Sydney - For billionaire businessman Gerry Harvey, the face of the 100,000 or so homeless in Australia is that of Jhiymy Mhiyles.

Mhiyles, whose age is a secret like his real name, has magnificent views of Bondi Beach from his cliff-top shack. He's been dossing there for eight years, begging from the mostly foreign tourists who obey their Sydney guide books and take the scenic walk from Bondi to Coogee.

Sydney  - Australian police warned Townsville residents Wednesday after thieves dressed in Santa Claus outfits held up a bowls club at knifepoint.

Sydney, Dec. 3 : The Times, one of Britain''s most respected newspapers, has extraordinarily referred to the Australian cricket team as "the weasels of international sport".

In article for the paper, Simon Barnes attacked the Aussies during an impassioned plea to the England players not to duck out of their resumed tour of India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack.

Sydney - The steep fall on Wall Street exerted a strong gravitational pull on Australian stocks Tuesday, dragging the market down more than 4 per cent.

Sellers swamped buyers in a market that had already factored in an easing of monetary policy that was made concrete in the afternoon session, when the Reserve Bank of Australia announced a cut of 1 per cent in the prime interest rate.

"Traders had already priced in a cut of 100 basis points and there had even be talk that the RBA would go for 125 basis points," said James Waggett of Bell Potter Securities.

Sydney, Dec. 2 : The Australian International Islamic College, planned for Carrara, has raised the ire of Gold Coast City residents who fear it will lead to the local Muslim population withdrawing from the rest of the community.

Demonstrators have swarmed the Gold Coast City Council headquarters to protest against moves to build a Muslim school.

According to the Courier Mail, almost 200 residents turned out for the demonstration, draped in Australian flags and shouting pro-Aussie slogans while Australian rock classics such as Down Under and Great Southern Land boomed across the parkland.

Sydney  - Tourists asked what they want from a holiday in Australia usually bang on about native animals and wide open spaces, the Sydney Opera House and a glimpse into the life of the original inhabitants of the wide brown land.

Tour operators have found an introduction to Aboriginal culture the hardest to provide.

More aborigines live in the cities than in the deserts and there are all sorts of cultural, political and social hurdles to meeting indigenous people.

It's possible, though.