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Author Topic: Australia by Tibrogargan January 2007 - present and 155216+ views later!  (Read 657441 times)
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #480 on: May 14, 2007, 02:15:52 AM »

KIDMAN STARTS FILMING

By Peter Michael ….May 14, 2007 12:00am….Article from: The Courier Mail

NICOLE Kidman began work on the Baz Luhrmann-directed Australia today after jetting into Bowen yesterday. Kidman dressed in period costume for her first scenes in the $100 million-dollar blockbuster.  Yesterday, Kidman flew into the north Queensdland town and was whisked off by a security team in a scene fitting of an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster.

Burly security guards bustled the movie mega-star and her husband Keith Urban into four-wheel drives with blacked out windows to avoid a small welcome party waiting at the airstrip of the north Queensland town after her jet touched down about 3.30pm.

The couple arrived in the town for the start of filming today of the Baz Luhrmann outback epic, Australia, after spending the night in Brisbane where the Caboolture-raised country music singer Urban played his first home concert in two years.

They were driven directly to a stately Queenslander on the outskirts of Bowen which will become home over the next few months of filming.
Nearly 100 volunteers have been recruited from the ranks of star-struck locals to help co-ordinate the flood of sightseers flocking to the new film set.
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« Reply #481 on: May 14, 2007, 02:18:04 AM »

CHINA DELIGHT AT KOALA TWINS

By Greg Stolz ….May 14, 2007 12:00am….Article from: The Courier Mail

THE irony is as delicious as the gum leaves are to them. Twin koalas – as rare as the proverbial hen's teeth – born not in Queensland, but in China.

The furry sibling sisters, dubbed Little Michelle and Little Amanda after their Australian keepers, were officially unveiled yesterday at the Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, southern China.

A sea of enthralled Chinese faces pressed against the glass in the park's $1.6 million koala enclosure as the twins finally emerged from their mother Murrumbidgee's pouch after a day-long wait.

Born seven months ago, they are the offspring of Murrumbidgee and her mate, Murray – two of six koalas sent to China last year by the Gold Coast's Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.



BEARING up . . . Little Michelle and Little Amanda with mum, Murrumbidgee. Picture: Adam Head
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« Reply #482 on: May 15, 2007, 04:15:21 AM »

AUSTRALIAN DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE

Early Australian domestic architecture was a response to the Australian landscape and the climate with its unique flora and fauna, intense sunlight and dappled shadows. Early buildings needed to respond to these discrete climatic elements.

EARLY QUEENSLAND FARM HOUSE



The early houses of Queensland were characterised by broad verandas shaded by gracefully curved expanses of corrugated roofing iron, tall stumps, lattice, and roof ventilators. These qualities had the effect of cooling the house, allowing for breezeways, and allowed for the run off of tropical down pours. Shutters were also effective against the rages of cyclones. Constructions which had fully opening walls were often essential for cooling down the buildings. This was developed in early beach houses. Similarly the pitch of a roof varies according to the latitude and climate of the region. Overlapping layers of roofs are used so that air can move between the layers.

RESTORED QUEENSLANDER



Like lattice-work verandahs on' the Queenslanders', slats can be found in many 'wool sheds' or 'shearing sheds' to prevent the sun heating up the building. In modern day constructions, slats are set at particular angles as screens for sun control allowing for entry of light in winter or cool seasons and excluding it in the heat of summer. Slatted floors used in wool sheds were also used as verandahs in tropical areas to encourage air flow.

FEDERATION STYLE HOUSES




 
The ornate Federation house, built mainly between 1900 and 1914, was a sign of prosperity - an Australian version of the English Edwardian house but, detached with gardens, and with Australian motifs and a roof of terracotta tiles with detailed fretwork in the roof gables and windows. Many houses had a sunrise motif in the front gable as a sign of the dawning of a new century. Add-ons and renovations with heritage restraints were a constant experience of living in a federation house.
By World War I (1914-1918), there was a shortage of tradesmen and materials. The cost of houses had to be reduced, so the ceilings were lowered to create 'bungalows', houses which were built between 1915 and 1940. Gone was most of the detail, and a plainer style lead lighting was put into the front windows.

