Where's Where In Australia and how to remember Australian States

Up on Facebook pops a picture or a wonderful winery with an intriguing maze. The name of the place is Bago Winery, but where is it? In Australia. Where in Australia? New South Wales.

I'm sure all Australians know where that is. I don't, although I have been to Perth on the west coast, and Sydney on the East and Melbourne in the South and Canberra on a day trip, somewhere inland, as well as up the east coast to Brisbane, which is a cross between New York with skyscrapers and Blackpool with tourist attractions, along the beach strip.

Now, back to New South Wales. I google it and up comes a map. The main city is Sydney. That gives me a handy alliteration. Initial letter S. Sydney is in New South Wales.

I take a look at Australia in Wiki but don't get given the States which I would expect to be first. Finally, another search brings up the states. Two are easy to identify and remember. Western Austrlia is in the West. Southern Australia is in the south, in the centre of the South.  

The two others are Queensland and Victoria. Fortunately they are in that order, reading noth to south. Queensland is north of New South Wales. Victoria is south of New South Wales.

Now I can look at a blank map and work out which state is which.

The island is Tasmania. Its capital is Hobart.

Map in Wiki from 

User:Lokal_Profil

v t e Largest populated areas in Australia 2021 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics[307]
Rank	Name	State	Pop.	Rank	Name	State	Pop.
1	Sydney	NSW	5,259,764	11	Geelong	Vic	289,400
2	Melbourne	Vic	4,976,157	12	Hobart	Tas	251,047
3	Brisbane	Qld	2,568,927	13	Townsville	Qld	181,665
4	Perth	WA	2,192,229	14	Cairns	Qld	155,638
5	Adelaide	SA	1,402,393	15	Darwin	NT	148,801
6	Gold Coast–Tweed Heads	Qld/NSW	706,673	16	Toowoomba	Qld	143,994
7	Newcastle–Maitland	NSW	509,894	17	Ballarat	Vic	111,702
8	Canberra–Queanbeyan	ACT/NSW	482,250	18	Bendigo	Vic	102,899
9	Sunshine Coast	Qld	355,631	19	Albury-Wodonga	NSW/Vic	97,676
10	Wollongong	NSW

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are eight capital cities in Australia, each of which functions as the seat of government for the state or territory in which it is located. One of these, Canberra, is also the national capital. Section 125 of the Constitution of Australia specified that the seat of the national government, that is, the national capital, would be in its own territory within New South Wales, at least 100 miles (161 km) from Sydney. The Constitution specified that until this national capital was ready, the Parliament would sit in Melbourne. In 1927, the national capital was finally ready and the national government relocated from its former seat in Melbourne to Canberra within the Australian Capital Territory (or the Federal Capital Territory as it was known at the time).

In each state and internal territory, the capital is also the jurisdiction's most populous city. The Australian external territory of Norfolk Island has its official capital at Kingston, although this acts merely as the administrative centre of government; its de facto capital is Burnt Pine.^[1]

WESTERN AUSTRALIA NORTHERN TERRITORY SOUTH AUSTRALIA QUEENSLAND NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA TASMANIA ●Perth ●Adelaide ●Melbourne ★Canberra (ACT) ●Sydney ●Brisbane ●Hobart ●Darwin

State and territory capitals of Australia

State/territory	Capital	City population[2]	State/territory population[3]	Percentage of state/territory population in capital city	Established	Capital since	Image
New South Wales	Sydney	5,029,768	7,759,274	64.82%	1788	1788
Victoria	Melbourne	4,725,316	6,179,249	76.47%	1835	1851
Queensland	Brisbane	2,360,241	4,848,877	48.68%	1825	1860
Western Australia	Perth	2,022,044	2,558,951	79.02%	1829	1829
South Australia	Adelaide	1,324,279	1,713,054	77.31%	1836	1836
Tasmania	Hobart	224,462	517,588	43.37%	1804	1826
Australian Capital Territory	Canberra	403,468	403,468	100.00%	1913	1913
Northern Territory	Darwin	145,916	245,740	59.38%	1869	1911

References[edit]

1. ^ Norfolk Island - Kingston http://www.pitcairners.org/vt_kingston.html Norfolk Island's Home on the Web
2. ^ Statistics, c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=Australian Bureau of (28 July 2017). "Main Features - Main Features". www.abs.gov.au.
3. ^ Statistics, c=AU; o=Commonwealth of Australia; ou=Australian Bureau of (28 July 2017). "Details - Main Features". www.abs.gov.au.

