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Author Topic: Australia by Tibrogargan January 2007 - present and 155216+ views later!  (Read 657608 times)
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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #700 on: September 16, 2007, 02:14:11 AM »

AUSTRALIAN TIMBERS

Geez Muffy - I was way off track with thinking that Sewing Box would be worth a few hundred dollars.  Have a look at these which were for sale and the prices.  I do not think they are as attractive as the one in the earlier posting.



Colonial Sewing Box

A rare Australian colonial Huon pine,cedar and Baltic pine sewing box. Standing on original button feet and in excellent condition. Circa 1850s.  $1500.00



Early Australian Colonial Musk Sewing Box

Fine early Australian Colonial Musk sewing box. Musk & fiddleback blackwood Marquetry exterior with Birds Eye Huon Pine, Fiddleback Blackwood & Tasmanian Dear Horn fitted interior. C.1840's. Tasmanian Provenance. Approximately 25.5cms {10in} wide by 18cms {7.25in} deep by 11.5cms {4.5in} high. $4500.00

Now to show the modern day craftsmen are just as talented with a passion for our timbers :



Modern Tasmanian Blackwood Box.



Modern Huon Pine Occasional Table



Modern Sassafras Occasional Table



Modern Huon Pine Coffee Table

A couple of interesting websites :

For descriptions and illustration of our native timbers :

http://www.naturallyaust.com.au

A good site set up by one of the very few licensed to harvest the renowned Huon Pine to show the difficulty of getting the fallen logs out of the forest and how dense our wilderness is in our South West.  The pictures are not the best quality but should be of interest.  Even includes some native animals.

http://www.huonpiner.com/index.htm

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« Reply #701 on: September 16, 2007, 01:31:09 PM »

Thank you for the kind comments, Angie.
It is not difficult to find beautiful pictures as it is such a beautiful country and so varied from Deserts to Tropical Rainforests and Snowfields.
Some more pictures for everyone to enjoy today :


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OH TIB... I use this thread to escape at work when they are making me nutty... come and look at the pictures and dream of visiting - take a deep breath and think well I can always save up!!!  I don't really comment but I LOVE this thread!!!
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« Reply #702 on: September 17, 2007, 03:03:35 PM »

Tibro,

I am really surprised by the sassafras furniture.  I grew up with sassafras trees, but they were dying out.  The wood is very interesting.  Is sassafras native or were the trees imported?
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« Reply #703 on: September 18, 2007, 02:17:13 AM »

Yes Mrs Red - it is like visiting another world.  So similar and yet so different.  We come from similar backgrounds and speak the same language but in such a short time in history we have become so diverse.
I enjoy being in here - the subjects can be so varied and yet they have the one thing in common - they are Australian.
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« Reply #704 on: September 18, 2007, 02:29:21 AM »

CJ - it looks unlikely to be the same timber.  As you can see below the native Tasmanian  Sassafras is a different tree to the mainland Sassafras. 

Sassafras: Atherosperma moschatum

Other common names:Tasmanian Sassafras,Southern Sassafras
Of all Tasmanian timbers, sassafras has the most variable and
dynamic colouring. It is available in two major groupings; Golden
sassafras and Blackheart sassafras. Golden sassafras is a beautiful
pale creamy grey to white timber. Finishing to a grey and golden
tone, it is particularly attractive as a veneer or as a solid timber
with knots providing figure. If the tree is infected with a staining
fungus it produces blackheart sassafras. Blackheart is a timber
with distinctive dark brown, black and even green streaks running
through the wood. Blackheart is highly prized for decorative work
and bowl turning and no two pieces are ever the same.
Sassafras is versatile. While the wood is light and strong,it is rather
soft and easily worked.

Sassafras timber is renowned in furniture use as a solid, a veneer,
or as a laminated board. It is used for paneling, mouldings, joinery,
veneers, cabinet making and turnery.

Sassafras grows as an understorey species in lower altitude wet
forests throughout Tasmania. It is not related to the timbers known
as sassafras that grow on mainland Australia. It is an aromatic
evergreen tree with some quite distinctive qualities; the bark, sap,
and associated oils are highly aromatic and smell like cinnamon,
while its leaves have a strong sarsaparilla scent. The leaves are dark
green, turning yellow as the tree ages. The best trees are found
in gullies where Sassafras may reach 45m in height and almost a
metre in diameter.

Sassafras is a component of wet eucalypt forest and young rain
forest where it may live for up to 150 - 200 years. It is a heavy
seed producer although germination can be erratic. Seedlings are
subject to heavy browsing by native animals and many young trees
become established where they are inaccessible, on mounds or
on manfern trunks. Much sassafras establishes as coppice or multi-stemmed trunks.

Also : while I was browsing for Sassafras timber I came across a wonderful website on Tasmanian timbers.  Be sure to visit their picture galleries for a trip around some of our island state.

www.tasmaniantimbers.com.au

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« Reply #705 on: September 19, 2007, 07:45:33 AM »

Hi MuminOhio!  Great to see another Aussie here - I should have guessed when I saw Mum instead of Mom!  Welcome to Scared Monkeys.

We certainly did a lot of things here in the 70s and 80s that we would not consider doing these days.  Life was so much less complicated then.  I drove on my own from Melbourne to the Barossa to meet up with friends.  Would not recommend a female driving alone to do it now though.

I have travelled all of our states except for the West and NT.  Was headed to the West one year but family illness intervened and I never got another chance to get that far away.  Loved the 20 years we lived in Queensland and such a laid back lifestyle compared to Sydney and Melbourne. Please feel free to ask for any articles and pictures on any of the areas you may consider visiting on your next trip home.  Have you been to Tasmania yet?  Cool

I have recently decided to post to this thread only at the weekends, as there are so many other places for the monkeys to keep up with now.  Also it will give me more opportunity to follow up articles in more depth.

