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Jorge Chávez International Airport

Jorge Chávez International Airport is the main international airport serving Lima, the capital of Peru. It is located in Callao, 11 km northwest of Lima Center, the nation's capital city and 17 km from the district of Miraflores. In 2023, the airport served 22,876,785 passengers. Historically, the airport was the hub for Compañía de Aviación Faucett and Aeroperú. Now it serves as a hub for many aviation companies. The airport was named after Peruvian aviator Jorge Chávez (1887–1910). It is among the busiest airports in South America.

Comparatively, it is the South American airport best connected to the rest of the American continent in terms of international flights, even surpassing others that have a greater volume of passengers. It is also one of the fastest growing airports in the region, having registered a 13% growth in passenger traffic during 2012. The recent free trade agreements signed by Peru with different Asian countries open the possibility of connecting to the airport with terminals in Asia and Oceania in the near future, that is, in late 2024 when the New Terminal begins operations, also foreseeing a greater number of connections with new cities.

In 2022 it entered the list of the 50 most important air hubs worldwide, occupying position number 47 after having been in position 58 in 2019 according to the international air statistics consultancy OAG.

On April 3, 2023, a second landing strip and a new control tower came into operation that will facilitate the growth of air movement. By the end of 2024, a new passenger terminal, currently under construction, will be inaugurated to absorb the increase in people in transit to and from South American cities.

Construction
The airport was conceived in 1960 to replace the old Limatambo International Airport, which was located in the San Isidro District, because it had been surrounded by the new residential areas in the east of the city of Lima. Without the modern facilities built later, the first international flight was carried out on June 22, 1960; and four months later, on October 29, 1960, President Manuel Prado Ugarteche inaugurated it with the name Lima International Airport. Its later name is due to the young aviation pioneer, the Peruvian aviator Jorge Chávez.

Lima's first airport was the Limatambo Airport in San Isidro. It ceased operations in 1960 due to a lack of space and capacity, and was replaced by the Lima-Callao International Airport, which was inaugurated by President Manuel Prado Ugarteche on 29 October of the same year. In June 1965, the Lima-Callao airport was renamed the "Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez" after the famous Peruvian aviator, Jorge Chávez Dartnell. In December 1965, the terminal building was officially opened by President Fernando Belaúnde after 11 months of reconstruction. The airport did not receive any renovation or change in infrastructure for 35 years.

After winning a competition to design the plans by the architects Carlos Arana, Antenor Orrego, Juan Torres, Miguel Bao and Luis Vásquez, and 11 months of reconstruction, it was officially reopened on December 30, 1965 by President Fernando Belaúnde. It was considered in its time as one of the most modern airports in Latin America due above all to the very advanced and award-winning architecture of the passenger terminal. The airport did not receive any major changes to its infrastructure for the next 35 years, except for isolated remodeling and expansions in different sectors of the terminal.

When it was in operation, Compañía de Aviación Faucett had its corporate headquarters on the airport premesis. Aerolíneas Peruanas was founded in 1956 as Peru's first flag carrier airline but would cease operations in 1971, being replaced by Aeroperú. For a long time, Aeroperú was the largest airline in Peru, and also one of the largest in South America. It would be declared bankrupt in 1999 after the Aeroperú Flight 603 accident, in which a Boeing 757 leaving the airport to Santiago de Chile, crashed in the Pacific ocean, killing all 70 people onboard. Along with Aeroperú, Faucett Perú and other large airlines would also cease operations. LATAM Peru, then known as LAN Peru, would become the largest airline in Peru, controlling most of the domestic market.

Projects and expansion
By decision of the Government of Peru, in 2001, it was awarded a concession to the company Lima Airport Partners (LAP), a German-American consortium of Fraport, with the purpose of undertaking its expansion and comprehensive remodeling. As part of the process, the Peruvian congressional commission held talks with LAP. These conversations resulted in an agreement in which LAP committed to remodeling the airport facilities.The air traffic control is managed by the Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation (CORPAC). The Peruvian government engaged Jaime Malagón, Jerome Jakubik, Paul Slocomb, and Víctor M. Marroquín of Baker and McKenzie international law firm, to oversee the changes.

In February 2005, the first phase of remodeling of the terminal was completed, which included the total renovation of the existing infrastructure, the construction of the Peru Plaza Shopping Center and the new concourse with 18 boarding gates, 7 of which have boarding bridges. In June 2007, a four-star hotel, Ramada Costa del Sol, opened at the airport, whose building is directly connected to the passenger terminal by an elevated pedestrian bridge.

In January 2009, the second phase of the terminal expansion was commenced. The terminal has 28 gates, 19 with boarding bridges. In August 2009, the LAP announced that in 2010, the airport would have a new category III instrument landing system to help with landing in foggy conditions. Arquitectonica, a Miami-based architectural office, and Lima Airport Partners planned a second terminal and expansion of the main terminal.

On October 24, 2018, the Peruvian state delivered all the land for the expansion and modernization of the Jorge Chavez airport to the airport operator "Lima Airport Partners". The estimated investment of US$1,200 million includes the construction of a new runway, a control tower and a passenger terminal in addition to the existing one. On the other hand, the state will build a new bridge and highway on the current Santa Rosa Avenue that will connect directly with the "Costa Verde" highway, benefiting a lot of tourists and entrepreneurs who are only going to visit Miraflores and the south. Works was to be completed in 4 years, by the beginning of the year 2023, and will allow the transit of 40 million passengers per year by 2030. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, work was delayed but continued in 2021. The new terminal will be completed in December 2024.

Facilities
The airport hosts the Wyndham Costa del Sol hotel which is located adjacent to the control tower and the arrivals exit. The hotel is built with noise canceling panels. The Peru Plaza Shopping Center is located near the passenger terminal in the Grand Concourse area. The food court is located near the entrance of the passenger terminal on the second floor and is always open. There is also an ice cream vendor selling some special Peruvian flavours such as Chirimoya and Lucuma.

The airport has numerous premium lounges in the departures terminal, such as VIP Peru. For passengers in first class, there is an exclusive salon near the gates, the VIP Club. For tourist information, Iperú modules are available, located at national and international arrivals and national and international departures. There, free information material is distributed as well as information about the main tourist destinations in Peru.

On 12 May 2009, the airport opened Lima Cargo City, a hub for cargo airlines.

Transport
Transportation between the airport and the city is provided by taxis, tour buses and vans. Airport Express Lima is the official bus of Jorge Chávez Airport. Line 2 and Line 4 of the Lima Metro are currently under construction. Some companies of taxis and buses offer services to visit the city, some of them transit through the avenues: Faucett, Linea Amarilla, Tomás Valle, De La Marina, Colonial and Costa Verde. Some go north, east, to the historic center and the Financial Center; and others towards Miraflores and the south area like Pachacamac and Surco.

For safety reasons, it is advisable to only take taxis from companies that are located in the national or international arrivals area. You can also request taxi service via smartphone applications, which are secure and have standard rates. There is also the possibility of renting cars, contacting companies also located at international arrivals. They commonly travel through Elmer Faucett Avenues, La Marina Avenue (connects with the districts of southern Lima and those with high hotel offerings such as San Isidro and Miraflores), Tomás Valle (connects with Lima Norte, Lima Este, Rimac and with the Historic Center), Javier Prado, Pan-American Highway North, South, Vía de Evitamiento and Yellow Line.

