Welcome, Isabelle Rowan!

Isabelle Rowan’s book, A Note in the Margin, was my first introduction to Australia by way of a M/M author.  This novel is Australian with every bit of its heart and mind.   From the Australian Christmas to the venues in and around Melbourne, I learned as I read, wept and cried tears of joy.  It’s still one of my all time favorite stories to rec.  So please stop by Isabelle Rowan’s page, learn about all her stories, and about the author herself!  And guess what Isabelle Rowan is giving away for her contest! Yep, A Note in the Margin.    

And because she is from Melbourne, that’s where our Australia fact of the day looks in on:

Australia Fact of the Day – City of Melbourne!

Interesting & Fun Facts About Melbourne:

• Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria, Australia.
  Melbourne is located in south-east Australia.
  A person from Melbourne is called a Melburnian.
  ‘The Story of the Ned Kelly Gang’, made in Melbourne in 1906, recognized as the first feature film of the world, running to five reels.
  About 90 tons of dog poo is left on the streets of Melbourne every day.
  According to the RSPCA, Melbourne is the “Fox Capital” of the western world, with 6-23 foxes every square kilometer in the metropolitan area.
  Before Melbourne came to be known as the ‘City of Melbourn’e, it was called Batmania, Bearbrass, Bearport, Bareheap and Bearbury.  (I personally love Bearbrass or Bareheap!)
  Melbourne’s famous beer, Foster’s Lager, was actually produced by two Americans. – See more at:
  Luna Park, in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of St Kilda, is the oldest amusement park in the world under private management.
  Melbourne had the first gay and lesbian radio station in the world.
  The expression ‘call girl’ that is used for a prostitute, was invented in Melbourne. – See more at Melbourne Lifestyles

New Zealand Fact of the Day

New Zealand is made up of two primary isles, North Isle and South Isle, with further outlying isles known as the Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Isle, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands.  The largest city in New Zealand is Auckland. 

Original Maori name for New Zealand: Aotearoa
Original Maori name for Auckland: Tamaki Makaurau

New Zealand has over 4.5 million inhabitants, of which 1/3 lives in Auckland. Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world and is also known as “the city of sails”. It has more boats per capita than anywhere else in the world.