SUNSET PALMS

Dunk Island in Queensland, Australia, fulfils all of the criteria for a tropical paradise, including the magical sunsets under the palms...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #82 - 3,423 KM FAR

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:

1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;

2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;

3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;

4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity!

Please do not use this meme to advertise your goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately!

The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland, Australia. It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 750 km in length. It takes its name from the Warrego River, which is the endpoint of the highway. The entire highway is part of the National Highway system linking Darwin and Brisbane: formerly National Highway 54, Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system much of Australia had adopted in the early-2000s and is now designated as National Highway A2.

Driving from Brisbane to Darwin on this highway would be 3,423 km and would take about 40 hours driving at the speed limits along the way. It's quite far...

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Queensland (abbreviated as Qld) is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland.

The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres. Queensland has a population of 4,750,500, concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city. Often referred to as the "Sunshine State", Queensland is home to 10 of Australia's 30 largest cities and is the nation's third-largest economy. Tourism in the state, fuelled largely by its warm tropical climate, is a major industry.

Queensland was first inhabited by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. The first European to land in Queensland (and Australia) was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606, who explored the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula near present-day Weipa. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain. The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney; New South Wales at that time included all of what is now Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.

Queensland was explored in subsequent decades until the establishment of a penal colony at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley. Penal transportation ceased in 1839 and free settlement was allowed from 1842. The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria, who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. Queensland Day is celebrated annually statewide on 6 June. Queensland was one of the six colonies which became the founding states of Australia with federation on 1 January 1901.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

Brisbane by night 

Brisbane's Southbank beach

The Gold Coast

Palm Cove, Cairns

Sunshine Coast hinterland

Port Douglas

Heliconia

Tropical Rainforest

TROPICAL

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

SATURDAY SILHOUETTES #64

Welcome to the Saturday Silhouettes meme! This is a weekly meme that looks at SILHOUETTES in photography.

SILHOUETTE |ˌsɪlʊˈɛt| noun: The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.

ORIGIN - late 18th century: Named (although the reason remains uncertain) after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician.

This post is also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

Please add your contribution below, using the Linky tool.

As this is a small but select meme, please visit other contributors and add a comment - they like comments about their work as much as you do!

SUNSHINE COAST HINTERLAND

Sunshine Coast Hinterland lies inland from the South coast of Queensland, Australia and is made up of the spectacular Blackall Ranges and several National Parks. There are plenty of pretty towns set within the mountainous ranges offering a quaint and relaxing feel. At Landsborough, along the Glass House Mountains Road you can turn off towards Maleny which offers a number of wonderful art galleries and as well as some beautiful accommodation places. There is a pleasant drive to Mapleton, passing the wonderful Kondalilla National Park hosting the amazing Kondalilla Falls and Mapleton Falls National Park, as well as the small craft town of Montville.

The rainforest and waterfalls within the National Parks are truly remarkable, and well worth walking around. Also popular in the area is the Maleny Folk Festival, held during the 5 days before New Years Eve. Back on the Glass House Mountains Road is the areas centre Nambour, with the Big Pineapple nearby.

North again is Eumundi which was where Eumundi Lager used to be brewed. Eumundi offers several art and craft galleries ranging from Aboriginal Art to Contemporary Art to Glass Blowing. Eumundi also hosts a popular craft market on Saturdays and Wednesdays, which attracts people from all over. Further inland is the South Burnett Region, and the wonderful Bunya Mountains National Park. There is a sealed road through the region from Dalby or Kingaroy, and offer spectacular rainforest, waterfalls and wildlife, including plenty of wallabies.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

GOLD COAST FROM THE AIR

The Gold Coast is a coastal city located in the South East of Queensland, Australia. The city is 94 km south of the state capital Brisbane. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and the most populous non-capital city in Australia. The Gold Coast has the largest cross-state metropolitan area population in Australia, due to the inclusion of Tweed Heads, New South Wales in its metropolitan area. The Gold Coast's metropolitan area converges with that of Greater Brisbane, forming part of an urban conurbation of over 3 million people.

While the origin of the city's name is debatable, the name "Gold Coast" was bestowed upon the city by real estate investors. The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe. The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for upper class Brisbane residents.The Gold Coast region grew significantly after the establishment of the Surfers Paradise hotel in the late 1920s.

The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination and in 1994, the Gold Coast City local government area was expanded to encompass the majority of the Gold Coast's metropolitan area, becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane. The Gold Coast is today a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries. Gold Coast will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

These shots were taken while flying in to Brisbane early in the morning. I was really testing my camera's capabilities, and considering it was a compact camera, shooting through the airplane window, I was pleased with the results.

This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

GOLD COAST FROM THE AIR

The Gold Coast is a coastal city located in the South East of Queensland, Australia. The city is 94 km south of the state capital Brisbane. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and the most populous non-capital city in Australia.

The Gold Coast holds the title of the largest cross-state population of any metropolitan area in Australia, due to the inclusion of Tweed Heads, New South Wales in its metropolitan area. The Gold Coast's metropolitan area converges with that of Greater Brisbane, forming part of an urban conurbation of over 3 million people.

While the origin of the city's name is debatable, the name "Gold Coast" was bestowed upon the city by real estate investors. The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe. The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for upper class Brisbane residents.

The Gold Coast region grew significantly after the establishment of the Surfers Paradise hotel in the late 1920s. The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination and in 1994, the Gold Coast City local government area was expanded to encompass the majority of the Gold Coast's metropolitan area, becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane. The Gold Coast is today a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries. Gold Coast will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

If one is flying to Brisbane from the South, it is possible to get views such as this depending on the flight path and the weather (of course!). We had a very chatty pilot on this trip and he made sure everyone was looking out of the window at appropriate times during the flight!

This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.