Accidents and incidents

 * November 27, 1962: Varig Flight 810, a Boeing 707-441 registration PP-VJB flying from Rio de Janeiro to Jorge Chávez International Airport, after initiating an overshoot procedure at the suggestion of the control tower because it was too high, proceeded to start another approach when it crashed into La Cruz peak, 8 mi from the airport. Possibly there was a misinterpretation of navigation instruments. All 97 passengers and crew aboard died.
 * May 8, 1964: an Argentine Air Force Douglas C-54 registration T-47 flying from Buenos Aires to Jorge Chávez International Airport crashed into a sand dune during approach in poor visibility conditions, killing 46 of the 49 people on board.
 * August 6, 1986: an explosion of unknown origin occurred at a restroom in the domestic terminal.
 * December 8, 1987: a Peruvian Navy Fokker 27-400M registration AE-560 flying from Pucallpa to Jorge Chávez International Airport chartered by the Alianza Lima football team crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly before landing. A malfunctioning cockpit indicator made the crew believe that the landing gear was not properly deployed and locked, so they requested the control tower to allow the plane to make a low pass for a visual check by ground personnel. After receiving the confirmation that the landing gear was down, the aircraft circled the airport for another attempt to land, but plunged into the ocean instead, killing all on board except the pilot.
 * March 10, 1989: an Aero Condor Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander registration OB-1271 flying from Nazca to Jorge Chavez International Airport crashed into a building during approach killing all on board, apparently due to fuel exhaustion.
 * January 25, 1991: a car bomb placed by the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) killed two Peruvians and wounded ten people. The attack occurred in a context of condemnation, by left-wing armed groups and political movements, of Operation Desert Storm; minutes after the attack, the US Embassy in Lima was attacked with an RPG and small arms fire by the MRTA.
 * July 24, 1992: five American Airlines employees, charged with cleaning and baggage loading duties, were wounded by a bomb. This happened during the weekend in which Shining Path enforced a 48-hour nationwide "armed strike" that aimed at paralyzing, among other services, public transportation.
 * January 22, 1993: three bullets hit the right side of the fuselage of American Airlines Flight 917 (inbound from Miami) while either landing or taxiing on the runway after landing. There were no casualties and damage to the plane was minimal. Despite Shining Path (SP) claiming responsibility for the attack, a subsequent investigation failed to identify the actual assailants. Airport authorities reportedly stated that the source of the shots was accidental, originating in a security guard working in the perimeter. The incident, occurring in the context of a decade-long leftist insurgency against the Peruvian state, happened in the midst of a surge of terrorist attacks and assassinations during that month which also targeted US interests and businesses.
 * April 15, 1995: an Imperial Air Tupolev Tu-134A-3 registration OB-1553 flying from Cusco to Jorge Chavez International Airport suffered a tire failure after departure. The crew decided to continue the flight to Lima, but the left main landing gear did not extend during landing. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
 * October 2, 1996: Flight 603, an AeroPerú Boeing 757-23A registration N52AW flying the Miami-Lima-Santiago, Chile route crashed into the Pacific Ocean some minutes after its takeoff from Jorge Chávez International Airport, killing all on board. The accident investigation found that masking tape was accidentally left over the static ports during maintenance, rendering the airspeed indicator, altimeter and vertical speed indicator unreliable.
 * On December 13, 2003 at 22:48 local time, Aero Continente Flight 341, a Boeing 737-200 (registered OB-1544-P) operating from Caracas to Lima, belly-landed at the runway because the pilots had forgotten about lowering the landing gear since they had to cope with a problem concerning the flaps. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair, but all 94 passengers and six crew on board survived the accident.
 * On October 11, 2013, an Airbus A320 (registration N492TA) from TACA Airlines, made an emergency landing at 8:20 am Local Time. The pilot declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft was en route from Jorge Chávez International Airport to El Salvador International Airport, San Salvador, El Salvador. There were 31 passengers plus crew on board. The aircraft landed safely.
 * On November 18, 2022, a LATAM Peru A320neo taking off as Flight 2213 to Juliaca collided with a fire engine that was crossing the runway, killing two firefighters and injuring a third. All 102 passengers and 6 crew aboard the plane escaped unharmed.

title: Jorge Chávez International Airport


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Baw Baw National Park

The Baw Baw National Park is a national park located on the boundary between the Victorian Alps and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. The 13530 ha national park is situated approximately 120 km east of Melbourne and 50 km north of the Latrobe Valley. The park contains the forest covered Baw-Baw Plateau and surrounds the Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort.

The Baw-Baw Plateau has a number of peaks, that includes Mount Baw Baw, Mount St Gwinear, Mount St Phillack, Mount Erica and Mount Whitelaw; all largely subalpine terrane outcrops of weathered granite boulders rising from the plateau, which is covered by a forest of snow-gums, punctuated by meadows. Mount St Phillack, a granite hill on the Baw-Baw plateau standing at 1566 m above sea level is the park's highest peak as the slightly higher Mt Baw Baw peak is part of the ski resort area. The slopes of the plateau within the national park form the catchment areas for the Thomson River and the Thomson Reservoir, and the Tanjil and Tyers rivers.

History
The traditional custodians of the land surrounding Baw Baw National Park are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. Through their cultural traditions, the Gunaikurnai people identify the Baw Baw National Park as their traditional country.

The area was first explored by Europeans in 1860 by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller. The area was settled in the 1880s and 1890s, after the discovery of gold in the area. Baw Baw National Park was declared in April 1979. On 7 November 2008 the park was added to the Australian National Heritage List as one of eleven areas constituting the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves. The Baw Baw National Park represents the southerly extent of the sub-alpine environment on mainland Australia.

Flora and fauna
The typical vegetation in the park is low-lying grasses, heathlands and snow gums, this is typically described as sub-alpine. Fauna abounds on the foothills to Baw Baw Plateau, including Leadbeater's possum, which is highly endangered and Victoria's state fauna emblem. The critically endangered Baw Baw frog (Philoria frosti), listed on the IUCN Red List, is native to the region.

The deciduous Baw Baw berry (Wittsteinia vacciniacea) may be found on the plateau.

Etymology
The national park draws its name from Mount Baw Baw. In the Australian Aboriginal Woiwurrung language the name for the mountain was thought to be variously bo-ye, meaning "ghost"; or bo-bo, meaning bandicoot. In the Bunurong language, the mountain was thought to be named Bore Bore and in the Gunai language, Bo Bo, both meaning "echo".

Activities
The major uses of the park are skiing in winter and bushwalking in summer. It is popular for cross country skiing, downhill skiing, summer bushwalking, rafting and canoeing, fishing, scenic drives and picnics. The Australian Alps Walking Track traverses its entire length, starting at Walhalla and continuing north towards the Alpine National Park. The Baw Baw section takes a bit less than three days to walk with plenty to see for those interested in botany or geology.

There is popular ski touring along the Baw Baw Plateau between Mount Baw Baw, past Mount St Phillack to Mount St Gwinear. There is a volunteer ski patrol group who run on weekends and patrol around the St Gwinear portion of the national park. They access the park from the opposite side of the plateau to the ski resort at Mount Baw Baw. Other popular skiing is Nordic skiing at Mount Baw Baw, introduced in 1972 including championship races and a ski school.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Baw Baw National Park


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Jean-Claude Duvalier

Jean-Claude Duvalier (3 July 1951 –4 October 2014), nicknamed "Baby Doc" (Bébé Doc, Bebe Dòk), was a Haitian politician who was the President of Haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown by a popular uprising in February 1986. He succeeded his father François "Papa Doc" Duvalier as the ruler of Haiti after his death in 1971. After assuming power, he introduced cosmetic changes to his father's regime and delegated much authority to his advisors. Thousands of Haitians were killed or tortured, and hundreds of thousands fled the country during his presidency. He maintained a notoriously lavish lifestyle (including a state-sponsored US$2million wedding in 1980) while poverty among his people remained the most widespread of any country in the Western Hemisphere.

Relations with the United States improved after Duvalier's ascension to the presidency, and later deteriorated under the Carter administration, only to normalize under Ronald Reagan due to the strong anti-communist stance of the Duvaliers. Rebellion against the Duvalier regime broke out in 1985, and Duvalier fled to France in 1986 on a U.S. Air Force flight.

Duvalier unexpectedly returned to Haiti on 16 January 2011, after two decades in self-imposed exile in France. The following day, he was arrested by Haitian police, facing possible charges for embezzlement. On 18 January, Duvalier was charged with corruption. On 28 February 2013, Duvalier pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and human rights abuse. He died of a heart attack on 4 October 2014, at the age of 63.

Transparency International determined that the money embezzled by Duvalier was the sixth most embezzled by a sitting head of government between 1984 and 2004.

Early life
The son of Simone Ovide, a Mulatto-Haitian woman, and François Duvalier, a black nationalist anti-mulatto leader who became dictator of Haiti, Duvalier was born in Port-au-Prince and was brought up in an isolated environment. He attended Nouveau College Bird and Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague. Later, he studied law at the University of Haiti under the direction of several professors, including Maître Gérard Gourgue.

President of Haiti
In April 1971, he assumed the presidency of Haiti at the age of 19 upon the death of his father, François Duvalier (nicknamed "Papa Doc"), becoming the world's youngest president, as well as the only non-royal state leader under the age of 20. Initially, Jean-Claude Duvalier resisted the dynastic arrangement that had made him Haiti's leader, having preferred that the presidency go to his older sister Marie-Denise Duvalier. He was content to leave substantive and administrative matters in the hands of his mother, Simone Ovide Duvalier, and a committee led by Luckner Cambronne, his father's Interior Minister, while he attended ceremonial functions and lived as a playboy.

Political and economic factors
Duvalier was invested with absolute power by the constitution. He took some steps to reform the regime, by releasing some political prisoners and easing press censorship. However, there were no substantive changes to the regime's basic character. Opposition was not tolerated, and the legislature remained a rubber stamp.

Much of the Duvaliers' wealth came from the Régie du Tabac (Tobacco Administration). Duvalier used this "non-fiscal account", established decades earlier, as a tobacco monopoly, but he later expanded it to include the proceeds from other government enterprises and used it as a slush fund for which no balance sheets were ever kept.