1930 STYLE BUNGALOW



Post-war housing (1950s and 1960s) could be made from anything, varying from either weatherboard, asbestos cement or brick veneer. Redevelopments were anything from three storey walk up flats to town houses, villas and dual occupancies. It was this development which the Australian architect and critic, Robin Boyd referred when he described the Australian suburbs as 'the ugliness of bad conscious design'.

RESTORED AND MODERNISED QUEENSLANDER



MODERN DAY VERSION OF A QUEENSLANDER

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« Reply #483 on: May 16, 2007, 02:58:21 AM »

AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE

Architects in Australia have created some of the most unusual and outstanding buildings in the world. Internationally recognised Australian icons include buildings like the Sydney Opera House (architect Jørn Utzon) and the new Parliament House in Canberra (architect Romaldo Giurgola).
Distinctive Australian architecture is also recognisable in the rural icons of 'the Queenslander', the 'wool shed' and the 'beach house' which have developed in response to climate, history, place and identity. Characteristically, these designs used local materials as well as corrugated iron and emphasised space and light as well as a connection to the landscape.

These classic qualities were often sacrificed in the development of the Australian suburbs where 85 per cent of Australians have lived since 1900. Australian architect and critic Robin Boyd once described the Australian suburbs as Australia's worst failing. Australian architects like Boyd and Roy Grounds have argued for the importance of modern Australian architecture as an expression of a local identity which balanced the ideals of art and architecture against local climate and social realities.

Many of the first buildings in Australia were constructions associated with the immediate needs of the colonies. Port Arthur settlement and Point Puer (juvenile prison) were designed by the convict architect Henry Laing. The Round House in Fremantle, built in 1831 as a gaol, was the first permanent building in the colony of Western Australia.

In Sydney, one of the first permanent buildings was Fort Phillip, built by Governor Phillip in 1804. Both a military hospital (1815) [later Fort Street School (1850 - 1974)] and also the Sydney Observatory (1858) were later built on this site.

Early public buildings were constructed around the importance of influencing community and civic identity. There was a sentimental attachment to the idea of public space with a city square ringed by great civic buildings 'to the glory of god and humanity'. In the founding of the first buildings in Australia, a duality of approaches existed: those which dominated the landscape and those designed to blend in. In 1789 Governor Arthur Phillip placed himself firmly in the first group when he wrote: ... there can be few things more pleasing than the contemplation of order and useful management arising gradually out of tumult and confusion ... by degrees, large spaces are opened, lands formed, lines marked, and a prospect at least of future regularity is clearly discerned.

Convict architect Francis Greenway, from the second group, was responsible for the Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, the forts at Dawes Point (blended into the folds of the landscape) and Bennelong Point (raised on platforms of local sandstone) as well as the large female factory at Parramatta, Hyde Park barracks, the District Courts and St Matthew's church, Windsor.

The Royal Exhibition Building was constructed in 1880 to house Australia's first international exhibition of cultural, technological, and industrial achievements. The design reflected Melbourne's position as a prosperous city basking in the wealth from the richest gold rush in the world. On 1 July 2004 it became the first building in Australia to achieve World Heritage listing.
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« Reply #484 on: May 16, 2007, 03:02:50 AM »

EXAMPLES OF AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE

DERELICT WOOLSHED



BEACHSIDE WEEKEND SHACKS



BEACH HOUSE



MODERN BEACHSIDE DEVELOPMENTS

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« Reply #485 on: May 16, 2007, 03:09:50 AM »

NEW FEDERAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA







ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING, MELBOURNE



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« Reply #486 on: May 17, 2007, 02:17:39 AM »

EARLY AUSTRALIAN PAINTERS

When the first artists arrived in colonial Australia from Europe in the late 18th century, they were confronted by images and scenery the likes of which they had never seen:
...the whole appearance of nature must be striking in the extreme to the adventurer, and at first this will seem to him to be a country of enchantments.
Thomas Watling, Letters From An Exile in Botany Bay, To His Aunt in Dumfries, 1794

The traditions of European art and painting did not fit comfortably with this strange and bewildering new landscape. Early artists tended to paint what they saw and the better the representation; the better the work was regarded.

The new landscape

Artists like the convict John Eyre, who produced paintings and engravings in the first decade of the nineteenth century, and the landscape painter Conrad Martens - a close friend of Charles Darwin - produced important works during these early years of settlement.

