Australia

[Akhenaten]

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Identify the Place - Part 2

Chambers Pillar, Northern Territory

Chambers Pillar (Aboriginal name 'Idracowra' or 'Etikaura') is a sandstone formation some 160 km south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Erosion by wind and rain has left an isolated pillar of 350 million year old sandstone, rising 50 metres above the surrounding plain.

John McDouall Stuart was the first European to see Chambers Pillar, reaching the site in April 1860, and naming it after James Chambers, one of his South Australian sponsors.

Chambers Pillar is very close to the Median Point of the Australian Continent.

Chambers Pillar is accessible by 4WD track only. Day tours from Alice Springs are often combined with a trip to Rainbow Valley. The cooler months from April to September are the best time to visit Chambers Pillar, however, central Australia receives most of its rain in this time, so it's important to check with local authorities regarding the condition of the road before setting off to visit the area.

​

Here be facts

Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria

Federation Square (also colloquially known as Fed Square) is a cultural precinct in the city of Melbourne, Australia. It comprises a series of buildings containing a public broadcaster (SBS), art galleries, a museum, cinemas, exhibition spaces, auditoria, restaurants, bars and shops around two major public spaces, one covered (The Atrium), the other open to the sky, and composed of two spaces that flow into one another (St. Paul's Court and The Square).

The majority of the precinct is built on top of a concrete deck over busy railway lines. Construction began in 1998 and the site opened in 2002.

A major addition to the precinct in 2006 was Federation Wharf, which extended Federation Square to the Yarra by redeveloping the vaults under the Princes Bridge into cafes and ferry terminals with lift access to Federation Square.​

They've even lashed out on a Flash website

Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park, Western Australia

Purnululu is the name given to the sandstone area of the Bungle Bungle Range by the Kija people. The name means sandstone or may be a corruption of bundle grass.

The National Park is located in north east of Western Australia and was declared a World Heritage Site 1987.

The range, lying fully within the park, is famous for the sandstone domes, unusual and visually striking with their striping in alternating orange and grey bands, and reaching elevations as high as 578 metres (1900 feet) above sea level. The banding of the domes is due to differences in clay content and porosity of the sandstone layers: the orange bands consist of oxidised iron compounds in layers that dry out too quickly for cyanobacteria to multiply; the grey bands are composed of cyanobacteria growing on the surface of layers of sandstone where moisture accumulates.

The nearest major towns are Kununurra to the north, or Halls Creek to the south.​

Even Western Australia is connected to the Web these days

The Blowhole, Kiama, New South Wales

The Kiama Blowhole is a blowhole in the town of Kiama, New South Wales and is the town's major tourist attraction. Under certain sea conditions, the blowhole can spray water up to 25 metres (82 ft) in the air, in quantities that thoroughly drench any bystanders.

The name Kiama itself is derived from a local aboriginal word which means 'where the sea makes noise'. The aboriginal people call the blowhole Khanterinteree.

The first European to see the blowhole was George Bass on 6 December 1797 when he stopped there on his whaleboat voyage to Bass Strait.

The earth for a considerable distance round in the form approaching a circle seemed to have given way; it was now a green slope. Towards the centre was a deep ragged hole of about 25 to 30 feet in diameter and on one side of it the sea washed in through a subterraneous passage with a most tremendous noise.

In January 1889 a performer by the name of Charles Jackson attracted large crowds to see his crossings of the mouth of the Blow Hole on a tightrope while in modern times the blowhole attracts 600,000 tourists a year.​

Whoosh!

Australian-American Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

The Australian–American Memorial is in Canberra, the national capital of Australia, and commemorates the role of the United States in World War II.

After an appeal for finances by then Prime Minister of Australia, Sir Robert Menzies, the Australian people subscribed more than the eventual cost of 100,000 pounds, then a vast sum of money for such a public memorial, indicating the gratitude of the nation. Additional memorials were constructed in Brisbane and Adelaide using the surplus funds.

Work commenced in December 1952 and took just over a year. Then Vice President of the United States of America, Richard Nixon, visited the site in the early stages of construction.

