Gallery Pick of the Week
Instead of just showing pretty pictures only, here we have space for contributors to discuss their images every week.
This is a great opportunity to get some insight from the original photographer and the content is entirely open. It could be anything from the personal feeling of the photographer about the image to any photographic techniques or location knowledge he/she would like to share with our visitors.
Gallery Pick of the Week > May 2009
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Walkabout in the Melbourne City, 27/5/09, Pele Leung You only have one day or even only half a day left for your visit to Melbourne! Shopping in Melbourne is great but you just want to see something special which can wrap up your stay here in Melbourne... |
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What attract visitors to Australia, 20/5/09, Pele Leung The global enonomy is currently still in trouble and Australia now follows closely. What can we do to save our tourism? Before answering this question, perhaps we must ask ourselves... |
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The Beauty of Mount Dandenong, 13/5/09, Pele Leung If you know when and where, there is no need to go far to find a treasured tourist hot spot around Melbourne. This week we have a known local secret to share with you. |
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A Flying Visit to Lake Eyre, 5/5/09, Monica O'Connor Lake Eyre is a prohibited place to most travellers due to its remote location. If a 4WD transport is not available, flying over the lake is the easiest way to see how this wilderness looks. |
Pele Leung - Walkabout in the Melbourne City, 27/5/09
You only have one day or even only half a day left for your visit to Melbourne! Shopping in Melbourne is great but you just want to see something special which can wrap up your stay here in Melbourne. Ideally you also like to bring a few memorable photos of Melbourne home with you. What do I suggest? Plenty.
Clockwise from the top left: (a) St Patrick's Cathedral (b) Block Arcade (c) Regent Theatre and (d) Bell Tower Melbourne Central
Here is my wish list in no order of priority and you are welcome to swap the list items around to suit your own taste.
- Go back in time and visit some of the most awesome architectural creation in Melbourne. Just to name a few (a) St Patrick's Cathedral (b) Block Arcade (c) Regent Theatre and (d) Bell Tower Melbourne Central. They are all located in the Melbourne City in walking distance.
- If you need some fresh air, the Royal Botanical Gardens will not disappoint you. Next to the gardens, the Shrine of Rememberance, one of the most famous landmarks in Melbourne, is a place that you must not miss.
- Walk along Yarra River and enjoy a cup of coffee at South Bank.
- If you feel it is time to fill your right brain with some artistic food, National Gallery is just a few steps from the South Bank.
- Enjoy a spectacular Melbourne City view at dusk from either the Melbourne Observation Desk - Rialto or the newer Eureka Tower. Now the whole Melbourne City is at your doorstep.
- Tired and hungry after a long day? let's wrap up your day at a fine restaurant in the Chinatown (Little Bourke Street).
View of Melbourne City from the Melbourne Observation Desk - Rialto
Finally you are done and completed your final round of Melbourne sightseeing. We all know you did not like it because you just love it. Every photo you took will remind you of the best in Melbourne. You will not be surprised there are even more to see when you return. See you soon.
Pele Leung - What Attracts Visitors to Australia, 20/5/09
Six months ago, we discussed the potential business trend of Australian tourism and predicted that the tourism industry would slow down due to the worldwide economic crisis. In fact, most people believe it too and it is just a matter of the impact level.
First class resort on Hayman Island, Queensland
According to the latest report from Tourism Australia, the number of trips and nights spent by our visitors have dropped less than 1%. Surprisingly our visitor's spending increased almost 2%. Apparently we are doing better than expected. However, to cope with the tougher situation next year, we must find out what our visitors like most and present our best to draw their attention. Now the question is what our visitors like most? This is a simple question but the answers would be vary. We believe the following categories give a good summary:
- Our sunny climate and weather
What can beat the great outdoors especially when the northern hemisphere is in winter. - Our laid back and relaxed lifestyle
The multi-cultural hospitality and relaxing atmosphere always remind visitors of their enjoyable holiday. - Our relatively unpolluted natural environment
Blue sky over green water or orange land is probably the typical colours of Australia natural environment. - Our relatively affordable living standard
A holiday in Australia is certainly much more economical than many developed countries. - Our relatively less visited tourist locations
Travellers from northern hemisphere would have heard of the Grand Canyon but some of our treasured natural wonders such as Cradle Mountain, Blue Mountains and Twelve Apostles are relatively less known. There are just plenty to explore.
