Mackay... or, The Real Australia

[adroman]

G'Day,

This has not been a pleasent week for many in the SimCity 4 Devotion community... I'd like to start out by saying that the two greatest inspirations for this MD were firstly the Thames District by Joelyboy911 and Dedgren's 3RR (many of the Custom Content shown in my MD is from 3RR)... now, I'm dedicating today's mini update to the Edgren family who are grieving the loss of their father, outlined here... Also, I'm dedicating this particular LOT/BAT I made to the Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538 victims, this crash, the worst in Australian history happened off the coast of my Hometown, and I thought it'd be appropriate to pay tribute to the lost souls... recent and past...

Here it is:
Rendered model:


In use:

Guillaume (Scirius) ~ Why thank you my friend! Please, drop by anytime!

Nexis4Jersey ~ I'm sorry, what do you mean by "needs more textures"? and thanks mate!

Ethan (Ecoba) ~ Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't claim our natural beauty as my own, but I can share it with the world in my own way! You're always welcome in North Queensland! Stick around, I have more coming!

danielcote ~ Thanks you for your warm comments! I hope you continue your visits!

Now, my friends, the proper update  will be sometime this week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday... It'll have my Custom Cane Farms in it... So, check  in regularly!

[Bobbi]

It looks good.

[sumwonyuno]

Those beaches (a lot of) posts back are well crafted, and it's nice of you to do the dedications.  Though, the BAT begs the questions, is that based off the real wreckage, and is it still there?  Though, I think I know the answer to the second one.

[Tomas Neto]

Really very nice!!!

[pilotdaryl]

This is an all-new concept for a CJ... tips and wikipedia links... adds a really nice touch, and the pictures are great too!

[Nexis4Jersey]

Great Update  , it needed more roof junk and texture like rust and paint

[adroman]

I guess you have to have replies if you have an update!


Bobbi ~ You're become quite the regular! Thanks for your comments...

sumwonyuno ~ Thank you, my friend... I take a lot of care on my beaches... ah yes, my B.A.T, I do believe the wreckage is still out on the reef, though I haven't seen it myself, the local fisherman rave about it. I was talking to Joel about it when I made it, and I was under the impression it was a DC-3, but in actual fact it was a Fokker Friendship ... Quite sad really, a lot of heartbreak in that accident.

Thomas Neto ~ Thanks a million, my friend!

pilotdaryl ~ Heh, once I get an idea in my head... Thanks my Friend! yes, the pictures are unaltered originals, every one of them! PROTIP: Come back anytime you like!

Nexis4Jersey ~ Ah yes, the Supermarket, Joel and I still have a while to go with that... thanks for the comment!


Anyway, on with the Update!

I think I feel a song coming on...

... Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia.

The block is awkward - it faces west,
With long diagonals, sloping too.
And in the distance, through the heat haze,
In convoys of silence the cattle graze.
That certain texture, that certain beat,
Brings forth the night time heat.

Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think that this is Australia.

To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets,
In brick veneer on financed beds.
In a room of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell,
Brings forth the heavy days,
Brings forth the night time sweat
Out on the patio we'd sit,
And the humidity we'd breathe,
We'd watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia ...

~ Sounds of Then (This is Australia) by Ganggajang

Appropriate, no?


Entering a town, sorta like that of Mackay, but not quite the same...


A shot of the town's southern suburbs...
It's always mystified me why we choose European and American flora for our backyards when our natives are beautiful...
You also see in that picture a representation of the way older suburbs were "beautified" by planting big trees everywhere, but when the Summer Storms and Tropical Storms (aka Cyclones) these trees'll come through your roof at a great rate of knots... As happened in Innisfail when Cyclone Larry passed through... Great tragedy, luckily, only one life was lost...


Ah, my favourite, 1930's Factories... now, a bit of History... When the Great Depression hit Australia the Premier of our Great State, William Forgan Smith (a Mackay-ite, I might add ) embarked on perhaps the greatest Public Works wave in Queensland History, he built bridges, harbours, Universities and so on... and Factories... Now, at the outbreak of World War II Australia massively increased armed production, now, when this happened scores of factories were coverted and built for making the equipment for the Armed Forces... Anyway, that said, many of these factories are either still operating, or, more likely, in ruins... this particular town, however has kept it's factories alive.


Now, many roads through the cane fields are elevated, a) because the farms are built on Flood Plains, b) when they burn the cane (as apart of the harvesting process) the fire can interrupt traffic flow...


A headland (farming Lingo, I have no idea why tracks are called that) through the endless Cane Fields...


