Australia from Above by MetroMap

AUSTRALIA

FROM ABOVE

AUSTRALIA FROM ABOVE

Australia is the perfect place for those who love to enjoy life but at the same time, want to live in an efficient and cutting-edge country. Towns and cities are often surrounded by the impressive beauty of Australian nature: beautiful beaches, an ocean within reach and boundless spaces and landscapes that look like they’re from another world!

Australians are considered some of the happiest people on the planet, making our lifestyle one of the most known and envied in terms of carefree living and perfect balance between work, family, and leisure. Whether you’re at a barbecue in the sun or out for a surf in the ocean, Australian culture will surely entertain you and leave you with a smile. There is only one huge side effect. Australia and its lifestyle can be addictive!

There is no better way to explore Australia than soaring high above the clouds. With endless rolling wine regions and flat plains, sky-high views of picturesque towns, farms, and tropical tablelands or the red sand of the great old outback - the country’s views are spectacular and unique in many ways.

Turn these pages as we hope to take you through a spectacular journey across Australia from the sky.

“CAREFREE” - THE AUSTRALIAN WAY OF LIFE As you move across Australian cities, you shall find people living in a variety of homes ranging from stand-alone houses to townhouses, units, and apartments.

Based on personal preferences & circumstances people may choose to live closer to a beach, along a canal, or amidst the hills. But it does not end there. As you move further away from large cities, you come across much larger land parcels with people living on farmland and in the outback. The myriad of options allows Aussies to choose what suits their family lifestyle and pick their perfect home.

Canal-facing homes is the preference of some Aussies offering a lifestyle which combines waterfront living among some of the most pristine and abundant coastal areas of Australia, along with private access to the canal and their own jetty. For those who love fishing and boating and practice it often, this sort of living is a dream-come-true. If not, you can always choose to holiday at a canalfacing property for a short period and enjoy the experience.

Canal Living Paradise Point, Queensland

Remote Living Innamincka, South Australia Even though 85 percent Aussies live within 50 kilometers of the coast, the interior’s wide-open spaces beckon loudly. No matter the terrain, you are always in someone’s backyard, always amongst the many Indigenous nations that have called Australia home for over 50,000 years. Traveling through the Australian Outback provides an experience full of freedom with continuous wide, open spaces, and where, unless you are on a major highway, you can travel for hours without meeting another car.

Retirement Living Cranborne East, Victoria

Retirement living is common in Australia with many preferring the benefits of a structured community that provides safe homes for ageing, reduced costs of living and neighbours that provide companionship. Increasingly, retirement living options include more diversity of choice, where the ‘seniors housing’ comes with optional care and support services to help people stay living independently. There are different formats of retirement living but each is specifically designed for older people who wish to, or need to, downsize from their family home.

City Living Adelaide, CBD For many, the hustle & bustle of the city and proximity to the central business districts (CBD) is their preferred choice.

Living in the heart of Australia’s larger cities provides convenience to some such as those working in the CBD or students studying in the centrally located universities. Also, the hub for celebrations, festivals and events, the CBDs and their fringe can prove to be a great place to live.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE COASTLINE It is no secret that Australia is known for some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. As a country, we surely know how to make the most of what nature has given us. It probably explains a large part of the Aussie way of living, with an unrivalled outdoor lifestyle – summer barbeques, amazing swimwear, and alfresco dining. On the weekends and during holidays, the beach is the go-to spot for partying, Aussie style.

Tourists and locals, alike, are frequently seen across the nation’s beaches dipping their toes in the turquoise waters.

Despite this, some of the most beautiful beaches are so expansive or remote that you do not have to fight for towel space.

Some Aussie beaches are playgrounds for marine and other wildlife and offer a bonus to the sunbathing experience – eucalypts, koalas, kookaburras and other fauna and flora. Beaches in Northern and Western Australia often feature their own fauna – think saltwater crocs and jellyfish. On the other hand, many of Australia’s beaches are great for both professional surfers and beginners.

With more than 25,000 km of coastline spanning the South Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, the island nation has more than enough room for stunning coastal landscapes. Ocean baths are an important feature of the Australian coastline particularly in New South Wales, which has over 100 such pools.

Newcastle Ocean Baths was opened in 1922 and is open year round for the community to enjoy. With its distinctive and architecturally significant Art Deco pavilion, it is one of the city’s most outstanding historic landmarks and is a popular informal open-air studio for amateur photographers.

