Shark Bay, Western Australia. This World Heritage Area is of extraordinary global significance. Communities of corals, sponges and other invertebrates, together with a unique mix of tropical and temperate fish species.

Shark Bay is also home to five species of endangered mammals, as well as 35 percent of Australian bird species and abundant marine flora and fauna. Shark Bay is home to approximately 13% of the world population of dugong.

The area has a population of fewer than 1,000 people and a coastline of over 1,500 kilometers. In 1699, William Dampier gave the area the name Shark Bay.

Shark Bay also contains the largest number of seagrass species ever recorded in one place.

Bottle-nose dolphins abound in Shark Bay. At Monkey Mia , they come close to shore and interact with visitors who wade into knee-deep water.

Pearling, once important, has given way to fishing (prawns, crayfish, whiting, snapper).

Constructed in 1853, the wooden structure was originally used for loading timber, building materials and firewood. In September 2003 the structure was destroyed in an arson attack but the kiosk re-opened in March 2006. The pier is a popular destination for strolling, cycling, roller-skating and fishing. Whatever your preference, St Kilda Pier provides an unforgettable experience right in the heart of Melbourne.

The St Kilda Kiosk has become a symbol of St Kilda, a place of seaside fun, relaxation and romance. At the end of St Kilda’s famous Pier is located “Little blue restaurant”. Fantastic food and local wines it provides undoubtedly one of the best panoramic views of the Melbourne skyline.

Located about 5 km from Williamstown, it’s one of the highest dams in Australia, known as the “Whispering Wall”. It has unique acoustic effects that sound to travel long distances. If you whisper at one end, you can be heard perfectly clearly at the other end more than 100 meters away. This has a simple explanation – the parabola effect, the curve of the wall allows the sound waves to bounce along the entire length. The dam was designed by the Irish-born engineer Alexander Moncrieff and the construction began in 1899 and was completed in 1903.

The Whispering Wall provides scenic views of the Barossa Reservoir and the surrounding, well-preserved natural bounty. The area is a popular destination for picnics, bird-watching, fishing, and bush-walking. There is a Golf course nearby and, if you want to stay, there are affordable places offering Bed and Breakfast upstream from the Reservoir. Open Time – from Monday to Sunday, between 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Melbourne is a city of layers with ever changing skies and facades. Today I will represent you the real Melbourne, which is like its inhabitants and is less public and reveals itself unwilling. In the last decade, Melbourne has radically changed the urban and cultural landscape. Architecture have become adventurous within cutting-edge buildings. The contemporary art scene is dynamic and breathtaking festivals fill the atmosphere of the city. In every corner, basement and attic initiative spirits are creating hole-in-the-wall bars, multimedia galleries, design studious and other experiences.

Nowadays in Melbourne opportunities abound. They got great design schools and really everything they have is as good as anywhere in the world. People there live on the coast looking out the horizon and they know what’s behind them. The other feature about Australian creativity and architectural culture is that they are well traveled. And they choose to come back!

Melbourne has many geographical features to explore. The Yarra River is one of them but the city boasts more about its parks and gardens. The Carlton Gardens are home to the World Heritage and behind them is the Melbourne Museum. On the south side of the Yarra is the Tan – a 2.3-mile running track. There you can pass quickly seeing some great buildings.

What I think makes Melbourne unique is the ever-changing light. The city gets four seasons in one day, which can be a bit miserable in winter. Apart from being cold, it often rains and the clouds are low and makes flat light. But in the summer the light is very harsh and direct providing great contrast like lazer.

Tourists have to walk to really see Melbourne. In that way you will get glimpses of notable architecture and some Gothic revival, urban art projects and pull up at cafes, bars and restaurants in the Centre.

Among the large number of luxury-boutique hotels stands out a Pretty Beach House. This holiday house is an exclusive food-lovers Hamptons-esque private beach house resort just outside of Sydney that takes the concept of ‘weekend’ getaway to a new level. The resort is consisted of three private structures; relaxed, non-pretentious and homely beach villas nestled discreetly into a landscape full of hundreds of old gum trees which stand there like living art sculptures.

