Not living in the British Isles, pictures of your own area.

[N15class]

We have "Days when you know why you live in the British Isles" so I thought it was about time the rest of the world had a thread for posting pictures showing the best of their home land.

 

I will start by posting a couple of pictures from north east Para in Brazil. This is ranch country and at one time a large exporter of beef to Great Britain. The state of Para is in the north and contains some of the Amazon rain forest. It is one of the larger states and at 1,247,690 km² is about 5.5 times larger than Great Britain.

 

I hope you will all join in and post some pictures to show us the beauty we are missing out on in the rest of the world.

 

Edited July 20, 2015 by N15class

[Gwiwer]

It's well-known around these parts that I'm in Melbourne's outer southern fringe in darkest Australia.  If you've seen the opening to Neighbours you've pretty much seen what the outer suburbs look like!  A lot of little "courts" (dead-ends, cup-de-sac, Close, whatever) off larger feeder roads off a basically gridiron pattern of main roads.  No two houses are quite the same.

 

A short drive brings us to the wide open levels of the Koo Wee Rup swamp, now reclaimed and used as fertile cattle-rearing country though it still floods in very wet weather.  The railway, the former Melbourne - Yarram line, is technically not closed but "booked out of use" which side-steps formal closure.  This is Caldermeade which even boasted a station at one time!

 

 

Melbourne is of course famous for having the largest tram network in the world.  Radiating up to 15 miles from the city it is operated by around 500 trams from 75 years old to brand new and from one to five cars / modules in length.  This rather average view taken on a single-use camera shows the unique Glenhuntly "square" where route 67 crosses the suburban Frankston railway line.  Trams operate on 600Vdc standard gauge and trains at 1500Vdc on the Irish broad gauge.  There is a cabin for the controller to switch current and set signals.  The three train tracks here are up, reversible and down and apart from a 10-minute headway of suburban trains there is also a heavy four-times-a-day freight to and from the Long Island steel works.  Nowhere else in the world do trams cross freight and passenger trains on three tracks; only in three other locations in Melbourne (one of which will be grade-separated before this year is out) do trams cross passenger trains with the more common two-track configuration.  The trams have been reliveried since this view was taken in 1999 but the Z class shown, dating from the 1970s, still operates on this route.

 

 

Australia is famed for its leisure opportunities and what better way to enjoy a warm summer's evening than dropping a line in the water as the sun sets across Port Philip Bay?  Or whizzing along on a jet-ski if you prefer.  Patterson River mouth, Carrum, is the location, 10 minutes from our front door.

 

[Richard Lee]

I was going to post a couple of pictures of Bulgaria, but Google Photos doesn't seem to be storing the photos with the normal suffix for JPEGs, which means I can't post the pictures on here.

Edit:  I believe that I may have solved the problem.

 

 

 

Looks like a lot of sunflowers in that garden:

The roads can be a bit old fashioned:

 

You also get winter here:

Edited July 11, 2015 by Richard Lee

[railsquid]

My little corner of Tokyo in the snow.

 

Somewhere in the countryside

Edited July 11, 2015 by railsquid

[Allegheny1600]

Not my actual place of residence as I'm (we're) still in the UK but where I'd like to end up,

Tolo in the Peloponese of Greece.

They may be having some rather well publicised financial problems currently but hopefully, it will get sorted out by the time we have saved enough money to get a place out here. With views like this, I think you'll see why it isn't cheap (yet?).

 

Behind the larger island seen above, it looks like this,

 

Not far away is Edpidavros, quite a pleasant amphitheatre,

 

A little further away is the Corinth canal,

 

Near which is Corinth (new) station, where I caught this beauty!

 

The line between Corinth and Nafplion is pretty scenic too.

 

Hopefully you can see the gradient here.

 

Aaah! I'm now most relaxed!

Sadly, the railway pictures are rather out of date as the metre gauge Peloponese system has been out of use for a few years now, after they had just rebuilt it too. Such was the scale of corruption and incompetence, I heard they had ordered either none or the wrong wheels for the new track! Maybe the Russians will get it all working?

Sorry! That's close enough to politics I guess.

Ya mas!

John E.

[brianusa]

Not far from where we live is the Mt Rainier Scenic RR, an old logging line. This is their Heisler loco at Moreton, WA, an old mill town.

 

Brian.

[N15class]

Well I pleased with the response. Keep them coming there are some lovely places turning up.

 

I thought this was going to be the second post but am pleased it is not.

 

Driving here can be a bit boring fortunately our day out yesterday we were only on here for a short while. The roads can be like this for 50 kilometers or more.

 

 

 

 

Roadside services are also more colourful. You can buy most things from the roadside.

 

 

 

 

There are plenty of rivers and creaks you cross. The terrain in the north of the state is fairly flat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2015 by N15class

[Gwiwer]

May I add some more?

 

Australia is big.  Very big.  But not at all all flat.  Here's my version of N15's view above.  The road from Melbourne to Canberra via Cann River takes you through the high plains and scenery like this for several hours at a time - and this is a busy day!  There's also a slightly shorter but boring drive via the Sydney road.

 

 

The National Capital of Canberra sits in a mountain basin.  

 

 

Here's a less common view of the Federal Parliament building in Canberra seen at twilight across Lake Burley Griffin which dominates the centre of the view above.

 

 

The "red centre" is exactly that.  Half the continent is red desert virtually uninhabitable by Man though a small number of indigenous people have managed to survive here for tens of thousands of years.  The road goes ever on and on ..... in this case from Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) which is around a five hour drive through this sort of scenery.

 

 

Sometimes if you get off the beaten track there are quiet spots where few people ever go.  You might see kangaroo or even platypus if there's water.  And you might just find a good photo spot such as here offered by strong light and shade near Ormiston Gorge deep in the McDonnell Ranges a few hours drive west of Alice Springs.