Newcastle Bath Newcastle, New South Wales

Jewel Towers Gold Coast, Queensland Beaches are a great Australian pastime - whether it is a game of cricket, an earlymorning surf or a lie in the sunshine, beach culture truly summarizes the ‘no worries’ approach that defines so much of Australia. The beach is a place that exudes calm and relaxation, and with so much coastline to go around, it is not hard to find a quiet space of sand all to yourself. When it comes to soft sand, bush backdrops or isolated hideaways, Australian beaches come up trumps.

Jetties across Australia offer protection to the shoreline of the ocean by creating a barrier against erosion caused by currents and waves. Jetties do not allow water to flow freely; therefore, this will prevent the sand carried with the flow from going past the structure.

Sand accumulates behind the jetty and this helps in reversing erosion. Hence, there is more sand behind the jetty for the beach. The design of jetties also prevents sand from getting into a ship channel. Jetties also connect land with deep waters away from the shore. This is important for docking ships and when cargo is being unloaded.

Whyalla Jetty Whyalla, South Australia

POWERING TRAVEL & FREIGHT Australia has the world’s ninth-biggest road network, measuring over 820,000 km in length with close to 45% being paved while the remaining are unpaved roads. This network comprises expressways, national highways, and local roads.

The nation’s vast highway network passes through all Australian states with Highway 1 being the world’s longest national highway stretching a total length of around 14,500 km. Other major highways include the Hume Highway, Pacific Highway, Princes Highway, and the Eyre Highway each connecting different state capital cities.

Good urban connectivity creates cities that are sustainable and accessible–economically, socially, and environmentally. As city road congestion increases, Australia is continuously looking for long term sustainable options to our city transport.

Australian urban road infrastructure has been developed at relatively low cost and is operated and maintained at relatively high standards, hence it is held in high regard globally. We have produced urban roads which have enhanced rather than destroyed the areas through which they pass. We not only have great measures of road condition and performance, but also good tools for the planning, assessment, design, and maintenance of roads.

Parliament House Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Sellicks Hill Sellicks Hill, South Australia Going on a road trip across Australia is a great experience for both visitors and residents. From sprawling outback adventures to spectacular coastal routes and amazing landscapes, there’s no better place to travel on wheels than Australia. The country is blessed with beautiful drives to locations, both inland and along the coast. Whether it’s the Great Ocean Road and the Great Barrier Reef Drive or the Nullarbor Plain and Kimberley, Australia offers some of the most scenic as well as remote highways in the world. Select a type of road trip, place and time that suits you and start your journey. In a land dominated by beautiful landscapes, it would be remiss to always take the quickest route from A to B.

Inner City Bypass

Brisbane, Queensland Originally, rail tracks and carriages were imported from England and Ireland, but by the 1880s all tracks, carriages, and steam locomotives were manufactured locally. Steam engines powered Australian trains up until the 1950s, when they were gradually replaced by diesel locomotives. Steam engines were completely withdrawn in the 1970s, except for tourist tracks that are still operated in many parts of the country.

Today, electric trains are most used in state capital cities and surrounding areas. Suburban electric trains operate in these cities offering a bonus to the buses and road network.

FROM FARMLANDS TO THE VAST OUTBACK A few months after the First Fleet’s arrival in Australia, the colony boasted 7 horses, 7 cattle, 29 sheep, 74 pigs, 5 rabbits, 18 turkeys, 29 geese, 35 ducks, and 209 fowls. Since then, Australian farming has come a long way, and become a vital contributor to the economy.

On behalf of Australians, farmers care for 51% of our nation’s landmass. More than 99% of Australian agricultural businesses are wholly Australian owned.

Employing over 370,000 people, Aussie farmlands generate enough produce for 80 million people, allowing them to provide 93% of the domestic food supply while also exporting about $41 billion of commodities (or 13% of our total exports) each year The Aussie outback is so vast that it needs teams of flying doctors to service its settlements and boasts the world’s two longest fences. A staircase to the moon, rock art that comes alive with the help of an Aboriginal ranger, luxury accommodation buried deep underground, and made-by-nature swimming pools are just some of the unbelievable experiences that you will find only in outback Australia.

Seppeltsfield Wines Seppeltsfield, South Australia Australian wines are world-renowned, with close to 60 designated wine areas across the country. The nation’s vineyards bring together charming landscapes, exquisite food and world class wine. Whether you’re fond of wine tasting or passionate about the entire wine making process, there’s a cellar door in Australia to suit your needs.