CONRAD MARTENS :  BRISBANE



John Glover

Glover was one of the precursors of an Australian style of painting. He arrived in Tasmania from England in 1831. A talented landscape painter with a strong reputation in England (and France), Glover was never seen as an artist who 'pushed the boundaries'.
While he was initially criticised for not paying close enough attention to the 'local characteristics', he did find an individuality in his work through the new landscapes and atmosphere of Tasmania. His depiction of the Tasmanian light as bright and clear, was a departure from his European paintings and gave his paintings a true Australian quality.
His body of work made him a pioneer of landscape painting in Australia.

JOHN GLOVER : ABORIGINES DANCING AT BRIGHTON



The Heidelberg School

The Heidelberg School was the first significant art movement in Australia. An evolving nationalism had led painters like Tom Roberts, Fredrick McCubbin and Arthur Streeton to unashamedly paint the Australian landscape in an effort to capture something of the essence of their land:
...the Australian Artist can best fulfil his highest destiny by remaining in his own country and studying that which lies about him...
Frederick McCubbin, c1915

ARTHUR STREETON : PURPLE NOON'S TRANSPARENT MIGHT



Tom Roberts

Roberts was the first major painter to be selected to study at London's Royal Academy of Arts in 1881. He studied impressionism in Europe and returned to Australia in 1885 and, together with McCubbin, Streeton and Condor (the Heidelberg School), dedicated himself to painting the bush.
The outback was the stuff of his paintings - Shearing the Rams and A Break Away being amongst his most famous.

TOM ROBERTS : SHEARING THE RAMS



Fredrick McCubbin

McCubbin became the first Australian-born white artist of significance and was probably the most impressionistic of the nationalistic group of painters. His long association with Roberts had a significant impact on his painting and he was one of the Heidelberg School's leading lights.
McCubbin's most famous work - Lost - was inspired by twelve year old Clara Crosbie who was found alive after three weeks lost in the bush near Lilydale.

FREDERICK McCUBBIN : LOST

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« Reply #487 on: May 18, 2007, 01:52:31 AM »

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE



Old Parliament House opened in 1927 and served as the home of Federal Parliament until 1988. In Canberra’s early years the House was the social, geographic and political heart of the new Australian capital. Over time, this impressive building became synonymous with some of the country’s most important moments including Australia’s declaration of war against Japan in 1941 and the dismissal of Gough Whitlam’s Labor Government in 1975.
The sixty years during which Old Parliament House served as a working parliament were a time of enormous change for Australia. The country grew from an Imperial Dominion to a nation in its own right. Over that time, Old Parliament House was the theatre in which the politics of the day were played out and momentous decisions made.

The significance of Old Parliament House today lies in its historical and social value to the Australian people. The House is a nationally significant ‘museum of itself’ and of Australia’s political heritage—so, as well as being a popular tourist destination, it is also a precious place which needs conservation.



Above: The rear of Old Parliament House at night. Photographer – Steve Keough. Old Parliament House collection.
 
In 1972, following twenty-three years of Liberal-Country Party Government, Australians decided ‘it’s time’ for change. The Labor Party was swept into Government on a wave of popular support. Three years later, Labor’s period of Government was abruptly terminated amidst a storm of controversy. It was three years marked by rapid change in Australian politics dominated by larger-than-life personalities and the political circumstances of the time.

The drama of the events leading up to the dismissal of the Labor Government in 1975 and the subsequent landslide victory of the Liberal-Country Party in the election of December 13 of that year were played out in the corridors, offices and chambers of this building. In many people's recollections, the events of 1975 are linked inextricably with the building itself.

Leading up to the dismissal were a series of events from as early as March 1974 until September 1975 that served as a prologue to the high drama of 11 November 1975. These events included the ‘Loans Affair’, ministerial sackings and resignations, the rise of a new Opposition Leader, Malcolm Fraser, and the appointment of a new Governor-General, Sir John Kerr.

The first act in the drama saw the Senate, controlled by the Opposition, block Supply of the Government’s budget bills. This was done in an effort to force Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to call an election. When Whitlam refused, a deadlock ensued.

In the second Act the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, entered the drama as he considers his role in breaking the deadlock.