Hope to hear from you again soon.


Hi Tibro, Sorry to say I haven't visited your beautiful state.  Met a fella on Saturday who was telling me how he had heard how beautiful Tasmania is and wondered if he had been reading your thread! Wink  It seems WA, Tas., and the Northern Territory are off the beaten path, so to speak.  Niece is coming to visit next month for a week, which is really exciting.  Had a cousin and her hubby over in July, so I guess I'm a little spoiled this year. Also helps to freshen up the accent, which was fading fast after almost 25 years.  Check in here all the time so keep up the great work, Tib
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« Reply #706 on: September 19, 2007, 08:39:10 AM »

Tib-thank you for continuing this thread.  I enjoy coming here and looking and reading 
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« Reply #707 on: September 20, 2007, 07:29:34 PM »

Tib,

I'm really intrigued by the sassafras.  I'm going to have to do some taxonomic research.  They are obviously the same Genera, but our species is deciduous.  We used to make tea from the roots.  I never imagined the wood being used for furniture.  I love wood and wish I could touch it. 
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« Reply #708 on: September 22, 2007, 01:35:21 AM »

Muffy - you are welcome

CJ - yes sassafras tea was an old bush recipe/remedy. 
I think sassafras is the main ingredient in root beer?
Also have seen a recipe for sassafras wine   Shocked

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« Reply #709 on: September 22, 2007, 01:42:46 AM »

CANOEING AND KAYAKING IN AUSTRALIA

Types of Canoeing - Disciplines

Touring, Polo, Sprint, Slalom, Wildwater Racing, Sea Kayaking, Canoe Sailing, and Marathon are all under the one umbrella of Australian Canoeing. Instructors should be aware of the different disciplines as students may want information on a particular discipline which interests them

River Touring

Although Australia does not have the reliable rivers flowing from glaciers that some countries enjoy, it does have a huge diversity of rivers. As a result of generally old geology, many of Australia''s wilder rivers have eroded to bed rock, giving rise to excellent white water features and spectacular scenery. River guide books are available for all states with canoeable rivers, providing essential information about access, gradings, and ideal river flows. Most states have a good range of rivers from the pleasant easy Grade 1 and 2 rivers through to advanced Grade 4 and 5 rivers.
The invention of roto-moulded plastic boats has had a huge impact on this part of the sport. Frantic Friday night glass fibre repairs have ended. The tough plastic boats come in a variety of designs ranging from slalom based boats through to extreme waterfall shooting designs. But there has been a price for this development. Newcomers to the sport may begin to paddle more difficult rivers earlier as they can get away with less boat control no worries paddling over some rocks in plastic. The danger comes when paddlers believe they are paddling at a certain standard but have actually been given a false sense of security by the resilience of the plastic.

Canoe Sailing

Although canoe sailing does not have a large following in Australia, enthusiasts exist and at the time of writing were preparing to hold the World Canoe Sailing Championships. The 5.2 metre long canoes are propelled by a 10 m sail and are the fastest sailing dinghy with a single helmsman. Referred to as the IC 10, it requires immense skill, fitness and agility. The force on the sail is counteracted by means of a sliding seat for the helmsman. Speeds over 30 km/h are possible in an IC 10.

Sea Touring

Although Sea Touring had been practised for many years, and had its own awards in Australian Canoeings first national award scheme, a separate committee was not formed until 1980. Now Sea Kayaking has a large number of enthusiasts Australia wide and like other facets of the sport, has become highly specialised. The variety of Sea Kayaking available throughout Australia is enormous.

Canoe Surfing

Although Canoe Surfing was originally done with normal touring designs, more specific designs have evolved to get more enjoyment out of the surf. The surf ''slipper as it is often called, is short with a flat bottom and low rails. Many people also use a fin of some sort to prevent side slip, thus enabling a longer ride across the wave. Generally speaking, the waveski has now replaced the surf kayak for popular use.

Flatwater&nbspCanoeing

Flatwater (Sprint)&nbspCanoeing is probably one of the best known competitive canoeing disciplines in Australia. This is probably due to its inclusion in the Olympics since 1936, including the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Australia has had good Olympic results in more recent Games.&nbspFlatwater canoeing is all about speed on flat water over distances of 200, 500 and 1000 metres. The craft that have developed are sleek and fast but unstable. Sprint Kayakers (and Wildwater Racers) use specially designed wing paddles for extra power and efficiency. K1, K2, and K4, are the most popular classes of sprint kayaking but there are also canoe classes, C1 and C2.

Canoe Polo

Canoe Polo is a fast exciting team sport which has also developed kayaks specifically designed for the discipline. The kayaks used are around 3 metres long with rounded ends and are referred to as polo BAT''s (Baths Advanced Trainer). Bumpers bow and stern protect the players and their boats.
This sport can be crudely described as being like basketball on water. It involves two teams of five, each aiming for a 1 metre square goal suspended 2 metres above the water at either end of a 25 metre-square area. A water polo ball is used and may be thrown by hand, blocked with the paddle and pushed with the paddle blade, but for safety reasons may never be hit with the paddle. Paddles are designed with rounded ends and must meet certain thickness, radius and construction specifications to ensure the safety of participants. Helmets with face guards are required, and PFD''s must protect the torso.
Due to the low cost of polo BAT''s and the availability of swimming pools in urban areas, Canoe Polo has become a large part of competitive canoeing within AC and is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. In Australia''s colder states, Canoe Polo is often played through winter in indoor pools but is by no means confined to them. Polo BAT''s are also good for children to learn basic skills and rolling in. Canoe Polo helps develop boat control and is a lot of fun for children and adults alike.