The memorial is a hollow, octagonal, tapered column with a steel framework sheeted with aluminium panels that were sandblasted to give the appearance of stone. Two murals feature at the base, one relating the story of American combat in the Pacific and the other a profile map of the United States in copper. The column is surrounded by a water-filled moat about 3m wide. Under the dedication is a bronze wreath where floral wreaths are often laid on official commemorations. The column is topped with a bronze sphere surmounted by a stylised figure of the American Eagle by the distinguished sculptor, Paul Beadle.

The overall height is 78 metres (258 feet) and the eagle and sphere are together around 11metres (40 feet) high.

This is the dedication which appears on the base of the memorial:

In grateful remembrance
of the vital help given by the
United States of America during
the war in the Pacific 1941-1945

Unveiled by
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
February 16, 1954​

​

Which makes it five days older than me. One of us is showing our age, the other, not so much.​

An excellent chronicle of the memorial's construction

 

[arthwollipot]

Well, I obviously got the 5th photo in each set. In fact, I have my own photo of the Carillon.



I also got the Blowhole in Kiama, because we used to have family holidays at Werri Beach, a few minutes south from there.

 

[lionking]

I thought 3 and 4 were the Flinders Ranges, but knew the others.

 

[Akhenaten]

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Identify the Place - Part 3

Carlotta Arch, Jenolan Caves, New South Wales

The Jenolan Caves are remarkable caverns in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, approximately 175 kilometres (110 miles) west of Sydney. They are the most celebrated of several similar groups in the limestone of the country being the oldest discovered open caves in the world.

Local Gundungarra Aboriginal tribes knew the Jenolan Caves area as 'Binoomea' (Dark Places) but seem to have avoided the place. There are almost no remnants of their activities in close proximity to the caves.

Around 1835-40 the area was recorded for the first time by either James, Charles or Alf Whalan, three brothers who each claimed to have discovered the caves while searching for a bushranger, James McKeown, whom they said used the caves as a hide-out. There is, however, no actual evidence of his existence and it is more likely the brothers were searching for cattle that had strayed from their nearby farm.

The caves include numerous Silurian marine fossils of great interest and the calcite formations, sometimes pure white, are of extraordinary beauty. The cave network is enormous, with over 40 kms of multi-levelled passages and is still undergoing active exploration. Several kilometres of the caves have been rendered easily accessible to paying visitors and are well lit.

The road from Sydney, visible in the above photograph, passes through a huge cavern known as the Grand Arch almost directly below Carlotta Arch and six of the cave tours leave from assembly points within it. Adjacent to the Grand Arch is the Devil's Coach House, a vast open-ended chamber that forms part of the many nature walks in the area.

High above both of these is Carlotta Arch, a free-standing arch that is all that remains of a higher cavern system long since eroded and collapsed. Along with these areas, there are several other caves in the area, some of which are available for special tours.

A hiking trail climbs up to and behind the arch, allowing photography from both sides. This trail then proceeds to and through The Devil's Coach House. Carlotta Arch has a span of about 20 meters. A viewing platform under the arch offers views to the Blue Lake, so named because of the hue its waters take on as they absorb minerals on their journey through the caves.​

To the Bat Cave, Robin!

Mawson's Huts, Antarctica

Mawson's Huts are the collection of buildings located at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, in the far eastern sector of the Australian Antarctic Territory, approximately 3000 km (1800 miles) South of Hobart, Tasmania. The buildings were erected and occupied by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) of 1911-1914, led by geologist and explorer Sir Douglas Mawson.

Sir Douglas Mawson's incredible spirit and courage is epitomised in the huts still standing today in the hostile environment of Antarctica.

Australia's first Antarctic base for scientific and geographical discovery was established in these simple huts, and from them Mawson and his team set out to explore and study the Antarctic landscape, and pioneering the use of wireless communication. Mawson's Huts and Mawson's Huts Historic Site were included in the National Heritage List on 27 January 2005.​

Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and freezing yer arse off the Arts

Foremast of HMAS Sydney I, Sydney, New South Wales

A half-hearted apology from me for the length of this description, but this is a very significant monument, and while I've been ruthless in cutting this entry down to a manageable size I can't, in good conscience, remove any more detail. To do so would, I think, be disrespectful.

