The Great Ocean Road has inspired many great writers and composers. When Rudyard Kipling visited the Great Ocean Road region – the road was still to be built in 1891 – he was so moved he wrote a poem about it. However you don’t need to write anything to appreciate the beauty of the region yourself. Instead, you might like simply to get a bit closer by hiking through the Otways or taking the Otway Fly Treetop Walk.

Kipling stayed at Erskine House in Lorne, where, according to the poem he had a wonderful time in contrast to when he stayed at Lorne Lodge, an English boarding house where he and his sister Trix lived while their parents were working in India. Kipling was treated abysmally by his landlady Mrs Holloway so that memory was one of horror. Luckily, as expressed in his poem The Flowers it does seem that the Lorne in Australia with its sandy beach and clear blue waters on Louttit Bay compensated in some way for his unhappy childhood at the Lorne Lodge in England.

Nowadays, Lorne is used as the location for schoolies week because of its great beaches and laid back atmosphere. It is one of the most popular tourist spots in the region and has a number of great cafes and unique shops along the main street.

Former lead singer of the Australian band Goanna, Shane Howard, who lived for a long time in Torquay on the Surf Coast region of the Great Ocean Road sings about the road in the song Flesh And Blood and also in his song Razor’s Edge. Torquay is the surfing capital of the region and even if you don’t surf, is a great holiday spot to visit for individuals, couples, and families alike.

Another contemporary musician of international fame, Xavier Rudd draws heavily on the many influences of the surfing culture of Torquay. A committed environmentalist he is a one-man-band/multi-instrumentalist who plays guitars, Yidaki (didgeridoo), Weissenborn slide guitars, stomp box, harmonica, and percussion. Rudd has had a number of top-selling albums both in Australia and overseas where his barefooted-playing style has won him a legion of fans, many of them like Rudd himself, keen surfers and defenders of the environment. Rudd grew up near Bells Beach, emmortalised for its minor part in the surf film with Keanu Reeves, Point Break. He drew on that surfing lifestyle when he wrote the soundtrack for Matthew McConaughey’s movie Surfer Dude which starred Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson.

Bells Beach today is the where the annual Rip Curl Pro surfing competition is held. Thousands of surfers and supporters of surfers flock to the region to see who will become the winner. For aspiring surfers, local companies offer surfing lessons and tips, and sell world-renowned surf gear by local entrepreneurs Rip Curl, Billabong, and Quiksilver.

Yet another artist inspired by the region is Jeff Raglus. Jeff has won fame as both a musician and as one of the design artists behind yet another summer clothing range called Mambo. He has also held many exhibitions of his own work in galleries in the region.

Mike Brady, famed for a song now synonymous with Australian Rules Football – Up There Cazaly, wrote an album of songs to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of the Great Ocean Road. Brady was quoted as saying he wrote most of his material whilst staying in his “Great Ocean Road hideaway near Lorne” which is ironic as his first sight of Australia was as a young boy emigrating by ship from England was Cape Otway on the Great Ocean Road.

Indeed, many people have been inspired by the area. Camping sites dot the Otways so that if you are into making your own music, some natural sounds from the rainforest adds something unique to all compositions.

English playwright Sheila Dewey wrote about Eva Carmichael and her cabin boy Tom Pearce and the ordeal they survived when their ship, the Loch Ard, sank in treacherous seas along the Great Ocean Road. They were the only two survivors. The play ran successfully in London theatres before it was recently transformed into a movie script and is currently attracting the interest of Hollywood producers.

The romantic story is set around the Twelve Apostles and recently when one of the bridges fell down, the two remaining stacks were named Tom and Eva after the two survivors. Take your camera for a fantastic picture of rugged waves, sheer cliffs, and gorgeous surrounds. You can virtually feel the romance here, especially at sunset.

It is easy to see how poets, playwrights, and pop stars can be taken in by the unparalleled beauty, charm, romance and sheer magnificence of the Great Ocean Road as it is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular regions in the world.

So, if you ever get the chance to go to Australia, make sure the Great Ocean Road is on your list of places to visit!

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For more Great Ocean Road articles about what this spectacular region of Australia has to offer, visit the official site of the Geelong Otway Region of the Great Ocean Road at http://www.visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.

Getting a passport may seem like a tedious process. However, it’s easier than you think and will require only the most basic documents and easy-to-do steps.