By neglecting his role in government, Duvalier squandered considerable domestic and foreign goodwill and facilitated the dominance of Haitian affairs by a clique of hardline Duvalierist cronies, the so-called "dinosaurs". Foreign officials and observers also seemed tolerant toward Duvalier in areas such as human rights monitoring and foreign countries were more generous to him with economic assistance. The Nixon administration restored the United States aid program for Haiti in 1971.

Marriage
On 27 May 1980, Duvalier married divorcee Michèle Bennett in a wedding that cost US$2million. The extravagance of the couple's wedding was criticized both by Haitian dissidents and the international press; though The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the event... was enthusiastically received by a majority of Haitians". Discontent among the business community and elite intensified in response to increased corruption among the Duvaliers and the Bennett family's dealings, which included selling Haitian cadavers to foreign medical schools and trafficking in narcotics. Increased political repression added to the volatility of the situation.

The marriage also estranged the old-line Duvalierists in the government from the younger technocrats whom Duvalier had appointed, including Jean-Marie Chanoine, Frantz Merceron, Frantz-Robert Estime and Theo Achille. The Duvalierists' spiritual leader, Duvalier's mother, Simone Ovide Duvalier, was eventually expelled from Haiti, reportedly at the request of Michèle. With his wife Duvalier had two children, François Nicolas and Anya. Over time, Michèle grew to become a power in her own right. For example, she dressed down ministers at cabinet meetings while her husband dozed.

Destabilisation
In response to an outbreak of African swine fever virus on the island in 1978, U.S. agricultural authorities insisted upon total eradication of Haiti's pig population in 1982. The Program for the Eradication of Porcine Swine Fever and for the Development of Pig Raising (PEPPADEP) spread already-serious economic devastation among the peasant population, who bred pigs as an investment.

In addition, reports that HIV/AIDS was becoming a major problem in Haiti caused tourism to decline dramatically in the early 1980s. By the mid-1980s, most Haitians expressed hopelessness and despair, as economic conditions further worsened and hunger and malnutrition spread.

Widespread discontent began manifesting further in March 1983, when Pope John Paul II visited Haiti. The pontiff declared that "things must change in Haiti", and he called on "all those who have power, riches and culture so that they can understand the serious and urgent responsibility to help their brothers and sisters". He called for a more equitable distribution of income, a more egalitarian social structure, and increased popular participation in public life. This message revitalized both laymen and clergy, contributed to increased popular mobilization and expanded political and social activism.

A revolt began in the provinces in 1985. The city of Gonaïves was the first to have street demonstrations and raids on food-distribution warehouses. From October 1985 to January 1986, the protests spread to six other cities, including Cap-Haïtien. By the end of that month, Haitians in the south had revolted. The most significant rioting there broke out in Les Cayes.

Duvalier responded with a 10 percent cut in staple food prices, the closing of independent radio stations, a cabinet reshuffle, and a crackdown by police and army units, but these moves failed to dampen the momentum of the popular uprising against the dynastic dictatorship. Duvalier's wife and advisers, intent on maintaining their grip on power, urged him to put down the rebellion and remain in office.

Departure
In January 1986, the Reagan administration began to pressure Duvalier to renounce his rule and to leave Haiti. Representatives appointed by Jamaican prime minister Edward Seaga served as intermediaries who carried out the negotiations. At this point a number of Duvalierists and business leaders met with the Duvaliers and pressed for their departure. The United States rejected a request to provide asylum for Duvalier, but offered to assist with their departure. On 30 January 1986, Duvalier had initially accepted, and President Reagan actually announced his departure based on a report from the Haitian CIA Station Chief who saw Duvalier's car head for the airport. Duvalier's party returned to the palace unnoticed by the U.S. intelligence team due to their motorcade being blocked by a gun battle. Duvalier declared "we are as firm as a monkey tail" and decided against abdication. However, the Duvaliers made another attempt to depart on 7 February 1986, this time succeeding, flying to France in a U.S. Air Force aircraft.

Exile
The Duvaliers settled in France. For a time they lived a luxurious life, but eventually separated on 19 June 1990. Although he formally applied for political asylum, his request was denied by French authorities. Duvalier lost most of his wealth with his 1993 divorce from his wife.

In his years of exile, Duvalier made no known attempts to find employment or gain self-employment, nor did he ever try to get a book written about his experience. "All I know about is politics", he was quoted when asked about the lack of effort. Duvalier did take some courses at a university in France in an effort to sharpen his leadership skills.

A private citizen, named Jacques Samyn, unsuccessfully sued to expel Duvalier as an illegal immigrant (the Duvaliers were never officially granted asylum in France). In 1998, a Haitian-born photographer, Gérald Bloncourt, formed a committee in Paris to bring Duvalier to trial. At the time, the French Ministry of the Interior said that it could not verify whether Duvalier still remained in the country due to the recently enacted Schengen Agreement, which had abolished systematic border controls between France and the other participating countries. However, Duvalier's lawyer Sauveur Vaisse said that his client was still in France and denied that the exiled leader had fallen on hard times.

The 2004 Global Corruption Report listed Duvalier as the sixth-most corrupt world leader –between Slobodan Milošević and Alberto Fujimori –having amassed between US$300million and US$800million.

Following the ousting of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, Duvalier announced his intention to return to Haiti to run for president in the 2006 elections for the National Unity Party; however, he did not become a candidate.

While apparently living modestly in exile, Duvalier did have supporters, who founded the François Duvalier Foundation in 2006 to highlight positive aspects of the Duvalier presidency, including the creation of most of Haiti's state institutions and improved access to education for the country's black majority.

On 22–23 September 2007, an address by Duvalier to Haitians was broadcast by radio. Although he said exile had "broken" him, he also said that what he described as the improving fortunes of the National Unity Party had "reinvigorated" him, and he urged readiness among his supporters, without saying whether he intended to return to Haiti. President René Préval rejected Duvalier's apology and, on 28 September, he said that, while Duvalier was constitutionally free to return to Haiti, he would face trial if he did so. Duvalier's radio broadcast address was given in French and not Haitian Creole, the language spoken by the majority of Haitians.

In February 2010, a Swiss court agreed to release more than US$4million to Duvalier, although the Swiss Foreign Ministry said it would continue to block the release of the money.

Duvalier lived in Paris with Véronique Roy, his longtime companion, until his return to Haiti in late January 2011.

Return and death
On 16 January 2011, during the presidential election campaign, Duvalier returned to Haiti after 25 years. Accompanied by Roy, he flew in from Paris, indicating that he wanted to help: "I'm not here for politics. I'm here for the reconstruction of Haiti", he said. However, many argued that Duvalier returned to Haiti to gain access to the US$4million frozen in his Swiss bank account. Haiti also claimed this money, arguing that the assets were of a "criminal origin" and should not be returned to Duvalier. Under Swiss law, however, states claiming money in Switzerland have to demonstrate that they have started criminal investigations against offenders holding money in the country. According to an article by Ginger Thompson in The New York Times, "if Mr. Duvalier had been able to slip into the country and then quietly leave without incident... he may have been able to argue that Haiti was no longer interested in prosecuting him—and that the money should be his." According to Mac McClelland of Mother Jones magazine:

"The former dictator was greeted at the Port-au-Prince airport with cheering and celebratory chanting ... The word from Duvalier is that he's come to help his country. According to everyone on the street and on the radio, the Americans and the French conspired to bring him here to upset current president René Préval, who's been accused of fixing his country's recent elections."

On 18 January 2011, he was taken into custody at his hotel by Haitian authorities. He was charged with corruption, theft, and misappropriation of funds committed during his 15-year presidency. He was released but was subject to recall by the court.

By 22 September 2011, legal procedures against him appeared to have stalled. He was reported to be living under poorly enforced house arrest, enjoying a life of luxury in a suburb of Port-au-Prince. By 30 January 2012, it was announced that the former president would face charges of corruption, but not of human rights abuses.

After the former president failed to appear for three previously scheduled court hearings, a Haitian judge issued a warrant ordering him to appear before the court 28 February 2013. Duvalier did so and for the first time pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption and human rights abuse.

On 4 October 2014, Duvalier died of a heart attack at the age of 63.

title: Jean-Claude Duvalier


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Brisbane Ranges National Park

The Brisbane Ranges National Park is a national park in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, The 7718 ha national park is situated approximately 80 km west of Melbourne near the town of and is managed by Parks Victoria. The park covers part of the Brisbane Ranges, an area of hills of moderate elevation.

Features
The park features a number of walking tracks, of which the walk through Anakie Gorge is the most popular. Other attractions include the Ted Errey Nature Circuit and Wadawurrung walk. Relatively flat and suitable for those of moderate fitness, the walk features views of the Gorge itself and the presence of koalas and wallabies in their wild state. Some of the resident wallabies are relatively unafraid of tourists and may often study the passing visitors.