HMAS Sydney I is recognised as one of the most distinguished Royal Australian Navy (RAN) warships of World War One. It was a Chatham Class light cruiser built in Glasgow, Scotland and delivered to the RAN in 1913. In October 1914, after spending the first period of the war in New Guinea and Pacific waters, HMAS Sydney I began escort duties off the West Australian Coast accompanying the first Australian troop ship to the Middle East. On 9 November 1914 HMAS Sydney I was called away from the escort to investigate an SOS from Direction Island in the Cocos Keeling Islands group. This resulted in a victorious engagement with the German raider Emden which saw Emden eventually run aground on Keeling Island. This victory marked the Royal Australian Navy's first ship to ship engagement and its first victory.

In general, recognition of the importance of the victory over SMS Emden has often been overshadowed by events such as Gallipoli and Kokoda since World War Two. However, internationally, the battle continues to be considered the most significant cruiser battle of World War One. Had the Emden attacked the 1st AIF convoy at night, as its captain planned, many of the soldiers destined to fight at places such as Gallipoli, are likely to have ended up in the water.

The steel tripod mast which is the primary element of the memorial was the foremast of HMAS Sydney I, installed on the Sydney in 1917 to replace the original timber foremast.

HMAS Sydney I was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918 and returned to Australia on 19 July 1919. After the war, Sydney carried out routine fleet duties until she was paid off in 1928. The mast was removed during the breaking up of the ship at Cockatoo Island following its decommissioning in 1928 and in 1934 the Mayor of Mosman purchased the mast (at Commonwealth expense) to be erected astride the nationally significant 1839 defence fortifications at Bradleys Head as a memorial to those who died in the Emden action.

On Thursday 12th November 1964 the mast was dedicated as an official memorial to the memory of those who served in the RAN and the nineteen naval ships lost in service. Three trees were also planted during the dedication ceremony to honour the officers and crews of:

1. HMAS Sydney II (lost in action on 19 November 1941) - planted by the Minister for Lands.
2. HMAS Perth (lost in Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942) - planted by Rear Admiral McNicoll.
3. HMAS Canberra (lost in action off Savo Island on 9 August 1942) - planted by Ald Chambers on behalf of Mosman Council.

On 18 November 1991 an additional memorial with plaques was constructed immediately opposite the memorial mast by the Governor of New South Wales Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair in honour of those who served on the HMAS Sydney ships and in memory of those who perished while serving on them.

Electric lighting to illuminate the mast was installed during maintenance works and repainting in 2000. This was undertaken as a joint project by numerous parties including the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Mosman RSL, Councillor Jim Reid, Veterans Affairs, the Harbour Master and the Waterways Authority. The mast had been unlit at night since it was first erected at the site, requiring any flags flown from its halyards to be drawn at dusk in line with tradition. However the lighting of a set of 1000 candlepower lamps by Prime Minister John Howard on 14 June 2000 has allowed the mast to be floodlit throughout the night and the mast to carry the Australian Flag continually. Two other masts were to fly the City of Sydney flag and the White Ensign on ceremonial occasions. Maritime Commander, RADM John Lord, had the honour of breaking open the flag at the ceremony.

On 26 June 2007 the Royal Australian Navy announced that a new naval tradition would commence that day requiring all Australian and foreign naval vessels proceeding into Sydney Harbour to render ceremonial honours to the HMAS Sydney I Memorial Mast. The ceremony consists of bringing the ship's company on the upper decks to attention, and then 'piping' the Mast.

The announcement was an initiative of the Commander Australian Fleet, RADM Davyd Thomas, AM, CSC RAN coinciding with the 94th anniversary of the commissioning of HMAS Sydney I. Commander Thomas stated that "It is appropriate that in a regular and formal way we recognise our heritage and demonstrate a mark of respect for the sacrifices of naval personnel that have played such a significant part in shaping this nation, particularly those that have laid down their lives. It helps remind us where we come from." This was followed in December 2007 by the raising of a permanently flying ceremonial White Australian Ensign in remembrance of "sailors and ship lost in conflict".

