Australia is a country of beaches and barbeques, a place not normally known for literature but unbeknownst to the international literati, there is a culture of literary genius brewing just beneath the surface, ready to explode.

February – Adelaide Writers’ Week

The literary year kicks off with Adelaide Writers’ Week in February, an event which has been announced as going annual from next year and is one of the oldest festivals of its kind in Australia with a history of more than 40 years. It will be playing host to a number of Australian writers as well as some big names from the international community.

Writers in attendance include Brian Castro, Nicholas Drayson and Michelle de Kretser whose latest novel The Lost Dog was long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2008. Joining them are international big hitters Irvine Welsh, Richard Dawkins and Jim Crace.   

March – Perth Writers Festival

Perth Writers’ Festival is held in Early March and this year saw a number of international writers in attendance such as Annie Proulx, Simon Armitage among many and a huge list of Australian writers.  

The festival takes the normal format with various events including seminars, readings, launches, discussions and workshops with something for everyone.

May – Sydney Writers’ Festival

Sydney Writer’s Festival from 16^th to 22^nd of May is without a doubt the largest in the year and the biggest in the southern hemisphere. On offer is a plethora of big names including David Mitchell, Michael Cunningham and Howard Jacobson.

There are a huge number of events featuring a bewildering number of writers. Around 60 percent of the events are free and include interviews, workshops, readings, lunches and panel discussions.

There is something for everyone over the week from politics (Naomi Oreskes) to food (AA Gill), fiction to poetry, current affairs (Fatima Bhutto) to history and Business to Art. The festival is so popular that many of the events are already sold out.

May – Emerging Writers’ Festival

The Emerging Writers’ Festival in Melbourne from 21^st to the 30^th of May is the place to go for new talent and is summed up by the words of Richard Watts, Director of the first Emerging Writers’ Festival in 2004.  

“Our Festival aims to support grassroots writing by providing a place to showcase the amazing diversity of work that new Australian writers are creating. At the Emerging Writers’ Festival, authors outside the mainstream can present their writing without the normal boundaries of literary fashion or favour. It’s a great opportunity for readers too, to hear fresh work from the best writers they haven’t heard of – yet.”

Tickets go on sale four weeks prior to the event and amateur writers are welcomed to contact the festival and get involved no matter what stage they are at in their journey. This is a really interactive event where anyone can take part as long as they have a passion for writing and something to say.

August – Melbourne Writers’ Festival

Melbourne Writers’ Festival runs from August 26^th to September 4^th and features over 300 writers from across Australia and the world. Each year the festival breaks its own box office record, over 40,000 people attended in 2010, its 25th year and this year’s festival is expected to be even bigger and better.

Last year one of the most eagerly anticipated events was a speech by Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The full festival program including attending writers will be released in July.

September – Brisbane Writers’ Festival

From September 7^th to 11th Australia the Brisbane Writers’ Festival is held in the State Library and plays host to a range of national and international writers. It has been running for a staggering 50 years. Much of this year’s programme is still to be confirmed. 

Many of Australia’s literature festivals are undergoing a degree of change; both the ACT Fiction Festival and the ACT Poetry Festival for example will no longer be running; instead the collective will be offering a series of seminars for those interested. Presumable while some festivals grow and gain a following others die out.

More details of any of the festivals will be announced closer to the time of the program being released so keep an eye out for all the latest information.

fibre optics will deliver internet to 93 percent of Australian homes at the speed of light

The Federal Government has chosen to install a $36 billion straight to the home fibre optic national broadband network instead of the $4.7 billion network which would have seen optical fibres connected to local exchanges that Labor originally proposed.  

The decision, which will see 93 percent of Australian homes connected, was made in order to stop Telstra from claiming $20 billion in compensation and building a network which could in theory bypass the government’s original proposed network thus rendering the whole project pointless.  

“No expert in the field, nowhere in the legal field, commercial field, would give us a suggestion that the sort of bill you’d pay to Telstra was anything less than $15 to $20 billion,” Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said on ABC’s Four Corners.

“Then Telstra could take that money and build a fibre-to-the-home network past you and strand 70 per cent of $15 billion on the side of the road.”

The Senator said that the original proposal would have meant using Telstra’s copper network and would have resulted in legal action. Instead, NBN Co, the company building the network will buy Telstra’s copper wires and cables for an estimated $11 billion.

