Increasing drought, loss of native species invasion of non-native species, a diminishing water table increasingly polluted by salt, a growing ozone hole (last year the southern ozone hole was the largest recorded), I wonder whether the Australian dream has a long-term future, or whether the land will create a new 'dream time' of the memory of a once vibrant economy and the cities that it spawned?

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/water/st...1942068,00.html

with its resources it will always be sustainable and as we sent our more robust "stock" in its initial stocking they should be able to cope after all we dont want them back the pubs are full of them behind the bar

Interesting article here. http://www.abc.net.au/landline/stories/s799681.htm

on the peninsular where i live our water is piped from the river Murray, Lots of people have rainwater tanks but the lack of rain this year means the tanks are not being topped up again.
The farmers that have any crops to get are reaping early this year and this year grain is bringing the highest price for some time.

They could save a lot by not watering their beer down as much.

Hardly surprising it it?
Perth is about as far south of the Equator as Morrocco is north of it, I believe.

Clifftop, I know many farmers have their own boreholes (some pretty deep!). Are they becoming salinised as well?

dont know of any farmers round here with them but salt is a huge problem where i live, in the early days this town was one of the biggest exporters of salt around with nearly 200 salt lakes.
further up the peninsula they still harvest salt by the evaporation method.

see:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story...1968543,00.html

Iwas at a BBQ on Friday, there was about 8 farmers there.They all said its the worst year they have had,one of them stopped reaping after 4 hours because he hadnt a bin full,another had turned the sheep on to the crop because there wasnt enough to reap.For years the government have been talking about FIXING the Murray, they even had a levy imposed to raise money to FIX it, the have done b***er all up to now except put water restrictions on.Now we are going to have a 60% increase in water costs. Further up the river they are growing Rice and cotton,two crops that need a huge amount of water but they are in another State so we have no control or input over that.

Bet you still dont pay what i do! My water and sewerage bill is just under a £1000 a year and it rains here!!!