As soon as you arrived, a sense of peace and quiet descends upon you,  with fresh and stunning designer elements. The villas interiors are luxurious made of natural materials. Privacy is paramount which is why, each villa also has its own private swimming pool. There are no TVs in the villas, just a Bose Soundock with iPod and wireless internet so there’s nothing else to do but slide from day bed to pool and back again in a haze of sedation.

The real adventure in the Pretty Beach Villa begin when it’s time to eat! The Sydney chef Steve Manfredi is the master of the kitchen and largely responsible for the best part of the trip, exporting sophisticated, city fine dining into this laid-back environment. The chef often serves guests himself. If anything is worth it in your trip to Pretty Beach House is the delicious meal.

If you get tired of sleeping, lazing, eating and drinking, you can have a stroll down to Tallow Beach for a swim and a dose of dolphin watching. Or if you are looking for a piece of adventure hop into the Pretty Beach House boat or take out a helicopter ride over the area.

Perth City is a ideal place for a summer or winter holiday. There the sun always shining and you will found white sandy beaches and amazing scenery. Perth City is Western Australia’s capital with a population over 1 million people, but it’s one of the most isolated metropolitan areas on the Earth. The nearest city is Adelaide in South Australia, which is 2,104 km away. But, don’t worry, with its cosmopolitan atmosphere is always something to see and do there.

  

This cosmopolitan city offers myriad bars, restaurants and cultural activities. Most popular is Perth district of Northbridge. There you will find a range of nightclubs, pubs, cafes and restaurants, offering an eclectic mix of cultures and cuisines.

The Party Kids is a great place to find all your children’s birthday party supplies. Party Kids specialise in specially themed party products that can make planning a perfect party a walk in the park. There is over 30 children’s party themes to choose from which include Batman, Bratz, Spiderman, Dinosaurs, Barbie, Fairies and Pirates & More. Also available is plenty of free tips & ideas for birthday party games and party food. For appetizers or dessert you can have fresh summer fruit on skewers too. If you’re afraid kids won’t eat that, serve it with some cool yogurt dip. For drinks, take see through mini water bottles and remove the labels. Add water or clear soda and add food coloring to them to make red, yellow and orange and green colored “tropical punch” drinks.
Over 6,000 party supplies and decorations. Shop for latex & foil balloons, balloon accessories, banners, blowouts, bubbles, candles, confetti, craft items, decorations, glow sticks, foil shapes, loot bags, party hats, pinatas, poppers, plastic & paper tableware, ribbons, streamers, scatters to themed party products and much, much more.
The target is 80 jumping castle franchise partners operating in both metropolitan and regional Australia. For a truly unique party, team themed party goods with personalised items like invitations, envelopes, goody bags, party guides, thank you notes, activities, good bag favours, stickers and photo balloons.

Unlike traditional libraries, Seattle Central Library is organized into spatial compartments that are dedicated to and equipped for specific duties. Each platform is a programmatic cluster that is architecturally defined and equipped for maximum performance. The spaces between the platforms function as trading floors where librarians inform and stimulate. The eleven-level Seattle Library is wrapped in a diamond-shaped curtain wall that folds and cantilevers onto the street. The diagonal structural grid of the curtain wall acts as a seismic brace and resists wind load. Steel mesh within the glazing reduces heat and glare.
The grid’s diamonds are seven feet at their tallest and four feet at their widest. They are installed in 80-by-12-foot sections, the largest that could be trucked on Interstate 5. On the outside of the grid, the building will be sheathed in double- and triple-glazed windows manufactured by the German firm Seele.