Act three, November 11, 1975, saw the Governor-General take action and dismiss Whitlam and his government. For many Australians the day of the dismissal is remembered as a moment of unique drama in their lives. To them, it shaped their political attitudes and changed their understanding of how the political system works in Australia. For politicians on both sides, it was to be a watershed in their political fortunes.

This action by the Governor-General was the penultimate climax to the drama, but the crisis was not resolved until the end of Act four—the federal election of December 13, 1975. This saw the complete rout of the federal Labor government in what Malcolm Fraser called “the biggest shift in public opinion in Australia’s history”.



Gough Whitlam delivered one the most famous lines uttered by an Australian politician: “Well may we say ‘God Save the Queen’, because nothing will save the Governor-General.”
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« Reply #488 on: May 19, 2007, 05:27:56 AM »

CRUISING WAVE OF SUCCESS

Phil Bartsch….May 19, 2007 12:00am…..Article from: The Courier Mail

THAT endless wave of success just seems to keep rolling on and on for The Wiggles. But for Jeff Fatt – the Purple Wiggle – when he's not busy falling asleep on stage and travelling the world with his skivvied bandmates, he enjoys riding some real waves.

On the eve of jetting off to the US, Fatt and the other members of the children's supergroup rolled up their trousers yesterday to officially open Wiggle Bay at Dreamworld's Whitewater World. A sea of young fans and their parents were there to greet their idols.

After the formalities Fatt revealed he was the only "surfing Wiggle" and was eager to tame the nearby wave pool. "I usually surf at Manly in New South Wales where I live. When I'm home I surf at least once a week. Even if there's no surf it's just great being out there in the water," he said.
Fatt said he had started riding a mini-mal in the past year after surfing kneeboards most of his life. But even when he's catching a few waves he can't escape his Wiggles fame. "Sometimes there are guys out there with their kids and I get the occasional 'Wake up, Jeff'," he said. His session in Whitewater World's wave pool was the first time he had surfed a manmade swell. "It's brilliant. It's better than a flat day in the surf and perfect for learning," Fatt said.

This week the park became the first in the southern hemisphere to offer surfing lessons in its wave pool. Yesterday the Wiggles were also introduced to the park's Sumatran tiger cubs Rahni and Indah and performed for some of their pint-sized fans.

Next week, they travel to the US to open three new Wiggles Worlds – the first of 15 to be built there over the next five years at Six Flags theme parks.

Fatt said the Wiggles had been undergoing a "rebirth" since being joined by new member Sam Moran after original Yellow Wiggle Greg Page hung up his skivvy due to illness last year. "Sam's been really well received. It's fantastic," Fatt said.



SPLISH splash . . . the Wiggles and Captain Feathersword getting their toes wet at Whitewater World. Picture: Paul Riley
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« Reply #489 on: May 19, 2007, 05:32:42 AM »

‘PANDA’MONIUM

By Greg Stolz ….May 19, 2007 12:00am…..Article from: The Courier Mail

A BILLIONAIRE Chinese zoo owner wants to send giant pandas to the Gold Coast in exchange for koalas, kangaroos and wombats. It would be the first time pandas, among the world's most endangered animals, have been shown in Australia since the 1988 Bicentennial.

The pandas would be housed in a planned Chinese exhibit at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, which last year sent six koalas to Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, southern China. All six mated to produce joeys, including a rare set of twins which have created a wave of excitement in China since their birth in October.

The giant Xiangjiang Safari Park is owned by one of China's richest businessmen, tourism tycoon and politician Su Xhigang.

Delighted at the enormous publicity the koala twins have generated for his park, Mr Su wants to return the favour by sending two pandas to Australia. In Guangzhou yesterday, Mr Su's Chime-Long Group and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary announced plans to establish a koala-panda research and conservation partnership.

As part of the pact, Xiangjiang hopes to swap pandas and other Chinese animals for more koalas, kangaroos, wombats and other Australian species. A Chinese showcase featuring gardens, animal displays and a restaurant would be built at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, while the Australian exhibit at Xiangjiang would be expanded.

Sanctuary chief executive Michelle Monsour said pandas and koalas were iconic species and the proposed exchange would promote conservation, education and tourism in China and Australia. But she said it would not be easy to get approval from the Chinese and Australian governments.
Revered by the Chinese as a national treasure, captive pandas are rarely sent overseas.

