltex

KIC090600147

705

$235.00

ATM income is directly deposited into the account of your

Hazelbrook Bowling

KIC090200014

471

$235.00

choice. Legal agreements state the deployer must cover all

Tumbarumba Bowling Club

KIC090200004

472

$235.00

costs for parts and maintenance, insurance and payment

Wardell Liquor

KIC091200001

556

$235.00

processing for the life of the agreement.

Northhampton Supermarket

KIC090300074

813

$243.90

BP Childers

KIC091200002

1,123

$336.90

ATM owners are paid a minimum 20% p.a* or $.30 per

Grand Old Crow Hotel

KIC090200028

490

$235.00

Sportsmens Hotel

KIC090300065

842

$252.60

transaction, whichever is higher, paid monthly. In times of market volatility, a portfolio of ATMs can provide a steady income stream and potentially solve your

Total Amount Due

$2,993.00

This portfolio of 10 business hour ATMs cost $140,000 plus gst.

cash ﬂow issues * Example: a business hour machine costing $14,000 ex gst, the annual return is $2,800 or $235 per month. Returns continue for the life of the agreement.

www.ownyourownatm.com .au ay vary. Disclaimer: Information provided is not intended to be Tax, Financial or Accounting advice. We recommend you obtain independent advice from your own Tax, Financial or Accounting Professionals as individual tax or ﬁnancial positions m

Dee Jackson Australian artist, Dee Jackson, creates beautiful watercolour portraits.

Dee Jackson Black Yoghurt Designs Tel: (02) 9416 2265 / +612 9416 2265 Mob: 0439 986 452 / +61 439 986 452 Email: deejackson@deejackson.com.au www.deejackson.com.au

Ceilings • Wall Paneling • Shop Awnings Feature Walls • Kitchen & Bathroom Splashbacks

22 Vale Road Bathurst

02 6332 1738

www.pressedtinpanels.com AliHut™ strives to create a user friendly living environment for everyone

INTRODUCING ALIHUT

™

AliHut™ is without doubt the most economical, the quickest and most impressive emergency response shelter on the world market today. The uses for AliHut™ are endless, mining camps, portable living, permanent living, site offices and many more applications. It only takes 30 minutes to install an AliHut™.

ALIHUT BENEFITS ™

Huge transportation savings Huge labour savings AliHut™ can be stacked either vertically or horizontally for transportation

PORTABLE LIVING IN UNDER 30 MINUTES

Reuse time and time again with ease and no tradesman required!

Production of 10,000 per year (conditions apply) BEDROOM

BATHROOM

STUDY AREA

Made to order, AliHut™(p) can have many assorted “special features” or simply remain as a base model for emergency deployment. 1x Standard Unit with Bathroom • Includes- Moulded Floor • Internal Plumbing to external connector • Shower Cubical • Vanity • Toilet • Internal wall with sliding door

1x Standard Unit 5.8x2.4x2.4 Specs Included Online

Phone: 07) 55 94 65 77 or email: j.milloy@alihut.com www.alihut.com

Cyclone Rating Region C&D: C3

KOOL10763 Rocks 275x210 FA.indd 1

10/02/14 9:56 AM

ENJOY FREE SHIPPING AND 21 DAY RISK-FREE TRIAL WHEN YOU BUY DIRECTLY FROM BOSE®

Significant noise reduction. Lifelike sound you expect from Bose. A fit that stays comfortable for hours. And now, an additional cable with inline remote and microphone is included for convenient control of select Apple products.

Welcome to a

quieter world. Bose

QuietComfort 15 ®

Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones

“....a solid investment for frequent travellers and anyone who appreciates great sound or the sound of silence.” Stephen Fenech, Daily Telegraph

CALL BOSE DIRECT: 1800 663 004 quoting code QA117 BUY ONLINE: visit www.bose.com.au VISIT A STORE: for your nearest stockist visit reseller.bose.com.au © 2014 Bose Corporation. All rights reserved. 21 day risk-free trial and free shipping refers to purchases made by phoning 1800 663 004, via www.bose.com.au or from a Bose store. 21 day risk-free trial and free shipping is not available when purchasing from other authorised Bose resellers. Quote reproduced with permission: Daily Telegraph 24 March 2010. Available for delivery in Australia only.

VISIT THE BOSE STORE SUBIACO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA 139 Hay Street, Subiaco - Phone: 9388 0099 OR CALL 13 BOSE (2673) FOR OTHER BOSE STORE LOCATIONS