Virtual Tripping » Australia

This is Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia on Virtual-tripping.com.

Mark — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:02:04 +0000

Sydney Harbour Bridge – Sydney Australia in HD
Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Constructing Australia – The Bridge

This is a picture taken from flickr of the amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge.
So what is the Sydney Harbour Bridge and why is it so well-known around the world. Well, this is a steel through arch bridge which goes across the Sydney Harbour, it is a well-known bridge, because, it carries many different types of rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House have become iconic images, both for Sydney and Australia. And the locals have nicknamed the bridge,”The Coathanger” because of its arch-based design. Also it appears to be the venue, where the Australians celebrate the new year, which a spectacular fireworks, display, infront of the bridge.

Photo by Odd Bod

This is a picture taken from flickr of the bridge at night.

Photo by bishib70

This is a picture taken from flickr of the New Year’s Eve celebration in front of the Bridge.
So the bridge was created under the directions of Dr J.J.C. Bradfield of the NSW Department of Public Works, it was designed and built by the British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough, funny enough, they based the design of the bridge, on their 1928 Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne in England. And it was opened in 1932. But this is an extraordinary bridge, it made it into the Guinness World Records, for being the world’s widest long-span bridge and on top of that it is also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is alsothe tallest steel arch bridge, measuring an amazing 134 metres or 440 foot from top to water level. I have also learn’t that it was Sydney’s tallest structure until 1967.

Photo by iambents

This is a picture taken from flickr of people on the bridge.

Photo by Shishberg

This is a picture taken from flickr of Sydney, the harbour and the bridge.
So how does the structure of the bridge work, well the southern (CBD) bridge end, you will find is located at Millers Point in The Rocks area, where as the northern end is at Milsons Point in the lower North Shore area. There are six lanes of road traffic which it carries on its main roadway, where on the eastern side there are two lanes of road traffic, it used to be tram tracks and a footpath, and on the western side of the bridge, there are two railway tracks and a bicycle path, this makes the western side of the bridge, 30.5 cm or 12 inches broader than the eastern side. When you are on the bridge, you will notice, that the main roadway which across the bridge is known as the Bradfield Highway and this is about 2.4 kilometres or 1.5 miles length, making it one of the shortest highways in Australia. And the actual shortest highway, which is also called the Bradfield Highway, is found on the Story Bridge in Brisbane.

This is Melbourne Park and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Australia.

Mark — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:53:37 +0000

25 years at Melbourne Park: Australian Open 2012
Winter Sound System 2009 @ Melbourne Park

Photo by jkam813

Photo by sensesmaybenumbed

This is a picture taken from flickr of Melbourne Park.
Welcome to a post on Melbourne Park, this happens to b a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And as it is also the host to the main Australian Open tennis tournament since 1988, the competition is held annually in January. Before the tennis took over it used to be the venue and the home of the Melbourne Tigers basketball team. But this is a special sports park, because, it can also and has adapted to host other events, like, ice skating, concerts, cycling as well as swimming and motorsport. The venue is run by Melbourne & Olympic Parks, which also runs the adjacent Olympic Park Stadium. Where as the Yarra Park section of the Sports and Entertainment Precinct is run separately.

Photo by hannah takes pictures

This is a picture taken from flickr of court 2 at Melbourne Park.

Photo by nettsu

This is a picture taken from flickr of a music concert at Melbourne Park.
As i said above this venue really is adaptable, while it is best known for being a tennis venue, it is surprisingly how many other events do take place here Melbourne Park. There are plenty of different sports and musical events throughout the year. You will find that alot of popular international performers, will head to Melbourne Park, because this is the largest venue that the city has to offer, apart from the venues like, the Docklands Stadium in the Docklands and the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground, which are both hugely expensive. Also there used to be the Two Tribes dance festival was held there annually aswell. But it looks and appears to be a brilliant place to visit for you are into Sports or Entertainment. Also you will find the main tennis stadium which is known as the Rod Laver Arena, but you will also find other tennis courts like the Melbourne Multi Purpose Venue, known as the Hinsense Arena and also there is the Margaret Court Arena, there are other tennis courts to, but these appear to be the main ones. So the park includes the major tennis complex which has three outdoor show courts, five indoor courts, and more than twenty outdoor courts, and all of them are used by professional players and can also be used by the public to hire.

