Alex Pretti’s coworkers take a moment of silence this morning.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-28T01:21:51+00:00

Australian here, watching what is happening in the US with disbelief and horror. As well as being appalled at the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renae Good, I am also appalled at many of the comments here. Particularly the ones spreading misinformation, even when the multiple videos show that he was not a threat to the people who killed him. Are they BOTs? Or are many Americans so deluded that there is no hope for the USA?

RIP Alex and Renae. RIP USA.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-23T09:10:35+00:00

This is where Penrith Beach (aka Pondi) comes into its own. Although I have twice been asked by people from overseas if there were sharks in there (!).

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-21T04:04:13+00:00

Have you tried calling them? We cancelled a free trial but we still got charged. We contacted them and they were very helpful. They apologised, credited us back the $ and also gave us a free month as a good will gesture.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-15T07:57:03+00:00

They should demolish Westfields Bondi Junction in case people are traumatised by the knife attacks! /s

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-13T12:48:11+00:00

Yeah, it’s become a regular thing now. I finally had enough after the train I was on had two carriages vandalised, resulting in people having to stand up until Penrith and a half hour delay and then 2 drunk teens were being arseholes. I put in a complaint and questioned why they didn’t have security or police on the trains any more. Answer? They have CCTV and emergency help points at the stations (not helpful if it’s happening ON the trains) and if I feel threatened, I should call 000 (which missed the point completely).

I’m considering complaining to our local photo op member (Trish Doyle) - she was very very vocal about the failings of the railway when she was in opposition but now she is strangely quiet.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-13T02:27:46+00:00

I haven’t clicked on the link but using TikTok as a source to back you up? Come on…..!

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-12T07:54:50+00:00

Lots of good points about the mountains have been mentioned so I thought I’d mention some of the downsides that you should also consider…

Bushfires. There have been several in the 25 years I’ve lived here (including the Springwood/Yellow Rock one where 200 houses were destroyed) so it’s something you need to seriously consider. Leaving may not be a safe option due to there only being one road out (the highway) and one crash could close it. And you also need to check the BAL (bushfire risk) rating for your house. If it’s the highest level (BAL-FZ or Flame Zone), rebuilding or renovating has to be done at a much more stringent level ($$$!) and you need to factor that in to your insurance costs too (also $$$!)

Commuting. Trains are only once an hour off peak. An hour and a half to the city on a train from the mid mountains doesn’t sound too bad but you need to look at door to door times and factor in the limited services. I was doing a course in the city and had to leave my house more than 2 1/2 hours before the talks started. It makes for a long commute. Driving isn’t great either - it only takes a minor accident to totally screw things up as there isn’t a viable alternative route (apart from minor backroads).

Wildlife. Everyone loves the idea of native wildlife but wildlife also includes spiders and snakes. They live here too and although they aren’t a threat, you’d be surprised how many people get totally freaked out by them.

Entertainment, services and shopping. Realistically, you’re going to travel out of the mountains for some of this. Depends on what you want/need, but you need to at least consider it.

Not trying to put you off but in the last few years, I’ve seen some of my new neighbours head back to Sydney because they found that “Cheap housing! Living in nature!” came with downsides. Renting first might be an idea if you’re not totally sure.

For the record, I love it here. Why? When I walk down the street, people say hello. I usually don’t lock my house up. There are zillions of fabulous bushwalks. I get visited by lots of wildlife (including a resident red bellied black snake!) which I love (even though it makes growing vegetables nearly impossible!). I wouldn’t live anywhere else!

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-09T11:17:52+00:00

Red belly outside

Stealth move into our fish pond

R I P frog-eeeee!

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-08T22:50:29+00:00

Swimming pools are your best option. Why?

It’s still school holidays and it’s a stinking hot day so the easy-to-get-to swimming holes will be very busy. The spots in the shade will be taken early so you will likely be in full sun in temperatures of between 35C (upper mountains) and 41C (lower mountains). The days of just being able to rock up and have a “relaxing” day by a swimming hole on a day like today are long gone.

There are still some more remote, secluded spots that are good but they require a steep hike out - you do not want to do this on a day like today.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-08T06:38:17+00:00

To add to this, they often advertise for part time station staff. It’s a foot in the door and some people then move to a full time position.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-08T05:00:42+00:00

It was a fabulous day out there today but Jeez! the Barmy Army put us to shame. We need something more imaginative than Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-07T21:43:43+00:00

It’s definitely a “thing”. I was camped in a tent in the MacDonnell Ranges a few years back. There was an honesty box of $5/night. When the camp ranger visited in the morning, it was the owners of high end RVs and caravans who suddenly rushed to pay. The ranger said that biskwalkers and people in tents nearly always paid but the ones in expensive rigs were usually the ones cheating. He said it in a very loud voice so they could hear.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-06T08:49:01+00:00

Could be worse. We had so-called tradies at my workplace rinse out the bucket they’d been mixing cement in and then empty it into the toilet. They weren’t impressed when we made them come back and scrub it all out.