A tractor parked up for the while... near a Windmill...


Now, to get the Sugar from the field to the Mill the cut cane is put onto a special tramway that run throughout cane farming districts... here's one such siding... (I know, it's STR, but that's the best thing for the job...)


Now, some Cane Farmers also branch into Cattle to run on the wastelands of their properties... It hasn't rained here for MONTHS, so the grass is very brown at the moment... (Looks like someone left the gate open...)

Alright, that concludes today's update, I hope to get another mini-update in before the end of the week...

Thank-you, you've been a wonderful audience...

Suggestion, requests, criticism, and general comments are appreciated! Let yourself be heard...

[Battlecat]

Nice set of updates!  I like those dirt tracks you created for the edges of your sugar fields!  I also really like your suburban areas in the latest update.  It's all looking great! 

[Luke09]

Nice.I liked the gas station in the corner of the Highway,the cane fields,and your 1930s industry 

[djvandrake]

Those cane fields are really impressive work. 

[sumwonyuno]

Oh, I thought it would have been taken out of the water by now.  From your picture, it seems like it's completely submerged, so it probably has turned into some sort of artificial reef.

For your latest pictures, the industrial area is well done and organized (none of that filler lots everywhere).  Heh, some kids have TP'ed (toilet paper-ed) two of the tall trees.

[Bobbi]

The field looks awesome

[joelyboy911]

Great pictures, mate!

[GrindPepper]

I live in the Whitsundays! You should do an update like there. Maybe include Bowen, Airlie or Proserpine? great work

[Nanami]

Nice update!

[Earth quake]

Splendid Update, I really like your fields.

[adroman]

It's that time again!

Battlecat ~ Thank you, my friend... I'm glad you like the tracks, they took a while to get looking right. Funny you should mention my suburbs, they took me ages to perfect! Thanks for commenting...

Luke09 ~ I'm sorry, you must of made a mistake, it's called a Servo! And thank you, I think the fields and that industrial park look good too, personally... Come back soon!

djvandrake ~ Thanks! I really liked how they turned out too... Come back again soon!

sumwonyuno ~ No, it's actually in a rather tricky spot in real life, and the thing'd be impossible to raise now... the accident was decades ago; yes it's now a reef of sorts, a popular fishing spot I believe ... Ah, my industrial area... yes, I never really liked any fillers, so I just design the place  to have no gaps... Yeah, pesky kids, but TP-ing is a serious crime in a peaceful town like ours!

Bobbi ~ Thank you my friend, I appreciate your comments!

Joelyboy911 ~ Thanks mate! I think you need to lengthen your replies! ... Just kidding..

GrindPepper ~ A local, eh? Nice to see you here, mate... I was thinking of doing the Whit. Islands, maybe Hamo or Daydream (my favourites )

976 ~ Thanks, my friend!

Earth quake ~ Thank-you! yes, my fields are my pride and joy... (to an extent )... Perfect timing too... I was just about to hit "Post" when you commented...

Anyways, I've got a lot to do in real life at the moment, so I'll update either this weekend or early next week!

Havva good one...

[newsimaddict]

ha ha there's some great liners in your post. I went up to visit a friend of mine in mackay and there's so many things there that I was amazed about...different flora, smells, fields, warm weather and beaches...and the marina at mackay - that breakwall is awesome!  Being a farmer's daughter in vic, seeing the cane fields from the air flying into mackay was totally unexpected. no fences, just metres high of cane fields stretching forever with little train tracks running in between or parallel to the road & fields to the cane mills!

my friend took me up to yungala? i know i didn't spell it right (please correct me!) but it took an hr or 2 to get up there and it was just cane field after another. the view from the top of the ranges was so good - i took pics because it was so green...grins.

great work so far! brings back a lot of fun memories, keep it up!
nsa

[adroman]

@ Newsimaddict: Glad we've another visitor to Mackay on here  yes, Eungella... Trust me, you've only experienced the tip of our iceberg! it's a wonderful place to live... I was actually thinking about Modeling our harbor, with the Sugar Terminal and all... Yes, our Cane Fields are quite a site in the summer months, but in crushing season you can see forever over the plains... magical really. The Cane Tramways were one thing I wanted to do for my update, but I'll have to settle with the STR. The Mills are another thing I'd love to BAT, but I have other commitments (*sigh*)...

As I've said ...These jokes are for my sanity, not your enjoyment... I guess if you find them funny, more the merrier! 

Thanks, I really hope you return!

Havva good one.

[Tomas Neto]

Very nice rural area!!!