The project was conceived in order to split Telstra which has a near monopoly on telecommunications in Australia however the NBN has received criticism from the opposition.

“Achieving separation by building an entirely new network owned by the government is surely the most expensive conceivable way of achieving that change,” they said.

When you think about literature immediately the UK comes to mind with authors like J.K. Rowling, then America with Stephen King and more recently the Netherlands with Stieg Larrson. Not many people think of Australia as a place brimming with literary talent but they are wrong. A prime example of this is The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, first released in Australia in 2008 it has since become an international bestseller.

So it is no surprise then that this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival is going to be a big one. It is due to be crammed full of big names such as restaurant critic AA Gill and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. 

Also in attendance will be Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, 2010 Man Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson as well as Australian authors Robert Manne, Sonya Hartnett, Markus Zusak, Kim Scott and Jon Bauer.

In total there are expected to be in the region of 400 participants and 300 events drawing in over 80,000 people from the 16^th to the 22^nd of May, making the Sydney Writers’ Festival one of the biggest in the world.

Artistic Director Chip Rolley said that the theme for this year’s event is Power.

“It started with the whole idea of the power that the writer has. We will only understand this world through language and through writers who explain it back to us.”

He said that there would be topics and events for everyone from terrorism to the economy to pornography.

“Once we announce this program, there are a lot of people who go out and buy the books to get ready for this event, so they’re prepared – like an exam,” he said.

The final resting place of a historic indigenous aborigine has been located

The grave of Woollarawarre Bennelong, one of Australia’s most famous historic indigenous figures has been located almost 200 years since his death by a leading academic and the local council.

Bennelong, the first indigenous Australian to live among white settlers has been resting quietly beneath a normal garden in peace in Putney, a north-western Sydney suburb beneath.

“We knew Bennelong was buried in the area but it’s always been an urban legend in terms of where,” said Dr Peter Mitchell, honorary associate professor of physical geography at Macquarie University.

The exact location will be released once the Wangal, Bennelong’s tribe have confirmed the location.

“We’ll make sure we get the elders there and make sure we do the right thing by the Aboriginal community,” local Councillor Vic Tagg said.

Bennelong adapted to European life quickly, teaching the colonizers about traditional aboriginal customs and language, working as a liaison between the two often conflicting communities and cultures.  

Bennelong Point was named after him and is now the site of the Sydney Opera House.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is expected to be used in airstrikes against Muammar Gaddafi's forces in the next few days

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has said he hopes that the UN Security Council decision to use “all necessary measures” in Libya has not come too late.  

“Let us all hope and pray that this final resolve of the international community is not too late for the people of Libya,” he said.

He said that Australia will not be providing military support in Libya in order to bring a stop to Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, to protect those affected civilians impose a no fly zone over Libyan air space.

“If the no-fly zone was imposed in this part of the world Australian assets would be considered as a possible inclusion in any such UN operation,” he said.

“This is in North Africa, it is adjacent to the NATO zone.

“It is across the Mediterranean from the NATO zone – this is primarily the responsibility of adjoining states.”

Mr Rudd said that while Australia will not be involved in any military action it will, as part of the global community; provide support for those who are more directly involved.

He said that the international community has a moral responsibility to be involved in a situation where the civilian population “run the huge risk of being butchered.”

Carbon Tax will have more benefits than just a better future

Professor Ross Garnaut, the government’s key climate advisor has said in his latest update of his 2008 report on climate change that tax payers would generally be better off if a price is put on carbon.  

Speaking to the National Press Club in Canberra he said that roughly 50 percent of the revenue from the carbon tax should be used to give tax breaks to those who need them.

“Overall, lower and middle income earners in Australia will be better off directly as a result of these arrangements and in addition future generations of their family will be protected from dangerous climate change,” he said.

Professor Garnaut has suggested that carbon be priced between $20 and $30 per tonne until an emissions trading scheme is brought into effect.

He said that some areas will be able to adapt more easily than others and that while heavy polluting areas will see job losses efforts should be made to introduce new green technologies and retrain.

“Carefully targeted and well-designed transition arrangements will help those regions use their advantages in the industries of the future,” he said.

He said that it is important for the government to offer incentives for those who reduce their power usage.

“If someone is paying more for electricity and getting more after-tax income through a tax cut or social security adjustment they still have a full incentive to economise and save electricity,” he said.

The government still has a lot to do in order to convince the public that a carbon price is necessary, perhaps once the legislation goes through there will finally be a green energies boom, something which has been possible for a long time.