Canoe Slalom

Canoe Slalom originated in Europe. Although not a large part of competitive canoeing in Australia, slalom has reached a good standard. Australian Championships are held in a different state every year on a cyclic basis, with the exception of South Australia due to its lack of whitewater. The inclusion of slalom in the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics has had a considerable influence on the development of slalom and has help lift the standard in Australia.
Slalom courses are typically around 500 metres long and consist of good white water with 25 gates suspended from wires across the river. A gate is a pair of poles hanging about 1 metre apart and must be negotiated in either the upstream or downstream direction depending on the colour of the poles. Upstream gates have red and white poles, whereas downstream gates have green and white poles.
Each competitor''s time is recorded for the course and 5 second penalties are added to the time for each gate which was hit by the paddler, and 50 seconds added for each gate missed or incorrectly negotiated. Thus the essence of the sport is to negotiate the course of gates in the correct sequence without hitting the poles as fast as possible. This requires a great degree of skill and fitness.
The kayaks and canoes which have evolved for canoe slalom are very manoeuvrable, and are low in profile. This allows the end of the boat to pass under the poles with less chance of striking the pole and incurring a penalty.

Wildwater Racing

Wildwater racing is an exciting competitive discipline where individuals race down a section of white water in super sleek, high volume boats designed to cut through waves and stoppers. Typical lengths of Wildwater racing courses range from five to ten kilometres of river. Manoeuvring boats designed for speed in Whitewater requires exceptional skill. To be fast also requires excellent physical fitness. This facet of the sport is relatively small in Australia.

Marathon

Australia has many long rivers well suited for Marathon canoeing. The Murray River is host to probably the most famous Australian marathon event. Every year, funds are raised for the Red Cross by the Murray Marathon. Australia is at the forefront in competitive marathon and was host to the highly successful 1992 World Marathon Championships.


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Tibrogargan
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« Reply #710 on: September 22, 2007, 01:50:41 AM »



SEA KAYAKING PICTURES AROUND AUSTRALIA



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A good site for video presentations of kayaking tours around Tasmania :

www.roaring40skayaking.com.au

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« Reply #711 on: September 22, 2007, 02:35:51 PM »

Tib,

I don't think I would want to be kayaking near that whale!
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« Reply #712 on: September 23, 2007, 04:08:11 AM »

WHITEWATER RAFTING IN AUSTRALIA

Penrith Whitewater Stadium was the competition venue for the canoe/kayak slalom events during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Located only an hour from Sydney, it is the only man-made whitewater course of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The construction of the Stadium was a joint venture between Penrith City Council, the International Canoe Federation and the Olympic Co-ordination Authority



The course has been constructed using a combination of both natural and man-made materials to recreate the characteristics of a natural whitewater river. Water is drawn from the nearby warm-up lake by six 300kw submersible pumps. Each pump delivers 2,800 litres (2.8 cubic metres) of water per second to the start pool at the top of the course, from where it flows down to the finish pool.



The river flows at 14 cubic metres of water per second or 5 pumps. The channel itself is concrete and varies in width from 8 metres to 14 metres. It is 320 metres long, drops 5.5 metres top to bottom and is constructed in a “U” shape. A moveable obstacle system makes it possible to change the whitewater.
A conveyor carries rafts, canoes and kayaks along with their occupants from the bottom of the course to the top.


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« Reply #713 on: September 23, 2007, 04:11:37 AM »

WHITEWATER RAFTING PICTURES FROM VARIOUS AREAS



















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« Reply #714 on: September 29, 2007, 04:18:05 AM »

LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK, QUEENSLAND

Natural environment

Lamington National Park includes a series of densely forested valleys and ranges rising to more than 1100m on the crest of the McPherson Range, which marks the New South Wales–Queensland border. The park lies on the southern side of the Scenic Rim, a chain of mountains stretching from the Gold Coast hinterland to Mt Mistake.

Walking on ancient ground

Lamington's rugged landscapes are the result of tremendous changes to the earth’s surface — changes that are still occurring. The waterfalls, cliff lines and mountain peaks we see today are remnants of an ancient landscape that reaches back into the Earth’s history, some 300 million years.

The geological story of the Lamington area started during the Palaeozoic Era (more than 225 million years ago) when the single land mass called “Pangea” separated into two super continents: Laurasia and Gondwana. The present-day continents of South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica, along with India, New Zealand, New Guinea, Madagascar, Arabia and other parts of the present Middle East made up Gondwana. (The name “Gondwana” or “Land of the Gonds” came from an area in Northern India, which in ancient times was home to a people called “Gonds”.)

Some 120 million years ago, Gondwana began to break up. The land masses of South America and Africa separated first. Madagascar and India followed. Australia remained attached to Antarctica until about 65–70 million years ago, after which it began to move northwards. Small fragments also moved eastwards to form the beginnings of New Zealand and New Caledonia. It has been suggested that at this time the Lamington region would have been at about 50 degrees South, moving northwards (with the rest of the continent) at 5–7cm each year.



