High Speed Trains - China

My recent experience in south China was only riding on High Speed Trains or the HSR for segments between Chaoshan station near Shantou and Wuyi Shan station a thousand km north west.

The HSR station did slow down to stop at certain major cities along the way like Fuzhou. The trains had commenced from Shenzen first thing in the day and was heading to reach Beijing in the evening.   The benefits of such an infrastructure were already obvious to me, especially in a populous nation like China, with numerous conurbations, industries and economic activity.   A thousand years ago, the Grand Canal from central to northern China had already illustrated the significant benefits of a transport path that transformed the economy and politics of a growing nation.


At the most, my group experienced a maximum train speed of around 285 km per hour.  I understand the Shanghai to Beijing express normally exceeds that speed. The record speed achieved for a Non-Maglev train was in 2011 when a speed of 487.3 km per hour was recorded on a Beijing to Shanghai test run.   The Shanghai Maglev train can chalk up to speeds of 431 km per hour.


There are different companies in China allocated to operate the various HSR lines across this vast nation.  So apparently operational service quality can vary.  My group was happy with the high standards shown in customer service to my group of six seated with first class cabin tickets.   The rolling stock however is centrally owned by the China Railway Corporation.

Photo credit -  Ms. Gan Siok San

The HSR stations are huge with sizeable waiting halls.  There are various snack shops and restaurants to while the time away, for it is always good to be early than late when catching the HSR.


Boarding and disembarkation is orderly and tickets are issued with lots of security measures.  Electrical points, clothes hooks and snacks are liberally provided.  The aisle between seats in our specific coach is wider than on aircraft  business class.


I observed on-board toilets on HSR trains in China are cleaned regularly per hour.    Staff are smartly dressed.  The take off on these HDR trains is so smooth and stable to passengers, I did not even feel it!   The technology was initially implemented through agreements with Siemens, Alstom, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Bombardier, but later developed further with Chinese input.    China has the longest mileage of high speed train networks in the world, befitting a nation with many long distance points to connect.

I was impressed that the HSR could operate on a high mountain region like Wuyi Shan.   This UNESCO world heritage site has elevations from 200 to 2000 metres above sea level.  Back in Australia, the powers that be gave an opinion that it was not possible to build a fast train network through hilly terrain - so when I was sitting in the HSR, with my window views hurtling through topography and scenery that was more rugged than in Wollongong, I realised that I had been hoodwinked.


The importance of having sufficient funding to build and realise the HSR is critical - many nations just do not have the funds tucked under their belt.


HSR maximum speeds in China were moderated after an incident near Wenzhou several years ago in central China.      The HSR runs on specially built platforms that carry only the dedicated rail track, so it is inevitable that these tracks are built far away from already developed sections of the landscape.  To travel to a HSR station is a treat itself, for by road one gets to view the surrounding city streets and country side before arriving.


There is therefore a transport business opportunity for the locals in picking up and dropping off HSR passengers.  I am happy that public and personal security is tightly enforced at such stations.  Bags are scanned through machines and tickets are issued only when personal identity documents are matched with on line booking details.   Passengers are only allowed on to boarding platforms around ten to fifteen minutes before the specific HSR arrives.


Over the side seat racks are relatively narrow to hold luggage, so do avoid bringing bags that are too large - medium size would be the practical maximum to put them on such racks.   Travel is made with not much stress on these HSR.   

100 Espressos - Wollongong NSW

One late morning, Craig and I were having an early lunch when he decided on a fun experiment of doing a list.


A list?  Craig asked me how many cafes I reckoned are operating on the Illawarra coast from Coledale in the northern villages to the southern city limits of Wollongong itself. Wollongong, south of Sydney and separated by the Royal National Park, has an indicative population of 292,388 in 2016 reports.    It is the 11th largest urban conurbation in Australia by latest count, behind the Sunshine Coast in south-east Queensland but ahead of Hobart, Tasmania; Darwin, capital city of the Northern Territory; and Cairns in northern Queensland.

The Scratch Coffee Co. at 173 Wentworth Street in Port Kembla NSW.

For a regional hub, I previously thought it would be around 60 cafes for Wollongong.  Craig and I went to work, writing on napkins whilst enjoying the modern Aussie breakfast dishes creatively made to accompany the more than 200 blends of coffee available on this continental island, with a current national population of 24 million.


