Down under in the WC universe

Farbourne

Farbourne

Rear Admiral
Funny things you pick up. I just finished reading a travel book about Australia (One for the Road by Tony Horwitz...decent read if you like travel humor) and realized that there are a number of WC locations named after places in Australia.

Ayer's Rock is obvious, but Port Hedland and Caernarvon (except it's actually spelled Carnarvon in Australia) also seem to be named after places in Australia.

Was one of the creative team behind WC an Aussie? And are there any other little Australian references (geographic or otherwise) in the games?
 
Ayer's Rock is obvious, but Port Hedland and Caernarvon (except it's actually spelled Carnarvon in Australia) also seem to be named after places in Australia.
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There's a Carnarvon in Ausralia but the name itself is Welsh--and the original city is in Gwynedd, Wales, so that's probably where Wing Commander II's name came from.
 
I remember someone being FURIOUS at the old Origin message board in 1995 because Hunter's grandmother had a "ranch outside Sydney" and there (aren't now? wouldn't be in the future? can't remember) any ranches there.

The lesson is that people became furious for awesome reasons in 1995.
 
I don't know what sort of arguments people used back then, but 'ranch' generally isn't a term that's used very often in Australia. Farms, bushland, outback, cattle stations, and the like are more often used, I think.
 
Ranch is an American term that is derived from Spanish.

My Downunder Peeve with Wing Commander continuity is that Doomsday's home was spelt Hawk Bay instead of Hawkes Bay...
 
Wedge009 said:
I don't know what sort of arguments people used back then, but 'ranch' generally isn't a term that's used very often in Australia. Farms, bushland, outback, cattle stations, and the like are more often used, I think.
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'Roadhouse' was one I saw a lot, especially in WA.

As Wedge will know, it basically refers to a fuel station in the middle of nowhere with a constant skeleton crew running the station and attached motel. I found some weird ones when I crossed the Nullarbor plain, 'Belladonia roadhouse, population: 19.'

Nothing too ranch like in the central part of urban Sydney, but I did find a bar made entirely of Ice on Circular Quay though :D
 
That's pretty much what it is, as far as I know. They tend to be in the sparsely populated areas, I think - most of the highways in the eastern states have enough towns and cities between them that a roadhouse isn't needed.

Is that the Minus5 Ice Bar? I remember seeing something about it on TV some time ago, but never had reason to go there myself.
 
Indeed, the Minus Five! The only bar where they provide eskimo jackets and give you a fifteen minute time limit, but for novelty factor it was cool with everything (literally everything) being made of ice.

Sydney is a class city - you're very lucky (of course I say that after only six weeks of having stayed there in 2006, with tourist glasses on, wouldn't really know what it's like to live there).
 
I never used to go to the city that much. I live in the north-west suburbs. I only started working in the city in March this year. The travel is a pain, especially since the area I live in has poor public transport service. But we make do. There are good things and bad everywhere you go.

As far as tourist glasses go, I enjoyed being a tourist in my birthplace, London. But that was back in 2001. Six weeks is quite a good length of time for a holiday. I'm glad you were able to spend that much time here.
 
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