SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

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I have decided to plunge into SC4 MD-ing again and, while this is likely to be slow in its development and initially rough around the edges, now is as good a time as any to start showcasing the progress!

The MD will be a 'realistic', natural growth project (i.e. no RCI ploppables other than earned rewards) on a modified version of the NHP Jacksonville Metro map (original available here (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/23022-nhp-jacksonville-florida-by-blade2k5/) [ST]) by blade2k5. The region is 10 x 10 large tiles in size.

I use the following terrain and tree controller mods:

• a modified version of CP's Meadowshire Terrain Mod (original here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=58));
  
• the original version of the SHK Peg Brigantine HD watermod (here (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/27272-shk-brigantine-20/) [ST]);
  
• the HD riverside beachmod by Marsh (here (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/26517-riverside-beach-mod/) [ST]);
  
• dogfight's Dark Limestone Rock Mod (here (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/19057-rock-mods-by-dogfight/)) [ST] and
  
• The seasonal god mode tree controller by Vortext (here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2959)).

The development of the region is progressing quite well, but I'm a little stuck on names and am accordingly putting out a 'call for proposals'!  :)

I'd really appreciate your input in this regard as I'm a little lacking in the creativity department when it comes to naming things (other than dogs, it would seem).

In particular, if you can come up with and submit names for the ten islands in the main river on this map (click for larger resolution):


The context within which they appear are depicted below (click for larger resolution):


They lie in the river delta area and will mostly remain undeveloped conservation / preservation areas.

I'd also appreciate it if you'd submit proposals for the water features A - H (rivers, bays, inlets, lagoons, etc.)

A: The main river
B: A minor tributary
C: A lagoon / bay
D: A bay (and likely location of a naval base)
E: A minor tributary
F: A minor tributary
G: A bay (and likely location for the main harbour / port)
H: A minor tributary with a lagoon

I look forward to your input / proposals and to sharing this journey with you all!

Thanks for reading!

M

Great start! Good choice of terrain and water mod! haste to see some more  :)

Nice start!

For the naming I would suggest: first choose the language of your people (you do not need to be able to communicate in that language yourself), then take a real map of the world, find a country in which they do speak that language and search for existing historic names. Surely this will give you a hodgepodge of older and newer, more and less appropriate names, but it will give you a better result than thinking of the names yourself. I guess.

This is a nice start indeed!  :thumbsup:

As for naming, I'm really bad at coming up with names as well so I've got no direct contribution. However, I can point you to some of my favorite name generators:

Donjon (http://donjon.bin.sh/name), you can set era / location in the first dropdown menu, then select town names in the second.

Mithril and Mages (http://www.mithrilandmages.com/), lots of specific options (e.g. natural features, manmade features, street names) and datasets to choose from.

Fantasy Name Generators (http://fantasynamegenerators.com/), though it has lots of different generators the names tend to be bit of a hit and miss imho.

Also, I'm curious how you're gonna deal with diagonals as you said no RCI ploppables. .  ::)

Looking forward to more!  :thumbsup:

Today we visit Bradley, where Europeans first came ashore in this uncharted territory.

The inhabitants, lacking in creativity after months at sea, wanted to call the new settlement "Landing" because, well, it was the site of their landing.

However, after a full day's worth of discussion the residents of the little coastal hamlet settled on Bradley, for two reasons: first, because the meaning of Bradley - "broad clearing" in Old English - was deemed fitting; but also because village elder who took charge of the affairs of the settlement hailed from Bradley, Lincolnshire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley,_Lincolnshire).

Thus, it was settled, and this is what would eventually become what is now known as Old Town in Bradley:


The scene above features the once bustling port of Bradley on Beach Road, which has since been replaced by far bigger and more modern facilities elsewhere in the region and now, alongside the beautiful beaches, fulfils a largely recreational purpose.

Curving out and up from Beach Road is Main Street, lined by the Bradley Town Hall, the St. George Post Office, the local primary school, district hospital and the Bradley Halt (which features the railway station and bus stop):


Main Street viewed from this direction features the St George's Post Office complex (top left) and the Bradley Town Hall (off centre) on the Bradley Square along Strand Street.