The Royal Australian Navy now considers the memorial the premier naval monument in Australia. It is the only memorial in Australia at which ceremonial piping is required by naval ships when entering the harbour.

The HMAS Sydney I Memorial has now been a visible part of Sydney Harbour for over 70 years, marking the end of the western harbour channel. It has an important visual role in the landscape for Sydneysiders and visitors alike, emphasised by its depiction in contemporary images and artwork of the harbour. Other monuments utilising parts of HMAS Sydney I include part of the bow at Milson's Point, Sydney, the original timber mast on Spectacle Island, Sydney Harbour and a derrick used as a flagpole in the Victory Memorial Gardens in Wagga Wagga, NSW.​

The full story

Barron Falls, Kuranda, Queensland

The Barron Falls are located where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Far North Queensland. Protected within the Barron Gorge National Park, the volume of water seen in the photo above only occurs after substantial rainfall during the wet season. For much of the rest of the year, little more than a trickle is evident, due in part to the presence of a weir behind the head of the falls that exists to supply the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station located downstream in the gorge proper.

There are three ways to visit and view Barron Falls: on foot after driving to Kuranda, by train on the Kuranda Scenic Railway or via aerial tram (Skyrail). The train stops at Barron Falls overlook, where passengers are allowed to disembark for several minutes. The Skyrail stops at two rainforest mid-stations, Red Peak and Barron Falls. The trail at Barron Falls Skyrail station leads through the rainforest to three separate lookouts providing views of the Gorge and Falls.​

Gorgeous

Captain Cook's Cottage, Melbourne, Victoria

The cottage was originally either built, rebuilt or purchased by Cook's parents in 1755 in Great Ayton, Yorkshire, England and purchased in 1933 by Sir Russell Grimwade as a centenary gift to the people and State of Victoria. It was dismantled, shipped to Melbourne in crates and reassembled in Fitzroy Gardens for Victoria's Centenary Celebrations in 1934.

As well as the components of the building itself, a cutting of the ivy which grew upon it in Yorkshire was also shipped, and today the house is covered by this ivy.

A notable feature of the cottage is the date 1755 and the initials of James and Grace, Cook's mother and father, inscribed over a doorway.

The cottage is furnished with both original and reproduction pieces and the garden is planted with fruits, vegetables and herbs which would have been available in the north of England in the 1700s. There is an historic display in the souvenir shop outlining Captain Cook's major voyages.​

Cookipedia

Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

There is no possibility of dealing adequately with the mass of information pertaining to the Australian War Memorial within the scope of a single post. In truth, the subject deserves its own thread and I hope that one day I will be able to create one. For now, please allow that this is but the most basic of introductions to the AWM.

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia. The memorial includes an extensive national military museum. The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941, and is widely regarded as one of the most significant memorials of its type in the world.

The Memorial is located in Australia's capital, Canberra. It is the northern terminus of the city's ceremonial land axis, which stretches from Parliament House on Capital Hill along a line passing through the summit of the cone-shaped Mount Ainslie to the northeast. No continuous roadway links the two points, but there is a clear line of sight from the front balcony of Parliament House to the War Memorial, and from the front steps of the War Memorial back to Parliament House.

The Australian War Memorial consists of three parts - the Commemorative Area (shrine) including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, the Memorial's galleries (museum) and Research Centre (records). The Memorial also has an outdoor Sculpture Garden.


The above photograph shows the area in front of the Hall of Memory, a narrow courtyard with a memorial pool surrounding an eternal flame and flanked by sidewalks and shrubbery, including plantings of rosemary for remembrance. Above the courtyard to either side are long cloisters containing the Roll of Honour, a series of bronze plaques naming the 102,000 Australian servicemen and women killed in conflict. The plaques include names dating back to the British Sudanese Expedition, the Second Boer War, and the Boxer Rebellion. The entire long wall of the western gallery is covered with the names of the thousands who died in World War I. The eastern gallery is covered with the names of those who died in World War II and more recent conflicts.​

Australian War Memorial

Lest We Forget​

 

[arthwollipot]

I've always wanted to go back to

Jenolan Caves

I went there as a small child, and have never been back. My memories of the place are as vague as memories can be.