Photo by Scootie

This is a picture taken from flickr of people at Melbourne Park heading towards a concert or something.

Photo by avlxyz

This is a picture taken from flickr of people at Garden Square, Melbourne Park.

Anzac Day is a remembrance day in Australia and New Zealand, and some of the Oceania Islands.

Mark — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:53:16 +0000

Photo by Peter Konnecke

Photo by National Library NZ on The Commons

Right with Remembrance Day coming up in the United Kingdom, I thought it would be a good idea to research and have alook at some of the other countries around the world and what they do to celebrate the remembrance of their soldiers during the world wars. Today i start with the Oceanian countries, they celebrate what is known as Anzac Day, this isto them a national day of remembrance inthe countries of Australia and New Zealand, this day takes place on the 25th April every year. This particular day means alot to to this people because it tells the tragic story of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.

Photo by nznationalparty

Photo by Halans

It really was a tragic event that should not have happened in total there were over 120,000 men that died during the campaign in Gallipoli, with more than 80,000 Turkish soldiers and 44,000 British and French soldiers, this included over 8,500 Australians and 2,721 New Zealanders. So this really is an important day for these people. But you will find it is just not Australia and New Zealand, but some of the islands like the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tonga. Who all provider some kind of military personnel to the campaign in Turkey. Today for some reason Samoa, does not celebrate this day any more as a holiday, but i would imagine they still remember their dead soldiers.

Photo by Cle0patra

Photo by liako

Photo by Vanessa Pike-Russell

Lets fly to Lord Howe Island for a Virtualtripping.com.

Mark — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:19:55 +0000

Australia: Lord Howe Island: Paradise Found

Photo by Jetske19

Photo by Robert Whyte

When i was looking on Google Earth I noticed an Island which is quite small and is located in the Tasman Sea between the large countries of Australia and New Zealand, and the the island is 600 kilometres or 370 miles from Port Macquarie, and about 900 kilometres or 560 miles from the Norfolk Island. It is a small island it is only 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of 16.56 km². The island boasts a sandy semi-enclosed sheltered coral reef lagoon. Now i have found out that the main population live in the north, this is because down in the south of the island it is mainly covered by forested hills rising to the highest point on the island, for example there is the Mount Gower which is 875 m or 2,871 ft. Apart from the main Lord Howe Island, there is also a group of the Lord Howe Island islands, which comprises of 28 islands, islets and rocks. The next most impressive island is the volcanic and uninhabited Balls Pyramid which is about 23 km to the south-east. To the north there is the Admiralty Group, a cluster of seven small uninhabited islands.

Photo by Black Diamond Images

Photo by Tony Rodd

Well the island was found on 17 February 1788, this was when Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, who at the time was the commander of the Armed Tender HMS Supply was on its way from Botany Bay to found a penal settlement on Norfolk Island. So when they returned back from the Norfolk Island Ball decided to send some of his men ashore on to Lord Howe Island to claim it as a British possession. The island then became a provisioning port for the whaling industry,and because of this the Lord Howe Island finally recieved settlers in June 1834. The island now prospers since the declining of the whaling industry, with the worldwide export of the endemic kentia palms which started back in the 1880s,and is still going today and has become the key component of the Island’s economy. The other continuing industry, tourism, began after World War II.

Photo by petrichor

Photo by Robert Whyte

The group of Lord Howe Island’s are now apart of the state of New South Wales, in Australia, this is for legal purposes, is regarded as an unincorporated area administered by the Lord Howe Island Board. This board has to report to the New South Wales Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water. So being apart of the Australian State, means that their time zone which is normally UTC+10:30, becomes UTC+11 when daylight saving time applies. The currency is the Australian dollar. Commuter airlines are linked to Sydney, Brisbane, Port Macquarie and Norfolk Island. These Islands have been reported by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of global natural significance.This is because there is alot of the islands that have not been touched by humans and still remain the same as they have been for many years. Youwill find untouched forest with many of the plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. There are also many natural attractions like, the diversity of its landscapes, the variety of upper mantle and oceanic basalts, the world’s southernmost barrier coral reef, nesting seabirds, and its rich historical and cultural heritage.The Lord Howe Island Act of 1981 established a “Permanent Park Preserve” (covering approximately 70 per cent of the island). The surrounding waters are a protected region designated the Lord Howe Island Marine Park. So if you are lucky enough to live on or near by the islands then you will be treated to some spectacular sights, and if you are planning to visit, the Lord Howe Island and it’s surrounding islands you will not be disappointed.