Mr Su said he hoped to meet Prime Minister John Howard to discuss the proposal. China is Australia's fastest-growing tourism market, with more than 330,000 Chinese visiting in the year to March.

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« Reply #490 on: May 19, 2007, 07:39:15 AM »

Tib, I rarely post in your thread but please know I typically enjoy your entries with my morning coffee  Very Happy thank you for sharing so much with us of your homeland, I love it !

We should nominate Anna as ambassadoress of the pandas too  Laughing that would be the perfect role for her.

I have fallen in love with Robert Gordon's ceramics, I can't find a US outlet for them beyond eBay and have even written to his operation in Australia to inquire if they do ship to the US, no reply yet  Confused
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« Reply #491 on: May 20, 2007, 07:07:10 AM »

N.R.M.A. CAREFLIGHT SERVICE

Twenty years ago a group of doctors had a shared vision: to create a better medical retrieval service in New South Wales. They believed that very sick patients who need to be moved between hospitals, and severely injured patients who need to be treated at the accident scene, should be attended by critical care specialists who can perform 'physician only' procedures. From this vision, CareFlight was born.

The visionaries established a base in the grounds of Westmead Hospital and commissioned their first helicopter. Initially, with only one doctor on duty each day, CareFlight flew to some four patients each month. Now, operating out of Westmead in Sydney and Orange in the Central West, we have three helicopters on standby and five medical teams on rostered duty every day of the year. Our role has expanded to providing critical care retrieval by road ambulance and fixed wing air ambulance. Last year we cared for and/or transported over 1,200 patients.

Over the years, our purpose and philosophy have remained constant: to be a world class rapid response emergency medical retrieval service, accessible to all members of the community. As a charity, our ability to serve the community without cost to the patient depends on the support of our donors and sponsors. CareFlight retrieves critically ill and injured patients from all around the world. We bring a hospital standard of care to the patient, because time really can mean the difference between life and death.

We employ physicians and senior registrars who are specialists in anaesthesia, emergency medicine and intensive care. Accredited with the critical care medical colleges, we train experienced doctors to care for patients in the pre-hospital and transport environment.
Our medical teams respond by helicopter, road ambulance or fixed wing air ambulance, depending on the nature of the mission.

After serving the people of New South Wales for 20 years, NRMA CareFlight is now evolving into a vital new service with an even greater medical focus.  Historically, CareFlight has offered an integrated aero-medical retrieval service to the people of NSW. Over the past two decades more than 15,000 critically ill and injured patients have been treated and/or transported by CareFlight doctors, utilising our own dedicated helicopters as well as road ambulances, fixed wing air ambulances and medi-jet

FIXED WING AMBULANCE SERVICES



ROAD AND HELICOPTER AMBULANCE TRANSPORT



FUND RAISING BEARS

The original CareFlight Bear has been very popular and the range has now been expanded to 15 bears in various official uniforms.

PILOT BEAR



For more information on this service and to see the full range of Bears :

http://careflight.org/
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« Reply #492 on: May 20, 2007, 07:15:44 AM »

None thank you for your kind words.  I am glad you are enjoying my efforts to present some features of my beautiful country to my monkey friends.  Our two countries are very similar as are our people and I hope this helps us to understand each other better.

I agree Anna could well become an Panda Ambassadoress and she may even earn a trip to Australia to help settle our new Pandas into their adopted country!

I checked out the Robert Gordon Website and they say they can export to anywhere in the world within four weeks.  They also have agencies in several unusual countries, but none in the USA.  I may write to them to see if I can do an article on their history and range as I am sure other monkeys would be interested also.
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« Reply #493 on: May 20, 2007, 08:23:43 AM »

Tibro,

Just like None, I enjoy your Australian thread immensely. I know you must put a lot of effort into finding such interesting and beautiful things to post in the thread.

I have to tell you that I have a bear that looks exactly like the original pilot bear sitting in my spare bedroom upstairs. It came to us in a shipment of items that MIL sent when she sold her house. I'm wondering if it was purchased when hubby's family visited Australia many, many years ago. Wouldn't it be cool if it was!
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« Reply #494 on: May 20, 2007, 11:24:40 AM »

oh BT I hope you can research that bear ! Cool indeed !

