News Goat

The Harbour is at the heart of what makes Sydney the place that it is. A visitor that did not head down to the waterside would be missing out (and would be rare indeed). There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the harbour area, but it is also great to take the opportunity to leave the land behind.

There are a large variety of cruises that are available to take from Sydney harbour. There really are ones to suit every taste and every budget. Ranging from five star champaign sipping elegance to a quick tootle round in an old fishing boat. The headlands and beaches around Sydney are absolutely beautiful, and taking the opportunity to see them from the vantage point of the sea is something that even the biggest landlubbers will thank themselves for doing.

Of course it is not just cruise boats that operate out of Sydney Harbour. This is pretty much one of the best spots to go fishing. Sitting by a rainy canalside in Britain is nothing like heading out into Sydney harbour on a bright cloudless day. Equipment rental is no problem, and you can find guides who will help out the novice. Be sure to find out about the fish that you are catching, ask for some tips to ensure that you get the best out of it when you are barbecuing it on the beach later!

The marine life in Sydney harbour is fascinating in its own right. Taking a SCUBA diving trip is an amazing chance to have a glimpse into this magical underwater realm. Diving is serious business however, so if you have never done it before you need to be aware that you will need to allow time to be trained using the equipment, as responsible diving instructors will not ‘throw you into the deep end’ without making sure that you will be safe.

Yacht racing is a popular sport in this part of the world. There are many races throughout the year and the harbour provides many excellent vantage points to watch. Just the views across the harbour to the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and opera house are worth taking time to drink in.

Nobody understands seafood like the Australians. Sydney Harbour has a very high concentration of absolutely amazing restaurants. Prices are high as a rule, but with that comes very high standards. Don’t hesitate to ask for wine recommendations to go along with your meal – Australia has become one of the great wine producing nations and there will certainly be a bottle that will perfectly compliment what you eating.

One way to get to Sydney Harbour is by sea. If you don’t happen to have a yacht and six months free then flights to Sydney are among the standard options for flights to Australia.

There have been many opinions expressed about the current euro crisis. These have differed widely and have in many cases seemed to be based as much on pro or anti-European sentiment as on any kind of serious analysis.

With the year coming to an end, just where are we? According to a hard hitting assessment from Scotland’s private bank Adam & Company, things are still looking sketchy. There is not much in the way of immediate amelioration for the euro crisis as a whole, and there are some specific sticking points.

The most notable failure so far has been the ability of Europe’s leaders to reach an agreement regarding the long term future of ECB bond buying. Rating downgrades are very much still on the cards, with the kinds of measures that would prevent such occurrences held back behind all kinds of political roadblocks. The kinds of austerity measures and so forth that are being pushed for are being held back by the need for parliamentary seals of approval and in some cases even referendums.

Of course there are those that long predicted this kind of impasse would result from the euro project. The different nation states that comprise the eurozone and the wider union have different and sometimes competing interests.

There does seem to be some indication that a certain amount of progress is being made towards a deep level structural reform. In the shorter term however this progress is not doing much good, with a large amount of nervousness and uncertainty in the markets.

It seems as though the general plan for the EU (excluding the UK of course, after Cameron laid down the veto) is not to make an amendment to the Lisbon treaty but to instead come to what is being termed an ‘intergovernmental agreement’. Comparisons between this and the 1985 Schengen Agreement are being made.

In news that will delight home owners, it has been predicted that house prices in Britain will rise by 2% in 2012.

This prediction comes from an analysis published by the estate agency website Rightmove. The reason that they think that prices are going to rise is because there is a shortage of fresh properties coming onto the market. It is thought that the number of new sellers in 2012 will be 1.2 million, even less than this year.

A bullish prediction for house prices is not universal. Others have stated that they believe that the market would in fact stagnate. There are a number of factors that are thought to be keeping prices down.

There is undoubtedly a lot of uncertainty in the economy. It has also proved tricky to get good deals on mortgages for many. The most worrying factor however is the shortage of first time buyers entering the market.

It is considered that for the housing market to be ‘healthy’ that there need to be about 40% new buyers entering the market each year. The percentage of first time buyers has fallen below 25%.

The news that prices are set for  an increase could give the impetus to those that have been holding off from entering the housing market. There are first time buyer mortgages that cater specifically for this market, but having a reassurance that a negative equity trap is not lurking may help make up some minds.

There will also be new restrictions on mortgage lending coming into force in 2012. The effects of these on the market are not known yet, b but long term not lending to those who cannot afford repayments can only be a stabilising factor, and possibly the reduced levels of bad debt in the system will keep the costs of mortgages down for those that can afford to make repayments.