Island-Sity

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is recognized for its fantastic vacationer resorts, shiny and sunny climate as well as remarkable vacationer sights. When holidaying in Canary Islands Gran Canaria can provide you points of interest like Sioux Metropolis, plenty of amusement and water Parks for any lovely family enjoyment, for instance Aqualand, Aquasur, Parque de los Cocodrilos, vacation planet and a number of additional. Tourists and website visitors come across Gran Canaria as an attractive choice for their vacation in Canary Island for the reason that of its seashores, nightlife and all of the family members enjoyable spots. This 3rd main is accordance to its dimension has astonishing scenery and picturesque views to deliver along with pine forest, desert sand dunes, volcanic landscapes and vivid seashores.

Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest and serious island of Canary is and is surely a superb method to unwind, when on a holiday break in Canary Island. When holidaying in Canary Island you must not forget to check this trip vacation spot, which can be the highest and utmost point inside the whole Spain. Tenerife is loaded with exceptional tourist points of interest like theme parks, museums, water sports like scuba diving, other sports activities actions, evening clubs, wonderful eating places, cafes and hotels serving wonderful delicacies and sightseeing parts like botanical and aqua gardens. All these make Tenerife a memorable vacation spot for that appropriate Canary vacation.

Fuerteventura

From volcanic web sites and mountains to sandy dunes, this canary island is good deal calmer and peaceful and has some fairly vacationer attractions, for those holidaying in Canary Islands. A number of these are Bentancuria, Oasis Park, El Museo de La Alcogida, La Lajita Zoo, Islote de Lobos Nature Reserve and etc. These and several this kind of other striking tourist points of interest makes this is a marvelous stop when holidaying in Canary Islands.

La Palmas

La Palmas is one with the most quiet, peaceful and unspoiled Canary Islands Holidays with lots and a number of water, cultural richness and superb cuisine to deliver for those on a getaway in Canary Islands. This canary is not popular as a getaway destination, but can still be visited for that natural and untouched beauty, for experiencing the farming skills and banana production on this island. Cash city of La Palmas is Santa Cruz de La Palmas.

Lanzarote

Lanzarote is another major Canary Islands with whole lot to present, to get a spectacular holiday in Canary Island or a memorable Canary holiday. The south of Lanzarote is surrounded with superlative volcanic view; a result of eruptions that goes back to 18th century. Lanzarote is a package of volcanoes, very good resorts, museums filled with stunning artifacts, lively nightlife, thrilling h2o actions, breathtaking caves and natural sights. Some mind-blowing tourist points of interest that make this canary is a wonderful getaway vacation spot include Wine museum El Grifo, Jameos Del Agua, The Cactus Garden, Timanfaya and Costa Teguise.

La Gomera

La Gomera is recognized for Tranquility, dense greenery, picturesque beauty, stunning seashores and its freshness. The island also has national park. San Sebastian, El Cedro Forest, Garajonay national park, Vallehermeso and Valle Gran Rey are some on the places you are able to enjoy in this island.

El Hierro

El Hierro is one of the small Canary Islands and comes with steep cliffs and some not so big and truly beautiful seashore. Some in the tourist sights you are able to enjoy in El Hierro when holidaying in Canary Island includes Iglesia de la Candelaria, La Restinga, Iglesia de la Concepcion and Sanctuary of your Holy Mother.

The islands are so natural and so beautiful. And since the inhabitants try not to spoil their traditions and customs passed through generations, that it would be a pity for any tourist to choose a modern, stiff hotel. Choose a villa instead. They are all rustic, traditionally decorated, and they all deliver impeccable accommodation conditions. They might be found everywhere around the islands. Enjoy your stay!

More than 25,000 people voted in the Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Awards. VisitScotland chief executive Malcolm Roughead said: “The results of this survey are fantastic news for Scotland, especially as they are voted for by visitors. “Skye plays a prominent role in our Meet the Scots campaign, a European marketing drive that is expected to generate £85 million for the Scottish economy.

“Having such high-quality locations and businesses in Scotland is crucial to the success of our marketing of the country.