The first document you must have is a passport application; nowadays, you can simply download this online. But you will need to go to the passport office personally for your application form if you are applying for a passport for the first time. This also applies if your valid passport got lost or stolen, if your last passport was issued 15 years ago, or if your last passport was issued when you were under sixteen years old. If you are under sixteen, you will need your parents to sign the application. Next, you must secure your pictures. Not just any picture but it has to be specifically for a passport. Many photography shops cater this kind of service. You may even go to your nearby drugstore to have your passport picture taken. After you have filled out the proper forms, you need to submit you application with the required documents and your picture to the passport office via mail.

However, it is advisable that you apply for a passport in person. If you are applying personally, make sure that you submit all additional forms or documentation required. You must also provide your Social Security Number. Do not sign the application form until you are instructed by the authorized officer to do so. In applying for a passport, you would also need to submit evidence of your citizenship. The following constitute as valid evidence of you citizenship: your certified birth certificate, certificate of citizenship, certificate of naturalization, previously issued passport, or a consular report of birth abroad. If your primary evidence of citizenship does not qualify, you could inquire with the proper officer and ask if you can submit any kind of secondary evidence of citizenship.

Next, you will need to show documents of identification. These include the following: you previous passport, naturalization certificate, valid driver’s license, current government I.D., or current military I.D. If you are presenting out-of-state identification, you may be required to submit additional legal forms of identification for security purposes. When you have properly shown your identification documents, you need to submit photocopies of the same. The photocopies have to be on plain white, 8.5 x 11″ standard paper. It must show the front and back of the document of identification on one side of the standard paper. If you presented secondary identification documents, you must also submit photocopies of the same. When you have complied with the abovementioned requisites, you will then need to pay the applicable filing fee and submit your passport photos. Make sure that your passport pictures comply with the quality requirements before submitting them.

Remember, in applying for a passport, it’s always best to do so earlier. It takes awhile to get passport approved so better apply for one at least six months in advance.

James is an expert in writing about legal forms and documents that may help you when your in the search of the right legal document. He writes many articles about forms ranging from, power of attorney forms, landlord tenant forms, and most any legal form that you are searching for.

There are a million ways to spend a day; from sitting in front of a television to deep sea diving. There are a thousand different ways to hold an event; from renting a convention center, to closing off a street and throwing a party. There are Dallas event facilities, Dallas ranches, and Dallas churches that all provide space and ability to host events. There is little excuse for not creating a great event to share with friends, the public, co-workers or specialty organizations. You can make arrangements to have a themed event such as western or a Mardi Gras celebration. Coming up with a fun event that fits the mood and budget is half the creative pleasure. There are a great number of events throughout the world that are quirky and fun.

Some current unusual events include the great tomato wars staged every year in Colorado. Colorado residents love to be annoyed by visitors from Texas. In a long and generally friendly feud the two states have created an event that helps mitigate the tension created by visiting Texans. Every year there is an intense and sporty war with rotten and overripe tomatoes.

The sides line up in a field and go at it. Colorado also has an event where people have to create vehicles that can manage on land and water. These vehicles are often more whimsical then practical. In California there is the Rose bowl parade and the Doo Da parade, and comic riff on the seriousness associated with the more formal Rose bowl parade. This parade hosts such great marching teams as the lawn chair drill team, and the Briefcase Marching brigade. It is amazing what can be done with lawn chairs and briefcases.

Burning Man in the Nevada desert is one of the great counter culture events of the year. It is such a popular counter culture event that it is becoming a mainstream counter culture event. People arrive in the desert and become tribal in nature, dancing, singing, doing arts and crafts, all culminating in the burning of a giant effigy. Some towns have events like the Garlic Festival, The Cauliflower Festival, The Eggplant Carnival, The Root Vegetable Hootenanny, or the smelt harvest. There are no rules for what can make an event.

Successful events capture a spirit, either of a season, a holiday, an era, or a social need. Tapping into social trends can create great one time events; like Woodstock in the sixties, the inauguration of the first black president, or the bringing down of the Berlin Wall. These were all events that caught the imagination of higher ideas and simmering tensions waiting to be expressed. Creating a significant social event is difficult as it tends to have a life of its own and coalesces around current issues. Some of the lasting recurring events are often playful expressions like bed races, zombie parades, and ski rodeos.

Putting on a successful event starts with an idea that captures the imagination, offers an opportunity to laugh, play, dance or find some form of expression.

Connor Sullivan recently researched Dallas event facilities for his company’s retreat this summer. He reserved Dallas ranches for his company’s conference this summer.

