Two Questions for Our Australian Cousins

[Tom and Amanda Lang <rustnrot@domain.elided>]

On the subject of RHD Scouts (of which most of our readers know I am
converting to front-disks on my '72 at a glacial pace).  Anyway, the Scout
Gold Portfolio (a an excellent book of days-gone-by Scout Road Tests, some
of which were were authored by Australian writers), got me thinking *why*
LHD cars are illegal in Australia and RHD ones are *not* illegal in North
America, where certainly here traffic must be much worse.  Does the law
hark back to the days when Australia was a British colony and it was a way
to "insure" vehicles were bought from the "mother country"--way back before
the Japanese built cars (which I'm sure you all know are RHD for their
country)?
Thanks, and what's the second question?  Oh yea, is it *really* true in the
Southern Hemisphere that water goes down a drain in a counter-clockwise
direction?? (add Andy Rooney voice inflection)
"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?
I'm halfway through my fishburger and I
realize, Oh my God... I could be eating a
slow learner."  -- Lynda Montgomery