Running north-south from Main Street, and parallel with the beach, is Strand Street, which features a number of historic residential and commercial row houses.

Some of these have been demolished to make way for more modern incarnations, but recent developments in the sleepy town have brought a grinding halt to that... but more about that later...


A closer look at the historic buildings lining Strand Street, starting with the six properties occupied by the Royal Strand Hotel on the far left, followed by more recent commercial developments to its right.


These more contemporary commercial properties were, initially, hardly contentious and were welcomed by townsfolk as a sign of renewed interest in the future of Bradley.

Little did they know that within a few years the attention of more colourful investors would be focused on the once tranquil bedroom community, bringing with them Pizza Hut, Chuck-e-Cheese and the cultural aspects accompanying that lifestyle.

These colourful establishments quickly set up shop on Main Road next to the District Hospital and across the road from the Post Office. Townsfolk were surprised when, what they understood would be "commercial establishments serving food", turned out this colourful a scar on their once historic neighbourhood.


Something had to be done, and so the Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Bradley was formed by a group of local busybodies well-to-do citizens...

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I hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks for reading! Until next time!  ;D

M

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Quote from: warconstruct on April 16, 2014, 01:25:20 AM
Great start! Good choice of terrain and water mod! haste to see some more  :)

Thank you! And thank you for stopping by in commenting! ()stsfd()

Quote from: FrankU on April 16, 2014, 02:33:54 AM
Nice start!

For the naming I would suggest: first choose the language of your people (you do not need to be able to communicate in that language yourself), then take a real map of the world, find a country in which they do speak that language and search for existing historic names. Surely this will give you a hodgepodge of older and newer, more and less appropriate names, but it will give you a better result than thinking of the names yourself. I guess.

Thank you for the comment and sound advice! The heritage of the area is European (predominantly British, French, German and Dutch) and the major themes in its development is Freedom, Equality and Dignity, but that will become more apparent as we progress.

Thanks for the help in shaping my thoughts and getting greater clarity!  :thumbsup:

Quote from: vortext on April 16, 2014, 04:13:10 AM
This is a nice start indeed!  :thumbsup:

As for naming, I'm really bad at coming up with names as well so I've got no direct contribution. However, I can point you to some of my favorite name generators:

Donjon (http://donjon.bin.sh/name), you can set era / location in the first dropdown menu, then select town names in the second.

Mithril and Mages (http://www.mithrilandmages.com/), lots of specific options (e.g. natural features, manmade features, street names) and datasets to choose from.

Fantasy Name Generators (http://fantasynamegenerators.com/), though it has lots of different generators the names tend to be bit of a hit and miss imho.

Also, I'm curious how you're gonna deal with diagonals as you said no RCI ploppables. .  ::)

Looking forward to more!  :thumbsup:

Those are all really great and useful, thank you very much!  ;D :thumbsup:

As for diagonals, well, I haven't had much need for them, yet... but you have me thinking - and worried - now!   ??? :P

But I may have a few tricks up my sleeve, I hope...  :D

Nice work with the first settlement. I like the selection of buildings :thumbsup:

Nice little town, with everything on its place (even parkings squares, and small parks) and with interesting history. Was pleasure to read it. I like the beach on the backyards, but I wonder, why the Strand Street has the historical tenements just on the one side? :)

Oooh, a new MD made by M.... uhmm

Nice first update, love the picture with the rowhouses on strand street. Neat region too. :)

When we left Bradley earlier (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16481.msg479781#msg479781) a group of well-to-do busybodies had created the Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Bradley to bring back some of the town's old world charm.

As the ringleader of the Society soon discovered, it's not as easy as snapping your fingers and remodelling and entire town. Well, that's not entirely true. It does help to have friends in high places, or in the case of Alberta Ross, to be married to one.

Mrs Ross - affectionately (or rather, behind her back) known as "The Albatross" - is married to a the Congressman representing the District which includes Bradley. The Albatross got her nickname because crossing paths (or swords) with her could be good luck, a burden, or a curse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatross_(metaphor)), depending on which way the wind blows or her whims go.

Mrs Ross was quite a burden, and she persisted until she got what she wanted, and in this case, it was in with the old, and out with the new.