In January 2006, lightning sparked a bushfire in the Steiglitz historical area which soon spread throughout the Brisbane Ranges. Despite lengthy efforts to control the fire from Department of Sustainability and Environment, Parks Victoria and the Country Fire Authority fire fighters, the blaze incinerated 6700 ha of parkland and destroyed two houses without loss of human life. A subsequent bushfire one year later also threatened much of the national park.

title: Brisbane Ranges National Park


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Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park

The Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park is a national park in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. The 18400 ha national park is situated approximately 315 km northeast of Melbourne and 120 km east of Albury-Wodonga.

The Pine Mountain, one of the largest monoliths in Australia, is located within the park and is believed to be 1.5 times the size of Uluru. The highest peak in the park is Mount Burrowa at an elevation of 1300 m above sea level.

title: Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park


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Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park

The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park is a national park that is located in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. The 21650 ha national park is situated approximately 275 km northeast of Melbourne, and extends west from Beechworth across the Hume Freeway and the Albury-Melbourne railway line to the west of Chiltern.

The park was established under the to protect a diverse range of threatened species and ecosystems. The distinctive features of the park include the Woolshed Falls, picturesque Mt Pilot summit, culturally significant Aboriginal rock art at Yeddonba and historical relics of the goldmining era scattered throughout. The park is used for a number of recreational activities including bushwalking, hiking, trail riding, rock climbing, picnicking, camping, bird watching and prospecting.

History
At the time of European settlement, box-ironbark forests covered approximately 3000000 ha or 13% of Victoria. As a result of settlement, nearly 80% of these forests were cleared and the remaining areas were badly degraded by grazing. The forests of the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park are living testament to these claims with some of its natural systems deteriorated as a result of grazing, clearing, logging and mining.

When gold was discovered in the area during the mid-1800s, extensive alluvial and reef mining, quartz mining and gravel quarrying began. Fossicking, prospecting and gem hunting are still permitted within the park today. Evidence of these activities including disturbed ground, mullock heaps, dams and old mineshafts may be found scattered throughout the park.

Pastoralists driving cattle through Chiltern, known at the time as Black Dog Creek, discovered the forests of box and ironbark during the 1930s. The species were renowned for their strong durable timber and soon felled for fencing, construction and firewood. In fact, firewood collection continued until 2002 when the National Park was formed. A landscape that was originally dominated by large, mature trees and grassy forest floors quickly deteriorated into closely packed stands of multi-stemmed coppice regrowth.

The clearing of land for agriculture and grazing impacted negatively on this landscape. Grazing continued through the Chiltern section of the park until the 1980s and the Mt Pilot section until the 1990s. Common problems associated with these activities including the introduction of pest species, soil compaction and erosion, increased salinity and habitat fragmentation were all reported as a result.

Park establishment
The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park is an amalgamation of two separate parks, each with distinct geological, historical and ecological profiles.

The Chiltern Regional Park, first known as the Chiltern State Park, was a 4250 ha Box-ironbark forest that was reserved in 1980 following the 1977 Land Conservation Council (LCC) recommendations. The Mt Pilot Multipurpose Park was also established under the 1977 LCC recommendations. The Environment Conservation Council (ECC) replaced the LCC in 1997 and gave rise to the Chiltern Box-ironbark National Park of 4320 ha.

When the Victorian State parliament gave assent to the it initiated the creation of a highly protected system of parks and reserves. The Chiltern Box-ironbark National Park and the Mt Pilot Multipurpose Park, in addition to Woolshed falls and surrounding land, were brought together to form Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park as it is known today.

Ecology

The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park falls within the Victorian Riverina and Northern Inland Slopes sub-bioregions. The Chiltern section of the park comprises low-lying hills formed from Ordovician sedimentary rock which are distinctly contrast to the rugged Devonian granite of the Mt Pilot section. The park protects a total 18 ecological vegetation classes (EVCs) of which four are threatened: Box-Ironbark, Spring-soak Woodland, Gilgai Plain Woodland/Wetland Mosaic and the Valley Grassy Forest. The park supports over 600 native species of flora and has the most intact assemblage of fauna with more birds, mammals and reptiles recorded than any other Box-ironbark forest. Most notably, the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park provides a critical habitat for the recovery of the barking owl (Ninox connivens) and brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa). It is part of the Warby–Chiltern Box–Ironbark region Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of Box–Ironbark forest ecosystems and several species of threatened woodland birds dependent on them.

Fauna

The park supports a diverse range of native fauna with 276 different species of mammals, birds and reptiles being reported. As well as common species including the grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) and laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), the park is home to 43 fauna species listed as threatened; 21 one of which are listed under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. Some significant species are described in more detail below.

Squirrel glider
The squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) is a small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial that occupies a vast range of habitats throughout Eastern Australia. It is listed as a threatened species under the FFG Act 1988. The gliders have highly specific feeding and nesting requirements and use trees to move through the landscape. Consequently, they are highly susceptible to changes in forest conditions. Squirrel gliders have a reported home range size of approximately 3.9 ha in northeast Victoria. This size can vary greatly and is strongly influenced by the availability of food and the quality of the forest habitat. The glider's diet consists of arthropods, nectars and insect exudates with foraging accounting for a high proportion of their nocturnal activity. Most of their time is spent in living eucalypt trees with a strong preference for large, mature trees in flower. Gliders use dead trees to shelter in and facilitate movement through the forest.

Brush-tail phascogale
Brush-tail phascogales (Phascogale tapoatafa) are small carnivorous, arboreal marsupials that are solitary by nature. They breed once per year with all males dying at the end of each breeding season. These mammals are widely distributed across Australia but habitat loss and degradation following European settlement in Victoria has meant this species is now listed as threatened. The average home range size for females is 41 ha and for males it often exceeds 100 ha.

Phascogales are regarded as foraging generalists with invertebrates comprising the bulk of their diet. Foraging in trees accounts for up to 90% of their nocturnal activity with larger trees offering greater surface areas for phascogales to forage on. Large remnant trees also contain more hollows and potential nest sites than smaller trees. Phascogales typically occupy living trees of large diameter and it is not uncommon for them to maintain multiple nests across the majority of their home range. For these reasons, sites that offer mature, evenly spaced trees and well connected patches are considered the most suitable habitats.

Barking owl
The barking owl (Ninox connivens) is listed as threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. It is one of the largest native predators remaining in southern Australia and renowned for its unique prey holding behaviour. As a predator, the owls have comparatively low abundance and require a constant source of high-energy food which makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and degradation. This highly territorial species has an average home range of approximately 1400 ha and requires large trees to maintain diurnal roosts. With one of the largest body sizes of any hollow-depended species in Australia, mature trees are essential to provide cavities big enough for nesting. A combination of drought and brushfire over the past ten years has led to a significant reduction in the number of breeding pairs residing in the Mt Pilot area. The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park is now a critical habitat for the recovery of this species.

Regent honeyeater
Populations of regent honeyeaters (Xanthomyza phrygia) were historically concentrated in three locations around Adelaide, northeast Victoria and central-east New South Wales, but are now locally extinct in South Australia. They are considered to be nationally endangered with a population of approximately 1500 individuals remaining. The honeyeater typically inhabits eucalypt woodland and dry open forests. Their diets consist principally of insects and nectar and are occasionally supplemented with fruits. Honeyeaters observed in northeast Victoria demonstrate a preference for box-ironbark forest, particularly the nectar from yellow gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) and winter flowering red ironbark (Eucalyptus tricarpa).

Other species
In addition to the species described above, the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park is home to a number of other significant fauna species. These include the painted honeyeater (Grantiella picta), swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), turquoise parrot (Neophema pulchella), square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura), spot-tailed quoll (Cinclosoma punctatum), bandy bandy (Vermicella annulata), woodland blind snake (Ramphotyphlops proximus) and brown toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii).

Flora
The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park protects 42 threatened species of flora of which ten are listed under the. This includes a range of species such as the crimson spider orchid (Caladenia concolor), yellow hyacinth-orchid (Dipodium hamiltonianum), sturdy leek orchid (Prasophyllum validum), Warby swamp gum (Eucalyptus cadens), mountain swainson-pea (Swainsona recta) and the narrow goodenia (Goodenia macbarronii) that are listed as endangered or vulnerable in Victoria. Other significant flora species found within the park are described below.

Red ironbark
Red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon), also known as mugga ironbark, grows to a height of 10 - 30 m in open forests along the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, New South Wales and southern Queensland. Flowering occurs throughout the year with seven small flower buds in umbels appearing in the axils of mature leaves. Small fruits measuring 5 - 8 mm appear approximately one month after flowering. Leaf size is known to vary in response to environmental factors including water availability and soil composition. Both the swift parrot and regent honeyeater visit the park during winter to take advantage of the red ironbark's peak flowering period.