The results after half an hour of Craig and I listing on napkins turned out to be more than 100.   The results are provided at the end of this blog write up.*   I only know of one cafe that closed in Thirroul in recent years, but again I am no expert, only a consumer and visitor to cafes.   My burning hot questions are then these:


1. What does each operating cafe do utmost to attract and retain their customers?

At All & Sundry off 383 Princes Highway, Woonona NSW.

2. How does each cafe owner differentiate his or her business from the others, especially in an increasingly competitive environment?   Can it be having a unique and attractive coffee blend, keeping the target customer demographic engaged or providing secondary requirements like unique food?


3.  What key factor does each cafe owner/operator attribute to bringing success?  Is it business location, coffee blends, keeping costs to a minimum,  regular patronage, interior decor and projected ambiance, changing regularly to sustain interest or the very model of the business itself?

Buck Hamblin is located at 260 Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Thirroul NSW.

4.  Viable cafes do achieve a baseline of revenues, product turnover and minimal expenditures.    What do cafe owners view as the most risky threats to their business?


5.  What is the next big thing each cafe owner plans for the future?


I invite interested parties to send me much appreciated feedback by making comments in response to this blog.  Please let me know if I have missed listing your business or favourite cafe.

The Broken Drum Cafe is near Woolworths in Fairy Meadow NSW.

The cafe business can be like living in a small village, where a network of baristas, cafe owners and coffee suppliers can interact and know each other well.   There are people who have come from the capital cities, there are innovators who know their market and customers and there is the supply of staff in a pool from a university town like Wollongong.   Several cafes are especially active on social media.  Many provide cakes, others savoury dishes from a kitchen and several have both.


When Cafe Pellegrini came to Wollongong from Melbourne, it was a landmark event, but that was so many years ago.    In the past ten years, the sector in Wollongong, and really around Australia, has transformed significantly, got attention from the world and now set the benchmarks in many aspects of the art and trade.

Hevan Espresso is at 181 Princes Highway in Corrimal NSW.

Are most cafes in Wollongong making money?  Are they making enough to project their individual businesses to the next stage?  Are the mostly twenty something year olds working in such cafes only putting a temporary stint to earn side money while they make other plans for their career?   Most cafes in the Wollongong area close by 2pm.   Some have licensed liquor bars, many make big breakfasts and smoothies seem to be always available with the coffee.


The demographics of customers can change with each hour of the cafe being open.   There can be a parade of train commuters, dawn cyclists, tradies, pensioners, young mothers, grandparents, kids after school, hipsters, gender-based groups and coffee devotees.   They have made the cafes an integral part of their routine, to accompany their other activities around town or the suburb.   

White Rabbit Cafe is at 2/50 Grey Street in Keiraville NSW.

Cooler temperatures in winter can make them yearn for properly made hot cuppas, while the iced lattes feature more during days of sweltering summer heat.   Many cafes in Wollongong close on weekends and yet some are beginning to lure customers seven days a week.   Some cafes are small, others have two shop fronts and yet others are not visible from the main strip.  Many cafes commenced business with an emphasis on coffee, yet there are some now that are adjuncts to existing restaurant operations.


Several cafes make extra effort to create an experience for the customer, whether it is in the quaint accessories, the thoughtfulness in creating the walls or in the lay out for flow of spaces, private or for groups.  Do the baristas engage in meaningful conversation that makes people want to return?    Is there easy access through private vehicle parking or by good public transport?   Are opening hours suitable for customers?

Earth Walker & Co General Store is sited at 749 Lawrence Hargrave Drive in Coledale NSW.

The One Hundred and More Cafes in Wollongong area, NSW - February 2017*

This list is in no particular order of ranking and does not include franchise chains.

Northern Villages

1.    Earth Walker, Coledale
2.    Austi Beach Cafe, Austinmer
3.    Fireworks, Austinmer
4.    Bread, Espresso &, Thirroul
5.    Fin Box Board Store Cafe, Thirroul

6.    Honest Don's, Thirroul
7.    Seafoam Cafe, NSW Rail Station, Thirroul  
8.    Cucina, Thirroul
9.    Buck Hamblin, Thirroul
10.  Gidgets Cafe & Bar, Thirroul

11.  Beanstalk Cafe, NSW Rail Station, Thirroul
12.  Tin Shed Cafe, Thirroul
13.  Jose Jones, Thirroul
14.  Stokes Lane, Bulli
15.  The Point Milk Bar, Bulli

16.  One on Park Cafe Kiosk, Bulli Beach
17.  Ruby's Bulli Beach Cafe
18.  Gelato Emporium, Lookout Point, along Motorway, Bulli