 

[lionking]

I love this. Number 5 became a bit of a family tradition. Whenever we had a child (all were born in the Mercy, East Melbourne) I took the rest to Cooks Cottage when visiting her. Memories.

 

[Akhenaten]

I've always wanted to go back to

Jenolan Caves

I went there as a small child, and have never been back. My memories of the place are as vague as memories can be.

One of my favourite places, and I've been there many times. I'll do a more comprehensive post on the subject when I have the time.

 

[Akhenaten]

I love this. Number 5 became a bit of a family tradition. Whenever we had a child (all were born in the Mercy, East Melbourne) I took the rest to Cooks Cottage when visiting her. Memories.

Memories for me too, but only some are happy. I spent a lot of time wandering around Fitzroy Gardens while Vonnie was having Her weekly chemotherapy at St Vincent's. I can't go there anymore.

 

[lionking]

Memories for me too, but only some are happy. I spent a lot of time wandering around Fitzroy Gardens while Vonnie was having Her weekly chemotherapy at St Vincent's. I can't go there anymore.

So sad. There are some places I can't go for similar reasons.

 

[MG1962]

I got them all in series three except the waterfall - gorgeous by the way

Didn't get the first two in series two though - the rest were easy

 

[Orphia Nay]

I did well in Series 2, and only got a couple in the other serii.

Thanks for the fun and games, Pharaoh! Educational, too!

 

[Zep]

Have visited them all...so far. Some a number of times.

 

[Orphia Nay]

Have visited them all...so far. Some a number of times.

 

[Zep]

I think you missed my funny. I mean...Mawson's Hut...???

 

[Orphia Nay]

I think you missed my funny. I mean...Mawson's Hut...???

Hahaha, you got me good!

I don't know... there's been a fair bit of tourism to Antarctica in recent years. Probably too much, actually. Yes, that should have been a dead giveaway. D'oh!

I guess I have too high an opinion of you travelled types who've been to Egypt and all.

 

[Zep]

OK, let's see how I really went:

Bungle Bungles - recognised, not visited yet but would love to.
Kiama Blowhole - recognised, visited a few times.
Australian American War Memorial Canberra - recognised, seen often since childhood.
Jenolan Caves NSW - recognised (view from the car-park walk), visited often.
Mawsons Hut Antarctica - recognised, not visited...yet.
HMAS Sydney memorial Sydney Harbour - recognised, visited a few times.
Barron Falls near Cairns - recognised, visited once - that pic shows it in full flood (wet season).
Cooks Cottage Melbourne - recognised, visited once.
War Memorial Canberra - recognised, visited many times - still moves me every time.

 

[arthwollipot]

Yes, I love the War Memorial. It's one of my favourite tourist spots.

 

[Orphia Nay]

http://www.physorg.com/news199101603.html

Australia's earliest contact rock art discovered

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered evidence of Southeast Asian sailing vessels visiting Australia in the mid-1600s -- the oldest contact rock art in Australia.

[...]

“This site includes at least 20 layers of art,” said Dr May. “And importantly, it has also yielded the oldest date yet recorded for contact rock art in Australia. A yellow painted prau (Southeast Asian sailing vessel) is found underneath a large beeswax snake. This snake was radiocarbon dated by Dr Stewart Fallon at ANU to between AD1624 - 1674, meaning that this is a minimum age for the sailing vessel painting.”

[...]

 

[MG1962]

Great story - I am going to have to trust the boffins on what exactly they are seeing there, because that cave art looks so layered and chaotic, I have no clue what I am even supposed to be seeing.

Although not as old, there are a number of rock paintings of sailing ships that predate Cook, and in some instances any known European explorers. Sydney harbour even has two caves full of them

 

[Damien Evans]

Great story - I am going to have to trust the boffins on what exactly they are seeing there, because that cave art looks so layered and chaotic, I have no clue what I am even supposed to be seeing.

Although not as old, there are a number of rock paintings of sailing ships that predate Cook, and in some instances any known European explorers. Sydney harbour even has two caves full of them

There's also plenty of evidence that indonesian fisherman have been visiting the Darwin area since the 13th century.