Theme Week Florida Coasts – Space Coast

22 February 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach © Leonard J. DeFrancisci/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach © Leonard J. DeFrancisci/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several “themed” coasts around Florida. All of NASA-launched crewed spaceflights (running from Project Mercury in 1961 to and from the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011) have departed from either KSC or Cape Canaveral. The Space Force Station has also launched unmanned military and civilian rockets. Cities in the area include Port St. John, Titusville, Cocoa, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, Merritt Island (unincorporated), Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Palm Bay, and Viera (unincorporated). Most of the area lies within Brevard County. It is bounded on the south by the Treasure Coast, on the west and north by Central Florida (and is economically tied to that region), and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.   read more…

Melbourne City in Australia

13 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

Melbourne's Central Business District © Melbpal/cc-by-sa-4.0

Melbourne’s Central Business District © Melbpal/cc-by-sa-4.0

Melbourne is the capital and most-populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a 9,993 km²(3,858 sq mi) metropolitan area known as Greater Melbourne, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local municipalities, although the name is also used specifically for the local municipality of City of Melbourne based around its central business area. The city occupies much of the northern and eastern coastlines of Port Phillip Bay and spreads into the Mornington Peninsula and the hinterlands towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenong and Macedon Ranges. It has a population over 5 million (19% of the population of Australia, as per 2020), mostly residing to the east side of the city centre, and its inhabitants are commonly referred to as “Melburnians”.   read more…

Sydney Road in Melbourne

14 February 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Shopping Reading Time:  9 minutes

© orderinchaos/cc-by-sa-3.0

© orderinchaos/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sydney Road (in its northernmost part also known as the Hume Highway) is a major urban arterial in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Sydney Road starts at the northern end of Royal Parade at the boundary of Parkville and Brunswick and continues north through Brunswick, Coburg, Coburg North, Hadfield, Fawkner, Campbellfield, Somerton and Craigieburn, where it joins the Hume Freeway. The section passing through Brunswick and Coburg, between Park Street at its southern end and Bell Street near the site of the former Pentridge prison, at its northern end, is Melbourne’s longest continuous shopping strip, with an abundance of small businesses and a variety of restaurants and coffee shops, clothing stores, places of worship, and community services. It is well known for its wedding fashion shops, discount shopping and a number of specialist food stores.   read more…

Port Melbourne

19 April 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  15 minutes

Bay Street © Bmorey/cc-by-3.0

Bay Street © Bmorey/cc-by-3.0

Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, 5 km south-west from Melbourne’s Central Business District. It is split between the local government areas of Melbourne and Port Phillip. The area to the north of the West Gate Freeway is in the City of Melbourne. The area to the south is in the City of Port Phillip. The suburb is bordered by the shores of Hobsons Bay and the lower reaches of the Yarra River. Port Melbourne covers a large area, which includes the distinct localities of Fishermans Bend, Garden City and Beacon Cove. Historically it was known as Sandridge and developed as the City’s second port, linked to the nearby Melbourne CBD. The formerly industrial Port Melbourne has been subject to intense urban renewal over the past decade. As a result, Port Melbourne is a diverse and historic area, featuring industrial and port areas along the Yarra, to open parklands, bayside beaches, exclusive apartments and Bay Street’s restaurants and cafes. The suburb also forms a major transport link from east to west, home to one end of the West Gate Bridge.   read more…

Flinders Street Station in Melbourne

18 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Adam.J.W.C./cc-by-sa-2.5

© Adam.J.W.C./cc-by-sa-2.5

Flinders Street Station-colloquially shortened to simply Flinders Street or sometimes FSS-is a central commuter railway station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in Melbourne. 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.   read more…

Port Phillip Bay in Australia

25 October 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

The memorial at Sorrento marking the site of the first British settlement on Port Phillip Bay in 1803 © Adam Carr

The memorial at Sorrento marking the site of the first British settlement on Port Phillip Bay in 1803 © Adam Carr

Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay), is a large bay in southern Victoria; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 square kilometres (480,000 acres) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi). Although it is extremely shallow for its size, most of the bay is navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 metres (79 ft), and half the region is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.   read more…

The Creative Cities Network

2 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

© UNESCO / Graz

© UNESCO / Graz

The Creative Cities Network is a project under the patronage of UNESCO. With the aim of celebrating and maintaining cultural diversity, the alliance formed by member cities share their experiences in promoting the local heritage, as well as discuss plans on how to cope with the influx of globalization. The Creative Cities Network aims to find and enrich a member city’s cultural identity in the midst of a growing trend towards internationalism.   read more…

The City of Melbourne

18 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Crown Casino Complex & Melbourne Exhibition Building © Donaldytong

Crown Casino Complex & Melbourne Exhibition Building © Donaldytong

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division – of which “Melbourne” is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater geographical area had an approximate population of four million. Inhabitants of Melbourne are called Melburnians or Melbournians.   read more…

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