So, to sum up

Capital - State

Sydney - New South Wales

Melbourne - Victoria

Brisbane - QLD

Adelaide - SA

Perth - WA

Capital of Australia - Canberra

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_capital_cities#:

For pictures of Bago Winery go to the previous post.

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To arrange times of meetings around the world, and Get to Singapore meetings and other Zoom meetings on time

 

World time zones. Picture from Wikipedia.

When arranging meeting times you need to check the time zones in other areas. Fix meeting times to suit the majority.

Then add the times to your publicity. Let us take an example. I have arranged a meeting in Singapore and hope to attract visitors from other countries such as as the USA, UK, Australia, China, Japan, and Korea. I need to find their time zones. I must also take into account British summer time (clocks forward) and European time, and Australian end of summer since their seasons are reversed.

So here is my first draft:

About the Author

To practise your English, come to Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters on learncool.sg, first Wednesday evening of the month, Singapore time, 7-10pm.  Next meeting Wednesday March 7th 2021.

To add a clock to the time and date page and see when the meetings are your time go to this website.

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/personal.html

I checked my world clocks for a few cities this March (after the clocks changed in the UK to summertime in March) and found out:

Singapore flag.

Singapore is the same time zone as:

Flag of China - same time zones as Singapore in  China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Perth, Western Australia. Same time zone as Singapore. (And China.)

SINGAPORE, CHINA & PERTH are the same time

19 hours=7 pm - to 10 pm (22 hrs) in Singapore will be the same time in China, (Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and Taiwan). Also Perth in W Australia.

Flag of South Korea. Capital city, Seoul.

Flag of Japan, capital Tokyo.

Korea and Tokyo

In Korea and Tokyo never mind if you log in to a Singapore meeting up to an hour late, because your time is one hour ahead. Being East of Singapore you reach dawn and noon and sunset earlier. 

So we in Singapore are an hour behind you if you are in Korea or Tokyo. 

Singapore meeting start time of 7 pm is already 8 pm in Korea and Tokyo.

Sydney - Sunrise and Sunset Earlier

On the other hand, in Sydney you got up earlier and reach bedtime earlier, so 7 pm in Singapore is 9 pm in Sydney.  

However, you will be yawning at midnight at the end of our meeting finishing at 10 pm Singapore time.

Flag of Australia.

Sydney opera house by night. Over on the east side of Australia. This area of the world reaches dawn first but also midnight.

 Singapore on Saturday Afternoon - Time

BHA toastmasters speakers' training club meets a second time each month, at 2pm to 5 pm on the third Saturday each month. In Singapore the Saturday meeting will be the same difference from other countries. (Except  I must watch out for the change in Australia.)

Singapore on Saturday Afternoon is the same times in China

So the 2 pm Saturday meeting start in Singapore is also 2 pm in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Over in Tokyo and Korea it will be an hour later, at 3 pm. 

The same goes for Perth. 

Those in Sydney must join the meeting before 5 pm their time.

The meeting ending in Singapore at 5pm, in time for tea, ends at 7 pm in Sydney, just in time for dinner.

However, going back in the west direction:

UK

If Singapore is GMT+7 in summer time, a meeting starting at 7 pm in Singapore is noon in the UK.

About The Author Angela

Angela Lansbury is a British author who has lived in the USA.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

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Who Is On Your Time Zones And Can Join Your Online Meeting in the USA, UK, China, Singapore, Italy, Russia or Australia?

Braddell Heights Advanced on learncool.sg

China and Singapore
The whole of China is on one time zone, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

What about the rest of Asia?

Indonesia
Jakarta is one hour behind Singapore. (The sun sets earlier there.)

