Hey, despite what I seem to see as your 'conspiracy theories, ' I still far far prefer the ALP over the LNP.
Back when we had Gough Whitlam and the ALP this country was prospering and growing because the ALP stood for the average people be they unionists or not.
Btw, FrayedBear, please don't try to convince me of the so-called 'evils' of Unionism when I was born and raised in one the then BIGGEST Producing Mining Towns in Australia.
Under the hob-nailed boots of the Big Australian, B.H.P., men, women and children were actually living as near damned to ABJECT poverty UNTIL a Union was formed.
Then came the Workers Strikes for better wages, shorter hours, better working conditions, NO child/person under 16 years to be employed underground or above ground on the mines.
Men worked up to and including 14 hours per day, 6 days per week in conditions that would be considered today as SLAVERY and continuous danger and peril as well.
Should you EVER get the chance, come up here and take a look at the Miners Memorial first hand, you WILL see how many lost their lives to make B.H.P. and the other companies richer than Croesus and ALL through the Blood, Sweat and Tears from the Miners and their families who left behind to grieve.
Unionism is a protection for the Workers AGAINST the exploitations of the Companies and the Bosses my friend.
It was a very sad and most unfortunate day when the LNP Weasel, one Noel Latham, tore down the Unions here to the level they are now in.
Men in the mines here NOW work 12 hour shifts, 10 days on and 4 days off, day shift starts at 7.00am and finishes at 7.00pm, night shift starts at 7.00pm and finishes at 7.00am the next morning, the miners HAVE to be at work and ready to go underground by 6.30am/6.30pm EVERY shift or they are suspended or sacked on the spot, NO excuses accepted either.
So don't tell me that Unionism is bad and the ALP is ruled over by Union Bosses, Banks, International Companies and the U.S.
The ALP may have lost its way these days BUT your precious LNP is in the pockets of the Banks, etc, etc, for far and deeply that they have NOT seen the light of day for decades.

@Triphid I do not dispute that unions throughout the world have achieved much to improve the citizen's lot. Sadly over the last 50 years I've seen the corruption caused by individual bad eggs destroying that work or simply done to satisfy personal greed. The NSW Labor has been full of them from Carr onwards.
Fyi I was an unexpected local union rep at the age of 22 working to obtain decent wages for those expected to work for the future benefit of being admitted into the occupation after passing the exams & completing indenture - study done by correspondence course.
I grew up inculcated by the philosophy of one of the best things to come out of unionism - the Co-op. Sadly I saw the demise of the Newcastle, NSW Co-op largely because of the corrupt nepotism allowed to arise. It, like inbreeding, results in retarded people and practice.
Is your Noel Latham related to the current ex Labor turncoat Mark Latham? If he is it identifies yet another problem of inbreeding - not learning from history. From my experience a very Australian trait.

@Triphid Please do not describe the LNP as "my precious". I do not own them and usually when I contact the local N MP I am attacked in unpleasant ways - the last being that I now have to attend GP service several hundred klms away.

My stance is that you do not have democracy until you can state and be officially counted as having stated at election that "None of the presenting candidates are fit to represent me".

@FrayedBear As to the familial relationship, if any, between Noel and Mad Mark Latham I wouldn't have a clue.
Plus I take great offense to your suggestion that "inbreeding" is a common trait amongst Australians.
WE are NOT a country of inbred, colonial hicks and drooling half-wits as your suggestion seems to imply.
IF you want to look for the end results of inbreeding then look no further than the so-called English Nobility and the self-proclaimed Royal families, etc, etc.
The REAL and TRUE people of this country fought tooth and nail through floods, droughts and hardship upon hardship to make something of themselves, for themselves and in many, many cases, BY themselves and still do to make something of this harsh country in which we all live.
Btw, HAVE YOU ever stopped to consider that IT MAY just be your ATTITUDE, etc, when dealing with people like your G.P. or your local M.P., etc, etc, that IS the actual ROOT Cause of the situations and NOT them?

@Triphid On GPs: I do not expect after asking for five months for an ongoing repeat referral to a specialist to have flim flam excuses and incompetent completion of the task because of incompetence and deliberate time wasting gouging of the system.

