Tim Richards

Travel writer living and working on Wurundjeri land in Melbourne, Australia.

Rail travel expert, current books on sale include Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys: World. My book The Kick of Stalin's Cow is a travel narrative about post-communist Poland. I also have a novel out in ebook form, Mind the Gap.

See my published writing at iwriter.com.au, and become a patron of my Patreon at patreon.com/timrichards.

Website: https://www.iwriter.com.au
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/timrichards
Heading South: https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/products/heading-south
Ultimate Train Journeys: World: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/ultimate-train-journeys_-world-by-tim-richards/9781741177350

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npub12cjl8p20kghhaky42qse4rqq54efygqjfu903yw9f0tk42zc699q4hhqkq

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timrichards_at_aus.social@momostr.pink

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Last Notes

2026-04-14 23:27:47 UTC

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Also, I think you must be deranged to want to be president in your '80s. I'm in my early 60s and I yearn to semi-retire and potter around bookshops and sit reading in local cafes and libraries.

2026-04-14 23:23:21 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.social/@kottke/116403480925631181
The proportion of US leaders in their 70s-80s is quite striking. In Australia, our prime ministers and premiers tend to take office when they're in their 50s.
#USpol #auspol
#note1ew5…uexv

2026-04-11 00:23:12 UTC

Aha my article for Traveller about the best train trips to take from Melbourne in this month of free public transport travel is now live online.
Sometimes it takes months to get an article published, sometimes it's just days. I bashed away on the keyboard to write that story in my Wellington hotel room on Easter Monday, five days ago. :)
https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/make-the-most-of-free-trains-10-of-the-best-trips-to-take-from-melbourne-20260407-p5zlwm.html
#Train #Trains #Melbourne #Victoria #free

2026-01-19 01:01:52 UTC

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That is a good one, I sometimes go there for breakfast when arriving on the XPT sleeper from Sydney. Definitely try Patricia at some point, it's just around the corner. Also Hardware Société in Katherine Place is great for breakfast.

2025-11-19 01:21:40 UTC

Good morning from Perth! I'm having breakfast at a cafe near my CBD hotel. Nice warm morning, it's already 26°C.
Having flown out of Australia from Melbourne to Singapore, and then later back to Perth, gives a hint of how big Australia is. The first flight took 7.5 hours, the last one just 5 hours. And Perth is in the same time zone as Singapore, so no adjusting of watches.
Anyway no more horrible planes for me on this journey (the seating in the SQ flights got progressively worse the newer the plane, which tells you a lot about modern aviation). On Saturday I'm off on the Indian Pacific train from here to Sydney, then the XPT sleeper to Melbourne and home.
#travel #Perth #Australia

2025-09-11 07:04:35 UTC

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give us a yell next time you're down, there's a nice cafe or two out that way so we could have brunch and then drop into this interesting bakery. :)

2025-09-09 21:51:00 UTC

I can see why employers might require a video to prove you're not using AI, but jeez that's problematic. Imagine the potential to knock back a candidate based on race or accent or general appearance.
'Do you really need me to upload a cover letter, a resumé and reply to 12 key selection criteria for what is effectively an entry-level job? And then, once I’ve waxed lyrical about how I demonstrate your organisation’s totally banal and pointless values for 1000 words, you hit me with the next stage which is, and I quote, that I may be “required to complete a video assessment” which “will be a very helpful tool for you”.
'This is all before the real-life interview.
'I’m sorry, but how exactly is this “helpful” for me?'
#AI #work https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/my-job-search-has-become-an-awkward-threesome-me-the-employer-and-ai-20250902-p5mrv8.html

2025-09-03 22:41:52 UTC

Good argument for increasing the number of MPs in the lower house. The bigger the population of seats gets, the harder it is for politicians to serve their constituency. #auspol https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/past-the-knee-jerk-reaction-there-are-good-reasons-australia-needs-more-politicians-20250903-p5mrzr.html

2025-08-30 00:33:33 UTC

New at my Patreon... When I stepped out of Fairfield railway station, I couldn't resist taking a photo of the giant wooden dog which stands by the entrance. Later, I attended an event devoted to true crime:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/dateline-trojan-137672628
#Melbourne #art #StreetArt #Dog #dogs #crime #TrueCrime
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/115/114/906/428/217/420/original/7e1878fa92a84014.png

2025-08-23 00:22:28 UTC

New at my Patreon... On Friday we explored the newly gentrified streets of West Footscray - with breakfast and street art in mind:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/dateline-go-west-137129882
#Footscray #Melbourne #art #StreetArt #breakfast #brunch #cafe #cafes
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/115/075/242/781/239/555/original/36f012e1f5fa5a16.png

2025-08-22 07:15:12 UTC

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Titally agree. IMO the Dems should gerrymander as hard as possible, but offer to withdraw on the agreed creation of a neutral national districting body.

