Australian World Heritage Sites

On 25th of  May 2010, the Australia Post has issued the stamp series  features four UNESCO World Heritage sites in Australia. They are the Purnululu National Park in Western Australia, Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Mount Warning in the Gondwana Rainforests, and the Tasmanian Wilderness.

 

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia were first inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986. They include discontinuous rainforest that occurs in New South Wales and south-east Queensland, surrounded by eucalypt forest and agricultural lands. They contain an almost complete record of the major evolution of plant life on Earth.

 

 
 

The Tasmanian Wilderness is one of three temperate wilderness areas remaining in the southern hemisphere that covering approximately 20 per cent of the state. It contains rocks from almost every geological period and it is recognised as an “International Centre for Plant Diversity”.
 

 

Purnululu National Park in Western Australia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003 as an outstanding example containing the major stages in the Earth’s evolutionary history, superlative natural phenomena, and areas of exceptional natural beauty. Found in the isolated east Kimberley region, it covers almost 2,400 square kilometres.       Kakadu National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in three stages over 11 years, and is included for its natural and cultural values. Kakadu is located in the tropical north of Australia, some 130 kilometres east of Darwin, and covers 19,804 square kilometres.

BuzzNet Tags: Australia,National Park,Kakadu National park,Purnululu National Park,Tasmanian Wilderness,Gondwana Rainforest

“Nature Heritage Objects of Lithuania - THE STONE OF PUNTUKAS”

The Puntukas Stone is the second-largest, but the best known and visited boulder in Lithuania brought by glaciers from Scandinavia, which covered Lithuania during the last glacial period dating back almost 20 thousand years. 

The boulder stranded on the bank of the Šventoji River in a short distance from Anykščiai. A block of rapakivi (crumbly Finnish granite) measuring more than 7 metres in length and width, almost 6 metres in height (one and a half metres underground) weights 265 tons. It is believed that the ancient Balts performed religious rituals at Puntukas. 

In the middle of 20th century within the years 1942-1943, to commemorate in Lithuania the 10th anniversary of transatlantic flight performed by Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, the sculptor Bronius Pundzius engraved the portraits of the pilots and the quotes from their last will dedicated to the young State of Lithuania turning the stone into a unique monument of culture.

The souvenir sheet consist of one single stamp featured the Puntukas Stone with background of forest. This sheet has designed by H. Ratkevičius. and issued on August 20, 2010.

THE OAK OF STELMUŽĖ - Nature Heritage Objects of Lithuania.

The Stelmužė Oak is one of the most famous and important nature heritage objects of Lithuania. It is the thickest and oldest oak growing in Lithuania and one of the oldest oaks in Europe.The oak is growing in the Zarasai District, Imbradas Subdistrict, the former Stelmužė Manor Park. The remarkable tree reaches 23 metres of height, as much as 3,5 metres wide and spans approximately 13 metres at its widest part. It is believed to be about 1500 years old, although the exact age has not been estimated.

The Lithuania Post issued a souvenir sheet features the Stelmužė Oak on June 5, 2010. Only one stamp has issued as reminder of the importance of nature heritage objects of Lithuania.Designer of stamp is H. .Ratkevičius.Legends and stories say that in ancient time’s people, having gathered around the oak, sacrificed goats, sheaves of rye, and jugs of mead to the god Perkūnas praying for a good harvest and success in hunting.

Despite the fact that over time the oak has lost a part of its branches as a result of drying or breakage, it still looks magnificent and each spring comes into leaf and still attracts tourists. Due to proper care and maintenance, the Stelmužė Oak survived until nowadays.

BuzzNet Tags: Lithuania,Oak