Black cypress pine
The park has the largest reserved population of black cypress pine (Callitris endlicheri) in Victoria. The native conifer is commonly found in the hilly areas of southeast Australia where the climates are relatively warm and dry. The monoecious species is wind pollinated and described as having mostly erect branches, tough furrowed bark and dark green foliage. The species exhibits strong drought tolerance and an ability to survive in densely crowded strands though the rate of maturation can be slowed under these conditions. The pine is vulnerable to changes in rainfall and grazing pressure from rabbits and deer. The pine is highly susceptible to fire and mortality usually follows exposure. The Chiltern-Mt Pilot pine population was severely affected by the 2003 Eldorado fire. This places the species at greater risk of local extinction from future fires, particularly if two fires were to occur in close succession.

Mt Pilot spider orchid
The Mt Pilot spider orchid (Caladenia pilotensis) is a rare orchid species currently listed as threatened under the and endangered by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The species is described as having a hairy stem that grows to approximately 35 cm in height, a single basal leaf and light green to yellow coloured flower with pale red shading. The deciduous herb originates from a population of approximately 100 individuals located inside a 10 km radius in the Mt-Pilot section of the park. It can be found in four small groups on the well-drained soils of the open grassy forest floor. Little is known about the ecology of this orchid but it is reported that pollination is severely restricted or absent in small populations. This problem is exacerbated by a decline in the rate of flowering as the eucalyptus forests recover from the 2003 bushfires. The risk of local extinction is high owing to the small population size and the threat of animal grazing, soil disturbance and weed invasion.

Blakely’s red gum
Blakely's red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi) is a common native Australian eucalypt found on the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales and Victoria. The evergreen tree grows to a height of 25 m and flowers predominantly between November and December on a two to three-year cycle depending on environmental conditions. Seedling establishment is affected by common factors including temperature, light, litter accumulation, grazing, fire, frost and insect predation.

Environmental threats
Northeast Victoria is susceptible to periodic natural disasters including fire, flood and drought. Major bushfires have occurred in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in 1899, 1912, 1927, 1940 and 2003. Bushfires in National Parks are likely to lead to the loss of conservation areas, significant species and communities and park infrastructure including toilet blocks, picnic areas, lookouts, car parks, signage and tracks. While some species benefit from burns through heat activated germination, others like the isolated populations of black cypress pine or Mount Pilot spider orchids may face local extinction.

Flood events and heavy rains have the potential to result in severe erosion given the park's duplex soils and steep inclines. During flood events, contaminants such as mercury can be mobilised and transformed into chemicals that jeopardize the health of the park's aquatic systems. It is likely that past mining practices have led to heavy metal contamination in the park's waterways and sediments.

Pest plants including Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides), furze (Ulex europaeus) and paterson's curse (Echium plantagineum) have been identified as problematic weeds within the park that pose a threat to native flora populations. St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) occurring in the Mt Pilot Range have been brought under control but continued management is required. Pest animals known to occur within the park include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and feral cat (Felis catus). Foxes and cats pose serious predation risks to native fauna while rabbits impact on native flora and are notorious for the degree of soil disturbance caused by burrowing.

Approach
The Chiltern Mt-Pilot National Park Management Plan was prepared in October 2008 in accordance with the. The plan outlines the park's values and attractions and sets the basis and future direction for its long term management and protection. Key elements of the plan include the protection of threatened species and ecological communities, protection of Indigenous culture and history, invasive species management, sustainable recreation, tourism and support for community based management and participation.

The management plan was prepared by Parks Victoria using evidence from existing reports and studies of the area, a best practise approach and community consultation. The plan clearly articulates the park's significance and values in terms of natural resources, culture, history, tourism and recreation as well as providing an extensive list of legislative requirements and ECC recommendations with which it complies. As a model for the management of landscape diversity, there is significant emphasis placed on conservation and protection through zoning. Zoning is said to reflect the park's management priorities by assisting with the protection of sensitive and fragile environments and minimising the impact of potentially harmful activities.

Outcomes
A community based approach to natural resource management is reflected through collaborative partnerships with groups including Friends, Landcare and other volunteers who play an active role in monitoring and research activities. The Friends of Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park Inc. report that a range of activities have been undertaken since 2009 including removal of weeds, tree planting, site maintenance, sign posting, monitoring of nesting boxes, release of captive bred species and counting of significant species.

title: Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park


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Churchill National Park

The Churchill National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria, Australia. The 271 ha national park is situated 31 km southeast of Melbourne adjacent to the suburb of, which lies between Rowville and Endeavour Hills in the far north of the City of Casey. The national park is near the Monash Freeway and Stud Road. When combined with the adjacent Lysterfield Park, the two parks comprise 1668 ha in the Dandenong Valley and the Dandenong Ranges that are a haven for native birds, mammals and reptiles, and provide recreational opportunities.

Established on 12 February 1941 as the Dandenong National Park, the park was renamed in 1944 in honour of Sir Winston Churchill.

Churchill National Park is about one and a half hours from Melbourne, Victoria.

Features
There are tracks throughout the Churchill National Park for walking, cycling and jogging. One recommended walking track for a very peaceful walk is Channel Track, surrounded by thick woodland and it runs beside the old aqueduct. The eastern boundary track is particularly good for cycling and jogging. Bird watching is spectacular within the park especially by the dam along the northern boundary track.

The picnic ground has gas barbecues, a unisex toilet and a shelter. Picnic grounds are provided on the end of the access road.

Churchill National Park is famous for its 173 different species of birds, such as the Australian wood duck and the Pacific black duck. Most mammals are only active at night, so if you arrive early or leave late, you might be lucky enough to see one, such as echidnas, wallabies and kangaroos. Echidnas are also active during the day, searching for ants and grubs in the ground.

History
The park that is now Churchill National Park was once the police corps headquarters for blacktrackers and provided grazing land for the police horses. Many years later it was known as the Dandenong Police Paddocks. In the 1920s, metropolitan development brought some change to the parklands, which was still known as Police Paddocks. Local stone was dug up for road metal and building material, a water supply channel was cut to Dandenong, and the State Electricity Commission obtained a power line easement. Fire and the clearing of the area took place. In 1939 the area was set aside as the Dandenong National Park, gazetted in February 1941, and later renamed Churchill National Park in 1944.

An old quarry is located in the northwest corner of the park, where remains of the associated tramway and crusher foundations are still visible. The tramway was known as the Scoresby Tramway. Constructed by the Dandenong Shire Council in 1912, it was used to transport crushed rock from the quarry. The wagons travelled by gravity for most of the distance; when the topography leveled out, horses were used to draw them. The quarry operated for approximately three years. The tramway was removed after the cessation of quarrying.

title: Churchill National Park


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Coopracambra National Park

The Coopracambra National Park is a national park located in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 38800 ha national park is situated approximately 460 km east of Melbourne and 250 km south of Canberra, near the town of.

Features
The northern boundary of the park is defined by the Black-Allan Line that marks part of the border between Victoria and New South Wales. The Monaro Highway defines the park's western boundary. Within the confines of the park, the Genoa River flows eastwards to the Tasman Sea. The highest peaks in the park are Mount Coopracambra, with an elevation of 1103 m above sea level; Mount Kaye, with an elevation of 998 - 1000 m, and Mount Denmarsh, with an elevation of 917 m.

Combined with the adjoining South East Forests National Park located in New South Wales, the Coopracambra National Park forms one of the largest contiguous areas of high quality wilderness in south-eastern Australia that spans from in New South Wales to the town of Cann River in Victoria.

title: Coopracambra National Park


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Croajingolong National Park

The Croajingolong National Park is a coastal national park located in the East Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. The 88355 ha national park is situated approximately 450 km east of Melbourne and 500 km south of Sydney.

The name Croajingolong derives from the Australian Aboriginal Krauatungalung words galung, meaning "belonging to" and kraua, meaning "east".

Location and features
The park is linear in shape and bordered on the southern side by the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean, the western side by Bemm River and the eastern side by the township of Mallacoota. Its northern boundary consists of dense bushland and low hills. The dimensions of the park are approximately 80 km by 20 km, with an area of 875 km2. The 100 km Wilderness Coast Walk stretches the entire length of the park along beaches, through heathland and round rocky headlands.

Croajingolong National Park, with the adjoining Nadgee Nature Reserve in New South Wales, forms one of only twelve World Biosphere areas in Australia. It contains ecosystems, habitats and gene pools that are managed sustainably. The park encloses the Sandpatch Wilderness Area and is contiguous with the Cape Howe Wilderness Area, the Nadgee Nature Reserve and the Cape Howe Marine National Park.

Important Bird Area
The eastern section of the park lies within the Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because it supports populations of eastern bristlebirds and pilotbirds as well as other significant fauna.

Visitor attractions
Croajingolong's landscapes are so spectacular and environmentally significant that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) nominated it a World Biosphere Reserve in 1977. The park houses impressive biodiversity, including almost 1,000 native plant species and 315 animal species.

The diverse coastal landscapes feature rocky outcrops, large stretches of sandy beaches, coastal dunes and freshwater rivers, making the park a popular destination for hiking and walking, swimming, diving, snorkelling and sea kayaking.