Until I came to Western Victoria I had never seen so many people affected by defective gene heritage walking the streets. The area is also home to the extremely large, now no longer occupied, Aradale Mental institution.

Have you considered who the early Australian migrants were @Triphid? Many were "convicts" found guilty of stealing necessities of life. The ones most likely to be caught would have been the less ably gifted. Then you had the "bad sheep" of your much despised upper classes who were banished out to Australia. The so called "good" migrants from 1880 were the toughest of a breed who not only had to create westernised lifestyle in a very harsh unforgiving environmental but also to control those early convicts including Irish political prisoners.

At least the First Nations People had longstanding laws preventing inbreeding.

Today's selfish population renowned and proud of its alcohol & drug consumption together with reducing education standards and adoption of feel good happy slappy religion is not indicative of a nation trying to improve its basic intelligence. If it did they may not so readily accept your LNP & Labor rorting politicians.

@FrayedBear @FrayedBear,

1. NOT ALL mental illnesses are caused by what you 'call' the defective gene heritage and Mental Illness Institutions ARE NOT always full of such patients, etc, and, most are now called Psychiatric Hospitals btw.
2. Is it not time that you ceased LABELLING those who are unfortunate to be enduring such Mental/Psychological Illness in such a foul, derisive, degrading and totally abusive manner?
3. YES, many of we Australians can trace, proudly I might add, our Ancestry back to those whom Darling Mother England sent over here in chains and as little more than SLAVES to the Squatters and the like BUT at least we ARE NOT 10 Quid (Pounds Sterling) Aussies, we EARNED the right to live here via the Blood, Sweat and Toils of our Ancestors. DID YOU?
4. Try doing some ACTUAL researching for a change, MOST so-called 'convicts' were shipped BECAUSE they stole. poached, etc, the barest needs for survival of themselves or their families AS DID one of my Irish-English Ancestors who was aged just 14 years when convicted for taking an already DEAD rabbit to feed his very hungry siblings. BTW, he GOT 7 years and transportation for that.
5. try being an Aussie instead of a poor imitation of a whinging Pom for a change, you live HERE now NOT England.

@Triphid

1. Where do I state your assertion?
2. Labelling? Hardly. I've not even opened the latest "Bible" DSM.
3. Not that I'm a £10 migrant but how ridiculous that you obviously deride such migrants many of whom I'm sure have contributed more to Australia than a disabled discriminated against Broken Hill atheist ex railwayman.
4. Why do you always manage to misunderstand what I write? How can you interpret "Many were "convicts" found guilty of stealing necessities of life. The ones most likely to be caught would have been the less ably gifted." to be a condemnation of those convicts?
5. Try being rational instead of indoctrinated into ad hominem insults. You are like Pavlov's dog - instead of salivating at the ringing bell you simply start to try to prove your superiority whenever you see a Frayed Bear comment.

@FrayedBear Hahaha, FYI I started working BY MY choice at the age of 9 years old as a Cinder-box Cleaner on the Silverton Tramways here in Broken Hill, 2 shillings and 3 pence per week for 3 hours 3 days per week AFTER school and 4 hours EVERY Saturday morning.
I was then 'promoted' to Messenger Boy, delivering notices of times for Crews to start work to get trains running out of town delivering freight, passengers and Mineral Ore concentrates to the Railhead at Cockburn on the NSW-SA border. Pay - 2 shillings and 6 pence per week for the same hours.
WHY do you so claim that I AM a "disabled, discriminated against Broken Hill atheist ex railwayman?
I'm NOT discriminated against by any means though a bit better money pension-wise would NOT go astray.
I'm being to think that de-blocking you may just have one MASSIVE mistake brought on by somewhat mis-placed sympathy.

@Triphid Did you not tell me that you are awaiting payout for the injuries caused by negligence of your fellow workers at NSW Rail installing inappropriate valving on the wagon tanker that left you permanently injured?
That is discrimination unless you didn't tell me the truth.
Your recent court restraining order identified that you were discriminated against by retarded god botherers threatening you.

By the way I thought child labour was legislated against in Australia but a quick check has found an interesting 7 year old article claiming that Australia is deficient in child labour management.