Northern Suburbs

1.     Four Little Beans, Woonona
2.     Cafeli House, Woonona
3.     All & Sundry, Woonona
4.     Flat White For One, Corrimal
5.     Franks'N' Beans, Corrimal East

6.     Hevan Espresso, Corrimal
7.     Manjit's Cafe, Corrimal
8.     Coast Cafe, Corrimal
9.     Coffee Guru, Stockland Shopping Centre, Corrimal 
10.   Cafe Angeli, Corrimal 

11.   Drift Lounge, Corrimal
12.   Luna Espresso, Corrimal
13.   Green Bean Play Cafe, Corrimal
14.   Dusk Cafe, Tarrawanna
15.   Yarnsy's, Tarrawarna

16.   Bill & James, Balgownie Village
17.   Urban Grind, Balgownie Village
18.   Nourished at Bally, Balgownie Village 
19    Broken Drum Espresso, Fairy Meadow
20.   Two Doors Up, Fairy Meadow

21.   Patiscceria Massimo Papa, Fairy Meadow 
22.   Reay's Place, Fairy Meadow
23.   Triangle Cafe, Fairy Meadow
24.   Staggletooth, Fairy Meadow



North Wollongong

1.    Delano Specialty Coffee, Montague Street
2.    Rush iC Cafe, Innovation Campus
3.    The Matchbox, Innovation Campus
4.    Diggies Cafe, Cliff Road
5.    My Pantry, Cliff Road

6.    The Northbeach Pavilion, Cliff Road
7.    Cafe at the Lagoon
8.    Mud Cat Cafe, Novotel North Beach
9.    Connie's Cliff Road Cafe
10.  Aqua Cafe, Cliff Road

11.  Bluorange Cafe, Cliff Road



West of Wollongong City Centre

1.    Rush, UOW Main Campus
2.    Rush 2, UOW Main Campus
3.    The Yard, Building 7, UOW Main Campus 
4.    Panizzi Cafe, Library, UOW Main Campus 
5.    Urban Grind, URAC, UOW Main Campus

6.    White Rabbit Cafe, Keiraville
7.    Zanders Cafe & Dessert Bar, Keiraville
8.    Giddy Goat, Keiraville
9.    BarLissimo, Gipps Road
10.  Espresso Warriors, Keiraville



Wollongong Harbour

1.    Bombara Seafood, Endeavour Drive
2.    Levendi's, Cliff Road 
3.    The Green Room City Beach Cafe, Marine Drive

  

WOLLONGONG CITY CENTRE

CROWN STREET

1.    Lee & Me, Lower Crown Street 
2.    Lower East, Lower Crown Street
3.    Sopranos on the Mall, Crown Street
4.    Patiscceria Massimo Papa, near Crown and Corrimal Streets
5.    Beast & Bread, GPT Shopping Centre, Keira Street

6.    Sugar Cube, Lower Crown Street 
7.    Mr Crown, Crown Street
8.    Quay Canteen, above the Square Cafe Restaurant Bar
9.    Square Cafe Restaurant Bar, midway along Crown Street Mall
10.  Quotes.Cafe

11.  Yum Yum Cafe & Bakery
12.  Swell Coffee
13.  Glass Alley Coffee
14.  Town House Chamber
15.  His Boy Elroy

16.   Kurtosh House No.5, Globe Lane
17.   TLC Cafe, behind Lee & Me

BURELLI STREET

1.   Terra Mia
2.   The Social, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC)
3.   Kafe on Burelli, Wollongong City Council
4.   Santana Coffee
5.   Crafted Espresso


CORRIMAL STREET

1.   Litani's Mediterranean
2.   Marco
3.   Il Mondo Del Cafe
4.   Gigi's, corner of Market and Corrimal Streets
5.   Deli &  Dine, on Market Street next to Gigi's
6.   Lili-J Cafe, Corrimal Street south, opposite the Wollongong Golf Club


KEIRA STREET

1.    Cafe Pellegrini, Hotel Illawarra, Keira Street
2.    Happy Barista Espresso Bar, Keira Street 
3.    Bull & Bear Cafe, Keira and Victoria Streets
4.    Opus Coffee Brewers, Keira Street
5.    The Living Room

6.     Keira Street Cafe 
7.     Cafe Adore


WOLLONGONG RAIL STATION/HOSPITAL

1.     Lettuce B. Frank, Crown Street near NSW Rail Station
2.     Sandy Goodwich, Crown Street near NSW Rail Station
3.     Meni  Cafe at Picadilly Centre, Crown Street
4.     Crown Cafe & Catering, Wollongong Hospital