2025-08-06 01:43:23 UTC

Time to consider proportional representation in the lower house. I'd suggest the Hare-Clark system with seats of five MPs each. #auspol https://mastodon.social/@IndyMediaAus/114979269092011281

2025-08-04 22:58:49 UTC

Intelligent article. I can't help thinking that Netanyahu is dooming Israel in the long run, by souring the attitude of the public in the West. What happens when the young people of today are eventually in power?
"No nation – not even the United States – can thrive without allies, and Israel (despite its nuclear weapons) is far more vulnerable and dependent on international friendship than the United States or Britain or France. If Israel creates a lasting rift with its European allies and shatters the long-standing bipartisan American consensus on aiding Israel, then the long-term consequences could be grave."
#israel #palestine #gaza #war https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/israel-must-open-its-eyes-defeating-hamas-does-not-require-starving-a-single-child-20250804-p5mk2t.html

2025-07-31 08:32:37 UTC

Sensible argument for expanding the House of Reps in order to decrease the number of voters per MP. The writer suggests 225 members; mind you, that'd probably mean increasing the Senate from the current 12 to 18 Senators per state. Makes sense in NSW or Victoria, but Tasmania? Hmmm.
#auspol https://mastodon.social/@IndyMediaAus/114946887695494603

2025-07-26 10:08:43 UTC

That was a fun afternoon, thanks for your company Mastodon. Many worthy songs, though I think we can all agree that the real winner was Music. ;)
#hottest100ofaustralia #hottest100

2025-06-09 05:14:49 UTC

Quite soon I should change search engines, I'm tired of the inaccurate AI bullshit popping up above Google results. What's a reliable AI-free replacement? Duck Duck Go?
#AI

2025-05-01 06:55:36 UTC

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Really is pointless, more of the usual horserace politics reporting. Obviously it'd depend on numbers and negotiations about policy.

2025-04-03 22:47:27 UTC

I wouldn't want to be a PR person promoting travel to the US right now. Very unappealing.
"Across the globe foreign visitors and their governments are now asking just how welcome travellers really are in the States these days. The land of the free could be morphing into a home for only the braver tourist."
#travel #USA https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/an-australian-was-denied-us-entry-for-bizarre-reasons-he-s-not-alone-20250403-p5lov8.html

2025-02-25 09:36:09 UTC

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Rock-hard, too-narrow seats. Also sways and creaks a lot and seems vulnerable to accidents for various reasons. Not really built for Australian conditions. Mostly though it's the seats I hate. Luckily I don’t often have to ride on them!

2025-02-25 09:26:33 UTC

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Boo to the C-class tram, Melbourne's worst tram type. It's carrying me home though, so forgiven this once for being a bit crap. 🚃 🚃 🚃
#tram #trams #Melbourne
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/114/063/808/252/767/958/original/df3b909bb414d7a4.jpeg

2025-02-25 09:23:36 UTC

Waiting in Kew for a 109 tram home. Just ran a travel writing workshop at Kew Library. Fun bunch of attendees, well travelled. My feet are killing me though because I'm wearing in new boots! 🥾 🥾
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/114/063/796/695/164/656/original/9221300e6e7ff11d.jpeg

2025-02-24 21:25:22 UTC

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That's appalling. Poisoning their brand I'd assume; everyone will be looking for another TV make next time.

2025-02-24 21:22:29 UTC

Interesting. I'd never heard of speeding enforcement by spotter aircraft before.
#driving https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/is-aerial-speed-enforcement-still-a-thing/

2025-02-17 23:42:29 UTC

Interesting variation on using the MCG as a unit of measurement. Normally it's used for numbers of people (1 MCG = 100,000 people), but here it's being used to measure volume:
"Australia throws out over 7.6 million tonnes of food each year, enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground 10 times over, but some progress is being made to reduce waste as the cost of living crisis bites."
#Melbourne https://social.chinwag.org/@sbs_bot/114021063985942587

2025-01-17 00:09:46 UTC

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Big country town. ;) Which suburb?

2024-09-04 21:09:13 UTC

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I didn't even know LA got humid, I thought it was dry heat here.

2024-08-23 01:52:58 UTC

I loathe self-checkouts, avoid them like the plague. I'm generally having a tiring enough day without wrangling with extra non-work-related tech.
---
That unexpected item in bagging area is you doing all the work for your supermarket
https://www.smh.com.au/national/that-unexpected-item-in-bagging-area-is-you-doing-all-the-work-for-your-supermarket-20240821-p5k46w.html

2024-08-20 23:25:07 UTC

This looks tasty.
https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/recipes/recipetin-eats-one-pot-spiced-chickpeas-and-mushrooms-is-a-vegetarian-slam-dunk-20240805-p5jzi2.html
Cc @npub1emv…wnhu

2024-07-07 23:07:02 UTC

The new gentrification - lower spice levels in Mexican food. :(
---
Spicy food: Mexicans ponder international influence on lower chilli heat levels
(maybe paywalled) #Mexican #Chilli https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/can-foreigners-handle-the-heat-mexico-city-ponders-milder-salsas-20240707-p5jrnz.html

2024-07-02 23:12:05 UTC

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Up to 2° (feels like -0.8°) here. Frosty.