Who Knew Coal Could Be So....Interesting?

The Hunter Valley’s second industry that we explored was the mining industry.  Mining in Australia has been a major industry since the 1850’s beginning with the gold rush (Davidson).  Coal mining in particular has an effect on the economy in that it represents a great deal of the coal needed in the nation, and it is exported all over the world.  Macquarie Generation Station produces 40% of New South Wales’ coal and provides 15% of the coal needed throughout Australia (Brett).   Globally Australia has made its mark in coal mining as Port Waratah Coal Services, for instance, ships coal to countries including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Mexico. 

The global climate change occurring throughout the world has had an impact on Australia.  Many areas where mining is a prevalent industry have been affected by increasing amounts of rain.  Nigel, one of our guides, mentioned the flooding that has occurred this year and how it has impacted the industry.  Rain causes the miners to miss opportunities to work, as the plant runs 24/7.  As long as major importers such as China and Japan need coal, the Australian mining companies cannot afford to miss work.  Greenhouse gases are another implication of mining.  Mining companies work to be as sensitive as possible to the environment without completely stopping what they are doing.  Some actions they are taking to reduce the impact of coal mining are recycling water, protecting wetlands, and managing water and waste.  (PWCS article). 

One important aspect that I think the mining group should remember to include in their presentation is the affect coal mining has on a community and environment.  Brett and Brian, our guest speakers, each talked a little about this aspect, but I believe it is especially important.  The public should know and have a say about the implications an industry can have on their people and environment.   

Mmmm....Grapes.

On the sixth day we traveled a few hours to the Hunter Valley to explore some of the industries that flourish in this area.  Our first experience of the Hunter Valley was the winemaking industry.  We got a taste, literally, of how this industry has changed Australia’s economy and placed it on the map of globalization.

New technology seems to play a major role in changing industries.  Communication technology has been a useful tool for winemaking companies, specifically in the aspect of marketing.  The internet is the new and easy way for companies to maximize their marketing efforts.  Tempus Two has especially taken advantage of this opportunity to promote tourism through their company.  We saw the way in which Tempus Two incorporates high-end restaurants and shops with their winery to give tourists a complete experience. Both have made available the opportunity to order wines online.  Transportation of goods has proved to be a major factor of the thriving industry, with exports equaling over A$3 billion (The Economist). 

Tyrrell’s Wines and Tempus Two are very different wine experiences.  Even after 150 years of being in the Australian wine industry, Tyrrell’s Wines, which we toured first, is still very old fashioned.  Much of the wine is still made manually, but they are beginning to integrate machines that perform the processes of winemaking.  We actually got to see a few different parts of the cellar areas where the wine is stored.  The site of the winery is set off by itself in the country with an amazing view of the mountains and trees in the background.  The main house of the winery had dirt floors and was simple.  As for Tempus Two, the site was large and in the open.  Besides the vineyard, Tempus Two includes a Japanese and Thai restaurant, and art gallery, and an amphitheater.  Lisa McGuigan opened in Tempus Two in 2003 and it has a very modern feel to it.      

The changing climate of Australia could have damaging effects on the winemaking industry.  The area for quality grapes to be produced could be cut by 40% as temperatures increase (Hopkins).  Right now the climate seems optimal for winegrowing in the Hunter Valley region, but years from now the temperatures will be too warm for wineries to thrive as they do now.  As for changing tastes, the wineries seem to adapt and evolve their wines to the customer preferences.  They seem to enjoy their classic wines greatly, but still provide consumers with other options.      

Celebrate.

The city of Sydney hosts one of the largest, most popular New Year’s Eve celebrations in the world.  Planning for the event begins over a year in advance and almost one hundred professionals coordinate the entire event.  The cost of the enormous firework celebration is over millions of dollars, but produces upwards of $150 million in economic benefits to the city of Sydney (Sydney Media).  Each year thousands of people enjoy this wonderful event Sydney puts on free of charge, and this year I was one of them.