Later, several large volcanoes were formed as the Australian land mass drifted northwards over a stationary “hot spot” in the mantle deep below the Earth’s crust. Two of these were in the Lamington region, erupting about 20–23 million years ago. The Focal Peak shield volcano near Mount Barney was the first but its lavas were later overlapped by flows from a huge volcano centred over present–day Mt Warning. This Tweed shield volcano erupted numerous times, spewing masses of molten lava onto the surrounding landscape from what is now Lismore in the south, to Tamborine in the north. Most lavas were of basalt, which gives deep fertile soils. There were also some flows of rhyolite with layers of ash and boulders, particularly around Binna Burra, which give poorer soils.

When the volcanoes became dormant, water took over. Over time, spectacular waterfalls, deep gorges, distinctive peaks and rugged cliffs were gouged out of the volcanic rock. Today, the turmoil of this area’s volcanic origins is largely hidden under the spreading greenery. Tamborine, Springbrook, Beechmont and Lamington are remnants of the Tweed shield volcano’s northern flank. The old volcano’s core remains at Mt Warning. The Tweed Valley, formed by massive erosion, is a large erosion caldera carved from the eastern flank of the old volcano, and is best seen from vantage points along the Border Track and Ships Stern circuit.

Lamington’s southern cliffs continue into New South Wales in a great circle marking the caldera’s edge. The erosion caldera is the largest and best example of its age in the world and an example of an ongoing geological process significant to the Earth’s history.

Walk back through time

When you take a walk through Lamington’s cool, damp rainforests, travel back in time through what remains of ancient Gondwanan forests that once covered the Australian continent. Some of Lamington’s plants and animals are survivors of prehistoric times when ferns, then pines, then flowering plants first appeared. These age–old Australians have endured events in geological time that saw dinosaurs and three-quarters of all living species disappear.

To grasp the nature of Gondwana, we must first understand that the Earth’s climate was very different during these ancient times. It has been suggested that sea surface temperatures during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods (210–265 million years ago) at latitudes greater than 60 degrees South (where Australia was at that time) were 18–20 degrees Celsius, meaning that the climate was perhaps “warm temperate”, with reliable rainfall. Some scientists argue that at these high latitudes, the region would have experienced significant winter darkness of perhaps four months’ duration. This in turn has caused debate about the structure of the vegetation communities at that time, with suggestions that “rainforest” as such did not exist, but that the ancestral rainforest species occurred as scattered individuals in a woodland formation.
What appears certain from the fossil record is that this community consisted of Nothofagus, southern conifers (Podocarpus and Araucaria), Ginkoites (primitive seed–bearing trees), cycads and giant horsetails, with ferns, seed ferns (e.g. Dicroidium) and club moss in the understorey. The king fern Todea barbara is a relict of one of the oldest fern families, Osmundaceae, evolving even before Gondwana formed and is found in the narrow, moist Toolona Gorge.



Conditions at the beginning of the Tertiary period (around 65 million years ago) — when Australia was just breaking away from Antarctica — were warm and moist with high rainfall throughout, high temperatures in northern and inland areas and warm conditions in the south. It is suggested that vegetation throughout the continent was more or less continuous subtropical rainforest, with little difference in species composition between the warmer and more temperate zones.
Nothofagus was widespread, as were species of Araucaria, Podocarpus, Dacrydium and species of Myrtaceae and Proteaceae.

The northward movement of the Australian continent resulted in a warming and drying of the climate, and the development of the dry adapted Australian flora, dominated by acacias and eucalypts. You only have to walk the Dave’s Creek circuit to see the changes in vegetation. The track passes through several distinctive vegetation types: warm and cool subtropical rainforest along the Border Track; warm temperate rainforest containing many examples of ancient angiosperms, such as coachwood Ceratopetalum apetalum in Nixons Creek’s headwaters; and wet sclerophyll forest with giant New England ash Eucalyptus campanulata around Nagarigoon clearing.
The different soils derived from basalt and rhyolite lavas have determined how plant communities are distributed. Rainforest commonly occurs on soils derived from basalt, while rhyolitic soils, which are lower in available plant nutrients, support the open forest and heath at Daves Creek. Many rare and endangered plant species are found in these ecosystems.  The impressive stands of smooth, pink-barked brush box Lophostemon confertus found on the Brush Box circuit also echo Australia’s climatic changes. Of interest, similar brush box in other parts of the World Heritage area have been radiocarbon dated at 1500 years, making these giant trees the oldest ever carbon-dated on Australia’s mainland.

Today, Lamington is one of the few places where Nothofagus and Araucaria stand together as a reminder of the “golden age” when the climate was warm and wet, just before conifers were overtaken by the new flowering plants. The Antarctic beech Nothofagus moorei is little different from the flowering plants that flourished 100 million years ago — when dinosaurs had long since disappeared and marsupials dominated Australia. Almost all of Australia’s Antarctic beech forests are in the CERRA World Heritage area, with Lamington their most northerly location. Nothofagus forests were once widespread across the continent and provided a habitat for many animals that have long since disappeared from our landscape. Small pockets of Nothofagus forest and associated communities can be seen in several areas in the park — are accessible within the park — walk the Tullawallal or Mt Hobwee circuits track from Binna Burra leads to one of the most accessible pockets of Nothofagus forest section.
Lamington also protects one of Australia’s largest remaining forests of hoop pine, Araucaria cunninghamii, one of the world’s oldest conifers. One of the larges intact stands of hoop pine can be seen along the Darlington Range from the Caves circuit or Araucaria Lookout.

While animal fossils in the area are scarce, palaeobotanists have continued to study living rainforest plants in the Lamington region to help identify fossil species collected in such apparently unlikely locations as South Australia. As part of the CERRA World Heritage area, Lamington is an extremely important refuge for many animals. These include several species of earthworm found nowhere else in the world, the beautiful Richmond birdwing butterfly, endangered birds (e.g. the eastern bristlebird), and mammals, like the spotted quoll. Lamington plays a vital role in protecting this rich diversity of globally significant wildlife.