“Those campaigns in turn are vital to communities across Scotland, with just some of our key marketing campaigns generating £400m last year.”

Tourism Minister Jim Mather added: “This is extremely welcome acclaim which recognises Scotland’s standing as a world-class destination.

“I am delighted to congratulate the picturesque, evocative and timeless Isle of Skye and all those across Scottish tourism who have been highlighted as being among the best of the international travel community.

“This recognition will further boost the important contribution these resorts and businesses are making to supporting local communities and strengthening Scotland’s economy.”

Earlier this year, White decided he couldn't go on. At 80, he was battling cancer, and his energy was flagging. So he sold the island, which he figures has shrunk by 20 acres since he bought it. Last weekend, as gusty winds battered the house — already damaged by another storm a month ago — the bay finally claimed it. It collapsed into the water that washed beneath it.

"That's a bitter pill for me to swallow," he said this week from his home on Deal Island. "It's like I lost a loved one, but at the same time, I'm angry about it."

White said he spent perhaps $150,000, almost all of it his own money, on efforts to halt the erosion and shore up the house north of Crisfield. But he faults the state and federal government for not helping him more.

"They will not and are still not going to realize what erosion is doing to the Chesapeake Bay," he said.

Shoreline erosion is a fact of life on the bay. Maryland officials have estimated that this state alone loses about 260 acres of waterfront a year, depositing roughly 11 million cubic yards of sediment in the water. Sediment clouds the water, blocking out the sunlight that underwater grasses need to grow and smothering shellfish beds. Eroding shoreline also brings with it plants and other organic matter that helps feed the massive algae blooms that foul the water and rob the watery depths of fish-sustaining oxygen.

State and federal officials say they do take erosion seriously, but it's costly to control, money is limited, and the vast majority of it is coming from privately owned land.

"Unfortunately, without a major reconstruction of the island, it's a losing battle," said Dan Bierly, a planning section chief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Baltimore District office, which handles shore erosion control projects in the Maryland portion of the bay.

Holland has plenty of company. Barren, Bloodsworth, James, Poplar and Sharpe's are the names of some once-inhabited islands, their settlement dating back to the 17th century in some cases. Some islands like Hooper and Deal are still populated, but they're connected to the mainland by bridges. Only Maryland's Smith Island and Virginia's Tangier Island are standalone communities out in the bay.

"Of all the now-abandoned islands, Holland's Island may have been the most consequential in terms of the size and vibrancy of its community," said Pete Lesher, curator at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum at St. Michaels. The museum has an exhibit on the bay's disappearing islands and their culture produced by Tom Horton and David Harp.

As is the case with most of the bay's islands, Holland was named for an early owner, a 17th-century colonist named Daniel Holland, according to "The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake," by William B. Cronin. Only about a half-dozen families lived there into the 19th century, but by the 1880s, it became home to more than 360 people, with most of the men oystering, crabbing and fishing, though some also farmed.

Ira T. Todd was born there in November 1917. He figures he was one of the last to claim it as a birthplace, as families had begun moving away by then. His family relocated to Crisfield, where he now lives.

"They were washing away even then," he recalled of the island. "I remember my parents telling me [water] came up in the backyard when storms would come."

While Holland is not the first to lose its population, the demise of its last house is nonetheless jarring to those who've seen it standing lonely sentinel on the bay. Many boaters used it as a navigational aid.

Don Baugh, vice president for education for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said he was saddened by the collapse, even though he figured it was on borrowed time. He called it "the end of an era."

"Those [other] islands disappeared before our lifetimes, and we just read to know about them," said Baugh, who's been working in and around the island for more than three decades. "But this is one that happened in our lifetime."

Visiting the island this week in preparation for a weekend bay foundation kayak trip there, Baugh picked up shards of old glass and pottery, a lump of coal and brick as he walked around. He said he'd found a china doll there once.

Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands, attracts thousands of visitors from the UK each year, including the rich and famous.

Earlier this week comedian Paddy McGuinness was pictured on Menorca strolling along the beach hand-in-hand with girlfriend Christine Martin.