Vine cuttings from the Cape of Good Hope were brought to Australia on the First Fleet. Early winemakers faced many difficulties, particularly due to the unfamiliar Australian climate. Today, the wine industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through production, employment, export and tourism.

A voyage into the Australian outback is one you will never forget. Many say the outback is “just a whole lot of nothing”. Others claim it is in “the middle of nowhere”. Depending on who you ask you shall gain varying views, but most shall be a bit exaggerated.

Understanding the outback and its place in the collective Australian experience is a task as vast as the landscape itself. To bring these vast landscapes to life, you must engage with those who know its stories; those who are its stories.

Gagudju Crocodile Jabiru, Northern Territory

Farm Life Mildura, Victoria Today, Australian farmers face a range of challenges, such as climate change, variations in rainfall, the need to invest in infrastructure and technology, declining commodity prices, and a critical shortage of skilled labour. Australian farmers invest close to $3.3 billion a year in research & development.

CONNECTING PEOPLE WITHIN AUSTRALIA AND BEYOND Australians are a well-travelled bunch.

Holidays, business travel, big life adventures; there are all sorts of reasons we hop on planes and travel through airports. Being an island, airports form the primary entry & exit points for Aussies looking to connect with the rest of the world. Additionally, due to its own sheer size, air travel becomes the most convenient means for domestic trips across distant locations.

Australia has one of the most privatised airport system in the world. Our biggest airports, while leased to and operated by the private sector, remain owned by the Commonwealth Government.

The overwhelming majority of all other airports are owned and operated by the local government authority for the community they serve. Of the airports that are not government-owned, most are owned & operated for the purposes of resource extraction.

In recent times, the major airports across Australia have invested in a series of terminal upgrades that have helped to open new revenue streams, mostly in the retail space. New runways and terminals that will provide long-term capacity are either commencing or heading towards their final investment decision points.

Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is the second busiest hub of the country, a close contender to the Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport. Together these airports form the primary gateway into Australia and cater to approximately 50% of the country’s passenger traffic.

Tullamarine Airport Melbourne, Victoria

Brisbane Airport Brisbane, Queensland 2020 was probably among the most difficult times for airports across the world and the travel industry was impacted beyond imagination. This image of an otherwise busy Brisbane runway, being used as a parking bay for multiple grounded aircrafts, is just one example that showcases what airports in Australia looked like during the pandemic’s peak. Many sites such as Alice Springs in Northern Territory were prime sites for parking unused airlines during the period.

Broken Hill Airport Broken Hill, New South Wales There are over 2,000 landing sites for aircraft in Australia. While there are over 400 civilian airports, most of which are regional, a majority of these are very small and private sites not generally available for public use. Regional Aviation has a long history and is celebrated in country towns in memorials and museums. The challenges faced by regional airports is extensive – across areas such as staff retention, infrastructure upgrades, connectivity, profitability, security, environmental taxes, etc.

A NATION DRIVEN BY SPORTS Australia is very rightfully considered to be a sports crazy nation. Our love for overall sports is unbeaten globally and is reflected through the number of people that play sport, attend sporting events and view sport on television. Australia also leads the world in sports science and in the technical development of television sporting coverage.

For a nation with a relatively small population, Australia performs extremely well at an international level and this success has enabled the creation of a distinct national identity. Australia’s national colours reflect the green and gold of the country’s floral emblem, the golden wattle. Additionally, there are other symbols that represent Aussie sporting culture such as the boxing kangaroo and test cricket’s baggy green.

Among the most popular national sports is Footy (Aussie Rules Football), Cricket, and Rugby. There is however a much longer list of sports that Aussies enjoy and excel at including the likes of Soccer, Tennis, Netball, Golf, etc. in addition to other sporting events such as horse racing and formula racing. Australians also love water sports, and the nation has been a superpower when it comes to swimming since the late 1950’s.

MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND Melbourne, Victoria The attractiveness of sport in Australia can partly be attributed to its climate that encourages people to get outdoors and be active. Sport also promotes national values such as ‘mate-ship’, ‘having a go’ and ‘egalitarianism’.