Tib, thank you. I still haven't heard back from Gordon's operation but I'd likely be happy to offer to open a storefront for their wares in the US?  Very Happy Can you put in a good word for me?  Laughing

Daughter and I were discussing last night that maybe moving to Australia might be a cool thing one day for us? We can dream I guess.......maybe a vacation there soon?
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« Reply #495 on: May 20, 2007, 08:33:51 PM »

BT The Careflight Bears have been around for about ten years.  It would be even more interesting if your bear was one of the English bears and depending on how old it is and the makers name it could be quite rare.

None get my email address off Klaas or Mishy and we can both contact these Robert Gordon family.  Might make more of an impression if they get contacted from two different directions.

That would be cool if you moved to Australia - then I could purchase your cookies!!!!  A vacation first would be the ideal way to go as it is a vast country with lots of possibilities - but do not try to smuggle any cookies in.  Food and plants are a big no-no, and Customs and Quarantine are deadly.
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« Reply #496 on: May 21, 2007, 04:33:19 AM »

MACQUARIE LIGHTHOUSE

A flagstaff was erected on this site at South Head in Sydney, in 1791, within one year of the First Fleet arriving to settle New South Wales.
A wood and coal fired beacon, a basket on a tripod, was established in 1793 and was the only guiding light for the next 25 years.

THE 1818 LIGHTHOUSE:

The first lighthouse structure in Australia it was started in 1816 and completed in 1818 at the command of Governor Macquarie.
The work was undertaken by Francis Greenway, the famous convict Architect, responsible for many significant and beautiful buildings in early Sydney.
Governor Macquarie was so pleased with the quality of the work the Greenway was producing that he granted him emancipation for his efforts.
However, Greenway had warned that the poor quality of the sandstone being used would result in the rapid deterioration of the new tower.
The new light was a revolving apparatus, powered by a clockwork mechanism, and consisting of a number of oil burning lamps set in parabolic reflectors. It flashed once every minute and was visible for 22 miles.
As Greenway had predicted the tower soon began to deteriorate. Several large stones fell away as early as 1823.  Large iron bands were placed around the tower to prevent further movement. The state of the tower was so parlous by 1878 that the New South Wales Government determined to build a new tower.

THE 1883 LIGHTHOUSE:

The construction of the current Macquarie Lighthouse was begun in 1881 and the light was first exhibited in 1883.  It was designed by James Barnet and is a replica of the original tower, but stronger in materials and design. Barnet's crown was larger to accommodate a large lantern room and the larger apparatus. There was also a gunmetal railing. This design was to become the trademark of many other lighthouses that Barnet designed.
The new light's giant lens was a first order sixteen sided dioptric holophotal revolving white light based on the Fresnel system, about two metres in diameter showing an eight second flash every minute, and with a range of 25 nautical miles.

The lighting apparatus at the time was described by the builder, Chance Brothers, of Birmingham as the most efficient in the world. It was electric in operation, with the power being produced by two De Meritens magnetos weighing two and a half tons. These were driven by an eight-horse power "Crossley - otto cycle" silent horizontal coal gas engine at 830 rpm. Only one of the de Meritens generators is still in existence: it is owned by the Powerhouse Museum and on display at the Lighthouse. Likewise the original switchboard is owned by the museum but installed the Lighthouse. The Museum have one of the arc lamps, but it is not on display at either venue.

The electric apparatus was only used in bad weather. When the weather got really bad the second magneto was brought into operation producing a light of 6,000,000 candelas, the most powerful in the world at the time. In clear weather the illuminate was provided by a gas burner. With the commencement of the new light, the lantern was removed from the old tower but the structure itself was not demolished for several years. The power generators for the new light proved too expensive to run and in 1912 the apparatus was was converted to a vaporised kerosene incandescent mantle system.

With the connection of the city power supply in 1933 the light was converted back to electricity. At the time a smaller lens was installed and this is basically the mode of operation we see today. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1976.The keepers were eventually withdrawn in 1989.



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« Reply #497 on: May 22, 2007, 07:18:57 AM »

JAPANESE GARDENS - COWRA, NSW.