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan which has already claimed hundreds of lives and made hundreds of thousands homeless NSW is sending a 76 person specialist search and rescue team.

The team will be made of urban search and rescue specialists, two structural engineers, eight paramedics, two doctors and a police specialist. The team will be heading for Japan in the next 12 hours.    

“There are fears that the death toll could be very high, with hundreds or even thousands of people killed as a result of the earthquake and tsunami,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens said.

“We are shocked and saddened by this disaster, and eager to do anything we can to help the victims.”

The NSW search and rescue team have had plenty of practice lately having been involved in both the Queensland floods and the Christchurch earthquake.

“We have established a very strong working relationship with the Japanese urban search-and-rescue teams over the years through training and during other disasters,” Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins said.

“Some of the rescuers we are sending are veterans of earthquakes in Taiwan, Turkey, Indonesia, and the Indian Ocean tsunami, and of course the Thredbo landslide.”

Australia is just one of many countries pledging aid to Japan following one of the most violent earthquakes on record.

If you pop down to your local supermarket the chances are you’ll be able to lay your hands on a bottle of Australian wine, this is because Australia is the world fourth largest wine exporter. Australia produces around 500 million litres of wine a year with over 60 wine producing regions throughout the country covering over 160,000 hectares of land however most of Australia’s wine is produced in the south where it is cooler.

Now, when discussing wine a word you will read and hear is terroir, this is a french word that has no direct english translation. Loosely translated however it means the variables associated with producing wine such as the lay of the land, humidity, soil type, average rain fall and so on. All of these factors have an impact on the taste of a wine, with certain varieties being suited to certain terroir.

Now, if you’re a wine buff planning a trip down under you’ll know all this already so i’ll get straight on with the four best wine regions in the country.

Hunter Valley

We begin our tour of Australia’s expansive wine country with Hunter Valley Wine Country just two hours from Sydney. It is one of Australia’s oldest and most famous wine producing regions. There you will find vineyards and grape varieties that have a heritage stretching back generations. The most prominent wine producing families are Drayton, Tulloch and Tyrrell.  

Pokolbin/Rothbury is one of the key wine producing areas in the region and is home to some of the oldest vineyards as well as restaurants and accommodation. Lovedale/North Rothbury is home to a number of newer and boutique wineries and art galleries. Broke Fordwich is also home to boutique wineries, fine restaurants and gourmet local produce. Dalwood is home to the oldest grapevines in the Hunter Valley region and Singleton has a number of boutique wineries.

Many of the wineries in the region offer private tastings, tutorials and educational courses.

Among its wide variety of wines The Hunter Valley region produces a nationally and internationally awarded Semillon, Verdelho which is a fruity medium bodied wine unique to Hunter Valley, a Shiraz distinctive to the region and a number of speciality wines including dessert and organic wines.

As well as a great place to enjoy some of the finest wines the country can muster, Hunter Valley is also a destination for food lovers. You can indulge your gastronomic senses in grand manors and boutique eateries.

There are events in the region from February through to November including Hunter Valley Wine and Food Month in June, a flower festival, a music festival and a chocolate festival.

Yarra Valley

the stunning Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley in Victoria is also one of the best known wine producing regions in Australia with a history stretching back 160 years. Among its 146 wineries are Chateau Yering, Domain Chandon and numerous restaurants all set in some of the most picturesque countryside in the world. All this can be found just 45 kilometres from Melbourne CBD.

Yarra Valley boasts an almost unbeaten range of topography, a variety of soil types and elevations above sea level meaning that producers there can grow a range of world class wine varieties. The award winning Yarra Valley Shiraz, an exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon and Moet Chandon are just a few of the wide variety that Yarra Valley has to offer.

Yarra Valley also has a number of annual events, one of which is Shortest Lunch, a chance to tour a number of the smaller and boutique wineries, enjoying good food and great wine in a relaxed atmosphere. The event is a celebration of the winter solstice and this year takes place on the 18^th and 19^th of June.

Shedfest Wine Festival on the 8^th and 9^th of October sees the wineries of the Warburton Highway open their sheds and celebrate all that is great about Yarra Valley with excellent food, great wines, a wealth of local produce and live music. Participating wineries include Brumfield Winery, Five Oaks Wines, Shelmerdine Vineyards, Seville Estate and more.