A 1973 World Agreement had still not been signed, despite numerous Labor Federal governments in the 30 years that the agreement has been sitting on the table.

[adelaide.edu.au]

Regarding pension deficiency I have now for several years openly accused the Federal Governments of not only discrimination but senicide. An accusation all the more relevant during the C19 pandemic and in light of the findings from the recent enquiry into aged care.
Have you similarly notified your parliament of your dissatisfaction or do you leave it to those despised whinging $10 poms and myself?

@FrayedBear No, it IS just the Railways doing their usual tactics and NOT wanting to pay.
Our Barrister, there ARE 2 of us btw suing the Railways, not just me, has calculated that with accrued interest the total amount now due, IF ever paid, is approx. 3.5 Million dollars EACH and climbing.
The 'excuse' from the Railways is that, "Neither of us were wearing the correct Breathing Apparatus at the time the leak occurred."
How could we since we doing the regular inspection/repairs as per the PRESCRIBED regulations for incoming trains and the 'Breathing Apparatus" was 1) NOT in the Locked storage cage in the first place but had been sent away for inspection/re-charging to Sydney 3 days earlier, and 2) Regulations stated that Breathing Equipment may ONLY be used in confined spaces such as Water/Fuel/Oil Gins ( Tankers) and the like BUT never worn while inspecting trains and wagons externally.
Btw, the Restraining Order was NOT due to 'discrimination' as such BUT due to harassment/unwanted/unwarranted intrusion, etc, by the Evangeloon and his fellow God-mobsterers.
There IS a legal DIFFERENCE there FYI.
As to the "Child Labour" matter, child/youth Labour WAS prevalent in the B.H.P. owned and operated mine, The BIG Mine as it was called, from its very inception right through UNTIL the Miners Strike that shut down mining here UNTIL they gained an agreement from B.H.P. for better conditions/pay,/working hours and the BSNNING of Child/Youth Labour.
You WILL find all that and more, should you care to actually read the numerous books written about the History of the Mining/Mines in Broken Hill, PLUS you will find how B.H.P. made their fortunes, ripped their 'roots' and left the town and peoples for 'dead."
There are STILL bodies of miners buried in rock-falls on the B.H.P. mine that have never been recovered, it was NOT unusual for at LEAST 1 death to occur for EVER 'shift' worked on the Big Mine, men often died from Silicosis, Explosives dusts on the Lungs, Heat Exhaustion, Crushing injuries from rock-falls, Lead poisoning by inhaling lead dust, and almost countless other things because those WONDERFUL Founders of B.H.P. ( Charles Rasp, McCulloch & Co.) WERE ONLY EVER concerned with the PROFITS and NOT the Workers.
THAT, Sir, IS 100% FACTUAL.

@FrayedBear Btw, and relation to your 'tagging me' I CHOSE to start working at the age I was when I worked as a Cinder-box Cleaner on Steam Locomotives.
I wanted to EARN my OWN pocket money and contribute to the household as well.
That was in 1961-1962, after being the Messenger Runner, I was then trained and promoted to being Station Masters' Assistant then trained as 'Stand-by Fireman (Stoker) on the S.T. Y and W Class Steam Locomotives operated by the Silverton Tramways Company, the ONLY licensed, Privately Owned and Operated Railways in Australia at the time btw.
After the S.T.C. closed down rail operations from B. Hill to Cockburn and my family moved to North Broken Hill I then got part-time jobs as, 1) Assistant and Trainee to a local Butcher, ( after school Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with every second Saturday mornings as Delivery boy, every second Saturday Afternoon pumping petrol at a Garage until new Owners took over and hired their nephew, then every second Saturday Afternoon at the nearby Corner Shop helping serve customers, stacking shelves, etc, etc.
And YES I paid taxes on my incomes as well.
At 14 I met and learned from an Old Timer horse/Camel-breaker and Blacksmith where I learned the basics of both Smithing and breaking/training horses whilst still attending school.
From High School I went into nursing, Mid-Wifery, Psychiatric nursing, etc, etc, left that with 5 Certificates and went on to try Long Distance Truck Driving carrying, mainly, Nitroglycerine, for the Mines near Tibooburra, N.S.W. and so on until I joined the State Rail Authority of N.S.W.
Oh plus a job with a Government Department between Trucking and the Railways, the A.S.I.S. by name.