Photo by sydneydawg2006

Photo by Robert Whyte

Lets visit the Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, Oceania.

Mark — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:51:50 +0000

The BEST introduction to the Cook Islands

Cook Islands National Anthem

Open-air market, Avarua, Cook Islands

Now and again i like toi find out information about places that i have heard of, but do not necessarily, know much about, well the Cook Islands are one of these, they are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. You will find 15 small islands, that make up the nation of the Cook Islands, located in the South Pacific Ocean. The country has a total land area of 240 square kilometres or 92.7 sq miles, but if you were to add the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) it covers 1,800,000 square kilometres 690,000 sq mi of ocean, this is a territiorial area belonging to the Cook Islands, this does not necessarily have islands and population all over this territory.

Photo by rogerbarker2

If you are going to visit the islands, then it is most likely, that you will go to the main population centres, which are on the island of Rarotonga, the population in 2006, for this island was 14,153. But this is the island with the main international airport. But it is now known that there is a much larger population of Cook Islanders, who live in New Zealand, mainly on the North Island of the country, and the 2006 census, showed back then that 58,008 self-identified as being of ethnic Cook Island Māori descent.

Photo by rogerbarker2

Photo by claytonjayscott.com

Photo by JIGGS IMAGES

It often appears that alot of these islands need the tourism to keep them going, now the Cook Islands are no exception, and it was shown in the 2010-11 financial year, that they recieved about 100,000 visitors, making tourism in the country’s main industry, and the leading element of the economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, and marine and fruit exports. It amazes have popular New Zealand, and Australia really are in the South Pacific, because alot of these islands rely on these countries for their defence and foreign affairs.For example New Zealand happens to have the responsibility, but they are always in consultation with the Cook Islands. But more recently, the Cook Islands have become more independent in foreign policy. Although Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand, they have the status of Cook Islands nationals, which is not given to all New Zealand citizens. Below is a list taken from Wikipedia of the 15 islands and two reefs are grouped as follows:

Southern Cook Islands:
- Nga-pu-Toru(“Three Roots”, the group name for the easternmost islands of Southern Group):
  - Atiu (Enua Manu or Island of Birds)
  - Ma’uke (Akatokamanava)
  - Mitiaro (Nukuroa)
  - Takutea
- Remaining islands of the South:
  - Aitutaki (Araura Enua)
  - Mangaia (Auau Enua)
  - Rarotonga (Tumutevarovaro) and also with the capital, Avarua.
  - Palmerston Island (Pamati) sometimes grouped with the Northern Group.
  - Manuae
  - Winslow Reef (submerged)
Northern Cook Islands:
- Manihiki (Te Fuinga o Niva)
- Nassau (Te Nuku o Ngalewu )
- Penrhyn Island (Tongareva or Mangarongaro)
- Pukapuka (Te Ulu o te Watu)
- Rakahanga (Tapuahua)
- Suwarrow also called Suvorov
- Tema Reef (submerged)

Learn about the Tuvalu or formerly known, Ellis Islands in the Pacific Ocean, Australiasia.

Mark — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:23:51 +0000

Here is a brilliant Youtube video, all about the Tuvalu Islands, it is long but great, well done to the people for doing this brilliant video, here is the link: Tuvalu.

Here is another Youtube video showing the, National Anthem of Tuvalu.

