See What to see

"The Kimberley : tierra de ma alma : land of my soul" by Hugh Brown
The Kimberley is a land of deep rivers and gorges, vast ruddy landscapes, from the semi-tropical islands, and superlative ranges, to wild waterfalls and geological marvels. This photographic odyssey covers Broome and the coast, Derby and the Gibb River, Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, Wyndham and Kununurra, and the national parks.

Still in Detroit

People have been calling Detroit "the motor city" or "Motown" for years, as along with Henry Ford most car companies were based there - Ford, Studebaker Packard Motors, Fisher Body Plant, Uniroyal Tire Plant, Chrysler's Dodge Main complex, & General Motors Cadillac Plant. Now after its heyday these buildings are abandoned, taken-over or demolished.

The remains of Henry Ford's Model T Automobile Plant. Built in 1909, it once produced 1000 "Tin Lizzies" a day. In its last days of vehicle manufacturing, it produced Ford tractors. It ceased production in the 1970's, and is now a shopping mall.

The immensity of the Packard Motors ruin site defies photography. This panoramic image shows only about twenty per cent of the site, from across one of the huge parking lots that was once filled by cars of its employees. Partially torn down in 2000, a law suit has held up its full demolition.

It wasn't just the manufacturing industry that suffered in Detroit.

The lavish Michigan Theater, capable of seating 4050 people. The demise of this once mighty movie theater arose, in large part, from its inability to compete with the newly emerging suburban movie theaters and their acres of free parking. So now its auditorium is itself a carpark.

Even the humble library building succumb...

The Magnus Butzel Branch Library (demolished May 1998) serviced a bygone neighbourhood in an area of Detroit known as Poletown after the Polish immigrants who populated it and supplied the labour for the Dodge company.

The collapsing six story section of the J. L. Hudson Department store during its 1998 implosion.

These photos and more at http://www.detroityes.com/news/071014/601pics/101.htm

Abandoned in America

From factories and prisons to offices complexes and hospitals, there are amazing abandonments all over the world; elegant, impressive derelict structures located in the heart of major cities that are decades or even centuries old.

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station

An example of U.S. urban decay is Detroit's abandoned train station, the Michigan Central Station. Most of the interior has fallen victim to 'urban miners' who break in to steal any stone accents, wire and even copper tubing and bricks to sell as scrap. Photos are from SeeDetroit.com

The station was opened in 1913 and closed in 1988. Its future now remains uncertain.

The building has to be at least 17-18 stories high. Its architectural grandeur is still evident (at least in the photo above) the masonry work on the eaves, columns and balustrades.

The interior is massively proportioned, especially here with its high vaulted ceilings, columns and arches. For an idea of size - there's a distant doorway in the centre of the shot. Apparently the upper floors were never used.

Hidden labyrinthine realms

I do get a range of books passing my desk, this is one that coincides with some of the searches I've been following on Del.icio.us.

"Beneath the metropolis : the secret lives of cities" by Alex Marshall, investigates how geological features; archaeological remnants of past civilisations; and layered networks transporting water, electricty and people have shaped cities. The obvious examples are -New York's subways or the catacombs of Rome, less well-known are Mao's secret tunnel network under Beijing, or the depleted acquifer under Mexico City. There is even a section on Sydney's underground. Sydney has the Harbour Tunnel, the Cross City Tunnel, the Southern Railway Tunnel, Busby's Bore and the Subway. Sydney also has "Drainers" clandestine underground explorers dedicated to exploring, often illegally, the myriad underground spaces beneath the city.

Sydney's Cave Clan inside one of the city's sewers

More on the secret lives of cities in further posts.

Catch some air

From Lonely Planet's feed Tied of skiing? Dab hand at snowboarding? Wondering what to do next? Well wonder no more, the next big craze to hit the slopes this year is airboarding. Speed-freaks tired of carving up the slopes on two legs have taken to hurling themselves off mountain slopes on an airboard - (that's a large inflatable lilo to you and me!) actually a 4ft inflatable sledge with hard runners underneath. It can reach speeds of up to 80mph, although stopping is somewhat harder - there are no breaks so short of hurling yourself sideways into a skidding halt you best just pray for a soft landing. Unsurprisingly, skiers and snowboarders are none-too-keen on sharing their slopes with such hazardous neighbours. Now I know what to do for my next holiday! :)

More photo hosting

I'm trialling photobucket, which I first came across back in November. It allows for bulk uploads (100 at a time) of photos. You can make avatars, slideshows etc with a variety of features/styles, set to music etc., more creativity than I found with the Animoto product, plus it can be embedded in your blog or web page.
Here's my first slideshow, I'll fiddle with music and other features when I get a chance.

Unshelved strip

Famous Five

Believe it or not - but Enid Blyton's Famous Five have been reunited as middle aged adults in a yet to be written mystery series for television. Which actors and actresses would you choose to play Julian, Dick, Anne and George?