SASOLBURG

Sasolburg owes its existence to the first plant established by the South African Coal, Oil and Gas Corporation (Sasol) for the manufacture of fuel from coal. This modern industrial town has, however, not succumbed to the beat of its sombre, grey, industrial heart. At the time of the town's establishment in 1954 town planners decided to create a green oasis by replacing the traditional  square design with curves and circles linked by parks and green belts. One of the most beautiful parks is the Highveld Garden, a lovely, tranquil garden with a wonderful variety of plants, shrubs and trees indigenous to the Highveld. A holiday resort on the banks of the Vaal River offers a variety of recreational facilities. The adjacent skating rink is reputedly the biggest in the southern hemisphere.

This industrial complex was established in 1954 in conjunction with the founding of the S.A. Coal, Oil & Gas Corporation.

 

IRONBRIDGE

Here in the wooden gorge of the Severn River, the industrial Revolution was born in 1709 when Abraham Darby discovered that by smelting iron ore with coke instead of charcoal, iron could be mass-produced. The world's first iron bridge (1779)is just one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum's sights, which are spread over six square miles; buses run between sites in the summer months. In the western part of the gorge, near the bridge, is the Museum of the River, in a warehouse built to store the Coalbrookdale Company's iron products. Darby's actual furnace is on show at the Museum of Iron, which explains the history of iron-making and of the Coalbrookdale Company.

The iron bridge at Coalbrookdale is surprisingly elegant and delicate-looking, and was the first bridge in the world to be constructed of iron

Received from Thomas Goatherd

WAUSAU

Wausau positions itself as the best place in Wisconsin to play in the snow. The Nine Mile Forest is a premiere cross-country skiing facility with 33km of groomed trails including lighted trails for nighttime skiing. Sylvan Hill is home to the longest tubing hill in the state with six runs and two tow-lines. Complementing the city's Northwoods feel is a whitewater kayak course, a thriving arts community and the River District. Surrounded by woods, lakes, and hills, the Wausau area offers the combination of big city amenities with the look and feel of the great North-woods and small town hospitality.

POWER PLANT, DAM, WISCONSIN RIVER DOWNTOWN WAUSAU

 

For more information, log on to VisitWausau

VEREENIGING

A well endowed industrial town, rich in coal, forming part of the largest industrial complex in Africa. 58 km from Johannesburg, Vereeniging is also a popular resort situated on the northern banks of the Vaal River, with three smaller rivers within its municipal boundaries. The area is of significance to palaeontologists as it is a known abode of prehistoric man. A number of stone age rock engravings may be seen at Redan on the outskirts of the town.

 

VEREENIGING, Southern Transvaal  Situated on the northern bank of the Vaal River, this town associated with the peace treaty and link up of the railway line between south and north - lives up to its motto "Per pacem ad industriam - Through Peace to Industry".

 

VAAL RIVER AND DAM A popular recreational area for the Witwatersrand. The dam is deep and wide, and free of bilharzia. The willow-lined river banks provide many picnic and camping sites. Excellent water sports, especially water-skiing and motor boating, with good fishing opportunities. Numerous recreational resorts in the area.

 

FREDERICTON

New Friends. New Values. New Adventures 

Nestled in a tree-lined valley on the banks of the Saint John River, New Brunswick's capital city traces its beginning back over 300 years. Fredericton owes its stature as a city to the presence of Christ Church Cathedral, one of Canada's most beautiful Gothic styled buildings which was completed and consecrated in 1853. Downtown bustles with summer concerts, theatre, walking tours and a colorful farmers' market. The city takes pride in having the title "Poets' Corner of Canada". It is also called the "City of Stately Elms" for the majestic elm trees that gracefully line Fredericton's streets. A walker's paradise, it is filled with historic sites and attractions that beckon visitors to recapture the past. The Fredericton area is a mecca for recreation, fishing, hunting, boating, golfing, and skiing.

 The St. John River with views of Christ Church Cathedral and the UNB-STU campuses reflected in the calm waters.

 

Visitor Information: Fredericton Tourism 

MOUNTAINS OF MOURNE

These mountains occupy just a small corner of County Down, with no more than a dozen peaks surpassing 600 m, and yet they attract thousands of visitors each year. Northern Ireland's grandest scenery  sweeps around in a great arc of granite mountains between Dundrum Bay and Carlingford Lough, a patchwork of tiny sheep-cropped fields with drystone walls lying below the peaks. As well  as being popular for rock climbing, this area can only be properly enjoyed on foot. The main recreation area is the Silent Valley with reservoirs and dams, and superb mountain panoramas. The best base for the Mourne area is the resort of Newcastle, "Where the Mountains o' Mourne sweep down to the sea". Some 35 km north of Newcastle, the Legananny Dolmen is one of the finest and most photographed ancient sites in the country.

The Mountains of Mourne, County Down, in the south east, provide fine walking country

 

COLUMBIA

Nestled in the heart of South Carolina and located at the confluence of the Broad and Saluda rivers, Columbia is the ideal mix of small-town charm, big-city sophistication and thrilling outdoor adventures. Columbia is in the centre of everything. It's the seat of state government; a hub of the arts, education and history; the home of fascinating museums, archives and libraries; the gateway to a wealth of recreation lands and waters, and from its birth a center of hospitality.

Smiling faces, beautiful places

 

Outdoor pleasure abound on nearby Lake Murray, a 50,000-acre impoundment of the Saluda River with 525 miles of shoreline and legendary populations of stripers, bass, bream and crappie. If ever a land offered "something for everyone," here it is - right in the middle of the action.

 

Discover South Carolina

ALICE SPRINGS

Capital of the Outback

Alice Springs is named after the Alice Spring permanent waterhole, near which a staging post for the overland telegraph line was built in the 1870s. Situated in the arid centre of the continent, Alice Springs has long been an icon of modern Australian history, shaped in the hearts of explorers, pioneers, pastoralists and miners. Nestled between the East and West MacDonnell Ranges, ‘Alice’ is famous for its beautiful desert landscapes, colourful outback characters, opportunities for adventure and a strong Aboriginal culture. Alice Springs is a big, bold friendly town with lots of quirks, culture, things to see and do, and an adventurous free-spirit all its own! Alice Springs is one of those places where there’s always more than meets the eye.

 

 

 

Alice Springs Town Council: Visitor Info 

INUVIK

The Western Arctic encompasses the lower Mackenzie River and its immense delta. Inuvik is located 200km North of the Arctic Circle, on the East Channel of the Mackenzie Delta. Inuvik, a new town constructed by the government since 1954, to replace Aklavik, which was constantly in danger of being washed away by spring flood.  It is a bustling town of about 3 000, centre of government, medical and transportation services for the western NWT, and certainly the tourism centre for the Western Arctic. This is truly the "land of the midnight sun" where the sun is far above the horizon for 24 hrs. a day in mid-summer.

(On the left) Our Lady of Victory - Inuvik's famous "Igloo Church"

In need of more information about Inuvik: Town of Inuvik

PETERBOROUGH

Peterborough is a rapidly-growing city based in the heart of rural east England and with a population of around 200,000, 38 miles north of Cambridge. Much of the pedestrianized city center is marred by a hideous modern shopping center, the Queensgate. This expanding town has a massive and remarkably complete Norman cathedral. The interior is powerfully simple, with a row of unadorned pillars under a superb ceiling painted with figures of saints, kings and monsters, while the glorious triple-arched Early English west front makes a successful break from the Norman cohesion. It was here that Henry VIII buried Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, after her death (by natural causes) in 1536.

 

 

Received from Thomas Goatherd