The park is home to some impressive examples of “true songbirds” — an ancient group of birds, many of which have melodious calls. Songbirds were originally thought to have evolved in the northern hemisphere, later spreading south. However, recent DNA sampling and finds of fossilised songbird bones (dating back 55 million years at Riversleigh in Queensland) suggest songbird groups evolved in the southern hemisphere, and spread north.

You can still see and hear some of these ancient songbirds in Lamington National Park — home to various species recognised for their World Heritage significance. Examples include the satin bowerbird, eastern bristlebird, rufous scrub-bird, red-browed treecreeper and Albert’s lyrebird. While walking along in the rainforest you may be rewarded with glimpses of bowerbirds or hear the mournful cry of the catbird.
Links with an earlier period in the development of Australia’s animals also exist in the invertebrate world. For example, trapdoor spiders of the Gondwanan family Mygalomorphae make their homes in banks along the Border track, and prehistoric velvet worms or Peripatus can be found scuttling in the leaf litter during wet weather.
Lamington protects about 58 plants and more than 22 animals classed as vulnerable, rare or threatened with extinction. Countless invertebrates and plants, particularly smaller ones, are yet to be discovered. This natural wealth is supported by many different habitats, all crucial in sustaining many of the last remnants of our natural heritage. Without this national park, many more species would have disappeared or be poised on the brink of extinction.

Following their footsteps

Lamington National Park’s earliest human inhabitants were an Aboriginal kinship group, the Yugambeh who lived in this area, carefully managing and using its rich natural resources. Known as Woonoongoora to the Yugambeh, the mountains are sacred and spiritual, places to be nurtured and respected. The Yugambeh family groups were identified as the Wangerriburra, Birinburra, Gugingin, Migunberri, Mununjali, Bollongin, Minjungbal and Kombumerri. They shared language, ceremonies, celebrations and economic exchange. This kinship group used both the open forest and rainforest. Evidence of their occupation has been found in various parts of the park, including the Kweebani (cooking) cave near Binna Burra. It is believed a traditional pathway passed through the southern section of Lamington National Park.

The first European record of the McPherson Ranges was by Logan, Fraser and Cunningham, who saw the rugged mountainous area from Mt Barney’s peak in 1828. Francis Roberts, a surveyor marking the border between New South Wales and Queensland, and his assistant Isaiah Rowland, were the first Europeans to traverse the area. In 1865, they worked from Mt Lindesay east to the Numinbah Valley, along the highest peaks. Bilin Bilin and other Yugambeh people carried equipment and identified trees and animals. Many landmarks were named using traditional Aboriginal words. The Border Track in Lamington National Park follows part of the survey party’s original route.



“Duggai gulli yahngu — white men are here to stay.” The arrival of Europeans changed the Yugambeh lifestyle forever. The newcomers did not understand the foraging needs of the Yugambeh even though the natural resources must have seemed vast.
By the 1870s, a battle had developed between those seeking to clear more land and those wanting to preserve valuable areas of southern Queensland’s subtropical rainforest. Timber-getters spearheaded the onslaught in the search for cedar – “red gold”. Agriculturalists followed, eager to farm the rich soil where rainforests had thrived.

In 1878, the dream of Lamington National Park began, after local identity Robert Collins learned that the world’s first national park, Yellowstone, had been declared in 1872. Collins became an expert on the McPherson Ranges and fought for the mountains and their grand forests to be conserved.  By the century’s end, most of the red cedar, crows ash and white beech trees had been harvested from the area surrounding what is now Lamington National Park and coastal lowland rainforest destroyed. Fortunately, other forces were gathering and other interests slowly gaining voice. A 20–year battle to conserve the precious rainforest remnants of the McPherson Ranges was underway.
In 1906, the Queensland Parliament passed a State Forest and National Parks Bill, and in 1908, the first Queensland National Park was declared at Witches Falls, Tamborine.
In 1911, Romeo Lahey, a Canungra man, joined the struggle and energetically lobbied, lectured and petitioned for a national park.

A quote from Romeo Lahey’s diary as told by Alec Chisholm in an article “The Green Mountains: Queensland’s National Park” in The Sydney Mail, 5 March, 1919, states: I do not remember my reasoning but the idea of those glorious falls being destroyed by selection higher up filled me with an intense determination to have them kept for people who would love them, but who did not even dream of their existence.  Lahey’s joining the campaign was timely as Robert Collins was to die in 1913, aged 70, before his dream for Lamington became reality. It was not until the Labor Government was elected in 1915 that Lamington National Park was finally declared. Although Lahey favoured Woonoongoora, the Yugambeh name for a local mountain, the park was named in honour of Queensland Governor Lord Lamington.

Development of the park’s facilities started in earnest as relief work during the late 1930s, with the Border Track and Coomera Circuit among the first tracks completed.
“Yugambeh yahnbai gulli bahn — Yugambeh are still here. We continue to live on our traditional lands, caring for the rainforest and its wildlife.”

“Nyah-nyah ngalingah kurul kurulbu — Take care of our wilderness.”


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« Reply #715 on: September 29, 2007, 04:23:19 AM »


LAMINGTON NATIONAL PARK

A good site to view flora and fauna of this area :

http://lamington.nrsm.uq.edu.au/

Enjoy.

