Old man over the hill

@RogerTheFreeMan @ausstockchick I've always been partial to the boatshed in south Perth and I had a surprisingly excellent meal at Fraser's recently.

@mac95871978 @ausstockchick Which 2? Friends used to be good. Though I don't even know if they exist any more.

Trying to make a booking for dinner in Perth tonight. Between 5-8pm all good restaurants are booked out. I don’t get it? I thought people are pleading poverty? Maybe we aren’t all broke after all? #ausbiz

@Dr_M_Davis Short of nuc, China can't blockade Perth, Newcastle, Adeliade, Brisbane or Sydney, they don't have the force projection. Darwin we do what we always do, truck it. Distance works in our favour here. Shipping time and cost increase, but we draw fuel from northern H at higher cost.

@Dr_M_Davis That war would drop out diesel consumption by about 20% straight up as 80% of mining will come to a halt, Both Iron ore and thermal coal. There is no version where the tankers stop coming, take longer, yes, less, yes, dearer yes, but fuel will flow and a balance achieved.

Australia is facing a very serious and likely long lasting fuel crisis as a result of #Iran closing the Straits of Hormuz. Now consider the scenario of a future war in the Indo Pacific region, perhaps as a result of a #Taiwan straits crisis, where #China deliberately targets our oil and natural gas supply through the archipelago to our north, specifically to coerce Australia into not supporting the United States or it’s allies in defending the liberal democracy of #Taiwan. This scenario could also see direct attacks on our ports and other infrastructure in the north of Australia to starve us of essential fuel supplies. Rather than a distant war, it would see daily attacks directly on Australia itself. Such a scenario is likely if China decides to use military force to impose unification on Taiwan, against the wishes of the Taiwanese people. This could happen within this decade or early in the next. With this future scenario in mind, the key lesson for government emerging from the #IranWar‌ of 2026 is that Australia cannot be resilient so long as it is so dependent on distant energy supplies, and is not able to defend vital maritime trade routes, choke points and narrows through which our essential trade flows. Bottom line: we need greater self sufficiency in energy and fuel by increasing sovereign fuel reserves to the IEA minimum of 90 days and we need to build additional onshore refineries. We need to harden our critical infrastructure associated with energy and fuel. And we need to have a means to defend this infrastructure including with investment into Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) systems for the north. Oh, and we need a larger and more powerful ADF than is currently planned and budgeted for by government in the 2024 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program. We need to be able to project greater power and sustain larger forward presence, rather than waiting for the adversary to gain the initiative in a crisis, as we sit behind our northern approaches in the ‘Sea-Air Gap’. The ‘strategic moat’ is no longer a barrier to attack. That demands government significantly increase defence spending to a floor of 3.5% and 1.5% for national security and do so NOW - not in ten years time.

@TheBaseLeg hmmm, odd.

People are asking if this is Nevatim while I’m wondering why is it carrying blue bands and a travel pod “…after a combat flight…”

@WhiteRabbitIA The bulk tankers have to stop completely for this to happen. Most diesel used in WA is for mining. If there is any reduction in tankers arriving, just need to close a few mines and the rest of the state continues to run just fine with the reduced diesel.

🚂🚚 Perth, Western Australia: The most isolated city in the world How WA gets non-bulk freight (food, medical, consumer goods) from Aus eastern states: Rail: • ~57% rail • Trans-Australian Railway across Nullarbor • Diesel locomotives. No electrified freight across Nullarbor • ~1 week transit time Road: • ~43% road • 2,700km+ journey • Diesel trucks. 3-4 days each way • 2-4 days transit time Sea: • Unclear percentage • Coastal shipping, multiple sailings per week • Used mainly for non-urgent, bulk/heavy items • Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) or Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) • 10-14 days door-to-door. 1 week sailing + port handling When fuel runs out: • Trucks & trains can’t cross Nullarbor • Ships can’t sail • No alternative routes • No backup systems • Perth gets cut off

@beaglier_ @Tablesalt13 so true.

@Tablesalt13 lmao Perth is like a foreign country to the rest of Australia. We barely acknowledge each other existence.