The island was once a British possession and preparations are under way to mark next year's 300th anniversary of the British Naval Hospital there.

Colin Guanaria, a partner in estate agents Bonnin Sanso, which is handling the sale, said: "Mediterranean islands rarely come on the market and this is a beautiful spot - unspoilt, tranquil."

Mr Guanaria said likely bidders may be "big yacht owners" as Illa d'en Colom offers safe anchorage and is a reasonably quick cruise from the south of France and Italy. His company has chartered a Cessna aircraft to give interested parties as bird-eye tour of the property. "It really has to be seen to be believed," he said.

Partly because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the reef-protected waters off that beach ideal for windsurfing and kiteboarding / kitesurfing.

Transportation :
The two main modes of transport are via motor-tricycles along the main road or by walking along the beaches. Pedicabs are also available for transport along the Beachfront Path. Other means of transportation include mountain bikes, quadbikes and motorbikes, all of which can be rented.

To explore around the island's coast, motorized bancas and sailing paraws are available for rent. These are outrigger canoes and are common sight in waters around the island. The sailing paraw is a narrow hulled boat with outriggers either side and with passengers sometimes seated on a trampoline platform between the outrigger supports. These are extremely fast off the wind, but can be unwieldy for inexperienced sailors.

Anschutz and Starwood had been seen as competing bidders for Sea Island's assets, not as partners with Oaktree and Avenue. But during the course of the auction Monday, a joint bid materialized. A break-up fee of nearly $6 million is waived.

Under terms of a pact that must be finalized, an Oaktree-Avenue partnership will now buy the assets with an Anschutz-Starwood partnership.

The partners now will be acquiring a genteel resort that catered to Southern families. The assets being purchased include the Cloister hotel, four golf courses, and a private development called Ocean Forest Golf Club. Sea Island ran into financial trouble in recent years after Bill Jones III, Sea Island chief executive, led a major expansion of the resort, including a $395 million renovation and addition in 2006 and 2007. Sea Island has been in Mr. Jones' family for 84 years.

The sale and bankruptcy forced lenders include Synovus Financial Corp., Bank of America Corp., and the Bank of Scotland unit of U.K. bank Lloyds Banking Group to relinquish some $340 million in loans.

If you’re already shaking your head about how beyond your budget a private island overnight like this must be, consider that the present-day nightly rate for French Louie is $450 and includes food, the boat ride to and from the island, and snorkeling gear. Plus, in the years since Berman’s stay, the island has added a caretaker who, among other duties, will catch and cook fish for you.

As with almost any rental experience, you have your pick of different island makes, models, sizes, and amenities, all priced accordingly. For instance, if you and eleven of your closest friends chose to stay on magician David Copperfield’s private island, Musha Cay, you’d watch upwards of $37,500 per day disappear to cover the cost of the villas, meals and alcohol, use of the gym and tennis court, as well as the services of the island’s staff. Which leads to another point: while many islands are private, you and your traveling companions’ experience may be semi-private if there are multiple dwellings for rent on the island. In addition to finding out how private your private island is, there are several other things you’ll want to ask and know before taking this plunge.While having the rental agent or owner break out all your costs, be sure to “ask what's included either as extra costs and/or services, such as meals, resort manpower services, transportation to do other day trips and availability for use of nearby off island resources,” says Howard Smiley, who rented Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas. Beyond the fee for the actual rent, also find out if there’s a “security deposit and any cleaning fees that may be associated with the booking,” says Justin Drake of TripAdvisor, through which you can research and book private island rentals. Also, “don't be afraid to negotiate the price for the rental,” Drake says, “especially if you're getting close to your potential travel date. Vacation rental owners have some liberty to wheel and deal with the rate.”