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« Reply #716 on: September 30, 2007, 01:55:15 AM »


BATHURST 1000 V8 SUPERCAR RACE, NEW SOUTH WALES

Around the world, there are many great motor races. The 24 hour Le Mans, and Formula One racing around the streets of Monaco are a couple that immediately spring to mind. Somehow these races develop an aura that elevate them above any other race in their class, and they become more than simply a car race. In Australia, the Bathurst 1000 has taken on this mantle. Formula One cars race around the streets of Albert Park in Melbourne, Indy Cars tear up the bitumen around the Gold Coast. However at each of these events, when the V8 Supercars come out in the support races, pit crews working on the more prestigious, most expensive vehicles on the planet, stop to witness the spectacle that is V8 racing in Australia.



History

The Bathurst 1000 has a long history, and has undergone many changes in its years of existence. In fact, the race didn't begin in the city of Bathurst. In 1960, it began as a 500 mile race around the Phillip Island circuit, near Melbourne. It ran there for three years, before concerns over the track's deteriorating surface instigated a shift to the Mount Panorama circuit, in Bathurst, New South Wales.

In 1963, the first race was held on this track. Mount Panorama has been its home ever since, and it's doubtful that it will ever leave what is now its true home. It wasn't until I started to do some research into the history of this race that I had any idea that this race had begun its life on Phillip Island - I'd always assumed that it had always been held in Bathurst. it wouldn't surprise me at all if the majority of Australians didn't know of this early piece of history either - or perhaps they simply choose to put this race's true birth date at 1963!



Over the years since its beginnings, the Bathurst 1000 has undergone many changes. One of the most obvious is the increase of its original distance, from 500 miles, to 1000km in 1973 - an increase of almost 200km to the race distance. The other major change over the years has been the class of vehicle allowed to compete in this race.
From its inception, the Bathurst 1000 was designed as an endurance race. The unofficial motto of the event was 'What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday'. Vehicle manufacturers at the time would enter their best products, in the ultimate test of reliability. In these early days, the cars on the track were not that far removed from what anyone could pick up in the showroom. For many years, the race was made up of numerous classes of vehicles. Initially, the classes were based upon the price of the car - in 1963, class A was made up of cars costing up to &pound900, through to the expense of class D, for cars costing between &pound1,201 and &pound2,000. This method was retained up until 1971, when the method of classing vehicles was changed to be dependant on engine capacity - up to 1.3 litre vehicles were placed in Class A, through to Class D, for cars over 3 litres.

In the '80's and early to mid '90's, this classing system became a little more difficult to understand, and seemed to change fairly often. The number of classes was dropped, in some years there were only two classes, in other years three. Then in the early '90's, the format changed, to be only Super Tourers, and V8 Supercars. In the minds of many fans of Bathurst, these are probably some of the darkest days of this great race. Some explanation is probably necessary here...

The Bathurst 1000 has been a race that has always polarized the car enthusiasts in Australia. Much of its allure comes from the long history it's had that includes mighty battles between locally designed and produces cars. Holden, Ford, Chrysler, they all competed against each other on this track. However the race began to see more imported vehicles competing, and in the minds of many fans it was moving too far from its traditional roots. Things came to a head in the early 90's, when the race was dominated by cars such as the Ford Sierra, and twin-turbo, 4WD Nissan GT-R. The situation reached a head in 1992, when Jim Richards and Mark Skafe won a shortened race, after 143 laps driving a Nissan GT-R. Sudden heavy rain caught many of the drivers out on the track on slick tires, and many drivers crashed out - including the eventual winners. They were awarded the victory based on positions of the lap prior to them crashing out, and the fans let them know what they thought of the result, in no uncertain terms.



Three years later, in 1995, the Bathurst 1000 format changed to include only V8 Supercars. For the first time in its history, there was only one class racing - every car was either a V8 Holden Commodore, or Ford Falcon. To this day, this is the format the race is run in.

The Track

The Bathurst 1000 would be nothing, if it wasn't for the incredible circuit it is raced on. Bathurst is a small inland city, of around 30,000 people. By far, its most famous landmark is the racetrack that winds its way up, down and around Mount Panorama. The incredible thing is that the most famous racing circuit in Australia was conceived as a tourist drive, designed to help Bathurst through the depressed years of the early '30's. Its design, however, was wider than necessary, to allow for street racing. It was carefully designed, to provide the most scenic view possible of the city of Bathurst, and its surroundings. The first racing around this circuit was motorcycle racing - Formula One cars also raced on it on either side of the war. The Bathurst 1000's change of home from Phillip Island to Bathurst marks the first time that production cars had raced this circuit.



The track itself is a challenging circuit, which provides some of the most spectacular racing you could ever hope to see. Approximately 6.2km in length, the track drops 174 metres from top to bottom. Drivers begin at the bottom of the mountain on Pit Straight, before leaving the line to negotiate Hell Corner. The sight of 40 to 50 or more cars trying to manoeuvre around a 90 degree left handed corner should give you some idea of how this corner has earned its name. After exiting Hell Corner, the cars blast up mountain straight at speeds of up to 240kp/h. A series of tricky corners takes them to the top of Mount Panorama, where they pass through Skyline, one of the most scenic places on the track. It's a pity that the drivers have no time to enjoy the view - before too long, they're on their way down the mountain through a series of steep esses, and the aptly names 'Big Dipper'. Cars passing through this part of the track will often have two wheels leave the ground, as they negotiate this steeply dropping corner - it's truly spectacular racing. After passing through Forest Elbow, the cars begin their run down Conrod Straight. This is the longest racing straight in Australia - around 1.9km in length. By the end of it, they are travelling at close to 300kph. This may not match the speed that many other classes of racing around the world can achieve, but bear this in mind - each car is close to 1.3 tonnes in weight. By now the drivers are well aware of this fact, as they rapidly enter Caltex Chase (now simply known as 'The Chase'). This is a jinking right handed corner, that leads into a series of left handers, designed to slow the cars before reaching the 90 degree Murray's Corner, leading back onto the Pit Straight.

