LowNr, are you suggesting with
Ah air traffickers what we could do without them!!
that ATCers have something to do with creating TRAs? Why would we want to make more work for ourselves?
Brings up a good point though, in the brave new Aussie airspace system, poor old VFR operators get no / limited advice of inflight hazards and they can't ask ATC anymore, just flightwatch IF they can raise them (and how often DO you check?). I think the system has let us down badly, in this regard.
VFR aircraft monitoring the area frequency will get 3 chances to hear the broadcast. How is that no/limited? Where does it say that you CANNOT ask ATC anything to do with the safe conduct of flight? If I remember correctly, if you can't contact FlightWatch, you are perfectally entitled to ask the appropriate area controller. In fact, I would prefer that you did ask me, rather than wandering into a hazard.
Cheers for now,
NFR.