Australia has invested in state-of-the-art infrastructure for its sporting venues – a great benefit for the players and public that use them. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is regarded as Australia’s premier sporting venue. It has hosted many of the nation’s greatest cricket and Australian Rules Football matches, and many other significant sporting contests. For the sake of history, pure drama, and emotion, it is hard to look past this national sporting venue.

Australia has hosted the Olympics twice (1956, 2000) and sent athletes to all editions of the modern Olympic Games.

Since 1952, Australia has always finished in the top 10, barring four occasions.

The Sydney Olympic Park features a large sports and entertainment area, originally redeveloped for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The stadiums, arenas and venues continue to be used for sporting and cultural events, including the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Rugby Union, Sydney Festival, just to name a few of the 5,000 events happening across the venues precinct every year.

Olympic Park Sydney, New South Wales

RAC Arena Perth, Western Australia Perth Arena is a neo-futuristic entertainment and sporting arena that was officially opened in 2012. Used mostly for basketball matches, the arena also hosts netball and tennis in addition to a range of entertainment concerts and events. The venue holds close to 15,000 spectators and has a unique design.

The design is based on Christopher Monckton’s Eternity Puzzle, a puzzle filling an almost regular dodecagon (polygon with 12 sides and 12 angles) with 209 irregularly-shaped smaller polygon pieces. It can withstand all wind loads, thermal movements, structural movements, and system loads imposed by the building’s diagonal transoms.

THE GATEWAY BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD Australia being an island nation relies on Ports to connect it with the world.

It is critical to international trade due to its geographic location. The nation is also well known for its maritime security and strict adherence to conservation standards. Ports help build competitiveness for international business and reduce the cost of living for Aussies.

Our ports serve as the primary hubs for import of many essential material as well as export of a multitude of natural resources. Ports are also key to our supply chain and connectivity between major cities. Some of the major ports across Australia include those in Brisbane, Sydney, Fremantle, Melbourne, and Hedland.

Every day billions of dollars worth of goods arrive in Australia through our ports on their way to homes and businesses. Most consumer goods imports arrive in Australia on containers – these include electronics, furniture, food, and medicine. Our ports handle over 8 million of these containers in a year, a 5-fold increase in the last 2 decades.

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) was appointed to design, construct, and operate Australia’s first fully automated container terminal.

Opened in 2017, its technology sets a global benchmark for port automation.

Not only does it add an extra 33% capacity to the Port of Melbourne, but also provides faster turnaround time for imports and exports and easier berthing for larger vessels.

Victoria International Container Terminal Melbourne, Victoria

Spirit Of Tasmania Devenport, Tasmania

Cruise shipping plays an important role in Australia’s tourism. Most leading cruise lines across the globe include Australia in their offering – starting from expedition style cruises and mid-range ships, to mega ships and up-scale lines.

As Australia’s second oldest city, Hobart is the gateway to a wealth of exceptional tourism experiences across southern Tasmania, a region famous for its exciting food and wine culture, breathtaking natural scenery and iconic cultural events. Situated just a short distance from Hobart’s city-centre, the Port of Hobart offers cruise travellers a unique cruise destination.

Port Botany

Sydney, New South Wales Australia’s Ports are 24x7 – all year round operations existing at the centre of cities, towns, and their communities.

They are major employers as well as facilitators for other businesses and industries. As a result, our Ports take an active role in their local communities.

Ports also see sustainability planning as essential to business success, to ensure we have an environment that is operational over the long-term and is supported by those we operate and interact with.

All imagery in this book was sourced from MetroMap, a subscription-based mapping service from Aerometrex.

Aerometrex has been taking aerial photography of Australia for over 40 years. We’ve gotten to know this vast country very well from the millions of images and tens of thousands of square kilometres we’ve captured in that time. We use large-format cameras mounted beneath fixed-wing aircraft for all of our MetroMap imagery and process them at our Adelaide headquarters.

This book is our showcase for the beauty and diversity of Australia. We look at Australian imagery every day and are always struck by what a fantastic place it is. The book also showcases MetroMap’s capability as a host for the high-resolution imagery.

All of the imagery in this book was exported from MetroMap using the same tools that our subscribers use.

We’re proud of MetroMap’s image quality, and the toolset we’ve built to help subscribers get spatial insights. Our clients can use MetroMap with full confidence that the measuring tools, spatial data, and imagery is of the highest quality and can be relied upon to make business decisions.

Go to www.metromap.com.au to learn more about MetroMap and see the power of our high-quality aerial imagery.