Phila Airport Parking Vacations

Aldabra Atoll is part of the Aldabra Group, one of the archipelagos of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles. The second largest atoll in the world after Kiritimati, Aldabra is the coraline tip of a volcanic seamount, coming up from depths of 4,000 to 4,500m (13,120 to 14,760 ft). At 34 km (21 mi) long, 14.5 km (9 mi) wide and just 8 in (26 ft) above sea level, the atoll consists of four coral limestone islands forming a circle around a lagoon of 224 sq km (86 sq mi).

The lagoon is tidal loses two-thirds of its waters at low tide. Aldabra was given World Heritage status in 1982 to protect its delicate ecological environment.

Because the atoll is so remote, many of its species of flora and fauna are found only here. The islets and rocky outcrops in the lagoon provide nesting areas for thousands of birds.

It has possibly the largest population of red-tailed tropic birds and the second largest colony of frigate birds in the world. Many other birds are found here also, including the Aldabra flightless rail, the only flightless bird found on any Indian Ocean island.

The Aldabran giant tortoises are, however, the atoll’s most renowned residents, being the last of the giant tortoises which were once spread across the entire region. Commercial exploitation is believed to have rendered all other giant tortoises in the area extinct by the mid-19th century, and very nearly exterminated the Aldabran population. Two species of marine turtle also nest on beaches on Aldabra: the green turtle and hawksbill turtle.

Unlike the nearby Seychelles, the atoll is inhospitable to humans as the limestone has been eroded into sharp spikes and water-filled pits. However, the mangroves support fish nurseries, and the lagoon is home to a wealth of marine life, from black-tipped reef sharks to eagle rays and parrot fish.

For almost a century, scientists have been studying the flora and fauna of the atoll, which is uninhabited other than by those working at the scientific research station.

Local aborigines referred to Queenslands south coast as kurrungula name derived from their word for endless supplies of timber, and the region was said to be a meeting place where tribes would come together (essentially on summer holidays) to fish and camp near the many creeks and estuaries between the Tweed River and Moreton Bay.Captain Cook traveled past the coast in 1770 and named Point Danger and Mount Warning but it wasnt until government surveyors chartered the region in 1840 that the area was really brought to the attention of the European settlers, who werent really interested in surf beaches but were keen to chop down as much wood as they could drag up to Brisbane to use in the Moreton Bay shipping industry.

Timber cutters began coming to this region in large numbers in the mid 1800′s. The town of Merang was home base for this industry. Surrounding valleys and plains were quickly developed as sugar, cotton and cattle farms and by 1869 the settlers had reached as far as the mouth of the Nerang River to the South of Moreton Bay.

The Governor of Queensland, Musgrave, built his vacation home on a hill just north of Southport. At this time the coastal surroundings began to gain a reputation of being a resort town for the rich and famous. After the finish of the railway in 1889, numerous hotels and guest houses were built up and down the area’s coastline.

The population of permanenet residents was slowly increasing yearly until the road between Brisbane and Southport was built in 1925. It was also in 1925 that the original Surfers Paradise hotel was built. This glorious hotel burned in 1936, but it was quickly rebuilt on an even grander scale and even included a zoo in the back.

Developers began to recognize this area and refer to it as the Gold Coast by the 1940′s. It was not officially named that until 1958. The development of high rise buildings began in the 1950′s and continued into the 1980′s, however the skyline began to really soar after the Japanese investment in the 1980′s. This area is home to over 500,000, making it Australia’s sixth largest city. It is also home to one of the tallest residential buildings in all the world.