The Chase is one of the changes that this course has undergone over the years that it has been host to the Bathurst 1000. Caltex Chase was constructed for the 1997 Bathurst 1000, after Mike Burgman lost control of his car, smashing into the Bridgestone Bridge near the end of Conrod Straight in 1986. Before it was built, cars needed to slow down from maximum speed on the straight, to enter Murray's Corner - from top speed, to a speed slow enough to negotiate a 90 degree corner. This addition of The Chase to the track increased its length slightly to its current 6.2km, and reduced the lap count for the race from 163 laps, to 161.



Many other safety improvements have been built over the years - it's truly incredible to watch footage from races in years past these days. There used to be no concrete walls surrounding the track - if you stuffed up, you were off the track, into the trees surrounding it. Dick Johnston survived on of the races most horrific crashes in the 1983, when he left the track at Forest Elbow, and ploughed into trees alongside it. Amazingly, he was able to walk away from the wreckage of his car, which was destroyed.

Famous Names

For the drivers in Australia's production class racing circuit, there is no higher prize than winning Bathurst. A driver can win the V8 Supercar Championship, but that is still not at the level of winning Bathurst. Past winners of Bathurst include some of the most famous names in Australian motor racing. Allan Moffat in the early '70's, completely dominant in the Ford Falcon GTHO. In the 90's, drivers such as 'Gentleman' Jim Richards, Larry Perkins, and recently, Mark Skafe. In Bathurst history, one name is dominant above all others - Peter Brock. Nicknamed 'Peter Perfect', he has won this race an unmatched 9 times - in the seven years between 1978 and 1984, he won the race 6 times. Peter Brock has another nickname - the 'King of the Mountain'.



The Bathurst 1000 has undergone many changes over its history. Its old motto - 'What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday' - no longer really applies. These days, the competing cars have far eclipsed what is available to the new car buyer - they are finely tuned racing machines, costing millions of dollars each. The 'Ford vs. Holden' battle is still alive and well however - at Bathurst race weekend in October, you're either a Holden supporter, or a Ford supporter. There's no half way on this weekend. The popularity of this event continues to grow - over 55,000 fans turned out to see the race in 2002. Incredibly, ten years after they were booed on the podium after winning the shortened 1992 race in their Nissan GT-R, Mark Skafe and Jim Richards returned to drive their Holden Commodore to victory, and much more jubilant celebrations than ten years prior. In the future, the Bathurst 1000 is sure to change more, as cars become faster, laps time decrease, and technology improves. It doesn't seem like all that long ago that the cars left the start line with their headlights blazing, in the early morning light. Now, there's time to wait for the sun to rise fully before starting. No matter what happens though - the Bathurst 1000 will always remain as the most popular event on the Australian racing calendar.


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« Reply #717 on: October 06, 2007, 02:55:17 AM »


GOONDIWINDI, QUEENSLAND

The town of Goondiwindi (pronounced 'Gundawindy') originally developed as a teamsters' stopover for the 'Gundawinda', 'Callandoon' and 'Umbercollie' properties, which were taken up in the district between 1838 and 1846. The teamsters would deliver supplies to the stations and camp at the site, sometimes for a number of weeks, before they were loaded with wool for the journey back to Maitland in NSW.
Teamsters began to settle at the site by the early 1860s the original rudimentary tents and huts gradually made way to more permanent dwellings. By 1870 there were also several businesses operating at the settlement.

The separation of the NSW and Queensland colonies in 1859 led to the introduction of customs duties for trade between the colonies. As Goondiwindi was a major crossing point on the MacIntyre River, which formed part of the new state border, a customs house was established at that point the year the colonies separated.



The customs house building was originally constructed from pit sawn timber in the 1850s but additions were made to the original structure throughout the 1800s. It originally had a shingled roof but this was replaced at the beginning of the 20th century.

The customs building was occupied by a border patrol preventing illegal trade between the colonies from 1872 to 1894. Australia's federation in 1901 marked the beginning of free trade between the states and the building was subsequently converted to a private residence. It became a folk museum in the 1970s.

Goondiwindi became a municipality in 1888. There are two explanations given for its name. The first says it is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'resting place of wild ducks'. The second, and less preferred, is that it is adapted from an Aboriginal word which translates to 'droppings of ducks and shags'.

The railway arrived at Goondiwindi in 1908. The Border Bridge across the river was constructed in 1914, replacing and earlier structure which had been erected in the 1870s.



The rambling Victoria Hotel (1898) was allegedly built on a site which was once used by the indigenous Kamilaroi Aborigines to ambush and attack the new European settlers. Later in its history the hotel publican and three patrons joined forces to buy a racehorse. Their horse, Gunsynd, won 29 races in the late 1960s and early 1970s and placed third in the 1972 Melbourne Cup. Otherwise known as the 'Goondiwindi grey', Gunsynd is now commemorated by a statue in town.



Gunsynd was one of the most courageous and charismatic horses to race in Australia. He loved the crowds and the crowds loved him.

Gunsynd was bred in northern New South Wales, and bought for $1,300 by a group of friends from the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi – which forever put that town on the map and earned for the horse the affectionate nickname of the “Goondiwindi Grey”. Under trainer Bill Wehlow, Gunsynd won his first three starts in Brisbane and his first start at Warwick Farm, ran sixth in the 1970 Golden Slipper, and a week later won the Fernhill Handicap.