Color is used to define different interior functions. Against the black ceiling and grey interior palette, these colored areas are great wayfinding devices – such as the illuminated, bright yellow acrylic panels for the escalators and lifts. The black ceiling also accentuates the vertical nature of large public gathering spaces. Sandwiched between the grand plaza and reference area are the closed meeting rooms, defined by the red floor and curved walls and ceiling.
The $10.9 million branch has an updated collection and the capacity to hold 66,700 books and materials. Highlights include materials related to the local maritime and fishing industry, and a world languages collection that contains books, tapes, newspapers and magazines in languages other than English. The new branch has self-checkout stations, 38 computers (up from 13), underground parking, a special area for teens, and a meeting room. The children’s area in the prominent northwest corner overlooks the future municipal park space. Through a child’s eye, the skewed concrete columns on the first floor will seem playful. “From every vantage point it looks different”, said Jay Taylor of Magnusson Klemencic Associates. “The different orientation could really make a magical space.”

Australia’s third-largest city – the gleaming towers that define the city skyline, reflect the heritage building – treasured edifices in sandstone and wrought iron the have been lovingly restored, giving Brisbane its unique character. The city lies on the banks of the serpentine Brisbane River – a colourful waterway for ferries, paddle wheelers and pleasure boats. In Brisbane there are literally thousands of places to go and things to do – South Bank Precinct with the colourful Parklands, the Queensland Cultural Centre, the city’s historic sights and heritage trails, wildlife parks, museums, galleries, Conrad International Treasury Casino, tours, cruises, adventure activities and a host of other things to see and do mean that Brisbane really does have something for everyone…

On the southern banks of the city lies Brisbane’s favourite leisure and entertainment precinct – South Bank Parklands. The 17 hectares of riverside parkland, tropical gardens, lagoons, cafes and attractions are a focus for fun times every day of the year. One of the favourite attractions of South Bank is Breaka Beach, a man made lagoon beach, where sun, sand and lifeguards deliver a beach experience to the heart of the city. Every visitor to Brisbane will enjoy South Bank’s sandy beach, the open grassy picnic spots, the shops and dozens of eating places.

There’s the cinemas, regular South Bank Arbourfree live entertainment and many festivals and fireworks throughout the year. Brisbanites are festival junkies, there are festivals of all types – film, food, wine, jazz, multicultural… Visitors from overseas will just love the abundant and easily seen Australian wildlife at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Hold a koala, feed a kangaroo, hear a talk about our reptiles – it all makes for a great day out.

The Brisbane River was once a major artery for the city, the riverbanks lined with ships moored at busy docks. Today, the majority of river traffic is recreational or commuters aboard the city catamarans and ferries. Several companies provide Brisbane river cruises and the picturesque Kookaburra River Queen paddle wheelers which offer sightseeing and dinner cruises. The CityCats glide over the water and you’ll see million dollar houses. Travel under the Story Bridge and get a whole new perspective.

Brisbane offers a variety of architecture including the charming old “Queenslanders” – from small cottages to large homes. Their hallmark is the highset, open verandahs and very high ceilings – just perfect for creating cross ventilation in this wonderful subtropical climate.

The Sydney Centre point tower was built in 1981 and comprises a central spike made up of 46 barrels stacked one above the other, topped with a golden turret which is securely anchored to the ground with 56 cables. The Sydney Tower itself forms part of the West field Centre point complex which is home to around 140 shops, as well as the Centre point Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Three 12 metre athletic sculptures, created by Dominique Sutton, are now positioned on the roof of the Observation Deck and will remain in place until after the 2000 Olympic games. Spectacular and well lit at night, this addition makes AMP Tower an impressive Olympic Monument. At night, capture a glimpse of one of the most spectacular light shows in the world. Participants will find high powered binoculars to extend their viewing range, a tourist information and booking service, and guided tours. You can spot the Aussie Olympic Stadium in the distance one way and easily see the Northern Beach suburbs in the other, guess you can see for miles and miles on a clear Sunny day, of which Sydney has more than its fair share.
Ideally, you could pay just to go up to the observation deck, but that isn’t an option. Still, if you pay for the Sky tour “experience”, you might as well sit through it! The views from the observation deck are fantastic.