Top Australian landmarks and icons (from top left in clockwise direction): (a) Uluru, Northern Territory (b) Twelve Apostles, Victoria (c) Cradle Mountain, Tasmania (d) The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
It sounds too good to be true - right? Have we done enough to protect and promote our assets? Can we ensure all Americans could pinpoint the location of Melbourne on the world map? Have we actively participated in the climate change scheme to protect our fragile environment? Have we done enough advertising and promotion to the right audiences? Can we ensure our cities continue to stay on the list of the ten most livable cities? There is still a lot to be done and it is all in our hands, fellow Australian!
Pele Leung - The Beauty of Mount Dandenong, 13/5/09
For most visitors to Melbourne, the major tour attractions are the Twleve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road and the Phillip Island Penguin Parade as they are basically the tourist icons of Victoria. In case you are not aware of one of the known secrets, Mount Dandenong is also a great place to visit and is located just at the doorstep of Melbourne. Although I am not a local living in Mount Dandenong, I am fortunate enough to stay quite close to it. Mount Dandenong is a place for all seasons and looks best in spring and autumn.
My favourate spots are the gardens - National Rhododendron Gardens, Alfred Nicholas Gardens, Pirianda Garden and George Tindale Garden. The effort of maintaining these gardens is undoubtedly enormous and you have to see them before believing - beautiful landscaping decorated with all sorts of plants and flowers. If you like walking in a fascinating environment to regain your connection with nature, the four gardens mentioned above must not be missed.
National Rhododendron Gardens
Alfred Nicholas Gardens
At the time of writing, all four gardens are still showing off their best shape of autumn colours. Even during the peak period, the traffic is fairly minimal and visitors would have a good chance to own a corner by themselves.
Pirianda Garden
George Tindale Garden
After a long day walk in the gardens, the Mount Dandenong Observatory is the place to wrap up a day. The observatory is arguably one of the best locations for viewing the sunset and night scenes of Melbourne City. If you want a full set of dinner or just a cup of coffee or tea with cakes, the SkyHigh restaurant and cafe will not disappoint you - as what they advertised: "Spectacular by Day, Stunning by Night". As a frequent visitor, I personally could not agree to this statement anymore.
The Mount Dandenong Observatory View of Melbourne City at Dust
Now what are you waiting for? Mount Dandenong welcomes you.
Monica O'Connor - A Flying Visit to Lake Eyre, 5/5/09
The lake Eyre basin is made up of large parts of South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and a small slice of western New South Wales. It covers one sixth of the continent.
Lake Eyre is a shallow salt lake located in northern South Australia. It is the world's largest salt lake and can be 9 times as salty as the sea.
Lake Eyre is in two sections - Lake Eyre North (144 kms long and 65 kms wide) and Lake Eyre South (65 kms long and 24 kms wide). They are joined by the narrow
Goyder Channel.
Lake Eyre is 15 metres below sea level and is the lowest point in Australia. When full it becomes the biggest lake on the continent. In the last 150 years it has only been filled to
capacity 3 times.
During the rainy season the rivers from the North East (outback Queensland) flow towards the lake through the Channel Country. and as the terrain is relatively flat, it can
take many months for the water to reach the arid lake. Evaporation also takes place.
When the lake does fill it becomes a wildlife oasis. The water is almost fresh and various fish can survive in it .Thousands of water birds arrive and flora and fauna appear.
The water turns pink, purple and blue because of varying concentrations of minerals.
As the salt crust dissolves the salinity increases and a mass fish kill occurs.
The water evaporates in the hot sun and when the salt crust dries up, it is hard enough to be driven over.
As far as the eye can see, the shimmering white salt pan is matched in intensity by the blue, desert sky - a stark wilderness in a timeless landscape.