The dedication, fierce commitment and undying passion with which Mrs Ross tackled this task partly had to do with her rather conservative outlook on life, but was more because from where she was living in Prestondale, the lights, noise, and sometimes smells, of Chuck-e-Cheese and Pizza Hut (not to mention the unsavoury characters it came packaged with), offended her sensibilities.

Here is the leafy (and exclusive) suburb of Prestondale, bordered to the west by Bradley High and the northern end of Strand Street, and with Newtown to the east (but more about that later).


Before we get sidetracked, let's have a quick look at the transformation of the historic old town of Bradley, located on Bradley Square on the intersection of Main and Strand Streets.

Approaching from The Bay in the south and passing through the suburb of Bayview, I'm sure you'll agree that the transformation is quite remarkable:


The efforts - and connections - of Mrs Ross clearly paid off, and with the firm backing (and money) of the Bradley Chamber of Commerce, and a little help from above (more precisely, the backing of the Anglican Church), the face of Bradley Square and the Waterfront changed dramatically.

First on the agenda was the return of the Anglican Church of St George on Main, opposite the St George's Post Office. The church, along with surrounding buildings, burned down a few decades ago and was never rebuilt due to the church's lack of funds. The piece of land was subsequently bought by the aforementioned fast food establishments.

But Mrs Ross soon had her way (as is usually the case) and the Church was back in all its glory!


The old St George's Mall running south from the Church and east of Bradley Square was also reestablished. This increased access to Regency Park to the East, which was subsequently also renovated and expanded:


The Albatross delighted in visiting her new old Church in the evenings with her husband and dining in the Square afterwards.


And it's not difficult to see why, Regency Park and the new Old Bradley Square was really something magical at night:


The restoration project could not survive as a charity alone, and it quickly turned into a full scale development project that saw the sleepy hollow turn into a viable and vibrant seaside resort town with high end retail outlets and fine dining.

This was quite apparent during the day, as this aerial view of Bradley Square and Regency Park shows:


The new Old Bradley Square boasted the legendary Christmas Market from Mrs Ross's childhood days, and quaint corner shops and pubs added to the general hustle and bustle of the heart of Bradley.


The Christmas Market was a popular attraction during the festive season and families spent many a day, and many a night, frequenting the stalls, halls and malls of Bradley Square.


Malls? Yes, beyond the inexplicable urge to rhyme, there is in fact a Bradley Square Mall.

If you were wondering what happened to the fast food joints, this will answer that question too. You see, they went underground. Literally.

Many a staircase on and around the Square grant access to the subterranean wonders that lurk below ground, including, but not limited to, the (fast) food court and parking.

The Society thought of everything from corporate buy in to heavenly blessing. Well, everything except parking. One can forgive this minor oversight given that the members of this Society never had to worry about it themselves. That is one of the many conviences that comes with being driven around.

Fortunately, the underground parking proposal also provided an opportunity for the capitalist class to rub even more coins together and the underground mall and fast food court was born.

Here we see one of the two entrances to the parking and the many staircases in the area:


Here we also see that the good will and financial backing of big business came at a cost: they needed modern office space, and Mrs Ross's desire for a blast to the past had to be slightly adjusted to accommodate money a diverse set of clientèle.

There was also a visible impact on the Bradley Beach and Waterfront, beyond simply popularising it as a recreation destination.


Bradley Beach soon became a popular surfing destination and this attracted all the beautiful people.


Bradley Beach and Waterfront is ideally located along Strand Street a stone's throw from Bradley Square and easily accessible via the Bradley Halt Railway Station and Bus Stop.


And for those who preferred the quieter life, there was also the Strand Street Market, a popular Sunday morning destination with locals and visitors alike.


We finally leave Bradley again heading south over Bayview from Bradley Square and Regency Park, back the way we came.


Next time our journey takes us north and north west of Bradley, we're we'll discover the broader ramifications of The Albatross and her path of destruction. Okay, it's not as dramatic as it sounds, but bear with me!

