[Randy]

[quote author=jules
"Only a week to town on horseback, provided the creeks aren't flooding. Still, there's always the Flying Doctor and when the mail flight stops by it's great to have a cup of tea and share yarns about the Big Smoke."

Criky!   No wonder you use solar. You don't have any electric service.

[jules]

Sorry mate, a bit of Australian humour there on my part 

I'm 20 min. from town and the Yowies really aren't much of a problem at all.

Oh yes, the power thing ... the grid's a few miles away but connection would cost an arm and a leg.

jules

[Randy]

Well, Jules, I believed every word because I used to teach school in the Wyoming outback 65 miles from the nearest town .  Two students from the same family.  And I did have to ford a creek to get to town.  Everything you said sounded reasonable to me.

[jules]

Interesting teaching job Randy! Certainly opposite to an overcrowded classroom.

It's still true that there's  quite a few places in Aus. where grid power and even phone connection doesn't exist. There's a few examples of small solar powered communities and the size of the country, amount of sunlight and distances involved favour the technology. It's even true that the Flying Doctor still exists though you don't hear too many people who still use the word "Crikey" 

Handy to be free from RFI and have clean power. I sometimes wonder if my equipment would sound as clean in say, NY though.

jules