Category Archives: Researching & Writing in Australia

Construction and commodification of Tiger Woods: tabloid practices, media consumption, celebrity cult, and the collapse of a social system

Posted on 10/04/2010 by

Yes, I’m trying to come up with a research paper on the topic above. So here’s a bit of a background: Background The name “Tiger Woods” represents a multi-million dollar brand endorser owned by transnational capitalists such as Nike, Accenture, … Continue reading →

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The Chinese at Sovereign Hill

Posted on 25/06/2009 by

The Chinese Camp The Chinese community has been recreated in Sovereign Hill. Investing in a research project amounting to $1.8 million, this camp acknowledges the presence of the Chinese during the Gold Rush Era. An additional $500,000 investment was also … Continue reading →

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Gold Transformed a Nation

Posted on 24/06/2009 by
[caption id="attachment_238" align="aligncenter" width="440" caption="Ballarat is an open museum-- a city made of gold. "]Ballarat is an open museum of a city made up of gold. [/caption]

Gold! Gold! Gold!

”Victoria was made; here were prospects of wealth for all…”–Geoffrey Serle (1963,p. 10)

The quest for gold which is immortalised in various legends and myths depicts man’s indomitable spirit for adventure. Diggers sail from far away lands braving the raging seas, tragic tales of shipwrecks, and threats of beheading from the natives to bag that prize of gold.

Victoria, then known as Port Phillip District, was the metaphorical El Dorado which promised great riches to everyone. Its goldfields contained the richest and most tantalising alluvial deposits in the history of the world. (Bate 1978, p.7) The discovery of gold in 1851 lured droves of diggers and immigrants from far and wide, including those who made their fortunes from the earlier Californian Gold Rush dating back to 1848.

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Carlton: From “Little Italy” to “Students’ Precinct”

Posted on 24/06/2009 by

A Melbourne Suburb Profile To anyone doing a research on Carlton, this article might help: Carlton, located north of the Central Business District (CBD), is the second most populated suburb in the City of Melbourne. It is a vibrant and … Continue reading →

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Researching and Writing Australia Wrap-up

Posted on 24/06/2009 by

Successful completion of the unit required two 2000-word essays and a final 5000-word research project. Mission accomplished: First Essay- Movie Review on Baz Lurhmann’s Australia Critique on the movie focused on the Oscar Dream fiasco of Lurhmann, a dream shattered … Continue reading →

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What went wrong with Baz Lurhmann’s Australia?

Posted on 08/03/2009 by

It was not a bad movie; I never thought it was. Fact is I enjoyed every minute of it – the whole 190- minute run. I have thought the cinematography is superb and the social milieu that made up its … Continue reading →

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Continuous Discovery of Australia

Posted on 06/03/2009 by

John Arnold is right when he said you can get a gist of Australian history in an hour by reading Mark Peel’s A Little History of Australia (Melbourne University Press, 1997). It’s a 86-page book that gives a summary of … Continue reading →

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