In his three-year-old preparation, Gunsynd won twice in Queensland before being placed in the Rosehill Guineas, the AJC Derby and the Queensland Derby. His last start for trainer Wehlow was as a four-year-old when he won the Doomben Flying Handicap.



Transferred to trainer Tommy Smith, Gunsynd realised his full potential. Under Smith Gunsynd had 32 starts for 17 victories and only one unplaced run. In the spring of 1971 he won the Epsom Handicap, the Toorak Handicap, the George Adams Handicap and the Sandown Cup. In the autumn of 1972 he recorded 5 straight wins including the Futurity Stakes and the Doncaster Handicap. In the spring of 1972 he captured the Cox Plate, ran a magnificent third in the Melbourne Cup under 60.5 kgs, and won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In his final campaign in the autumn of 1973 he won the Blamey Stakes and a second Queen Elizabeth Stakes. On his retirement Gunsynd had 29 wins from 54 starts, with the then Australian record prizemoney of $280,455.



A section of the Serpentine Creek has been converted to form the Natural Heritage & Water Park. The development of the Park is a result of the closure of Boobera Lagoon, to power boats, on indigenous cultural grounds. The Lagoon had been a favourite spot for waterskiing for the local area and was the only suitable waterbody for the purpose.

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« Reply #718 on: October 06, 2007, 10:11:28 AM »

Thank you for our latest installment Tib.  I really enjoy coming to this thread and reading.  study 
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« Reply #719 on: October 07, 2007, 01:43:31 AM »


BOWRAL, NEW SOUTH WALES

Bowral is situated in a valley at the foot of Mt. Gibraltar, largely on land originally granted to John Oxley, famous explorer of the early colony of NSW. For a generation it was farmed by his sons.  With the coming of the railway in the 1860s, the Oxleys subdivided part of the land for a private village. On this land (not much bigger than the current shopping centre) a town grew.



Soon, there was a railway station, churches, schools and public buildings. There were also many guesthouses, and private 'holiday houses', as Bowral became a favourite place to escape to from the city.



As early as 1886 Bowral was gazetted as a Municipality, and the corporate life of the town began. Within 20 years it had over 1000 citizens and many community, social, and sporting organisations.



Land around the town was progressively subdivided and added to the Municipality, but most of the surrounding farmland and countryside was controlled by larger shires, and Bowral remained a purely civic centre.



It became the "big town" of the Highlands, with its well paved streets, neat residences, many businesses, and municipal amenities (such as a gasworks and electricity). Its main industries were tourism, a large Brickworks, a milk processing factory, and services for surrounding farms.



In 1981 the Municipality was integrated into the new Wingecarribee Shire.
Today Bowral has over 14,000 inhabitants, with new residential subdivisions expanding east of the town. Many of its recent residents are 'refugees' from the city looking for a better lifestyle, commuting back to the city on the freeway to their jobs



Bowral is now the commercial and retail centre of the Southern Highlands.
The beauty of townscape and countryside, and the climate - enhanced by over 100 years of plantings of exotic deciduous trees, "English" gardens, and annual massed displays of bulbs and perennials - gives it a unique attraction in the Australian countryside - especially in the leafy area of Burradoo with its fine houses and gardens stretching south towards Moss Vale.

Mary Poppins Link with Bowral



Mary Poppins, the magical nanny made famous worldwide by the 1964 Walt Disney movie of the same name, is a fictional character created by author, P.L. Travers. One question pondered by many readers of the Mary Poppins books and fans of the movie has been: Where did Mary Poppins come from? The question was frequently put to the author during her lifetime, but she invariably offered a vague or evasive reply. It is a mystery that may finally now have an answer, thanks to detailed biographical research by a Sydney-based journalist/author and the flash of insight by a 12 year-old girl. And the answer? Well, the place with the probably the strongest claim to be the "birthplace" of Mary Poppins - both in a symbolic and literal sense - is a town called Bowral.

Yes, strange but true! Bowral, an Australian country town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, has a strong claim to be considered the birthplace of Mary Poppins. Why this is so is explained on this website. And the real-life story of Mary Poppins' origins are as dramatic and magical as any fictional tale, revealing much about the author's motivation in creating the character as well as the underlying themes in her later stories.

Of course, claiming to be the birthplace of a fictional character is a little quirky, to say the least. The author of Mary Poppins, PL Travers (who was christened Helen Lyndon Goff), was born in Maryborough Queensland. But just as cricket's greatest batsman, Don Bradman, was born in Cootamundra and moved to Bowral as a child, so did Lyndon Goff move from Queensland. And just as Bowral was the place that Bradman was to learn his cricket and develop the prodigious talent that was to make him a sporting icon, so did Lyndon Goff begin her life as a storyteller and create the essence of a fictional character that was eventually to become an icon of childrens literature.*

45 Holly Street Bowral


This is the house where the Goff family lived during their 10-year residence in Bowral. Although the street numbering has altered, it has been researched and identified by local historian, John Symonds, with assistance of P.L. Travers' personal photographs provided by Patricia Feltham, together with other archival documentation.

The house has the same essential architectural characteristics as it would have had during the time the Goffs lived there, though it has been sympathetically renovated and modernised, with an extension at the rear of the structure. The fireplace around which the genesis of the character that eventually became Mary Poppins took place is still intact and in working order.

The Nolan family have now made it their home and have indicated their support for having the house recognised publicly as the former home of P.L. Travers and the birthplace of the Mary Poppins character. The creek that P.L Travers' mother, Margaret Goff, threatened to drown herself in can still be found at the rear of the property.

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