One key question to ask yourself is whether the cost of reaching the island offsets the high cost of the island rental, or is potentially more costly than the rental itself. Modestly-priced flights to the Bahamas from the U.S. might be a relative bargain compared to your island rental fee there. Then there’s Enedrik Island, which you and up to seven guests can have entirely to yourselves for as little as $499 a week. However, Enedrik is among the Marshall Islands, and unless you’re originating from nearby Australia or Hawaii, you can expect a steep and long flight: from JFK in New York it’s upwards of $3300 and about 38 hours to Marshall Islands International Airport, and then you’ll spend another hour by boat reaching the island. For a simpler commute, you might consider Eagle Island, $400 a night and a 10-minute boat ride from the Georgia coast.

Ask questions that make it seem like you rent islands all the time.

If your island doesn’t come equipped with a caretaker or staff, ask how close by the island’s owner or manager is, suggests Lara Lennon, owner of Romantic Travel Association of Belize. Likewise, you’ll want to know the travel time to “another island or mainland in case of [an] emergency” as well as whether the island has any security, manned or unmanned. And if the weather turns nasty, Lennon advises asking whether the island has any back-up water or power. Along those lines, find out how often it rains, Drake says, so you can pack and prepare accordingly.

As you would if you were renting any accommodation, find out the specific bedding arrangements and, if you’re traveling with kids, whether there are cribs as well as appropriate games or activities available, says Martha Morano, who represents private island Little Whale Cay in the Bahamas. Also ask if the rooms have phones, if your cell phone will work on the island, and whether or not there’s Wi-Fi. Don’t assume rooms are air conditioned, says Alastair Abrehart, who represents Eustatia Island and adds that since “much tropical island living is open air,” you’ll want to ask yourself how the members of your party will “handle lizards scurrying about. They're harmless and do a great service by eating bugs, but herpetophobics and others may not enjoy that.”

If you’re going for a slightly higher-rent rental, Morano suggests that “the food list is very important, so if your traveling companions have special dietary needs like “peanut butter cups or beef jerky [or] certain kinds of chocolate,” request them. “We had one case where the guest had to have agave syrup instead of sugar,” Morano says. “Many clients are upset they do not have their favorite munchie [or liquor] and it will cost plenty to bring it in.”

Know if you’re private island material.

Whether you’re going for a rugged or luxe private island experience, take a moment to consider the company you’re keeping. If you’re with the right person, or, if you channel your inner “Castaway” and go solo, “it’s impossible to explain true solitude to someone who is from a city, and what downshifting to island time can do for your soul,” Lennon suggests. On the other hand, she says, “you need to be comfortable with your travel companions, or private islands can get small quick.”

If the island is big enough, of course, it may not matter if you grow tired of your entourage. Take venture capitalist Tim Draper, who for his 50th birthday last year headed to Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania to stay on privateLupita Island with 20 of his closest friends. The 13 dwellings each included “a rock shower and stone bathtub as well as private plunge pools,” he recalls, and there was a helicopter available to provide guests with a “safari from above,” though by far the coolest experience “was jumping out of the helicopter into the lake, which actually has fresh water that's safe enough to drink.”

If you travel with pets, consider that Stephanie Olsen and her husband once rented an island “about 90 minutes outside of Ottawa, Canada. We drove there, stayed for a month that summer and the reason it so suited us was that we had six indoor only cats at the time who came with -- they had a blast going outside in complete safety.” And in a nod to the importance of loving the one you’re with, Olsen recalls her husband lecturing her “solemnly about how to operate the motorboat and avoid the stones that lay just below the surface in some areas of the lake. Of course, mid-sermon, he ran us aground.”

For those focused on luxury island rentals, Morano suggests that the ideal renters “are well travelled, very independent, know exactly what they want and absolutely love privacy. It will be someone who can relax and create activities for themselves and not rely on a social director -- unless they rent one.”

About 100 people packed in to Mackinac Island's city hall last night to hear more about the future of the island's ferry service, and many were critical of how the mayor and the city council are handling the controversy.

One man from Harbor springs, Bob Rossman, said it was like getting bids to build your house without telling the builders what kind of home you want. The audience cheered and applauded.

Some residents were clearly stunned, and you could see them taking sides. Several came up to members of the Shepler family and gave them the thumbs up or said "hang in there."

Others gathered around officials with the Arnold and star lines to congratulate them.

