Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sukur Cultural Landscape - Potential Landmark of Nigeria



Today, the world has become a global village and different world federations try to develop different tourist attractions in different countries. Keeping this idea in mind, UNESCO has chosen Sukar Cultural Landscape as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is located in the Northeastern part of Nigeria. Nigeria has unique position in Africa because of its unique tourist attractions but Sukar Cultural Landscape was selected because of its unique structured palace, beautiful villages and terraced fields etc. Every year several tourists try to get flights to Lagos, Nigeria to step in to such a unique cultural landscape.

UNESCO included Sukar cultural Landscape in the list of world heritage site in 1999. By visiting this place physically, you would come to know the critical stage in human settlement and its relationship with its environment that's why the Citation calls this site an exceptional landscape. Cultural Landscape of Sukur is witness of continuing spiritual and cultural traditions that are being tolerated for many centuries. It is located on the Mandara Mountains so apart from the historical information you can also enjoy the inclined land with its grassy soil.

Sukur is quite different from other World Heritage sites in that it is not as much recognized, throughout the world, as other sites are. Its recognition is far behind its instant area. This site is being developed with the passage of time to introduce Sukur to all over the world by collecting as much information as available in records and publications. Data composed by Nic David and Judy Sterner in the background of the Mandara Archaeological Project and data from Sukur themselves can also be useful in developing the Sukar Cultural Landscape.

This site has survived to be demolished from several centuries and still it looks the same as if it were built a few days ago. If you are history lover then this is the perfect place for you from where you can learn a lot about the culture and traditions of the country.

A proposal to make it famous worldwide

As it is mentioned above that Sukar Cultural Landscape is not as much popular as other UNESCO World Heritage Sites are so, to make it famous among international tourists there should be a proper plan for its marketing. Nigerian Government should start some new projects with collaboration of different world recognized federations for the development of cultural heritage. For that, Government can make it a park that should fulfill international standards. For that, they should bring some wild animals to enhance the interest of tourists. However, zoo cannot be called safari park but still it does not appropriately fulfill the needs of a wild life lover. Government can also make a museum over there to depict the real culture and history of the region.

Eugene have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourne and great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Melbourne - Box Hill



Box Hill is near the state capital of Melbourne and has the honour of housing a famous art community from 1885 to 1888. Many of Australia's most popular artists came to that area to learn from each other and paint the landscape of the town. Today Box Hill has become an outlying suburb.

Australian Landscape Artist, Tom Roberts came to Box Hill after he experimented with impressionist painting in France and Spain. He loved the Australian rural environment and wanted to find a place where he could paint to his hearts content. He and another artist friend named Frederick McCubbin did not appreciate the way students were being taught how to paint landscapes and they decided to go to Houston's Farm in Box Hill to experiment with different techniques. Several other artists joined them. After awhile tourists began to come to see what the artist group was up. This disrupted their peace and quite so the group moved on.

The area's first settler was named Arundel Wright who built a house on some land he came across in 1838. The land he squatted upon was eventually sold and he was forced to leave. The stone from his chimney was used to make the Pioneer's Memorial that is currently in front of the town hall.

The city centre was built up in 1854 and the name of the area was picked in 1860 and was given the same name as an area in Surrey England, the area the postmaster came from. Some say it was actually named after the type of plant that grew in the area called box eucalyptus. The area was slow in growth until the railway was built through town in 1882 making it much easier to travel to Melbourne. A farmers and livestock market was founded in 1895 and was placed close to the rail station and from that day on Box Hill was known for being a commercial shopping area.

Today there is a statue of a horse that stands upon a large pedestal where Whitehorse Road passes through the main shopping precinct. Box Hill has adopted the horse statue as a symbol of its city and it appears in the coat of arms. The temperance movement was a popular platform in the 1800's and both the Presbyterians and Methodists took up the cause with great zeal. Box Hill was known for being an area that supported this movement with much vitality and in fact, there was no liquor sold in the area until 1966.