 

Edited July 12, 2015 by Gwiwer

[N15class]

I took these while walking the dogs this evening.

 

The sun going down over the Amazon forest.

 

[Bill]

Living here in Canada - On the Atlantic shores can be very hazardous -

the first Hazard is snow..

 

The second hazard is even more snow..

 

 

But it can be beautiful...

 

Even more hazardous are various forms of local fauna...

 

 

Also the place is hazardous to railroads - they just don't get the idea of conservation..

It is just so Un North American..

 

 

 

This line was only abandoned a few years back but when you live in a province that only recently gave up Sunday shopping prohibition...

Then expect change to be very, very slow..

[trisonic]

Local commuter double - decker approaching Fanwood in New Jersey (late Winter) bringing people home from New York:

 

 

On a recent visit to Arizona, the Painted Desert:

 

 

The USA is so diverse is it not?

 

 

 

Best, Pete.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2015 by trisonic

[SRman]

A sunset looking down my street in suburban Melbourne (overhead wires and all!)>




... And also just down the road from me.




On the road between Ballarat and Hamilton, in country Victoria to the west of Melbourne.






Believe it or not, in the middle of nowhere, there was a set of traffic lights (up ahead) for some road works.




The blue lake in Mount Gambier.




The lonely coastal highway between Mount Gambier and Adelaide in South Australia.




Port Adelaide railway museum (just a sample shot - I did take a lot more).




Victor Harbor, to the south of Adelaide.




Back in Victoria, Daylesford, to the north west of Melbourne.




The approaches to the Werribee Gorge, on the way back t Melbourne from Daylesford.




... and the view towards Melbourne from the road near Werribee Gorge. You can just make out the buildings of Melbourne's city centre through the haze, slightly right of centre.




A view from the Kerisdale Mountain Railway, near Trawool, to the north of Melbourne.




Unusual rocky outcrops near Trawool.




And lastly, for now at least, this wouldn't be complete without a couple of photos from the Great Ocean Road.




 

Edited July 20, 2015 by SRman

[SRman]

Incidentally, Rick mentioned Neighbours. The filming locations are mostly within a few kilometres of my house. Pinoak Court represents Ramsey Street, and Forest Hill Chase (my local shopping centre) and the Nunawading Aquatic Centre have featured prominently at different times. 

Ironically, I don't normally watch Neighbours myself, but have seen quite a few episodes of it when staying at my mother's house in Leeds (West Yorkshire).

[Gwiwer]

 

 

Ironically, I don't normally watch Neighbours myself

 

Neither do I but as I know many people do (and no doubt many more have caught glimpses of the title sequence) it seemed like a good starting point

[trisonic]

Just to prove I can organize a p!ss up in a brewery - and include trains too:

 

 

Photo taken from Triumph Brewery of GP 30 arriving at New Hope PA station July 3rd 2015.

 

http://www.triumphbrewing.com

 

Best, Pete.

Edited July 21, 2015 by trisonic

[pH]

On board BC Ferries MV 'Island Sky' between Earl's Cove and Saltery Bay, Nelson Island to right, Captain Island to left:

 

[pH]

Today, we went up on the 'Sea to Sky' gondola just south of Squamish in BC. It's a quite new tourist attraction, having been in operation for only a couple of years. The gondola takes you up almost 3000 feet from just about sea level to a mountain lodge with several walking trails round it, and access to the backcountry. The walking trails have viewing platforms built out at various points with clear views in many directions.

 

Here's the view down to where the gondola base station is, on the shore of Howe Sound. The lighter colour of part of the water in the Sound is due to silt being carried down by the Squamish River, just out of picture to the right:

 

 

A picture looking the other way, into the Coast Mountains. The main peak in the middle is Skypilot Mountain. The peak to its right, with the prominent bump is ... The Co-pilot!

 

 

We parked for the gondola in Shannon Falls provincial park and walked a short distance to the base station. Here's a view of Shannon Falls. They are the third highest in BC, at 1100 feet.

 

[kevinlms]

Incidentally, Rick mentioned Neighbours. The filming locations are mostly within a few kilometres of my house. Pinoak Court represents Ramsey Street, and Forest Hill Chase (my local shopping centre) and the Nunawading Aquatic Centre have featured prominently at different times. 

 

Ironically, I don't normally watch Neighbours myself,

Funny how 'no one' watches it - yet, its been on for over 30 years. Just saying!

[railsquid]

My father watches it... Can't stand it myself. The internet is much better for real-life drama.

 

Anyway another scene from across the street here in Tokyo, city of skyscrapers and neon.

[SRman]

Those skyscrapers are really well disguised, there, Ian!

[kevinlms]

Those skyscrapers are really well disguised, there, Ian!

But some of Tokyo is not what you might expect.

 

http://www.domain.com.au/news/tokyos-abandoned-homes-20150824-gj6arl/

[AndyID]

Something set the dogs off early this morning. It was this fine fellow. There seem to be more moose than ever around here. Might be the prolonged dry spell that's bringing them in. 

 

(Apologies to those who have already seen this one)

 

[railsquid]

But some of Tokyo is not what you might expect.

 

http://www.domain.com.au/news/tokyos-abandoned-homes-20150824-gj6arl/

Except the article is about Yokosuka, not Tokyo - Yokosuka is as much a part of Tokyo as Portsmouth is part of London...

[Enterprisingwestern]

Polop. Spain.

 

 

 

 

Mike.

[PatB]

Following on from Gwiwer's shots of Canberra, here's one of the foliage along the edge of (part of) Lake Burley Griffin last autumn.

 

 

Now I'm back in Western Australia (was contracting in Canberra but that's now finished) I'll see what else I can dig up.