The Islands of Tuvalu, which used to be called the Ellice Islands, you will find these island are a Polynesian island nation, which are found in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. They are neighboured by many other island nations like, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. The Tuvula island are made up of four reef islands and five true atolls. Thee is a very small poulation living on the islands, it totaled 10,472 people, making these islands the third-least populous sovereign state in the world, with only Vatican City and Nauru having fewer inhabitants. These are very small islands, i mean the physical land size, of these islands, stand at 26 square kilometres or 10 sq miles, which is small and the country of Tuvalu is the fourth smallest in the world, larger only than the Vatican City at 0.44 km² or 0.17 sq miles, Monaco at 1.95 km² or 0.75 sq miles and Nauru at 21 km² or 8.1 sq miles, which are small.
The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesian people. In 1568 Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña sailed through the islands during his expedition in search of Terra Australis. The islands came under Britain’s
sphere of influence in the late 19th century and they then named the islands, Ellice, after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay (1812–1876)^.The Ellice Islands were administered as British protectorate by a Resident Commissioner from 1892 to 1916 as part of the British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT). In later years, they were joined up with the Gilbert Islands and were created as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, between 1916 to 1974. But then in 1974, Ellice Islanders, decided that it was time to go their separate ways and voted for separate British dependency status as Tuvalu, this was agreed and the Gilbert Islands, then became known as Kiribati upon independence. Tuvalu became fully independent within the Commonwealth on October 1, 1978. On September 5, 2000, Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations.

Welcome to one of the southernmost cities in the world, it is Invercargill, New Zealand, Oceania.

Mark — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:52:07 +0000

Photo by PhillipC

Photo by Broken Piggy Bank

Photo by PhillipC

This is a picture taken from flickr of Spring in Esk Street, Invercargill.
Whilst i was watching the rugby world cup in New Zealand there was a game that involved scotland and they were playing in Invercargill, and so i have decided to find out more about this small city, so here we go. Invercargill is located in the most southern part of New Zealand and it is also the westernmost city in New Zealand, and it is also one of the southernmost cities in the world. This city has become a commercial centre for the Southland region. Located in the south on South Island, you will find it lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island.

Photo by Broken Piggy Bank

Photo by anthonylibrarian

This is a picture taken from flickr of a view from Bluff, Invercargill.

Photo by Broken Piggy Bank

From what i have learn’t there are lots of streets within the city, and they are mainly around the centre and main shopping district. But what is special about these streets is that they are named after rivers in Great Britain, mainly Scotland. The names of some of them are the Dee and Tay, as well as those named after the Tyne, Esk, Don, Thames, Mersey, Ness, Yarrow, Spey, and Eye rivers. So there is a real scottish feeling when you are there from what it appears like, that is why the Scots played their match there, it appeared to me to have alot of Scottish fans and flags there to. Back in 2006, the cities population was censused as 50,328 people; an increase of 498 people, or 1.0 percent, since the 2001 census. So it is growing quickly.

Photo by Andy Field (Hubmedia)

Photo by x-oph

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Water Tower in Invercargill.

Photo by Broken Piggy Bank

This is Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales in Australia, Oceania.

Mark — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:33:15 +0000

I thought it would be a good idea to write a post about a place that people do not hear of very often, this is a post about the City of Penrith, it is a place in western Sydney, the capital of australia. It is also within the state of New South Wales, Australia. This little city is located 50 kilometres or31 miles west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Penrith. This is a commericial centre and has been designated as a regional city under the NSW Metropolitan Strategy. This is a lovely city, because it is situated east of the Nepean River, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, which are apart of the Great Dividing Range. The scenery is beautiful with mountains and rivers, aswell as the river going through it is very picturesque.

Photo by OZinOH

Now surprisingly or not this is another place in australia, that has the same name as an english market town and unparished area in England. The name Penrith came from Penrith, Cumbria. But, Penrith is a welsh word which means “Penrhyd” for “Chief Ford / Hill Ford”. This is till though unclear how the city got it’s name, they say that one theory is that in the early days, development in Penrith was entirely on one road, like the English Penrith, and that a person who came from both areas England and Australia, spotted the similarity and suggested the name. The earliest known written reference to the name Penrith dates back to 1819. So there is plenty to do in Penrith and it is worth a visit i feel.

Photo by OZinOH

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Civic Centre in Penrith.

Photo by OZinOH

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Australia Arms Hotel in Penrith.
Here are a list of local tourist attractions and landmarks in Penrith: Penrith Museum of Fire , St Stephen’s Church (built in the 1830s), in High Street, and its historic graveyard, Penrith has a campus of the University of Western Sydney, Sydney International Regatta Centre, which was the location for the rowing competitions for the 2000 Olympic Games, Panthers World of Entertainment,Penrith Sake Brewery, Nepean River and the Head of the River, which takes place at the regatta centre.

