Thank you !
Sent on: January 8, 2020
Received on: January 20, 2020
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
23 January 2020
25 July 2019
07 January 2019
#1659 Christmas Island
The flag of Christmas Island was unofficially adopted in 1986 after being chosen the winner in a competition for a flag for the territory. It was designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia. The flag was made official on Australia Day, 2002 when the administrator of the territory, Bill Taylor, presented the flag to the Christmas Island Shire.
The flag of Christmas Island consists of a green and blue background, split the top left corner to the bottom right. These colours are intended to represent the land and sea respectively. The Southern Cross constellation appears in the bottom left of the flag in the same manner as it appears on the flag of Australia. In the top right, the golden bosun bird (Phaethon lepturus fulvus, one of six races of the white-tailed tropicbird) appears. It is considered to be a symbol of the Island. The last motif appears in the centre of the flag on a golden disc is the map of the island in green. The disc itself was originally only included to offset the green colour of the map, but has become linked to the mining industry.
Thank you, Marni !
Sent on: August 28, 2018
Received on: September 28, 2018
16 February 2018
25 January 2018
05 August 2017
#1324 Australia
K'gari (Fraser Island) is a heritage-listed island located along the southeastern coast of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is approximately 250 kilometres (160 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is a locality within the Fraser Coast local government in the Wide Bay–Burnett region. Its length is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi). It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1,840 km2. It is also Queensland's largest island, Australia's sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia.
The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It is made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Unlike on many sand dunes, plant life is abundant due to the naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi present in the sand, which release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by the plants. Fraser Island is home to a small number of mammal species, as well as a diverse range of birds, reptiles and amphibians, including the occasional saltwater crocodile. The island is protected in the Great Sandy National Park.
Fraser Island has over 100 freshwater lakes, as well as the second highest concentration of lakes in Australia after Tasmania. The freshwater lakes on Fraser Island are some of the cleanest lakes in the world.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1992
Thank you, Sioux !
Sent on: June 22, 2017
Received on: July 10, 2017
03 August 2017
#1302 Australia
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars. There are other official flags representing Australia, its people and core functions of government.
The flag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) was chosen in 1901 from entries in a competition held following Federation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901, the date proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day. A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1903. The seven-pointed commonwealth star version was introduced by a proclamation dated 23 February 1908. The dimensions were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by, and legally defined in, the Flags Act 1953, as the "Australian National Flag".
Thank you, Lisa !
Sent on: May 17, 2017
Received on: May 29, 2017
22 June 2015
#918 Australia
For more info about Australia, see received card #325.
About some facts written on a postcard:
Indigenous Australians are members of groups that existed in Australia and surrounding islands prior to European colonisation. The phrase is therefore somewhat broad in scope, including such ethnically diverse groups as Tiwi people, Noongar people and Torres Strait Islanders, and does not generally imply a close relationship or common origin of all included groups.
Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 – 23 February 1931), born Helen Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as a classical musician. She took the pseudonym "Melba" from Melbourne, her home town.
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968), often known simply as Kylie, is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She achieved recognition by starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, where she played tomboy mechanic Charlene Robinson. Appearing in the series for two years, Minogue's character married Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan in an episode viewed by nearly 20 million people in the United Kingdom and become one of the most watched Australian TV episodes ever worldwide. Since then, Minogue has been a recording artist and has achieved massive commercial success and critical acclaim in the entertainment industry. Minogue has been recognised with many honorific nicknames in contemporary music. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop" and "Goddess of Pop".
Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor, producer, and singer who is involved in film, musical theatre and television.
Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as superhero, period, and romance characters. He is best known for his long-running role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series, as well as for his leads in the romantic-comedy fantasy Kate & Leopold (2001), the action-horror film Van Helsing (2004), the magic-themed drama The Prestige (2006), the epic historical romantic drama Australia (2008), the sci-fi sports drama Real Steel (2011), the film version of Les Misérables (2012), and the thriller Prisoners (2013). His work in Les Misérables earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy in 2013. He is also a singer, dancer, and actor in stage musicals, and won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz.
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian-born professional tennis player and former world No. 1 who is now resident in The Bahamas.
The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence. It stretches 5,614 kilometres (3,488 mi) from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight near Nundroo. It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states. Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s through which dingo offspring have passed and by increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.
The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning 'large foot'). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus: the red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo and western grey kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to Australia and one genus, the tree-kangaroo, is also found in Papua New Guinea. The Australian government estimates that 34.3 million kangaroos lived in Australia in 2011, up from 25.1 million one year earlier.
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus, or, inaccurately, koala bear) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats. The koala is found in coastal areas of the mainland's eastern and southern regions, inhabiting Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body; round, fluffy ears; and large, spoon-shaped nose. The koala has a body length of 60-85 cm (24-33 in) and weighs 4-15 kg (9-33 lb). Pelage colour ranges from silver grey to chocolate brown. Koalas from the northern populations are typically smaller and lighter in colour than their counterparts further south. These populations possibly are separate subspecies, but this is disputed.