During the 1950's many shopping centres were opened in Box Hill including Myer Eastland and the nearby Doncaster Shoppingtown. In the 1960's more parking was added by placing the railway line underground. Other stores followed and the area today enjoys the title of the second largest office and retail area outside of the city of Melbourne. There is a large variety of restaurants and cafes some of which serve the best ethnic cuisine in all of Australia.

Box Hill Indoor Sports Centre is a place many go to see games in town. You can see soccer, volleyball and cricket games. The local population loves sports and they have several football leagues, an archer club, and Australian football club. Box Hill Athletic Club has been around since 1932 and was active in the 1956 Olympic Games that were held in Melbourne. Box hill is home to a wonderful golf course that will challenge the beginner and the seasoned golfer. There is an indoor outdoor pool called 'Aqualink', several basketball courts, a gym and tennis courts. You can always find a game at the baseball diamond and football oval. Outdoor sports are a major force in Box Hill.

Brenda have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourne and great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au

Monday, January 17, 2011

Lighthouse Vacations In Melbourne, Victoria



If you're a fan of lighthouses and you're looking for lighthouse vacations, then one of the best places to visit has to be Australia with its 36,735 km length of coastline which is home to around 350 lighthouses. Australia is a huge place but if you were to visit Victoria and travel along The Great Ocean Road, which is a spectacularly scenic stretch of road, 243 km in length, running between the towns of Torquay and Warrnambool, you would be privy to a number very spectacular lighthouses, The Aireys Inlet lighthouse, commonly referred to as the "White Lady" and The Cape Otway Lighthouse.

The Great Ocean Road is a busy and important tourist attraction within the region which winds along a varied coastline and has several prominent attractions such as the Twelve Apostles which is a breathtaking formation of limestone rocks rising from the Southern Ocean, and are one of the major features of the Port Campbell National Park, as well as the two lighthouses mentioned briefly above.

There are a number of places to stay within the area but if you want somewhere that is fairly quiet and not full of tourists then Aireys Inlet would be a good bet. Unlike most lighthouse Vacations, you really don't have to travel too far to take in a couple of outstanding lighthouses.

Aireys Inlet offers a quiet destination away from some of the more commercial coastal areas. Laying around 120km west of Melbourne, it is well situated between the New Marine Park and the Great Otway National Park which surrounds Cape Otway and its magnificent lighthouse. The lighthouse whose proper name is "Split Point Lighthouse" was built in 1891 and is the first lighthouse that boats see when they're travelling around Cape Otway on their way to Melbourne. It has been unstaffed since 1972 when it was converted to mains electricity, but it is open to the public to view.

Karen have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourneand great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au

Monday, January 10, 2011

Places to See in Melbourne



John Batman, the son of a Sydney convict, arrived in what is now known as the Port Phillip district in 1835 and met with Aboriginal tribes of the Kulin, from whom he "purchased" the land. In just over two decades Melbourne grew from a small tent encampment to a sprawling metropolis. Today it is thriving as the second-largest city in Australia. The enormous wealth generated by the gold rush led to the construction of grand public buildings. This development continued throughout the land boom of the 1880s, earning the city the nickname "Marvelous Melbourne". By the end of the 19th century, the city was the industrial and financial capital of Australia. It was also the home of the national parliament until 1927, when it was moved to purpose-built Canberra.

Fortunate enough to escape much damage in World War II, Melbourne hosted the summer Olympics in 1956. Dubbed the "Friendly Games", the event generated great changes in the city's consciousness. The postwar period also witnessed a new wave of immigrants who sought better lives here. Driven by the will to succeed, they introduced Melbournians to a range of cultures, transforming the British traditions of the city. This transformation continues today with the arrival of immigrants from all parts of Asia.

Melbourneholds many surprises: it has the most elaborate Victorian architecture of all Australian cities; it has a celebrated range of restaurant cuisines and its calendar revolves around hugely popular spectator sports and arts events. While the climate is renowned for its unpredictability, Melbournians still enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, and the city possesses a unique charm that quietly bewitches many visitors.

GETTING AROUND

Melbourneis organized informally into precincts. Collins Street is a business centre and the site of the city's smartest stores. To the east is the parliamentary precinct. Swanston Street contains some fine Victorian architecture. The south bank of the river is arts-orientated, including the Victorian Arts Centre. The city also devotes much land to parks and gardens. Despite the comprehensive transport system of trams, trains, buses and the Met, many Melbournians use cars for commuting.