Stephen Moskwa, who owns Yankee Rebel Restaurant and Horn's Bar on the island, says the city has to act to make the island more accessible for tourists and residents:

"In the late 90's, 2000, there were 900,000 people visiting Mackinac Island. Currently, it's about 600,000. So it's affected all of us in day traffic mostly and also in overnight guests. Economic conditions are challenging," he says.

On October 20th, each ferry boat line will be given 20 minutes to make a presentation to the city and explain their proposals in detail.

When Chris Shepler saw the official merger proposal for the first time, which would effectively end the operation of his family's ferry service, he said: "I thought this was America."

The visit was part of an ongoing effort by Plum Island brass to end the suspicion surrounding the island made famous in a 1997 Nelson DeMille best-selling book of the same name, and its mention as a possible home for Hannibal Lecter in the film "Silence of the Lambs.

"There has been, in the past, more secrecy about the facility," said lab director Dr. Larry Barrett, who noted more than a dozen community groups have visited this year. "This facility is not a threat to the nation, it's not a threat to anyone. The job here is to protect our nation against attacks on our livestock."

Agriculture Department scientists perform the lab studies, but the Department of Homeland Security has overseen the island and its security since 2003.

Because the island is a potential target for those who might want to steal dangerous pathogens or wreak havoc, visitors must undergo FBI background checks and all bags are inspected before anyone is permitted onto a ferry for the 1.5-mile trip. Armed guards check visitors leaving the island to ensure no food or other material is carried back to the populated areas.

Environmentalists peppered Plum Island officials with questions about sewage treatment, groundwater testing, whether surveys have been conducted on the impact a sale might have on wildlife and concerns about possible contamination. The officials were short on specific answers but promised a follow-up meeting.

"I was a little surprised by the lack of detailed environmental information so that was a little disappointing, said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "So we still have the same concerns. The same concerns about groundwater, soil, wetland contamination. We need to make sure that public health is protected as well as the natural assets."

Most of the environmentalists said they would support a research and development facility to replace the laboratory but were adamant that most of the island should remain in its natural state.

"It would be a terrible insult to the millions of people who live within an hour's drive of the (Long Island) Sound for this to be developed as a playground for the few, as opposed to making it a managed and loved place for the many," said Curt Johnson, program director of a group called Save the Sound.

He said the island has been identified as an exemplary site for fish and wildlife. Great Gull Island and Little Gull Island, both nearby, combined with Plum Island have a large population of nesting roseate terns, an endangered species, he added.

"This is an incredible snapshot of what Long Island Sound looked like hundreds of years ago," Sandy Breslin, director of governmental affairs for Audubon Connecticut, said as she watched seals resting on rocks.

The General Services Administration, which is responsible for selling the island, is compiling a draft environmental impact statement, a preliminary step for any sale. Expected last month, the statement has been delayed until late November or early December to allow input from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish & Wildlife Service, GSA spokeswoman Paula Santangelo said.

Documents, some obtained this year by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Law, reveal that hundreds of tons of medical waste, contaminated soil and other refuse have been shipped off the island. Other island sites have been cleaned in compliance with federal regulations.

And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined in 2006 that no munitions or ordnance remain from the Army base. As late as 2007, New York government inspection reports said there is no environmental threat on the island.

Despite talk of selling Plum Island, officials said a new lab in Manhattan, Kan., is not scheduled to open until 2018. Still pending is a congressional risk assessment of Homeland Security's decision to move the animal disease lab there; some lawmakers question the wisdom of studying dangerous pathogens in the so-called Beef Belt. DHS has determined that an accidental release of foot-and-mouth disease would have a $4.2 billion impact on the economy, regardless of the lab's location.

Alan Schnurman, a real estate developer in the Hamptons on Long Island's east end, said he has heard estimates that Plum Island could fetch as much as $50 million.

"As a high-end real estate project, whether it's developed as a resort or for high-end individual homes, Plum Island is very appealing to a certain segment of the population," Schnurman said. "They should develop the area where the lab is located and set aside the rest for environmental purposes."