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Quote from: Kergelen on April 19, 2014, 09:50:25 AM
Nice work with the first settlement. I like the selection of buildings :thumbsup:

Thank you! And thanks for stopping by! ;D

Quote from: kbieniu7 on April 20, 2014, 02:22:47 AM
Nice little town, with everything on its place (even parkings squares, and small parks) and with interesting history. Was pleasure to read it. I like the beach on the backyards, but I wonder, why the Strand Street has the historical tenements just on the one side? :)

Now that is an interesting question... with an equally interesting answer (that I totally just made up)! &idea

Bradley was initially an agrarian settler town and vast tracts of land was allocated to the first families to arrive. The main purpose of this - as we'll see in subsequent updates - was to provide the ever increasing flow of new residents with fresh fruit and vegetables.

However, as Bradley became a new commercial hub, land value skyrocketed and available land became scarce. Many of the old farms around Bradley Square subdivided into smaller properties, and some even densified. But the Bradley Town Council discovered that they could sell of the narrow strip of available land along Strand Street and on the Waterfront for a great sum of money, which they did, and that is how the very dense Strand Street Strip came to be! ;D

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed this week's add on to the story too! :thumbsup:

Quote from: art128 on April 21, 2014, 08:33:30 AM
Oooh, a new MD made by M.... uhmm

Nice first update, love the picture with the rowhouses on strand street. Neat region too. :)

Thank you! I hope you like the latest installment of row houses and shops too! ;D

Love it :)
Great stuff.
What is the sidewalk mod that you are using?

Nice! &apls

The development of the new old town around Bradley Square - as seen in our previous visit to the town - was soon matched with work in what would become the new new town, or, quite simply, Newtown.

Newtown is, quite literally, an attempt at establishing a new town centre north east of the old one and east of Prestondale - the leafy suburb where Mrs Ross resides.

The area soon became synonymous with the Newtown Blues - not to be confused with the soccer / football club - for the failed attempt that it was in the end, and the disappointment and sorrow that followed.


The concept attracted sufficient interest - and investment - but the expansion possibilities soon proved to be limited: Prestondale - home to the aforementioned Albatross - was not going to move (or tolerate any further intrusion into its leafy haven).

Newtown was also on the wrong side of the railway tracks. Literally. The railway hemmed it in and limited road access, soon decreasing its foot traffic and attractiveness.

Nonetheless, it became the home of jazz, big band and swing which attracted a diverse crowd to the area at night.


The Meyer's Park and Pond - a local bird sanctuary east of Newtown - also made expansion possibilities very difficult.

Apart from ornithologists, birdwatchers and amphibian enthusiasts, Meyer's Park was not particularly loved by locals. But, it was forced upon Bradley due to it being the home of an endemic toad species and the similarly endemic heron species that fed on said toads. Thus, to protect and preserve these two icons of Bradley, the pond was declared a protected area.


In the end Newtown was limited to the area between Newtown Junction - the circle in Prestondale Road, which runs east-west north of Newtown, Meyer's Park, the railway and Prestondale.

Alternative options had to be explored, and they were. But, more about that next time!

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Quote from: Egi on April 22, 2014, 08:51:26 AM
Love it :)
Great stuff.
What is the sidewalk mod that you are using?

It is the SMP Sandstone Sidewalk Replacement Mod. I PMed you the details.  ;D Thanks for your comment and feedback!  :thumbsup: ()stsfd()

Quote from: Gugu3 on April 23, 2014, 01:46:59 AM
Nice! &apls

Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!  ()stsfd()

Glad to see you started an MD! This is awesome work  &apls  You do a fantastic job with the storyline and have really done some nice city building.  Looking forward to seeing where this goes :)

The Christmas market was really nice. Newtown look like a cool place to live in.

This is spectacular!  &apls It truly resembles a small American town. Great job so far!!

Great update.

... and good to see one of my trains running... :)

Nice updates indeed, great little town you got going!  :D  :thumbsup:

As Arthur said the market is nicely done, snugly tucked in between development. The pond is also nice, though it could've done with an actual heron (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/26806-vip-ruralpack/).  ;)

The towne thou hath there is great :)

The restoration from previous update seems to be an excellent miracle, but would it be possible in real life? :)

Our business is not quite done in the seaside resort town of Bradley.

We finally leave Meyer's Pond, quite satisfied with our sighting of not one, but three, rare herons (and a long abandoned row boat)! Can you spot them all?