@Triphid One per shift does not have the same impact as the great colliery disasters where hundreds are killed. From my birth county look up the Pretoria mining disaster of about 1906. The earliest recorded pit death however was in 1622 some centuries before BHP. But there are many other similar disasters throughout the world.
I am somewhat sceptical of your death per shift quote unless it is including death from lung diseases. Assuming 3 shifts per day 7 days a week you are looking at a yearly death toll of 21x52 or more 1000 per year. Even now Broken Hill has a population of less than 20,000.

As previously stated Australia is a harsh land that required resilience no frowned upon in order to exploit its natural assets be they mineral, agricultural or marine.

Like I state your injuries were the result of negligence by your fellow workers on the rail - from the so called management who refuse to recognise the negligence and liability through to the maintenance people who failed to ensure that the correct valve was installed. The argument being put forward is preposterous and merely identifies how criminally negligent the operation is - probably relying on "the grace of God" to ensure your safety . So much for the great "Aussie mateship"!

@Triphid Yours was a life for which I have much admiration and sometimes envy. Interestingly we had the one common youthful occupation albeit mine only lasted six weeks working for a local butcher during the tourist season when we were inundated by 20 million tourists every year Easter to November and if you were lucky you had 4 weeks of sunshine!

@FrayedBear No, the injuries we both suffered and are suffering from were DEFINITELY NOT due to our fellow Railway Workers.
The Tanker carrying Anhydrous Ammonia was PRIVATELY owned and maintained NOT S.R.A. property but IT was on the and in the Railways Marshalling yards at the time.
The onus, as per law, IS on both the Company who owned the Tanker and the 'Hierarchy' of the S.R.A.
A Train Examiner, which I was, carries with him approx. 2-3 kilos of tools during daylight hours and during darkness hours ALSO has to carry an Eveready Dolphin Lantern as well so to be able to see where they are going and what they are doing.
In Marshalling Yards there are about 8-9 feet between EACH of the tracks ( lines) and there are anywhere between 5- 7 + Marshalling tracks, the ONLY lighting is either from standard style Stret lights/lamps placed evenly along the outer sides of each Marshalling Yard and your lantern at night, the rest is darker than a dead dog's arse-hole.
The Breathing Apparatus used back then was similar to a Scuba Diving back-pack and weighed, when fully charged at approx. 30 kilos.
Almost impossible to wear when crawling under freight wagons to repair, adjust, etc, the braking systems btw, which were par for the course on almost EVERY train that came through the yard/s.

@Triphid IMO you have been fed bullshit regarding responsibility but it took a while before I learnt that unlike the UK where each worker was responsible for injury they caused, Australia does not make workers accountable. Here in Victoria it has only very recently legislated that it is a criminal act to cause another's death at work. The law no longer recognises stupidity as an excuse.
Irrespective of ownership the asset was allowed onto NSW rails in an unfit /unsafe condition (the wrong valve). That was not an act of God, it was human negligence by the owner of the asset, the railway management in not ensuring that the asset was in safe condition to be on the track (the valve) and further State negligence in not ensuring that you had access to the prerequisite safety equipment.
Sadly corporations are given legal status but most forget that it is a human who actually decided what the company does.

Regarding State Rail I had an amputee acquaintance who had an ongoing battle with the authority. At various points he was accused of being a lazy drunken queralent and having caused the injury deliberately. As he still stated he merely wanted to roam his beloved bushland, swim the rivers and estuaries whilst hunting for his bush tucker as he had done when a child to support his mother and sisters. I once wrote to Premier Carr enclosing a photograph of four prosthesis made for him over the previous 2 years and certified by the so called local expert doctor as being fit for purpose. The prosthesis were made some 20 years after the amputation. The 4 prosthesis stood on a table. All pointed in a different direction, all had different sized buckets. The laughing skull, Carr, never replied and my acquaintance did not want to go on 60 minutes or make money for the Murdoch press.