For all those who travel quite often to different parts of the world, airports are busy places, filled with rush, where everyone is in a hurry so that they do not miss their flight. But sometimes, situations arise when the very same airport environment becomes dull and stagnant, as it puts you in a condition where you have to sit and wait. These situations may arise due to a delay in a flight or a long airport-restricted interval in an indirect flight.

Such situations become really annoying, especially for those who are not in a habit of waiting and sitting quietly at a place. But, there are various activities which can help one kill this long and boring period and make you feel as if hours are passed like minutes.

The first activity that comes to mind, when sitting idle on an airport and waiting for your flight announcement is watching people. This game can be played in a lot of ways, and the limits depend on how much you think and imagine creatively and outside the box. For example, among the people sitting near you, you can examine some of them and make a list of top five well-dressed people, or worst dressed, if you are in a humorous mood.

You can also create imaginative stories in your mind, correlating various people around you as characters of your imaginative movie. These activities may sound a little lame in the beginning, but actually, they exercise your mind and refresh its creative side.

A little more practical thing to do is to window-shop around the airport. Most of the airports around the world have shops of some of the biggest brands of the world, in clothing and other items. Although, the items in these stores are a lot more expensive than their city counterpart shops, window-shopping was invented for situations like these.

If you are at an airport, it is really easy to find a map. Grab a copy of the local map, or even the world map, and start improving your geographical knowledge. Try finding places that you have never heard of before, and spot the places with funniest names that you can imagine.

Several airports are constructed in such a way that they provide exquisite and beautiful view from their huge windows. Try as much views as you can, as this may be your last trip through this airport. Take photographs to preserve these sceneries with you forever.

Newspapers and magazine stands are always filled at an airport. If you find no other activity, read out all the magazines, which will not only help you pass this waiting period easily. but will also increase your knowledge.

Another healthy activity that you can perform in order to pass the waiting time on the airport is through socializing with people. Since it is an airport, you will find people from around the world. Talking to them will not only improve your confidence level but would also broaden your knowledge domain about various subjects. All the above mentioned activities will surely help you pass your time on an airport in a fun and joyous manner.

Louis Jones is a travel expert. If you are looking for the luxury holidays packages and want to get huge discounts on hotel bookings.

Niagara’s Winter Festival of Lights has run every year since 1950 and the two waterfalls at Niagara have been lit in rainbow colours during the winter season most years since 1925, after the creation of the ‘Niagara Falls Illumination Board’. Nowadays, the lights run from November to February with fireworks before, and during, the Christmas and New Year weekends adding to the spectacle.

Light displays used to focus exclusively on the falls. The first occurred in 1860 using Bengal lights (a kind of firework), for a visit by the Prince of Wales. Electricity was used for the first time in 1879, to welcome the Governor-General of Canada, the Marquis of Lorne and his wife, Princess Louise, but the modern festival of lights began in 1983, when Niagara Falls, the local tourism bureau, and local businesses got together to establish it. The lights have steadily spread out from the falls, through the Queen Victoria Park and the Niagara Parkway, and into the city. Where there were once 250,000 visitors, there are now one million.

The weather plays an important part in the falls display. In years when the temperature sits around zero, the falls have more water than ice, which means the American falls, which have much less spray (and face the lights directly) reflect the colors better than the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls.

After a succession of really cold winter days, however, the Canadian, or Horseshoe, Falls are almost frozen over and the light show on the ice is spectacular. In case you’re wondering, the Canadian Falls are the ones most people speak of when they talk about Niagara Falls. They’re the bigger, more impressive of the two. When the winter isn’t quite cold enough, the plume of spray that keeps us all cool in summer blurs the impact of the light show.

On the Canadian side, the place to visit is the Duffin’s Island Park section of the Festival. The bad news is it is a single lane going one way and hence nose-to-tail traffic. The really good news is you’ve time to get out and take photos or just sit and admire the view. Coloured lights reflecting from the snow make great pictures, if you’ve a steady hand or a tripod.

The Queen Victoria Park gardens also shine brightly with displays along the sides of the Niagara Parkway (handy for slow drive-by viewing on cold winter evenings) and also among the trees and bushes designed for leisurely walks on the trails. Wrap up warmly and join the throng, you’ll be glad you did.

While there are many displays that remain the same, there’s always something being added. For 2009-2010, there’s a new ice-rink right on the edge of the Canadian Falls called, appropriately, ‘Rink at the Brink’. Visit the festival’s web site Festival-of-Lights for all the details for this year’s winter season.

Visit my website at http://www.ontario-vacation-destinations.com and my ‘festival of lights’ page to see some of the 2008-9 season displays.

Regards, Paul C James