Each of the 100 mansions sits on a kilometre (half-mile) long palm frond, packed in among dozens or sometimes hundreds of others. Sharing close quarters with his neighbours doesn't bother Dukes, formerly an executive with a London-based Internet company.

"Living in London you're absolutely on top of each other. So if you're English-European coming here, you think the plot size is more than adequate," he said.our years ago there was nothing here but unbroken sea. Now there's Palm Jumeirah, a palm-shaped, man-made island and Dubai's greatest-yet construction project

Dukes paid over £500,000 for his house just over a year ago. It is now worth almost twice that. He spends his days discovering uses for the large expanse of water that starts a few meters from his back door.

"I've been kayaking ... and I'm going to do windsurfing next," he said.

The first of Dubai's many ongoing mega-projects has literally changed the shape of the United Arab Emirates, re-contouring its coast with a new island mass that has altered sea currents and marred the once unbroken sea view from Dubai's natural beach.

The entire coastal development, led by Dubai government-owned Nakheel, includes three massive palm-shaped islands along with a cluster of 300 islets built in the shape of a world map. All are built mostly of bright sand dredged up from the seabed.The largest of Dubai's ongoing reclamation projects, the Palm Deira, is still being raised from the sea floor.

Nakheel claims that the Palm Deira will be the world's largest reclaimed island, with more than one million people eventually living or working there.

But that figure is called into question by frequent alterations in the island's design over the past two years.

Another island, the Palm Jebel Ali, is 90 per cent reclaimed but building has yet to start on its homes, resorts and hotels. Only the smallest of the palm islands, Jumeirah, has begun to be populated.A few villas at the Jumeira Palm Island in Dubai. The Palm Jumeirah, a 12-square mile island group took 5 years to raise from millions of tons of Persian Gulf sand and quarried rock

Still under construction are the Palm Jumeirah's 32 hotels, monorail, water theme park, and the Trump International Hotel and residence tower.

The developments are central to Dubai's property boom. Properties on the Palm Jumeirah, the first to be opened, have skyrocketed in value after being sold and resold before even being built.

But the smaller islands of the third project - The World - haven't fared so well. Three years after their sales launch, just 45 per cent of the islets have been sold, for prices ranging between £5 million and £22.5 million, Nakheel said.

The luxurious islands are part of a government plan to attract tourists and lure foreign cash into the tax-free economy.

Dubai's government has identified tourism and real estate developments as key sectors to break the emirate's dependence on high oil prices to buttress its economy.

Other nations in the region, including Qatar and Oman, as well as the Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, are quickly borrowing from Dubai's model to develop similar, albeit less dramatic, plans.

The construction of the Palm Jumeirah has already created a national asset worth as much as £11.5 billion, said Nakheel chief executive Chris O'Donnell.

Despite its opulence and ambitions, few global celebrities have been lured to buy second homes in Dubai. British soccer stars, including David Beckham, have bought properties on the Palm Jumeirah, according to Nakheel's website.

Others are said to have taken a look. Nakheel's website claims pop star Michael Jackson, supermodel Naomi Campbell and actor Denzel Washington have shown interest.

The developers say the first 4,000 condos and homes sold on Palm Jumeirah went to citizens of the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf countries.

Britons accounted for about 25 per cent of the buyers with the rest from 75 different nationalities, including several Americans.

Buyers are a mix of speculators, long-term residents and people wanting a vacation home, developers said.

Not all the residents of the Palm Jumeirah are mega-rich. One section serves as a labor camp for the thousands of construction workers who toil in the baking sun.

They will gradually be moved out as the project nears completion in the next three to four years.

The project has not been without problems. A full year's delay was caused by settling of the island's new land. Nakheel solved the problem by adding more sand and hiring a Dutch firm to compact it with vibrating machines.

In June, a large fire broke out in a half-built apartment building, injuring three workers.

Some residents have complained about delays in getting their houses. Others complain that Nakheel is squeezing extra profits out of the island by packing in far more houses than their sales brochures showed.