@FrayedBear No not misled nor fed bullshit, just both parties state that by my rescuing my fellow Train Examiner WITHOUT using the Breathing Gear, which was 1,100kilometres away in Sydney at the time btw, the have NO responsibility for the outcomes. Plus we had a bloke who tried to sue the railways for the loss of both legs and one arm AFTER he was sleeping, drunk on the shunting track and was run over by the Shunting Loco.
Not trying to sound 'trite, etc, here', BUT his case was summarily dismissed because it was found he didn't have a leg to stand on.

@Triphid Crimes against humanity. Let's face it, if they could have got away with it in 1899/1900 the Australian Constitution would not recognise any humans other than the Queen and Governor General. As it is I think it takes 50+ clauses before a human other than royalty is recognised and then it is only to say that they will pay taxes!

@Triphid definitely a groaner but very hurtful if you are armless or legless.

@FrayedBear Well, it WAS his own fault wasn't it.
Plus it was well after midnight when they were shunting the train.

@FrayedBear Hey, FYI, neither English Royalty nor Aussie Politicians PAY taxes while in Office and the English Royalty NEVER pay taxes.

@Triphid There you go, union/management failure to protect workers by not having them work past midnight. And what about the sleep disturbance caused to the neighbours having a shunting engine disturbing them after midnight. Also wasn't the driver watching the rails - strewth the body could have detailed the engine? I would have thoughts drunks on the line to be a common rather than unusual practice back then?
I must say he was a very lucky drunk. If it had been narrow guage his head would probably have been also cut off. Was he charged with trespass? He should have been.

@FrayedBear Hey, working on the Railways IS a 3 shifts per day job btw.
For example, A Freight train leaves Sydney at NOON on Friday, it takes about 16-18 hours to get to Broken Hill, it has approx. 2-3 hours here to be shunted, re-marshalled and then the A.N.R. ( Australian National Railways aka S.A. Railways) Locos come out the Loco shed, attached to the load, the Train Examiners then do another walk around and check that the brakes are working and ALL handbrakes are released and the train then moves off on the stage of its journey either Mile End, Dry Creek in S.A. or across to Perth which is approx. 2 days travel by rail.
The Unions ALWAYS stood behind the Workers no matter what and realised that it WAS a 3 shifts per day job as was mIning here once until the Companies and the LNP Governments climbed into bed together and change everything in their favour.
Originally the Mines here, post B.H.P. had 3 7 hour shifts per day 5 days per week for Underground Workers, 3 8 hour shifts per day 5 days per week for Surface Level Workers BUT not any more, NOW it IS 2 x 12 hour shifts Underground, 10 days on straight and 4 days off.

@Triphid I was lazy and didn't bother looking shift data up because accuracy had no impact on the suggestion.
I currently have a problem with 24 hour train operation as there are two level crossings in town and engines are required to sound their horns. At 3am. this disturbs the sleep of thousands of people. The cost of that damage, like the cost of damage to town infrastructure including housing, is never accounted for. For some years now I've suggested that the railway line no longer needs to detour through town as the logical station and line position is only a ten minute car or bus ride away as now people do not require a day long horse and cart trip to get there!