OTHERS

1.    Little Stompers, Kenny Street
2.    Emporium on Swan, Swan Street
3.    Zac's Cafe & Bistro, Church Street
4.    Panizzi Cafe, Princes Highway
5.    Prufock Espresso Bar, Atchison Street

6.    Bostons Espresso, Atchison Street
7,    City West Cafe, Market Street
8.    Ground Cafe, Kembla Street


South of Wollongong City Centre

1.   Portobello Espresso Bar, Mangerton 
2.   Lechappe Cycle Cafe, Keira Street
3.   Scratch Coffee Co. at Wentworth Street, Port Kembla
4.   The Foundery  at Wentworth Street, Port Kembla
5.   Seascape Cafe, NSW Marine Police Centre, Port Kembla


(Latest count here = 118 cafes)

Truth and Tolerance

The twisting of truth and the manipulation of tolerance, I reckon, are two key threats to human dignity and world peace as we enter into the new year.   These two factors synchronise with the continuing trends in dehumanisation and marginalisation of the work, social and life experience for individuals.   

They underlie many of the critical factors causing contemporary major issues today.   

We have developed an environment where human interaction is lessened, dealing with artificial systems have increased and our individual privacy reduced.   

Our sanctity can be violated without us knowing,  our movements are being watched or monitored increasingly and influence forums can dictate to us without understanding better our concerns.   

Many of us are brainwashed into thinking that drugs and other forms of manufactured addictions can make us happy, but not the development of our inner selves.   Society seems to want us to rely on something and anything outside ourselves for calmness and happiness - do we not see this as a fallacy imposed on us as  a means of control?

Things and services come to us increasingly hidden from source  - and it is not just the food supply chain.   

The irony is we do have better means of communication and yet so called modern society has seen a fall in rewarding human contact.   Be honest - apart from family, one spends more meaningful time with smart phones, cyberspace and machines than with other human beings.    Even if the world population has increased by leaps and bounds, most people to us are just a blurry mass of passer-bys in transit or in the digital media.

Therein lie the seeds for the powerful and the hidden to continue exerting control, without most of us realising this.



Tampering with what is Truth 

Social media can more efficiently reinforce what like minded people already want to believe, as they network in repeated and regularly utilised channels.   

Like minded individuals are linked together in cyberspace according to various factors - age demographics, religious affinity, social ladders, financial ability, health requirements, mobility channels, primary social interests and more.   

Like any human invention and action, the evolving world of new communication tools can have double edged sword effects.   False news has already permeated Facebook posts, but this is only the latest in a series of like events on the Internet, like tampering of photos;  stealing of identity, funds and personal data;  abuse and bullying in cyberspace and other matters that bring up the worst in human behaviour and soul.

Manipulation of truth is for convenience for the powerful - call it "fake news" when it suits them.

Individuals no longer need to be physically present to expound ideas, argue a case and lead many.   Most no longer assess a leader in the flesh to make up the mind to follow, support or rebel.

They just can be in the comfort of sitting on their bums and tweet, blog, Instagram, WhatsApp.....     The ease with which freedom of expression can be carried out in this world of cyberspace already has governments of various shades earnestly watching and taking action of various kinds, whether good or not so good  - who am I to judge?

Conventional media like television has actively resorted to embracing social media for sourcing of material and discussion.   

The new technology is a commercial marketing tool, but also allows the proliferation of more diverse opinions, to such an extent that unsuspecting, not savvy and uninformed audiences can get caught up in a mish-mash of over loaded data and information.   If there was an old Tower of Babel in the proliferation of a thousand languages,  there is a now a new age Babel in the blooming of shared thoughts.

The use of smart phone apps has kicked out slower processes like emails, provided more responsive gratification, made a reality lightning sharing of images and facilitated easier duplication of messages.   

Almost everyone with a smart phone spend more time near their mobile gadgets than with their loved ones, or with Nature.   

There is only limited time available in a day and there is an opportunity cost in paying attention and in using any one of the wide array of so called personal machine options for work, entertainment, money making and social interaction.   Broadcast media learnt this many years ago with the arrival of You Tube.

The rise in distortion and manipulation of facts can be countered with more options to validate and verify, but not just through social media.  Effort and human discretion using our intelligence are still tools to mitigate the risks of being sucked in with untruths, half truths and propaganda.  Reflect on how wars are started, election outcomes have consequences and regulators are hoodwinked or prejudiced.

The contemporary danger is that the rabble can be aroused much more easily and faster even before truth is separated from the selective lie.  