A broad highway bridge links Palm Jumeirah to the mainland's road network. The monorail with four stops is due to be completed next year, according to Nakheel.

Plans call for five clubhouses, each with gyms, restaurants and shopping on the island. The main shopping center will be built at the tip of the trunk, where the Trump hotel will be located.

Nakheel puts the delays down to the massive engineering tasks they face in building an island like none before it.

"With Palm Jumeirah, which is unique in its nature, there are developments along the way, like the decision to vibro-compact the sand," O'Donnell said. "Most customers are understanding of the delays."

Aggravation has been tempered by the massive increase in house prices since the properties hit the market. Many houses have tripled in value, at least.

And as long as property values continue to rise, owners seem willing to put up with the inconveniences.

"I paid about £380,000 three years ago, it's worth about £1.25 million now," said Dr. Ossama al-Babbili, a Dubai-based pathologist. "Every day I'm getting one or two offers, but I like to live here, it's beautiful."

O'Donnell points to the price increase as a sign of the venture's success. "This is something people said couldn't be done," he said. "Well it's been done."

"They fulfil an important $2 million election commitment by the Bligh Government to create six artificial reefs to ensure recreational anglers can enjoy sustainable fishing in the bay for generations to come. "This is all about protecting Moreton Bay for future generations of Queenslanders.HOME$

"We've introduced green zones to protect the bay's unique biodiversity and created go-slow zones to protect marine life such as dugongs and turtles from boat strikes.

"Now, with the creation of these artificial reefs, we 're ensuring that Moreton Bay remains a great place to wet a line, while still protecting the unique natural values of the marine park."

Ms Jones said the two new reefs were in addition to the recently completed Harry Atkinson Reef east of St Helena Island.

"Work is also underway on the design and construction of a further three reefs in offshore waters off Bribie Island, Moreton Island and South Stradbroke Island," she said.

"These final two sites ensure a good balance across the six artificial reefs to provide a range of new fishing experiences for offshore game fishers, spear fishers and inshore anglers, from the Gold Coast to Bribie Island.

"Their sheltered location, behind the islands of southern Moreton Bay, means they will also be suitable for fishing on days when sea conditions limit access to more exposed fishing spots in offshore waters."

Ms Jones said the sites were selected in conjunction with a working group made up of loc al volunteers and organisations including the Queensland Game Fishing Association, Sunfish, Ecofishers and the Australian Underwater Federation. The Peel Island site will cover some 50 hectares, while the Coochiemudlo site will comprise 15 hectares.

"He's done everything ever asked of him and he's just a horse that wants to win and wants to race well. "He stays the trip and we'd love a bit of rain for him because he's pretty good on rain-affected tracks. "He's a serious horse."Hawk Island will be having the 12th start of his preparation in the 2400m feature at Randwick but trainer Chris Waller says the gelding is heading into the race in career-best order.

The son of Hawk Wing's lone stakes win to date came in the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) on September 3 with Schofield aboard. Waller then elected to scratch Hawk Island from the Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) to instead run him two days later in the weight-for-age Hill Stakes (1900m) in which he was no chance of receiving a weight penalty for the Metrop.

Schofield was on stablemate Triple Honour in the Hill Stakes, where Hawk Island finished fourth, but reunites with him for his first Group One assignment.

"He's been up and going for that long and just keeps stepping up to the plate," Schofield said.

"If he can do that again and win the Metrop, I don't really think anyone would begrudge him that."

Hawk Island is one of several stayers to have been bought from Europe to join the Waller team in the past couple of years.

The Rosehill trainer believes confidence and the fact Hawk Island has now been in Australia for 18 months are the main factors why he's racing so well.

"It's a big step up on Saturday and Group One racing, pressure racing, might not suit him," Waller said.

"But, hey, we've got to have a go. "The horse has never been better this preparation and obviously he's in career-best form so at least we've got that in our favour."One concern with Hawk Island is his record on good tracks, with all of his wins coming on rain-affected ground. He hasn't won in nine starts on tracks rated good but Waller said the Wyong Cup win on a dead track was encouraging.