@FrayedBear Oh FFS, how EXACTLY do trains blowing their horns impact on and cause damage to houses?
Here we have a MAIN Interstate Freight and Passenger train line, 2 Marshalling Yards, A Locomotive Storage and Running Repair Facility, a Marshalling Yard for Ore wagons from the Mines running right through the town.
Most Locos that go through here are the latest, biggest and most powerful in Australia, i.e. Supercharged and Turbo-charged either v-12 or v-16 cylindered Diesel-Electrics.
The Freight trains haul anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 tonnes per train.
FYI the rail tracks are built upon a bed known as an 'cushioning layer made up of compacted soil with a thick layer of Ballast ( crushed stone about fist sized) to reduce or stop any vibrations from the train itself.
LAW states, also, that ANY train approaching a LEVEL Crossing that is NOT either fitted with Boom Gates or Crossing Lights MUST blow its horn to WARN traffic of its impending approach.
Plus a train MUST sound its horn when approaching a Railway Station EVEN IF said Station has what are called 'Block Signals,' in-built track sensors, fitted to the rails.
Each Locomotive weighs an AVEERAGE of 130-150 NETT tonnes ( dry weight), add in another 5-6,000 litres of Diesel Fuel, 3-400 litres of Lubricating Oil in the Diesel Engine and sump.
They travel at around 90-100 kilometres per hour on the open ( between Stations, etc, ) lines with 5-7,000 tonnes of Freight and wagons pushing from behind, a normal Freight Train takes approx. 2.5 kilometres at FULL speed to come to COMPLETE halt with ALL braking systems, i.e. the Air operated Train ( Locomotive and Wagons brakes), the Air operated Locomotive Brakes PLUS the Electro-Dynamic Brakes literally slammed into the Full ON position.
When a train hits a car on a Level Crossing, no matter how soon or hard the ENTIRE Braking systems have been applied the car, its occupants, etc, WILL be shredded and scattered EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE 99.99% of the time and IT IS one VERY bloody, horrible, nasty MESS to say the very least, trust me on that because I have attended many a Level Crossing where Car versus Train has resulted in DEATH and Destruction.
The first I ever attend was in June 1981, where an Insurance Assessor in a new Commodore was hit on a Level crossing,, the car was literally shredded and spread out over a radius of about 250 yards from impact, it took us 3 hours to find every piece possible of his body which mixed in with pieces of his shredded car and I DO MEAN PIECES of his body btw.. His abdominal organs were found dangling from the branches of a tree some 20 yards away from the impact.
So, I hope you MAY just see that a bit of noise from Train Hooters is far, far better than having blood, guts and bits of meat and bones spread everywhere.

@Triphid FFS Tony why are you deliberately obtuse? I don't say that train horns blown damage houses ffs houses don't have ears, people do and are woken by them at 3 am. The houses nd infrastructure is damged by the ground movement occuring from the passage of 1000 ton trains. It happens when you live in a part of the world which does not have rock close to the surface as it is an old sea bed. This is one of the most unstable surfaces in Australia.

As for the necessity for horns at a level crossing the answer actually is that flashing lights are far more effective in warning people particularly the deaf. Given your colourful gory explanation you indicate that all motor vehicles night and day should drive with their horns blaring?

One of the greatest unfixed dangers at night time level crossings is the fact that wagons do not have sidelights, safety glow or reflective stripes down their sides to enable them to stand out to motorists in the dark.

As I explained the simple truth is that there is no longer a necessity for the east west Melbourne Adelaide Perth rail line to divert 10 kilometres off its latitudinal path any more than there is a need for us to hitch our motor cars to the curb when street parking. There are no longer inter urban & local passenger trains moving people. All we have are freight trains passing through, none of which offload in the town.

@FrayedBear So, Am I correct in that you reside in Ballarat which is ON the Geelong-Bendigo-Ballarat Line?
So why has there NOT been more PUBLIC hew and cry about this 'problem' over the years?
Yes, I know houses do NOT have "ears" but none-the-less they MAY be subject to vibrations, FFS, CARS cause vibrations, trucks of ALL shapes and sizes cause vibrations, buses cause vibrations, the winds cause vibrations, the list is almost endless as to the causes of vibrations.
Try this for size, IF you will, there is route from the Pitosi Open-cut mine just N.N.E. of Broken Hill, check a map IF you like, there is a road from Pitosi to the Sydney Highway.
Trucks carrying ore-bearing rocks, often either B Doubles or B-Triples come out of the Pitosi road, turn to the right onto the Sydney Highway, then travel on until they meet up with the MAIN Street of town (Argent Street), turn LEFT at the Argent St.- Menindee Road junction then continue along Crystal Street, a mainly residential area btw, go on until they turn right again at the intersection of Gaffney St and the South Road Overpass, follow Gaffney St. until it reaches the junction with the Gypsum St. - Sth.B.Hill Overpass turn left again then right at the gates to the Perilya Mines and onto the Crushers at Perilya.
All of that passes through and right alongside residential dwellings, these trucks carry an average of BETWEEN 40 and 60 tonnes each at an average of 5-10 times per day during daylight hours and an average of 5-7 times per day during nighttime hours.
I have quite a number of good friends/acquaintances who live and reside on that route, PLUS we have the same sort of trucks hauling mineral bearing sands, etc, from the nearby Basin Sands Mining concern that travel, ALSO, through built-up and residential areas but by a slightly different route, these too are either b-Doubles or B-Triples, we ALSO have Interstate Truckies going from the Highway to Adelaide through town via Wlliams St,- Oxide St. - Argent St. then out on to the Sydney Highway and the reverse as well, these trucks are usually semi-trailers with either a second or even a third 'DOG/Pup' trailer in tow as well.
Oh, and NOT forgetting the Sheep/Goat/Cattle/ Wool Bale/ Stock Feed trucks, also a semi-prime mover with at least 1 or 2 trailers ( double deckers) btw, in tow that go through here regularly.
IF memory serves correct, the Rail line you are complaining about WAS built a long time BEFORE Ballarat grew and expanded to the size it is now.
Hence, they would have lain down the tracks, etc, on the best possible ground and sub-surface they could find since ONLY idiots lay tracks where there is NO solid sub-surface present, i.e. soft sand and soft sub-soil.
As to "hitching cars, etc, to the curb" due to these supposed vibrations that MAY cause them to move around, WELL I always PARKED my car at work at least about 5-70 feet away FROM the both the Main Line and the Marshalling tracks and NEVER once did it ever move due to vibrations from trains that regularly exceeded the 1,000 tons you've mentioned.
So, NEXT 'controversial' subject if you PLEASE.