Perth, Australia is surrounded by 1500kms of desert and endless oceans in every direction There are only 3 highways in or out if the Australian fuel supply chain breaks these 2.5 million people are going to be all alone.

@Tablesalt13 There are some pretty big storage tanks around here. we will be fine!

@Monaghan3Paul @redunley Beat me to it!

@redunley Guaranteed unsinkable.

So if this AUKUS malarkey doesn’t come off I’ve got a sub for sale. Top deal, only $10 billion…

@WeaponScientist @alexplitsas @Mpolymer What state are the houthis in to undertake a sustained attack. After the last round not sure the Iranians were in any position to fully re-arm them etc, and their target acquisition is a lot worse without Iranian support

@alexplitsas @Mpolymer Shipping through Bab el-Mandeb still hasn’t recovered to 2023 levels. So there are diminishing returns on further Houthi action.

This tracks with what I’m hearing about Iran holding the Houthis in reserve as the regime believes the current strategy of holding the Strait of Hormuz at risk is working but will have the Houthis put rhetoric Bab el-Mandeb straits at risk too if they feel the need too.

@TrentTelenko Mis-leading analysis. Onshore stocks are down to 21 days , but combined onshore and on water stocks is 46 days which is pretty much business as usual 1news.co.nz/2026/03/25/how…

Oh My!

@NZ_Trav Yep, pretty much a declaration of undying war!

Looks like it's "bomb our little hearts out" then.

@NZ_Trav @Frances_Mng NZ is a long way from anywhere (even by Perth standards), so it does take a while for news to get out. Curious, has there been much push back on the renewed focus on the military from isolationist left of politics?

@Frances_Mng Accurate article, however old news. The quotes from the Defense Minister are months old too.

“New Zealand is known for majestic landscapes, epic filmmaking and once-in-a-lifetime vacations. Now, the country is embarking on a more off-brand project: bolstering its tiny military, as China sends forces deeper into the Pacific.” wsj.com/world/oceania/…

@NZ_Trav The way it been going over the last decade it's at risk of losing it dry lake status!

Looks like Lake Eyre and a few other usually dry features have water in them too

This is awesome. As well as the greening, you can also see Tropical Storm Narelle moving back over the ocean in Western Australia and reintensifying again, likely to a cat. 2-3, and to the far right subtropical storm 28P which has triggered heavy rain and wind warnings in New Zealand.

@AshtonCirillo 🍀🫰

They almost got me again. Back in hospital for another week or so but alive. First mission back yesterday, a russian FPV had me until it hit a tree branch and exploded above by head on the descent. Better luck next time fools. Victory is Ukraine.

@MeNMyRC1 Not much time left, the exclusion zone ends the 26th.

Two days in a row for Halo-51, N551HA, operating out of RAAF Edinburgh in Australia. SCIFire/HACM testing will/is take place at the Woomera test range. Halo-51 is optimized to collect imagery of the launch and boost phases of missile testing. All we will get is spotty tracking, hopefully someone local can catch an image of an F-18 heading to the range carrying the test vehicle.

@Combat_learjet Technically a controlled crash?

BUTTER!!!

@Kama_Kamilia How many do you want, we have >42million of them, we are allowed up to 2 for personal use/ transport

It means I can have a kangaroo now?

@AndrewBGreene @DefenceDollars @MichaelS_SAA Get over yourselves. War time experience consistently shows higher availability. Ships on training become deployable very quickly, realistic war time deployment will be 5-6. Only re-fueling will rule a sub out completely out from any period. Surging is a known and real capability

AUKUS submarines: US and UK partners show the realities facing Australia's small fleet. A considered and sensible piece from two of the country’s leading experts in this field ⁦@DefenceDollars⁩ @MichaelS_SAA strategicanalysis.org/aukus-submarin…

@SimonCotter62 report the station they know its illegal them to full none registered containers, just says the station wanting all the cash it can get at the moment.

Just saw a fuckwit with a 1000litre IBC filling up at our local servo. You know the type.. shitbox ute, one tiny strap holding it onto his aluminium tray. I hope the IBC springs a leak