A popular way to explore the remote wilderness and diverse flora and fauna of the national park is on the Wilderness Coast Walk, which extends 45 kilometres from Thurra River camping area to Shipwreck Creek.

Popular destinations within the park include:
 * Point Hicks and its lighthouse
 * Tamboon Inlet resort town
 * Spectacular sand dunes at Thurra River
 * Lake Elusive near Wingan Inlet
 * Mount Everard
 * Rame Head

Camping spots exist at Wingan Inlet, Shipwreck Creek and Peachtree Creek and are all accessible by car. The camp sites at Mueller Inlet and Thurra River are privately managed. Most campgrounds are equipped with picnic facilities and fireplaces.

Nearby towns are Mallacoota, Genoa, Cann River, Bemm River and Orbost.

title: Croajingolong National Park


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Errinundra National Park

The Errinundra National Park is a national park located in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 26875 ha national park is situated 373 km east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and is centred on the Errinundra Plateau, a southwards extension of the Monaro Tablelands of New South Wales.

Features
The Errinundra National Park preserves the largest remaining cool temperate rainforest in Victoria and supports some of south eastern Australia's most spectacular old growth forests. There are also many rare and threatened species of flora and fauna, including powerful owls, tiger quolls and long-footed potoroos.

Cool and warm temperate rainforest, wet open forest, montane forests and woodlands are the dominant vegetation communities. There is also a sub-alpine wetland.

The majority of the park is accessible only in the drier months. In winter, rain and snow generally make the unsealed roads impassable.

There has been extensive logging of all forest types surrounding the park including Brown Mountain forest and there have been some instances of logging within the national park's boundaries due to administrative errors. In addition, logging occurred in many areas before the national park was established.

title: Errinundra National Park


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French Island (Victoria)

French Island (Boonwurrung: Bellarmarin, Woone, or Jouap) it sits within a tectonic depression known as the Western Port sunkland, and is the largest coastal island of Victoria, Australia.

In 1997, about 70% of the island was declared the French Island National Park, administered by Parks Victoria, and was listed in the former Register of the National Estate in 1984. The island is an unincorporated area under the direct administration of the government of Victoria, and is a declared locality of Victoria having its own postcode. Community issues are dealt by the French Island Community Association. The island is otherwise administered by the Department of Transport and Planning. The population of the island in 2011 was around 116 people, of which about 60 were permanent residents. By 2021 the population on census night was recorded as 139 with a median age of 52 years.

Compared with Philip Island and areas on the surrounding mainland, French Island is isolated and undeveloped. There are no water mains, electricity mains, or medical services on the island. There is one small general store and post office located on Tankerton Road about 3 km from Tankerton Jetty. Many of the locals actively promote environmental tourism. Visitor accommodation includes camping, bed and breakfast, guesthouse and farmstay.

History
According to the French Island Community Association, prior to British colonisation, French Island was a hunting ground of the Bunurong people. They lived on the mainland and travelled to French Island to collect shellfish and swan eggs. There are several registered sites on the island that consist of shell middens and stone scatters they left behind.

In April 1802, a French expedition ship Naturaliste under Jacques Hamelin, part of the Baudin expedition to Australia, explored the area. Hamelin named the island Île de Françoise  (Island of Francoise), which was corrupted as French Island.

The first recorded settlers on the island were William and John Gardiner in 1847, who had the first pastoral lease and grazed 8,000 sheep. The first land subdivision was in 1867 when 4733 acre were divided into 14 allotments. The first land sales took place in 1873 with the minimum price £1 per acre. In the 1880s, koalas were introduced to the island.

During the 1890s depression, the government encouraged settlement of the area and established seven village settlements on French Island under the Village Settlement Scheme. These were called Energy, Star of Hope, Callanan's, Perseverance, Industrial, Kiernan's and Grant Homestead Association. Altogether about 200 people made up these settlements. Tankerton Post Office opened on 3 September 1890 and remained open until 1994. It reopened in 2001 under the name French Island. A Fairhaven post office was also open from 1911 until 1957. Four schools were built of which the Perseverance Primary School, established in 1896, is the only one remaining and now caters for only a small number of primary school children.

John Ratford introduced chicory to the island, after he spent a season learning about it on Phillip Island in 1895. The Chicory industry became the main source of income on the island for over 70 years with extensive chicory planting and some 30 chicory kilns established. The last chicory crop was harvested in the 1980s. The Bayview chicory kiln, the second and now the oldest remaining on the island, was built in 1896-97 and is a cafe and museum.

McLeod prison farm opened on 17 July 1916 and occupied 222 hectares and operated as a self-sustaining farm. Timber cabins housed the prisoners until 1946 when concrete cells were built. The prison closed in 1975 and was used as a holiday camp facility until 1995. Later it operated as an eco-village until it was bought in 2017 for $4 million by a Chinese-based company with plans to turn it into a major tourism operation.

In 1967, at the request of state Premier Henry Bolte, the State Electricity Commission of Victoria proposed the island as the site of the first nuclear power plant in Australia; these plans were ultimately abandoned. During the 1960s and 1970s BHP, Hooker Rex and the State Electricity Commission paid inflated prices for land, inducing land owners to sell up and move off the island.

In July 1997, 11050 ha, about 70%, of the island was declared French Island National Park, and in May 2002 the waters directly north of French Island were declared the French Island Marine National Park.

Ferry
The main access to the island is the Western Port Ferries passenger ferry running several services daily from Stony Point pier to Tankerton Jetty and Cowes on Phillip Island. Metro Trains run a service to Stony Point railway station via Frankston railway station. Most trains arriving at Stony Point connect with the ferry service to both French Island and Phillip Island throughout the day. The ferry does not carry vehicles but car parking is provided on the Stony Point foreshore. The crossing takes about 15 minutes.

The French Island Barge Company operates a vehicular ferry from Corinella on the eastern side of Western Port to the barge landing on French Island. It accommodates two standard size cars or a larger truck. All supplies to the island come by the Barge, which runs every day of the year, depending on tide and appointments.

Air
There is no airport on the island, although a few properties have private landing strips.

Road
There are more than 40 km of unsealed gravel roads and tracks on the island, which are quiet and ideal for mountain bikes. They are affected by rain and can become dangerous for the inexperienced. The island is generally flat or mildly undulating with the highest point being Mount Wellington (96 m above sea level). Bicycles and cars can be hired from the general store. There is an abundance of walking tracks. Active pursuits include bushwalking, bird watching, horse riding, geocaching and cycling.

Geography

French Island has a few notable landforms, including:

 * Mount Wellington – highest point on the island at about 96 m
 * The Pinnacles – 66 m
 * Harrop Hill
 * Tortoise Head
 * Spit Point

Watercourses on the island include:

 * Tankerton Creek
 * Redbill Creek
 * Mosquito Creek
 * Brella Creek

As the only community on the island, Tankerton is the only place on the island where necessities like food and cars can be obtained.

Population
At the 2021 census the French Island population consisted of 139 people, 49% of which were male and 51% of which were female. The median age was 52.

The island has a Primary School, on The Centre Way. In 2003 ten students were enrolled at the Perseverance Primary School. In 2009 five students were enrolled at the primary school. According to ACARA, in 2011 there were nine enrolments In 2018, Perseverance Primary had seven students taught by one teacher and a teacher's aide.

Natural environment
Habitats range from coastal mangroves, swamps, heath, grasslands and blue gum forests. Most koala populations on the mainland of Australia are affected by the chlamydia disease; however French Island provides the world's densest and most disease-free population of koalas, with regular transfer of excess koalas to repopulate diseased areas on the mainland. Shelter is provided for more than 100 species of bush orchids, and 260 species of birds. Significant species on the island include: king quail, the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot, fairy tern, white-bellied sea eagle, swamp skink, long-nosed potoroo.

The island is one of only two places in Victoria where the invasive red fox is not present, which has enabled the island to maintain a variety of indigenous species which have been devastated by the predator elsewhere including Phillip Island. However rabbits, feral cats, feral goats, feral pigs, Indian mynahs and starlings pose a threat to the island's biodiversity.

The Ross River virus has been identified on French Island.

Camping
There is one free camping site on French Island. It is located in the National Park at Fairhaven, 5 km up the coast road from Tankerton Jetty (where the ferry arrives from Stony Point). The campground is set among trees near the beach, with three public toilets and a water tank. While the site is free, advance booking is required. Other camping is available at "private sites" at French Island Eco Inn and through the local French Island tour operator.

Proposed nuclear power plant site
In mid 1967, the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) applied to the Lands Department for the reservation of 400 acre of French Island for future construction of a nuclear power plant. The plant was speculated to have 350-500MW generator capacity and would likely have been built during the 1970s. Other plants around Australia were also envisioned after the construction of a successful, fully operational plant in Victoria. If the SECV did decide to construct a nuclear power station, it would have continued to construct brown coal power stations as well for some considerable time.