@Triphid to assume is to put an ass before you & me.

@FrayedBear I was NOT making any assumption, I ACTUALLY checked your profile to KNOW that you reside in Ballarat.
Plus checked on the Railway Lines in your region as well.
Btw, HOW exactly would you expect Freight, etc, to get to Melbourne, etc, IF not via road and rail Transport?
Via TRAINED Carrier Pigeons perhaps, especially bred to fly in a kind of 'Stealth Mode' on SILENT wings?

@Triphid nor do I mention cars moving from vibrations. You fail to identify the danger of reversing out into oncoming traffic and having to expose bodies to said traffic when loading the boot whilst standing in the road.
All obviated dangers if you reverse park into the kerb leaving the nose pointing in the direction of the flow of traffic.

Ballarat is not the town. I simply use it for convenience.

You mention heavy road vehicles presumably because they cause more damsge than trains to infrastructure. You may well be correct. However how much of the road registration fee paid goes into a fund to compensate property owners and councils for the damage done? Does such funding occur and if it does who determines the appropriate contribution?
I suggest that it is yet again, like abandoned mines not rehabilitated, a case of industry not paying its fair share and yet again represents a debt left for future generations.

@Triphid My profile allows me to state any location. I'm hardly likely to advertise that I live in Mafeking!

As to how I suggest dirigibles that can now carry upto 200 tons but still require protection from ignorant Australian truckies (who fear redundancy) & luddite farmers. Coastal shipping was once a primary provider of freight haulage but in typical fashion greed by corporations directing their NLP governments has resulted in a breakdownof cooperation.

@FrayedBear Okay then, HOW exactly are these dirigibles going to carry more than their actual capacity?
HOW exactly and where are these dirigibles going to manufactured, inflated, stored when not in use, powered, supplied/loaded, etc, etc?
How are the produces GROWN IN LAND away from the coastal regions going to get from farm, etc, to the coastal shipping routes?
How are PERISHABLE products such as fresh meats, vegetable, milk and milk products going to be transported over HUNDREDS IF not, Thousands of KIlometres from producer to Coastal Shipping ports, etc.?

@Triphid
[geology.com]

[foreignpolicy.com]

Lmao how do you think your so called perishables were transported from Australia and Argentina to the northern hemisphere markets before the advent of jet aircraft?
"HOW exactly and where are these dirigibles going to manufactured, inflated, stored when not in use, powered, supplied/loaded, etc, etc?" - Try asking the same question but imagine that you are sitting in Australia circa 1850 and without your current knowledge but talking about oxen wagons, stage coaches and trains?

Oh but that's not the Australian way is it? It is preferable to shoot first then spend a lot of effort inventing excuses for irrational and stupid behaviour or simply pretending that it was not a mistake. Besides which thinking is not working for people, like my acquaintance's sil believing that charisma is more important than education, who do not believe in schooling.