This has resulted in a network of major roads and highways that lead in all directions from Melbourne's central grid through inner and outer suburbs. CityLink is a tollway linking several of the city's major access routes; drivers must purchase a pass in advance of travelling on CityLink roads. The city's flat landscape is also well suited to bicycles.

SIGHTS AT A GLANCE

Historic Streets and Buildings

· Brunswick Street& Fitzroy

· Chapel Street

· Chinatown

· ComoHistoric House and Garden

· Federation Square

· Fitzroy & Acland streets

· Flinders StreetStation

· General Post Office

· Lygon Streetp

· MelbourneTown Hall

· No. 120 Collins Street

· No. 333 Collins Street

· Old Magistrate's Court

· Old Melbourne Gaol

· Regent Theatre

· Rippon Lea

· RoyalExhibition Buildinga

· Royal Mint

· Supreme Court

Shops and Markets

· Block Arcade

· Queen Victoria Market

· Royal Arcade

Parks and Gardens

· Albert Park

· MelbournePark

· RoyalBotanic Gardensand Kings Domain

Museums and Galleries

· Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum

· GoldTreasury Museum

· MelbourneAquarium

· MelbourneMaritime

· Museum

· MelbourneMuseum

· Museumof ChineseAustralian History

· National Gallery of Victoria

Churches and Cathedrals

· St Francis' Church

· St James' Old Cathedral

· St Paul's Cathedral

· Scots' Church

Hillary have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourne and great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Vertical Gardening With Herbs



Like vegetables, herbs prefer even moisture and temperature levels, so the creation of a large root mass is key to your success and vertical gardening is the perfect solution for this. Herbs love growing in vertical gardens that have a quality potting mix in them rather than the felt or foam types of green walls, consequently...herbs respond very well in an open tiered, steel vertical gardening system. In addition, due to the increased root space available when compared to the traditional planter methods, many gardeners find that herbs perform better for them in the open tiered, steel vertical gardening system than they ever have for them in pots!

WHICH HERBS?

The varieties of herbs you choose to grow in your vertical garden will depend on your tastes and aspect. If you love the Asian herbs you'll go for coriander, lemon grass and mints. Perhaps your cooking has more of an Italian flavour and you are looking to grow garlic, basil and oregano. Keep in mind that some herbs are perennial and last year after year, others are annuals or biennials and will need to be replaced with seeds or seedlings each year or two. Whichever replanting method you choose, the open tiered, steel vertical gardening system is well suited as you are simply gardening in potting mix - just like you are used to. Plus... using smaller plants or seeds is cheaper so you'll save money while having fun and the satisfaction of growing your own plants from scratch.

ASPECT

If your vertical garden is positioned in hot sun and you have limited water available, plant the tougher Mediterranean type herbs like curry plant, rosemary, sage, oregano and thymes. If your vertical garden has a little more protection and/or increased water storage, you can plant the slightly more tender herbs like coriander, basil, parsley as well.

WARNING

Some herbs are SO vigorous, they can easily swamp out the more tender varieties in your vertical garden. Be warned that planting just about anything in the mint family or lemon balm, is likely to spread and swamp out the other herbs in your vertical garden.

HARVESTING

Whether you are gardening in a vertical garden or not herbs love regular picking to encourage the new, flavoursome, tip growth. The more you pick, the more you get so even if you don't want to eat the herbs, prune regularly to keep the plants vigorous and the supply plentiful.

WATERING

Use rain water or mains water (comply to any restrictions) to keep your soil based, open tiered, vertical garden in perfect condition. Either hand water as needed or use a simple automated dripper system to take care of watering while you are away or if you forget.

Vertical gardening with herbs is deliciously simple, a wonderful activity to share with the grand kids and will give you an attractive, aromatic, year round abundance of culinary joy! Once you've tasted the difference, you'll never return to the musty 'past use by date' dried stuff again. ENJOY.

Emman have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourne and great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au