The Barossa

The Barossa in Southern Australia is yet another of Australia’s famous wine producing regions with a history spanning six generations and 150 years. There are over 70 tasting rooms, 150 wineries and 755 grape growers. As well as the wine there are historic towns with farmers markets where you can sample some of the local produce.

The Barossa is made up of two regions; Barossa Valley and Eden Valley and the area is dominated by two main soil types which help to create distinctive and often exceptional wines just an hour from Adelaide.

The main varieties produced are Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Semillon and Chardonnay and among them the Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling are considered two of the very best while Jacobs Creek is the local celebrity wine. Alongside these tried and tested varieties are a few new additions such as Tempranillo, Marsanne and Zinfandel which are gaining a strong following.

There are a number of events throughout the year, the largest being the Barossa Vintage Festival, a nine day celebration running from the 23^rd of April to the 1^st of May which features over 100 different events including live music, comedy, the Grand Vintage Festival Ball, auctions, tours and of course plenty of tastings. 

Swan Valley

Swan Valley in Western Australia is found just 25 minutes from Perth and is the state’s oldest wine producing region. Swan Valley is known for its boutique wineries and micro breweries and is home to more than 40 small family owned vineyards which produce excellent whites, reds and some of the world’s best fortifieds, many of which cannot be bought anywhere other than at the wineries that make them.

Wineries in Swan Valley include Ambrook Wines, Baxter-Stokes Wines, Henley Park Wines, Lilac Hill Estate, Waters Edge Winery and many more for you to discover and enjoy.

Perhaps the best way to see Swan Valley is the Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail, a 32 kilometre loop which takes in everything the region has to offer. On the trail you will visit a wide range of restaurants and cafes, wineries, breweries, distilleries.

 Along the way stop off at the Great Northern Distillery and try its award winning Canefire Rum and make sure you try the Feral White and Rust beers at Feral Brewery, both of which won best in their respective class at the Australian International Beer Festival.

In Swan Valley you can get a taste for the good life with fresh local produce, much of it organic and just about the freshest grapefruit juices on earth.   

All of the featured regions cater for weddings so why not combine the two greatest loves in your life in one special event beneath a spectacularly blue sky. As well as doing tasting, many breweries and wineries offer the opportunity to make and label your very own bottle, a perfect way to remember the experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio is to play Gatsby in the 3D adaptation

Australian director Baz Luhrmann has announced that his next film, The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, will be filmed in Sydney this year.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, published in 1922, has undergone many screen adaptations – but the world awaits to see what Luhrmann will do with it.

He famously set Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (also starring DiCaprio) in modern-day California, with guns replacing swords, so if anyone can get away with showcasing Sydney Harbour in The Great Gatsby, it’s gotta be Luhrmann.

Luhrmann is known for his quirky bohemian style, having been responsible for Moulin Rouge! (2001), an operatic vaudevillian extravaganza, which was also filmed in Sydney, as well as all-Aussie cult hit Strictly Ballroom (1991)

We can’t wait to see what sort of red-curtain theatrical twist he will give to The Great Gatsby, already big on operatics, plot-wise. Set in Long Island and New York, among the hedonistic aristocracy of the roaring 20s, it’s sure to be a heady experience – all the more so because it is being filmed in 3D!

Pre-production starts in Sydney this month, and filming commences in August. The film also stars Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire – so head to Sydney for some celebrity stalking.

Financial data released by leading Australian private schools has revealed that despite having more than twice the income of the average state school, their students do not perform proportionately better in tests.   

An analysis of private schools by The Weekend Australian has found that state schools who have far less funding than schools that charge fees manage to achieve roughly the same results for their students in the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

One such example is the difference in spending between Malvern Primary School in Melbourne’s suburbs which spends around $8000 per student and Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore) which spends around $23,000 per student.

Despite a difference of $15,000, there is no significant difference between the schools in terms of scores. This becomes even more concerning for those paying fees when you consider that Malvern spent $250,000 last year on capital works while Shore spent $40 million.

This is the story all across the country, private schools make more money, spend more money yet better results do not follow and in some instances state schools actually outperform private schools.

This is the case with Summer Hill in Sydney which spends $8000, $12,000 less than St Peter’s College in Adelaide yet its year 5 students score considerably higher.

Bill Daniels, executive director of the Independent Schools Council of Australia said that parents considered a whole host of aspects when choosing a private school.

“Independent schools offer so much more,” he said.