This suits Asia because they like their early morning markets, and climbing volcanoes, starting at dawn, to be at the top for the view or sunrise you have to be up there by 5.

So, if Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters club is holding online meetings from 7 pm to 9.30 pm that is 6 pm to 8.30 pm in Jakarta.

The USA and UK
I remember when I was a school children in the UK and Kennedy was killed in the afternoon, we watched the announcement with blank screen and mournful music in the UK in the evening.

USA
New York is in the Eastern time zone, five hours behind London, England.
New York is in the same time zone as Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington DC.
Also Montreal and Ottawa and Quebec in Canada. Also Caracus.

Singapore
Looking at this chart I can see that my Singapore club meetings are on the same time zone as Perth in Australia, Shanghai in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philppines and Taiwan.

I can also work out that a blog written before midnight in Singapore in English is likely to be read by English speaking people in Perth and Shanghai, Malaysia and so on.

Author
Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)
Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,
Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.
I am also a member of
Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. I am also a member of
Tampines Changkat Advanced.
Harrovians, London.
Toastmasters International Find a Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
learncool.sg
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Australia (Perth), Singapore

Country	Region	Timezone
Australia	Perth	Australian Western Standard Time (AWST)
Brunei	countrywide	Brunei Darussalam Time (BNT)
China	Shanghai	China Standard Time (CST)
Hong Kong	countrywide	Hong Kong Time (HKT)
Indonesia	Makassar	Central Indonesia Time (CIT)
Macao	countrywide	China Standard Time (CST)
Malaysia	countrywide	Malaysia Time (MYT)
Philippines	countrywide	Philippine Time (PHT)
Russia	Irkutsk	Irkutsk Time (IRKT)
Taiwan	countrywide	China Standard Time (CST)

Watch out For Confusing Names: New York, Paris, Perth, London, Manchester, Columbus, But enjoy the associations

What can the map tell us? What can we learn from our travels?


Flag of the USA

New York
New York in the USA is named after York in England. When I first visited New York in the USA, I was puzzled by the fact that New York was often written as New York, New York. The City and the state have the same name. I have vivid memories of my first trip, walking down the spiral Guggenheim art Gallery, later reading about Guggenheim on the Titanic. I cheered myself up taking a bus tour, a Duck tour into the river, and sampling some Hersheys chocolate at an enormous shop.

York, over in England is a major attraction. Not just the large cathedral. You can walk around the city's impressive old defensive walls. York is small. The narrow alleys are full of dinky little shops, seling antiques and modern crafts. And a chocolate museum or two. Brits fondly remember Rowntrees of York.

New York in the USA has modern skyscrapers. What about history? Art deco buildings.

I once asked a girl at the World Travel Market in London, England, 'What would you say to British tourists who argue, 'I don't want to visit New York because it has no history; I would rather visit Greece!"?


Flag of Greece

She snapped, "I'd say, 'Come to New York. I have been to Greece. They have hundreds of years of history - but they still can't get the plumbing right!' "

I was glad I asked. I had not endeared myself to the PR girl, but I had received an interesting and amusing answer.

Let's move on around the map.

Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas, was named after Paris in France. It is easy to work that one out.

Manchester, Where?
When I lived in London, I was puzzled when I heard a song in a musical about Manchester, England. Nobody in England specifies that Manchester is in England. When I try to look up Manchester in Wikipedia, I immediately find myself on a page about Manchester United Football Club. But there is another Manchester, not in England.

London, England.
That is why you must add the country when addressing letters. I went from London, England, to live in the USA, and told people I was from London. My accent is British. Most people worked out that I was from London, England.










Flag of Canada, featuring the maple leaf.

London, Canada
However, several people asked me, "Are you from Canada?"
"No, England."
"So sorry."
"Never mind."

I didn't mind. The trouble only started when I left the USA to go back to England.

Stratford, Canada
When my family moved to the USA, we took several trips to Canada. We learned to add maple syrup to our porridge at breakfast time.