Along with the thousands of others flocking to the Sydney Harbour on December 31^st, 2010, my study abroad group caught a train to the center of the city and walked down to Rushcutters Bay.  We searched for a good view of the Harbour Bridge and surrounding buildings where the fireworks are launched. The fireworks are synchronized to music, but we were not able to hear it from where we were sitting.  The public is able to tune into the radio station 104.1 2Day FM to hear the music that went with the show (Sydney Media).  Because we left for the harbour around 5:30 PM we had a few hours to kill until the show began.  Luckily for us, there was a DJ nearby and plenty of people dancing.  A few of us joined them and before we knew it the 2011 was approaching.  We had a great view of the harbour, making the fireworks show an awesome experience. 

Tourist from all over the world together with native Australians seemed to be enjoying the event alongside us.The New Year celebration attracts international and interstate visitors alike, and Sydney’s tourism industry greatly benefits over the holiday.  According to Sydney Media, the average stay in Sydney over the holiday is 16 nights for international visitors and 8 nights for interstate visitors.  The tourism industry is rewarded by Sydney’s special holiday performance and the celebration is world renowned and millions of people want to take part in the event.     

The Blue Mountains...

On our third day in Sydney we took a bus up to visit the Blue Mountains.  We hiked down a mountain while Russ, our guide, explained much of the history and science of the mountains to us.  Although the hike was long and strenuous, the mountain scenery was absolutely beautiful.  The sandstone mountains and vegetation along the bluffs were astounding sights and it was very interesting to hear how they were created. 

As we walked along Russ named the birds that we could hear chirping in the background, such as the Bell Bird and the Cockatoo.  He showed us amazing lookouts and waterfalls along the way.  Although it was extremely hot at the top of the mountain and we dreaded what it would be like on the hike, it was surprisingly cool along our walk down the mountain as we were shaded by huge trees and the cliffs above us. 

One of the best parts of the hike was not having to walk back up the mountain, but getting to ride in the Katoomba Scenic Railway which, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the steepest in the world (Wikipedia).  The tourism group can really benefit from our experience at the Blue Mountains.  Because of its history, the Blue Mountains was named a World Heritage Area by UNESCO (Wikipedia).  People from all over the world want to visit this area during their time in Sydney.  Tourism strives to offer places of history as well as adventure in its industry.  The industry as a whole thrives on a tourists interests.  This place offers a unique combination of history and science, combined with outdoors adventure, making it an interesting and fun strategy for the tourism industry.   

I love long walks on the beach.....

Australia is a recently developed country that thrives on global trade.  Globalization 1.0 was extremely prevalent in Australia as it connected with China and Great Britain to become involved in world trade.   Australia has always had a great dependence on its ability to be involved in world trade.  Richard Florida’s article on how the world appears to be spiky, is based on the amount of economic activity that is generated from city to city.  The basis for measuring an economic spike is light emissions, patents, and population (2-4).  Urbanization has been the main factor of determining central economic activity centers.

At Bondi Beach I found it hard to distinguish between native Australians and the many tourists there were in Sydney.  People of all ages and cultures were at Bondi Beach the same day as us.  The main age range was between twenty and forty, but there were also families with children and older people too.  Many different were represented such as Asian cultures, European or white people (for instances, the ones we met from Norway), and a few Middle Eastern people too.  The nationalities that I saw lacked from Sydney were mainly African and Hispanic cultures.  There were maybe a few of each, but of the thousands of people on the beach that day, they were not equally represented.   In the chapters from Sharp’s book, The Typical Australian, the Australian culture is represented in different ways according to influencing cultures.  I honestly could not pick out an Australian from an American in appearance.  The only give-away for me is the accent.  From the eyes of a European, Australians seem “barbaric, loud-mouthed, ignorant, and uncultured” (Sharp, 10).  Some Australians do demonstrate these aspects while many others do not.

Our trip to the beach has to do with globalization 3.0 in that we encountered many individuals.  In today’s society the globalization movement of individuals interacting with other individuals plays a major role in business and economic situations.  We have to be conscientious of those around us, and respectful and acknowledging of other cultures.