Due to the low cost of brown coal in Victoria and mounting pressure from the anti-nuclear movement, the SEC subsequently decided against commissioning a nuclear plant and instead continued the commissioning of brown coal plants. These included the Hazelwood Power Station, which was completed in 1971. Nuclear plants were not constructed in NSW as access to black coal allowed for bigger generators. The declaration of various areas of many Australian states as nuclear free zones was a key factor in the selection of coal plants over nuclear plants.

In 1982, the Cain Labor government in Victoria legislated to ban the building of nuclear power plants in the state. In 1985, the SECV announced that its land at Red Bluff would be transferred to the National Parks service. This took place at a time when ferry services to the island had become unreliable, with the two small vessels (King Fisher and Port Hunter) breaking down regularly. Because of the unreliability of access, land in the area was sold in 60 and 90 acre allotments for just $1,000 per acre.

title: French Island (Victoria)


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Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

The Hattah-Kulkyne National Park is a national park in the Mallee district of Victoria, Australia. The 48000 ha national park is situated adjacent to the Murray River, approximately 417 km northwest of Melbourne with the nearest regional centre being Mildura. The Hattah Lakes National Park was proclaimed on June 7, 1960, later being greatly expanded in 1980 and becoming the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. It is a popular destination for bushwalkers and school camping trips.

History
In 1915, a sanctuary was formed to protect the beauty of the Hattah lakes. In 1949, ornithologist Les Chandler and the Reverend Clarrie Lang formed the Sunraysia Field Naturalists' Club (later the Sunraysia Naturalists' Research Trust). Les Chandler was variously its president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and editor. They agitated to have the Hattah-Kulkyne area declared a national park, which was partially achieved in 1960, with the Hattah Lakes area becoming the Hattah Lakes National Park. The Kulkyne State Forest was added to the national park in 1980, resulting in the creation of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.

Description
The park is in the Mallee district, famous for its red dirt and mallee eucalypts. There are several lakes in the area, the largest of which is Lake Hattah. During the dry season most of the lakes and their streams dry out completely. Although there are limited road and tracks, there are several major high tension power and telegraph lines that run through or near the park, around which large areas are cleared. For management purposes, the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park is managed with the Murray-Sunset National Park, Wyperfeld National Park, Lake Albacutya Park and Murray-Kulkyne Park as part of the Victorian Mallee Parks.

Important Bird Area
Over 200 bird species have been recorded in the park, which is overlapped by the Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello Important Bird Area (IBA), so identified by BirdLife International because it contains mallee habitat supporting a suite of threatened mallee bird, including the malleefowl, black-eared miner and mallee emu-wren.

title: Hattah-Kulkyne National Park


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AH

AH and variants may refer to:
 * Ah!, an exclamation
 * AH (Anno Hegirae), Latin for Islamic "in the year of the Hijra" similar to the Latin for the Christian year Anno Domini

Music

 * "Ah", song by Charles Aznavour written by Charles Aznavour and José Lucchesi 1954
 * "Ah" (song), a Japanese song by Superfly
 * "Ah", a song by the Turkish band Duman 2002

Games and literature

 * Achievement Hunter, a Texas-based online video gaming community
 * Adam Hughes, a comic artist who signs his work "AH!"
 * Alternate history, a subgenre of speculative fiction
 * Arcana Heart, a video game series
 * Avalon Hill, makers of military-themed board games

Places

 * Afghanistan, World Meteorological Organization country code
 * Anhui, a province of China (Guobiao abbreviation AH)
 * Austria-Hungary, a former European empire

Aviation

 * Air Algérie IATA designator
 * Artificial Horizon, an attitude indicator, a cockpit instrument (Aviation)
 * Bell AH-1 Cobra, a model of attack helicopter
 * Boeing AH-64 Apache, a model of attack helicopter

Computing

 * AH register, the high byte of an X86 16-bit AX register
 * Authentication Header (AH), a part of the IPsec protocol suite

Disease, ventilation and electricity

 * Adenomatous hyperplasia; see endometrial adenomatous hyperplasia and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia
 * Air handler, or air handling unit (AHU), a device used to condition and circulate air
 * Ampere hour, a unit of electric charge

Other fields

 * Aegyptiaca Helvetica, an archaeological journal published by Schwabe (publisher)
 * Ah (digraph), a digraph used in Taa language orthography
 * Albert Heijn, a Dutch supermarket chain owned by Ahold
 * Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal, the Constitution Protection Office, a Hungarian intelligence agency
 * Asian Highway Network, a project among countries in Asia and Europe to improve the highway systems in Asia
 * A US Navy hull classification symbol: Hospital ship (AH)

title: AH


text:
BH

BH, Bh or bh may refer to:

Medicine

 * Bernard-Horner syndrome, a combination of symptoms that arises when a group of nerves known as the sympathetic trunk is damaged
 * Borderline hypertensive, an American medical classification for cases where a person's blood pressure is elevated above normal, but not to the level considered hypertension
 * Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, a state characterised by easily triggered bronchospasm
 * Bundle of His, collection of heart muscle cells specialized for electrical conduction

Science and technology

 * BH register, in computer architectures
 * Bohrium, symbol Bh, a chemical element
 * Boron monohydride, chemical formula BH, a chemical compound
 * Black hole

Places

 * BH postcode area, a region in southern England served by Bournemouth postal sorting office
 * Bahrain (ISO 3166-1 country code BH)
 * .bh, the Internet country code top-level domain for Bahrain
 * Belize's WMO and obsolete NATO country code digram
 * Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil
 * Beverly Hills, a city in Los Angeles County, California, US
 * Bosnia and Herzegovina (reporting mark BiH or B&H)
 * Bihor County, Romania
 * Bihar, a state of India

Businesses

 * BH (newspaper), Malaysian newspaper
 * B&H Rail (reporting mark BH)
 * Beistegui Hermanos, a Spanish bicycle manufacturer
 * Hawkair (IATA airline code BH)

Religion

 * B'ezrat hashem or B"H, Hebrew for "with God's help"
 * Brotherhood of Hope, a Catholic association of the faithful
 * Before Hijra, years before the epoch of the Islamic calendar

Other uses

 * bh (digraph), a digraph in some writing systems
 * .bh, the Internet country code top-level domain for Bahrain
 * Bihari languages, a group of languages (ISO 639-1 language code bh)
 * Broadcasting House (radio programme)
 * Before Hijra, years before the epoch of the Islamic calendar

title: BH


text:
Kinglake National Park

The Kinglake National Park is a national park in Central Victoria, Australia. The 23210 ha national park is situated 50 km northeast of Melbourne and includes tracks (some with wheelchair access), and camping facilities.

The national park includes Masons Falls, a picnic area with falls and natural flora. Layered sediment forms the valley, containing fossils from when the area was once covered by the sea. Natural fauna includes wallaby, kangaroo, wombat, possum and echidna. It also includes varieties of birds including cockatoos (sulphur-crested, black and red-headed), king parrots, the rosella and the lyrebird.

Prior to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, the park was renowned for being home to the tallest tree in Victoria. The specimen of Eucalyptus regnans (mountain ash) stood 91.6 m tall in 2002 and was suspected to have originated after the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires. It was located in the Wallaby Creek closed catchment area in the north-west regions of the park.

History
The area was logged in the early part of the 20th century, and some remnants of logging remain (such as scars on some trees and a sawdust dump).

In January 2006, parts of the park to the north of the township were devastated by a bushfire started by lightning during a severe thunderstorm. The blaze threatened to engulf the town, advancing to within a few hundred metres of the northern fringe. The town was saved by further thunderstorms, along with Country Fire Authority volunteers. In 2009 98% of the national park was severely burnt by the devastating Black Saturday bushfires. Much of the town of Kinglake was destroyed and nearly a hundred people died. As of 2010, rehabilitation work is continuing and sections of the park are gradually being reopened.

Books on Kinglake National Park
Stewart, Kath and Hawkins, Deidre Living with Fire: A brief history of fires in the Kinglake Ranges, Kinglake, Vic. Kinglake Historical Society ISBN 9780987121783

title: Kinglake National Park


text:
Lake Eildon National Park

The Lake Eildon National Park is a national park in the Central Highlands region of Victoria, Australia. The 27750 ha national park is set in the northern foothills of the Central Highlands, approximately 111 km northeast of Melbourne and abuts the shores of Lake Eildon.

History
The Goulburn River Valley supported a population of hundreds of members of the Aboriginal Australian group known as the Taungurung people. Cultural sites belonging to these people would have been flooded with the creation of Lake Eildon.

The park includes a number of mine shafts related to Victoria's gold rush of the 1860s. The park also contains relics from early pastoral use.