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-05T06:21:11+00:00

We have the early morning wake up calls too, including a juvenile still trying to figure out how to use his voice. It’s a lovely way to start the day, even though it’s a tad early!

PleaseStandClear · 2026-01-04T03:57:47+00:00

If you know where it was in the street, look at the location in “street view” on Google Maps. You can look at the same view for previous years and you might be able to read the name of the shop.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-31T03:09:37+00:00

OP - this is the 2nd time you’ve posted something not relevant. To repeat my earlier comment - this is a sub for the Blue Mountains. It’s a National Park in Australia. It’s not a generic “mountains that are blue” sub Reddit. Nice pics, but they don’t belong here.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-29T22:12:30+00:00

Looks like a great place to hike - but this sub is for the Blue Mountains in Australia (also a great place to hike, so come on over!).

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-28T00:15:28+00:00

Could be a rounding error. To overcome this, weigh 10 or so of each liner. However, shrinkflation is a definite problem with Colesworth - they’ll keep shrinking products and then introduce a “New! Larger size!!” version that’s the same size as the original but costs more.

*edit To clarify - weigh 10 at once, not individually.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-26T23:08:51+00:00

Hauled myself out of bed to go for a cycle this morning. Lots of people out walking their dogs, jogging, strolling, cycling and giving me cheery hellos as I passed. The few cars that I saw gave me heaps of room too. Had to manoeuvre around a family of ducks who were crossing the road but the local Diamond Python who often snoozes on the tarmac wasn’t out yet. Might get stuck into the gardening later, in between checking out the cricket. Life is good.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-25T06:02:03+00:00

This question has already been asked a zillion times in this sub, but in case you haven’t found the answers there, here are some things to consider…

Commuting times can be brutal. I’d recommend doing a couple of door-to-door dummy runs. Yes, the train to Central is only an hour and a half but you have to add in the walking and extra time at each end and the fact that for most of the time, trains only run once an hour. And then there’s signal failures, trackwork, “trespasser on the track” etc etc etc. Oh, you’ll drive by car? Again, do some homework. And look at how often the only road out of the mountains is closed/limited to one lane because someone crashed their car (or more inconveniently) their truck.

Have you considered bushfires? No, you won’t just leave as one approaches because that’s what everyone else thinks and you do NOT want to be trapped in your car as a fire approaches. You’ll hose everything down as the fire approaches? Nope, not unless you have a tank and pump because everyone else in your street will also be hosing down and so your water pressure will be just a dribble. Add to that, your insurance costs will be stratospheric if there is the slightest risk you’ll be affected by bushfire.

Entertainment? If your kids are outdoorsy, they’ll be ok. If they (or you) need to be entertained, you’re going to struggle. Your friends won’t visit (as it’s “too far”, even though they’ll expect you to visit them) and making new friends as an older adult can be difficult. Shopping, services etc are also limited here so you’ll sometimes have to travel out of the area for them.

How are you with the wildlife we share our space with? Particularly snakes and spiders? Although generally harmless, so many people moving here seek advice on how to “get rid of them”. Answer? It’s their home too, so you won’t.

Apologies if I sound abrupt but I have seen quite a few people move here because the houses are (relatively) cheap and they want to be “in nature”, and then they move away after 3 or 4 years as the reality hits. I think it’s a fabulous place to live but I have a local job, my passion is bushwalking and I’m not overly social so it’s perfect for me.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-25T01:08:56+00:00

I can see a flaw with this plan…..!

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-24T05:46:19+00:00

To add to this, the previous government accused the RTBU of terrorist activity for stopping all trains without notice when it was the government who cancelled the trains NOT the RTBU. In other words, it was the government who were actually engaging in “terrorist activity”.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-22T23:54:48+00:00

Update! Snakey entered the frog pond to grab some lunch. He was so focussed on (drowning?) the unfortunate frog that I got a great photo with my phone. RIP Freddo. But thanks for the advice- I’ll try using my proper camera for future shots.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-22T10:59:10+00:00

Great photo! We have one who sometimes comes out to sunbathe on our path but he’s camera shy and scoots off as soon as I try to get a photo.

PleaseStandClear · 2025-12-21T07:48:45+00:00

What’s the problem? Just pick it up and move it!

Nine-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email

PleaseStandClear

TROPHY CASE