When truth is tainted, our own tolerance levels change - we can become hardened, softened or confused.



Toleration has Boundaries

Rising intolerance can be nurtured by those in power for their own personal, social and religious agendas.    Rising intolerance can also grow due to poor management of expectations.

Western civilisation, I am taught, liberates the common man and woman in many democratic ways  - we are nurtured to have ethics and respect for our fellow human beings. Every one has a powerful individual vote as a citizen and the age of technology is supposed to provide more personal freedoms.  Really?

Other civilisations do not put the individual on a pedestal, but emphasise the significance of a greater devotion to the community above the individual needs.   So toleration for individual  opinions is managed in the context of whether it contributes to the greater good.   But what is greater good, it can be subjective to many in societies encouraged to express and discuss.

The worst experience for any of us as a modern person is to have a specific party pronouncing this and behind our backs, actually doing something else.   Our expectations have been put high and then delivery and outcome is far from the promise.

When we lose belief in the way specific institutions have treated and betrayed us, or done nothing to try resolve socio-political matters, we lose heart.  A collective disappointment will affect our tolerance levels, whether in a village, town, province or country.




Speed and Accessibility

These are nothing new in the landscape of human history.   What is different now is the speed of communication and nature of influence.   When shared information can be  spread and emphasised in seconds, the dynamics of influence work more effectively to spread planned opinions through lightning speed multiplier effects.  

Human society is once again on the cusp of change from the previous socio-political order.   Many current world wide organisations originated from the aftermath of the Second World War and the period of domination by the USA in the socio-political landscape.   

It is surely logical and timely for the emergence of frameworks and structures in a new world order.  Isn't this the lot of mankind as history marches on?




The New Human Longing

What appreciates in value to the human being experience are longings for more natural and sincere experiences.

If we can create businesses that cater to providing better humanisation of experience, especially for infants and the elderly, this may be the clue for potentially rewarding activities of the future.   Artificial mechanisms can lower cost but does not provide the total optimal solution for human needs.

Imagine an increasing reality of human beings being surrounded by software, systems and artificiality in most aspects of life.  It can be cost effective but also lead to a person's heightened vulnerability of being undermined by invisible lights, hijacked by new vulnerabilities and given less personal freedoms.

One bad day the whole dependency by the world on cyberspace clouds, intelligent software and Wi-Fi will be hijacked by those who already know the art of manipulating truth and have their own views of the world.   

Human society is not infallible - contemporary society has relied too long and too much on petroleum for example without doing much to wean off.

Skills to develop and support a more automated, virtual environment will be in demand.  So will be in increased demand for skills and approaches of those individuals with talents for better inspiring, interacting with and influencing inner human needs -  as opposed to just fulfilling material and physical wants.

Are you ready to utilise these coming opportunities?   What are you doing to retain your own personal self-worth and unique integrity?   Every individual has her or his tolerance boundaries - are yours being manipulated?

Bombara Seafood Wollongong NSW

No longer are you required to collect your own cutlery like some years back.

The views are still lovely, offering different moods of the sea, escarpment and weather.  You can check out the surf from a vantage point or feel the breeze on your face and hair at the verandah.

Vehicle parking can be a pain at certain times of the day and night, especially during summer.   On Friday evenings in summer, there may be an outside food fete near the Lighthouse area.

The servings are generous, especially the platters, whether in the classic modern Australian style or those with a decidedly Mediterranean influence.  

Get dirty with your fingers, ask for any crab clamps, dig into the variety of sauces and cool down with wine or beers.   You may even come across an acquaintance, neighbour or good mate.  Families and couples, visitors or locals, they are all here.

Bombara Seafood is located at  the upper floor of the Fishermen's Coop Building at 1-2 Endeavour Drive, Wollongong Harbour, NSW.
Contact +61 2 4229 7011
Opening hours are from 7am to 10pm every day.

An independent review by Kevin Yong

My dish recommendations at the Bombara Seafood,  Wollongong Harbour are as follows:

Cob loaf of organic olive and rosemary bread slices served with hazelnut and balsamic butter.

Grilled fish - your choice of Barramundi, Atlantic salmon, John Dory or Snapper.

Sizzling prawn hot pot.

Hot and cold seafood platter for two with an upper tray of Moreton Bay bugs and lobster; with a lower plate of fresh and battered salt and pepper prawns, grilled Snapper fillets, salt and pepper squid, smoked salmon rolls, oysters Kilpatrick on the shell, dipping sauces and chips.