In the 1950s, the Victorian Government purchased farming properties along the Goulburn and Delatite rivers for the construction of Lake Eildon to provide irrigation water for the Goulburn Valley. An area of 2670 ha that wasn't flooded was declared Fraser National Park in 1957. An area of 24000 ha of state forest adjacent to the lake was reserved as Eildon State Park in 1980 to protect the catchment of Lake Eildon. In 1997, the two parks were combined to create Lake Eildon National Park.

Geology
The park is mountainous, with peaks up to 900 m, and includes the edge of the Cerberean Caldera, a Supervolcano around 27 km across which was active around 380 million years ago. The caldera is evident in a few places as granite outcrops. It is thought that the Cerberean Caldera underwent a super eruption 374 Mya, which in turn would have contributed to the Late Devonian extinction event.

Gold Mining
The national park contains many shallow gold diggings, shafts and adits.

The most notable in the Fraser block are those of Italian Gully, originally worked in the 1870's and then again in the 1930's.

Flora and Fauna
The park's vegetation is generally dry, open eucalypt forest with areas of riparian forest and montane forest. Main eucalypt species are stringybarks, peppermints, Red Box and Candlebark with areas of Mountain Ash and Blue Gum.

The park's known native fauna includes 34 species of mammals, 89 birds, 17 reptiles, 10 amphibians, and three freshwater fish. Threatened fauna recorded in the park include the Brush-tailed Phascogale and Spotted Tree-Frog. Eastern Grey Kangaroos are very common in the park's camping places

After being hunted to extinction for their skins, in 1967 25 Koalas were reintroduced to the park from Phillip Island and released in the Devils Cove area.

Sambar Deer are also found throughout the park.

Cultural Sites
There are numerous cultural sites in the National Park, demonstrating the areas past use for grazing and mining.

One of these is Stone's Outstation, located on Station Creek near Aird Inlet.

Location
Lake Eildon National Park is non-contiguous and consists of five 'blocks' merged together in June 1997 to create a single national park. They are:

From the former Eildon State Park: From the former Fraser National Park:
 * Enterprise - located in the centre of Lake Eildon itself.
 * Jamieson - located on the eastern side of the national park adjacent to the township of Jamieson.
 * Jerusalem - located on the southern of the national park, named for Jerusalem Creek. It contains Jerusalem Creek camping area with pit toilets as well as O’Toole Flat and Taylors Creek which are nominally designated for deer hunters.
 * Fraser - located on the western side of the national park, named for the former park. It is the most developed and contains three camping areas; Lakeside, Candlebark and Devil Cove, all of which feature flushing toilets, hot showers, drinking water and gas BBQs.
 * Wappan - located on the north west side. It is the least developed with no public vehicle access.

Visitors
Most visitors use the park as a base for water-based activities on Lake Eildon, such as power boating and water ski-ing. Deer hunting is permitted in season in some sections of the park.

Mountaineer Inlet Boat Camp has no vehicle access and is for use for boaters and hikers only.

title: Lake Eildon National Park


text:
Lind National Park

The Lind National Park is a national park in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 1370 ha national park is situated approximately 419 km east of Melbourne, adjacent to the Princes Highway between Orbost and.

title: Lind National Park


text:
Lower Glenelg National Park

The Lower Glenelg National Park is a national park in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The 27300 ha national park is situated approximately 323 km west of Melbourne. The major features of the park are the Glenelg River gorge and the Princess Margaret Rose Cave. Much of the route of the Great South West Walk is located within the national park.

The park abuts the Cobboboonee National Park in the east and the Lower Glenelg River Conservation Park across the border with  South Australia in the west. To the south lies the Discovery Bay Coastal Park which is adjacent to the Southern Ocean.

Land within the national park, the Discovery Bay Coastal Park and the Nelson Streamside Reserve was listed as a Ramsar site known as the Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay Ramsar Site on 28 February 2018.

title: Lower Glenelg National Park


text:
Mitchell River National Park (Victoria)

The Mitchell River National Park is a national park located in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 14250 ha national park is situated approximately 320 km east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway, and approximately 25 km northwest of Bairnsdale. The northern portion of the park may be accessed via.

Mitchell River
The park's central feature is the Mitchell River, which is the largest unregulated river in Victoria and provides a unique example of riparian ecology.

According to a Land Conservation Council Rivers & Streams Special Investigation completed in 1990, "It is an important example of the large-scale biological systems that were once widespread in south-eastern Australia." In 1992 the Mitchell River was listed as a Heritage River.

The park
The national park surrounds the spectacular Mitchell River where it has cut its way through rock strata creating high cliffs and several gorges. The park originated as the Glenaladale National Park in 1963 following a donation of 163 ha of land from Australian Paper Manufacturers Ltd. An addition of 112.7 ha was made in 1986 at which time the name was changed to the Mitchell River National Park. The park was further extended in 2003 by 2375 ha to bring the total area to 14250 ha.

In some of the gorges are found remnants of warm-temperate rainforest, the southernmost occurrence of this type of forest in the world. It can survive here as the steep walls of the gorges protect it from the annual drying summer winds and the bushfires that occasionally rage through the area.

There are recorded sightings of more than 150 bird species and 25 mammal species in the park. Vegetation in the park includes papery-barked kanooka trees, lilly-pillys, muttonwoods, ferns, mosses, vines, and lianas. In the drier areas, typical Australian species such as wattle and eucalypt dominate.

The Mitchell River was an important location to the Gunai/Kurnai nation, especially the Brabuwooloong and the Brayakuloong people of central Gippsland. One of the features of the park is the Den of Nargun mentioned in Aboriginal legends.

Gold was discovered in the area in 1857. Alluvial fields along the Mitchell River and its tributaries were worked into the early twentieth century, while there was also some reef mining from the 1860s. Later use by Europeans mainly involved timber and farming.

Den of Nargun
According to Gunai tribal legends, the Nargun is a fierce half-human half-stone creature that lived in the den, a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall. The Den of Nargun is found on Woolshed Creek, a small tributary of the Mitchell River, about 1 km upstream from where the creek joins the river. In the legend the Nargun would abduct children who visited the rockpool. It was said the Nargun could not be harmed with boomerangs or spears, as they would be reflected back to the thrower.

The Den of Nargun was considered a special place for women of the Gunai tribe, being used for women's initiation and learning ceremonies. Thus the stories would have served the purpose of keeping children away from the sacred area, as well as keeping them near the campsite. The den was once rimmed with stalactites, but unfortunately these have been broken off as souvenirs by visitors over the years. A similar, though less well known site, called Deadcock Den is situated on Woolshed Creek downstream from the Den of Nargun, only about 200 m from where it joins the Mitchell River. This site was also of great cultural significance to the Gunai people, in particular the women.

title: Mitchell River National Park (Victoria)


text:
Mornington Peninsula National Park

The Mornington Peninsula National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria, Australia. The 2686 ha national park is situated approximately 90 km south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula.

Together with the adjacent Arthurs Seat State Park, the national park was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate, in recognition of their outstanding values and their importance as part of the protected area's heritage.

Features
The Coast Walk, a two-day 30 km walking track from Cape Schanck to London Bridge takes in almost the entire coastline of the national park. The walk features a network of cliff top tracks with spectacular ocean views and dense coastal vegetation, as well as sections of long beach walks which pass by sculpted sand dunes and tidal rock pools. The Farnsworth Track links Portsea Surf Beach with London Bridge and is 2 km in length. The Coppins Track is a 3 km return walking track from Sorrento Ocean Beach to Diamond Bay. The Cape Schanck Lighthouse and associated buildings were constructed from 1859 and are excellent example of the architecture of the day.

Situated between Arthurs Seat and Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula, Greens Bush is the largest remnant of bushland on the Peninsula. Surrounded by farmland, the area contains a variety of vegetation communities, making it a wildlife haven and excellent place for nature walking.

Horse riding is a popular activity in parts of the national park, with access from the national park entrance station near Gunnamatta and also near. Dog walking is also permitted in certain parts of beachland within the park, within certain hours; with dogs required to be kept on a leash.

title: Mornington Peninsula National Park


text:
Morwell National Park

The Morwell National Park is a national park located in the western Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 565 ha national park is situated approximately 164 km east of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and 16 km south of Morwell in the Strzelecki Ranges. The park preserves a remnant of previously widespread wet sclerophyll forests and some rainforest remnants restricted to deep creek gullies. 320 plant species have been recorded for this park, including five rare or threatened species and 44 orchid species. 129 native fauna species have been recorded, including 19 mammals, 96 birds, 11 reptiles and three amphibians.

Weeds and pest animals represent a threat to the park, particularly because of its small size.

The park was created by a 1967 Act of Parliament, in response to lobbying from members of the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club. Club members had recognised the ecological significance of the land in the early 1950s after finding butterfly orchid (Sarcochilus australis), as well as other notable species of flora and fauna''. ''

The national park is protected by the local conservation society, the Friends of Morwell National Park.

title: Morwell National Park