I vividly recall being in a hotel near Niagara and picking up a leaflet on Stratford and Shakespeare plays being performed that summer. I wondered why a Canadian hotel had leaflets about the UK. Then I discovered that Canda has a place called Stratford and a Shakespeare theatre season.

When I got back to the UK, American PR ladies would phone me and ask, "Have you received my invitation to visit our new hotel and nearby museum?"

I would answer, "No, I haven't. but thanks for calling me and telling me about it. I am in England right now. But I shall look you up next time I am in the USA."

Neither of us realised what had happened to the missing letters. Months later I received envelopes redirected from Canada.



Perth, Australia
After that I visited Australia. If you go to Australia, or just look on the map, or at the index to a map book or guide book, you will see that a city called Perth is in Scotland. Another Perth is in Australia. That is why you must add the country, when addressing letters. When you meet a man with a Scottish accent in Australia and ask where are you from, if he says Perth, you need to ask, "Perth in Australia or Perth in Scotland?"

Conclusion
The popular saying goes, the world is a small place. On the contrary, it is a big place. Big enough for your plane or letter or luggage or even you, yourself, to end up on the wrong continent. Watch those city names! Add the country name!

However, to look on the bright side, after you have been to both cities which sound alike, visiting either will draw your attention to the contrasts and their history. You can enjoy indulging in daydreams about the differences and associations. I think of New York and York. York had Rowntrees chocolate and New York has Hersheys chocolate. Ah!

!

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

How Do You Remember The Australian States? What have they in common with learning Chinese Numbers?

AUSTRALIA

Where are the states of Australia? Could you quickly teach them to somebody else? How do you remember them?

Problem
I was learning Chinese numbers on Duolingo when up popped a suggestion that I try their Tinycards. I know and like the Tinycards. Before I could find the ones on Chinese numbers, up popped the suggestion that I try the states or territories of Australia.  I've always wanted to know these. There are fewer than a dozen. Fewer than half a dozen. Five big ones. How hard is that! I thought I would try this quiz and add to my general knowledge about countries. How does it work?

Answers
It's a bit like the multiple choice questions in the Chinese numbers.

Chinese Numbers
In the Chinese numbers, they offer five choices. One of the choices is Yuan, which is the currency, and this comes last. So you are left with four choices. You start by process of elimination. The same applies to learning the Australian territories.

We start on the left, the West, the nearest point if you are flying into Australia. Western Australia has to be to the left. Northern is to the North. South is in the middle in the south.  But note that although it's Western and Northern, it's not Southern but South. I got that wrong the first time.

(Perth, with an E and an R, is in Western Australia.)

Now we come to New South Wales. It's not in the centre south because we've already done that one.

So let's look at the last word of the three, Wales, which is furthest East of the three word New South Wales.  That sounds is a bit like Wales on the Map of Great Britain, lower down, but not on the west of Australia, on the east.

Photo by Adrian Gigante from Sydney. In Wikipedia.

Think of Sydney Harbour Bridge, like the bridge across to Wales. Think that Down Under, where the seasons are reversed, they do things differently.

Severn Bridge. Wales. UK. Photo from Wikipedia. Public domain.

The Severn Bridge, Wales.
Now, next, what is north of New South Wales? Queensland. Wales is part of Britain, the Queen's land. (Of course, these places were named in the time of Queen Victoria. But you can think of Queen Elizabeth II.

I looked at the map and didn't even notice Victoria until I brought it up on the more detailed map.

It's in the east and south.

Logically, going south on the east coast, we say Queen Victoria, so Queen(sland) is to the north of New South Wales and Victoria is to the south, Victoria from the past being less important and smaller than the Queen.

Melbourne is named after one of Queen Victoria's ministers, the Prime Minister. The name was not chosen by Victoria by the Governor of Victoria. So it is in what was his territory, Victoria.

Look at the map and say the names, three or four times. However, I think that's hardly necessary. I know them all. You also learn by teaching. Maybe you could teach somebody else.

Useful Websites
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/2JvHmk3/chinese-numbers
https://tinycards.duolingo.com/decks/oM9Qei/australian-states-territories

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please save (bookmark) and pass on links to your family and friends.