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park, part of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves, in New South Wales, Australia.
Thank you, Bridget !
Sent on: June 15, 2015
Received on: June 22, 2015
17 March 2015
#842 Melbourne, Australia
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is the name given to two adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Owner and manager of the venues is the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust.
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Thank you, Christine !
Received on: March 17, 2015
#838 Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The name "Melbourne" refers to an urban agglomeration area (and census statistical division) spanning 9,900 km2 (3,800 sq mi) that comprises the greater metropolis – as well as being a common name for its metropolitan hub, the Melbourne City Centre.
Flinders Street railway station is a railway station on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets in Melbourne, Australia. It serves the entire metropolitan rail network. Backing onto the city reach of the Yarra River in the heart of the city, the complex covers two whole city blocks and extends from Swanston Street to Queen Street.
Flinders Street is served by Metro's suburban services, and V/Line regional services to Gippsland.
It is the busiest station on Melbourne's metropolitan network, with
over 92,600 daily entries per weekday recorded in the 2011/12 fiscal
year.
It was the first railway station in an Australian city and the world's busiest passenger station in the late 1920s.
The main station building, completed in 1909, is a cultural icon of
Melbourne, with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks
one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks" refers to the row
of clocks above the main entrance, which indicate the time-tabled time
of departure for trains on each line; another idiom, "I'll meet you on
the steps", refers to the wide staircase underneath these clocks.
Flinders Street Station is responsible for two of Melbourne's busiest
pedestrian crossings, both across Flinders Street, including one of
Melbourne's few pedestrian scrambles.
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| Date of Issue: January 8, 2015 | Year of the Goat |
Thank you, Christine !
Received on: March 13, 2014
04 February 2015
#797 Australia
The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a World Heritage Site in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The 1,032,649-hectare (2,551,730-acre) area was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cairns in 2000.
This area is one of rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, deep, inaccessible valleys and rivers and lakes
teeming with life. The rare plants and animals that live in this
natural place relate an extraordinary story of Australia's antiquity,
its diversity of life. This is the story of the evolution of Australia's
unique eucalypt vegetation and its associated communities, plants and animals.
The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 10,300 square kilometres (4,000 sq mi) of mostly forested landscape on a sandstone plateau 60 to 180 kilometres (37 to 112 mi) inland from the Sydney central business district. The area includes vast expanses of wilderness and is equivalent in area to almost one third of Belgium, or twice the size of Brunei.
The area is called "Blue Mountains" based on the fact that when atmospheric temperature rise, the essential oil of various Eucalyptus species evaporates and disperse in the air, then visible blue spectrum of sunlight propagates more than other colours. Therefore the reflected landscape from mountains seems bluish by human eyes.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2000
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Thank you, Helen !
Sent on: January 20, 2015
Received on: February 4, 2015
26 October 2013
#378 Australia
Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as Uluru / Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory in central Australia. It lies 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs, 450 km (280 mi) by road.
Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the area. The area around the formation is home to a plethora of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1987
Thank you, Aga !
Sent on: October 9, 2013
Received on: October 15, 2013
Received on: October 15, 2013
10 September 2013
#328 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
South Australia (abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's states and territories.
South Australia shares borders with all of the other mainland states, and with the Northern Territory; it is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales, to the south-east by Victoria, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight and the Indian Ocean. With over 1.6 million people, the state comprises less than 8% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the states and territories. The majority of its people reside in the state capital, Adelaide, with most of the remainder settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province, rather than as a convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28 December 1836, when the colony was proclaimed at The Old Gum Tree by Governor John Hindmarsh.
The first settlement to be established was Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by the New Zealand Company. The aim was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history is marked by economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, the state is known as a state of festivals and of fine wine. The state's economy centres on the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries and has an increasingly significant finance sector as well.
Thank you, Miss Molly !
Sent on: September 3, 2013
Received on: September 10, 2013
#327 Adelaide, Australia
St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide. The cathedral is situated on approximately one acre (4,000 m²) of land at the corner of Pennington Terrace and King William Road in the suburb of North Adelaide.
The south face has similar features to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, including an ornate rose window above the main entrance which depicts stories of South Australia and the Bible.
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Thank you, Miss Molly !
Sent on: September 3, 2013
Received on: September 10, 2013
Sent on: September 3, 2013
Received on: September 10, 2013
#326 Adelaide, Australia
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.
The flag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide competition held following Federation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901; this date has been proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day. A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1902. Over the next few years, the exact specifications of the flag were changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current specifications were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by, and legally defined in, the Flags Act 1953, as the "Australian National Flag".
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Thank you, Miss Molly !
Sent on: September 3, 2013
Received on: September 10, 2013
Sent on: September 3, 2013
Received on: September 10, 2013
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