Cowra’s relationship with the Japanese started with the siting of a P.O.W camp during WWII.  In the early hours of August 5, 1944 over 500 Japanese POW staged a mass suicidal break for freedom.  In the ensuing action 231 Japanese Prisoners of War and four Australian soldiers were killed.   Following the cessation of hostilities, members of the Cowra Sub-Branch of the Returned Servicemen’s League (R.S.L) visited the Australian War Cemetery at regular intervals to care for the graves of their comrades.  In 1948 they decided to forget the past and also assume the responsibility for the care and the maintenance of the Japanese section of the cemetery in conjunction with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

In 1960 the Japanese Government were considering the repatriation of their war dead to Japan, however they were so impressed with the attitude of the R.S.L members that they decided to bring all their war dead from other parts of Australia to be re-buried at Cowra. The Cowra Tourist Development Corporation (Cowra Tourism Corporation, as it was then known) conceived the idea of further developing this unique friendship with Japan by the establishment of a Japanese Garden at Cowra.  The building of the Garden has come about as a direct extension of the cemetery.



In 1971, Mr Ken Nakajima, world famous landscape gardener was appointed as designer of the Garden and is responsible for the final site choice.  In October 1979 the Garden became a fulltime tourist attraction, operating seven days a week (excluding Christmas Day).  In November 1986 stage two commenced completing the original plans of the Garden.
The Garden was made possible through donations received from both Australian and Japanese Governments and private entities.

A visit to Cowra just isn’t complete without a visit to our Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre.  Opened in 1979, this multi award winning Garden is a ‘must’ see at any time of the year, whether you are on your first visit to Cowra or your fiftieth. Ken Nakajima, created the Kaiyushiki (strolling) garden, which is designed to embody the entire landscape of Japan, where every bend takes the visitor on a voyage of discovery.  The striking hill representing Mt Fuji, manicured hedges cascading across the garden like rolling hills, streams flowing like rivers and ponds glistening like inland lakes and the sea - ponder a moment or feed the Koi.



However, the Cowra Japanese Garden is unique in that it is more than just a ‘Garden,’ it is a powerful symbol of good will, it encourages reconciliation and peace. The Garden is designed in order to contribute to cultural exchange, international understanding and to show an appreciation of all existing nature Special features of the Garden include; Gift Shop, a three room Cultural Centre, Karesansui Garden, a traditional Tatami room, an authentic open air Tea House, Pottery House, Bonsai House, Audio Tour Guides, Plant Nursery and Restaurant.

Situated in the open courtyard of the Cultural Centre, the Stone or Karesansui Garden may be found. The Stone Garden is a popular Japanese style garden, often found surrounding teahouses in Japan.  The Garden is composed principally of large rocks surrounded by exquisitely raked dry sand.  Large stones are placed, as if islands within the sea, the white raked sand suggesting wave patterns that have been shaped by the land around which the water is moving.  



The Pottery House features characteristics of Japanese design and provides an ideal setting for potters to work at their craft.  The pottery is influenced by Japanese tradition, with the individual decorations on the pottery reflecting the mood of the Garden, as perceived by the potters, and includes designs brushed on with a traditional Japanese calligraphy brush.  Pottery is available for purchase.

The Bonsai House displays examples of bonsai, an ancient Japanese traditional art form.  Included in the collection are examples of styles such as informal upright, slanting, rock planting, cascade, semi-cascade, and the living landscape known as saikei.  

The Japanese structural open-air Tea House is a place where you can stop and observe the natural surroundings through the rectangular frames of the open windows.

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....And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars..  A.B (Banjo) Paterson
nonesuche
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« Reply #498 on: May 22, 2007, 11:42:16 AM »

oh Tib my mother would adore the japanese garden !!!!!!! I love the lighthouse as well, so much history in Australia worth learning about !

guess what? I made a new friend at Robert Gordon, they are willing to offer us wholesale cost for whatever we would like to order? YIPPEE !!!!!!!!!!

I wanted to hug them, last week was daughter's birthday and I didn't go overboard with gifts hoping I could get her a few of his pieces. Now the challenge will be not to go wild !!  Laughing
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« Reply #499 on: May 22, 2007, 11:51:34 AM »

I had to post some of these for you Tib, now you can see why we're so nuts about it  Laughing It's our theme song  Laughing



daughter also absolutely loves this pattern for she's crazy about polka dots



all can be seen at www.robertgordonaustralia.com  

 Very Happy
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