Photo by yewenyi

The Scottish town of Maclean in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Mark — Thu, 12 May 2011 10:01:22 +0000

This is a post about anAustralian town known as Maclean, it is located in the Clarence Valley Local Government Area in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated on the Clarence River and near the Pacific Highway. Back in 2006 the population was 3,245 people and the town relies on it’s industries like tourism, sugar cane production, farming and river-prawn trawling.But the reason why i have written about this town is because it is known for it’s hosting a popular Highland Gathering at Easter each year, for over 100 years, this is when the participants and bands contest traditional Scottish athletic and cultural competitions, they do things like caber tossing, highland dancing, band competition, and bagpiping, so it is like being in scotland when this occassion takes places, it is fun and there are places you can sit down and eat and drink. The town which is known as “Maclean, is a Scottish Town In Australia Association”, it is a community group which was founded by manager Mr Graham Leach in 1986 under the initiative of a former bank manager, who decided to promte the towns strong Scottish origins and the committee have worked extremely hard to get the towns national and international recognition as ‘The Scottish Town’ in Australia over many years. They really have tried to make it look like a scottish town, by giving street signs, which have been written in English and Scottish Gaelic; power poles are painted with tartan patterns; and an excellent Scottish Cairn has been erected in Herb Stanford Park.

Originally this areaused to belong to the Gumbaingirr or Yaygir Aboriginal peoples. It was a man known as Matthew Flinders lwho came to this region of the Clarence River in 1789.In was around the 1830s, when the cedar cuttings beganand back then in the 1850′s the area was known as Rocky Mouth. But it was not until 1862, when the town was built and it was named after the the man who was the the Surveyor General, Alexander Maclean, . The sugar industry began to develop around 1865. So if you are scottish and you want to go away somewhere but still remain in your local routes, then this is the town for you, or if you are not scottish and would like to learn more about scotland and you live nearby, then again this is the place to visit.

Two tragic earthquakes and a Tsunami cause severe damage in Japan and New Zealand, 2011.

Mark — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:20:36 +0000

This is a Youtube video reporting on the devastation in Lyttleton Town, Christchurch, New Zealand.

I have been so deepl.y shocked to hear that our planet is causing problems around countries in the world and it is so sad to hear that to wonderful countries of Japan and New Zealand have been hit by devasting earthquakes, with hundreds dead or missing, it is awful, my love and prayers go to everyone who has suffered from these tragedies, thankfully for me dearest brother who lives in the southern part of Japan, he was not effected, thank goodness and neither were his family. But sadly for those in New Zealand, who were effected in the 2011 Canterbury earthquake and the Lyttelton earthquake, it became a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which hit the Canterbury region in New Zealand‘s South Island at 12:51 pm on 22 February 2011 local time, it went on to cause serious and widespread damage and multiple fatalities. So where was the earthquake, well it was located near the town of Lyttelton, and 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-east of the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand’s second-most populous city. There had been a earthquake in canterbury in 2010, it was about six months before this earthquake and the magnitude was 7.1, it caused significant damage to the region but no direct fatalities. This earthquake has caused a death toll of at least 166 people, but it could sadly rise to over 200, making the earthquake the second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand.

This is a Youtube video reporting on the devasting earthquake and tsunami in Sendai and Northern Japan.

Now in Japan, on the 11th March 2011, a megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan, with a magnitude of 8.9 to 9.1, caused a serious tsunami,at 14:46 local time. It was reported by the epicenter to be 130 kilometers or 81 miles off the east coast of the Oshika Peninsula, Tōhoku, with the hypocenter at a depth of 24.4 kilometers or 15.2 miles. It was locally measured at the maximum possible 7 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in the northern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, 6 in other prefectures and 5 in Tokyo. It really was a tradegy, with buildings, vechicles, trees, etc just being washed away, over a thousand deaths at least and people in a state of shock, what is going on with the world. The waves of the tsunami which had been created by the earthquake reached up to 10 meters or 33 feet, and these were what struck Japan and many other countries. But in Japan the waves are reported to have travelled up to 6 miles (9.7 km) inland.