We head to North Beach, on the northern end of Strand Street to take in the late afternoon sun and views over the great river.


Turning right into Prestondale Road, we pull up in the driveway of the stately home of Congressman Ross and his wife Alberta (the one with the swimming pool), where we will spend the night.

The next morning we are joined by Congressman Wayne Ross - also known as Double Cross Ross - a nickname unbefitting a man known widely for his squeaky clean politics and business.

We travel to Ocean View - a Wayne Ross Development - to discuss a business proposal.

Our journey takes us east on Prestondale Road, past the Bradley Police Station, through Newtown Junction and past Meyer's Pond and Park.

After we cross the railway tracks we turn left onto Main Road and head to Reef Road in Ocean View, right on the beach. More about the full journey along Main Road next time!

For now we've arrived at our destination - Ocean View - where we will spend the day discussing business with Double Cross Congressman Ross in Prestwich Manor (the one with the pink flowers and cypresses on Reef Road).

Let us not bore you with the details - yet! Go and enjoy the sun, sand and scuba diving offered on the Gold Coast! (Mind the sharks though, they don't bite, but they are very curious!)

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Quote from: noahclem on April 25, 2014, 01:56:06 AM
Glad to see you started an MD! This is awesome work  &apls  You do a fantastic job with the storyline and have really done some nice city building.  Looking forward to seeing where this goes :)

Thank you very much! The story was really not intended to accompany the MD, but it sort of developed naturally from the second entry and, well, it's managed to get stuck, for the better, I think :)

Thanks for stopping by!  ;D

Quote from: art128 on April 25, 2014, 07:42:29 AM
The Christmas market was really nice. Newtown look like a cool place to live in.

I personally prefer Newtown for the music, but would much rather live in Bradley Heights... or Ocean View  ;) But more about that later  %wrd

Quote from: cmdp123789 on April 25, 2014, 10:36:49 AM
This is spectacular!  &apls It truly resembles a small American town. Great job so far!!

Thank you! I guess I'm going for a bit of a mix here, combining my experience of South Africa, the United States and the old British colonies more generally :) So, I hope it will also, eventually, maybe have an English / British feel to it!

Thanks for the comments and for visiting!  ;D

Quote from: vester on April 26, 2014, 06:05:56 AM
Great update.

... and good to see one of my trains running... :)

I LOVE your train and love seeing it zipping up and down throughout the region! I almost love it as much as the real one! ;) Thank you very much again!  ;D ()flower()

Quote from: vortext on April 26, 2014, 06:29:22 AM
Nice updates indeed, great little town you got going!  :D  :thumbsup:

As Arthur said the market is nicely done, snugly tucked in between development. The pond is also nice, though it could've done with an actual heron (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/26806-vip-ruralpack/).  ;)

Well what do you know!  &idea The rare heron was indeed spotted, as you no doubt saw above!  ;D They must not like winter, not unlike me :P

I had them in my plugins but, because I made the bit about the toad and the heron (sounds like a good children's story, don't you think?) up as I went along I never actually thought of adding them! Thanks for spotting that! And thanks of the comment!  ;D

Quote from: Flatron on April 26, 2014, 08:28:52 AM
The towne thou hath there is great :)

Thank you kindly!  ;D

Quote from: kbieniu7 on April 26, 2014, 09:40:29 AM
The restoration from previous update seems to be an excellent miracle, but would it be possible in real life? :)

Well, unlike Rome, Bradley was in fact (re)built in a day!  $%Grinno$% Okay, not quite... it took three days, but hey! Who's counting?  ::) To be more precise, it took close to seventy game years to get that kind of feel to grow naturally... exhausting work  :-[

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I've visited your MD many times by now and it is just getting better and better (good enough, that is, to finally pull me out of lurkerdom!) From the way everything fits so seemlessly together, I guess much of it is your own mods, isn't it, or are you just very, very good at finding the right mod for the right place? Wonderful, absolutely wonderful feeling in the city anyhow! 
&apls &apls

Nice little town!  The water looks inviting for a scuba dive, but I think I'll keep my distance from the sharks, thank you :D

As I stumble back into quasi-activity this is a golden find. Every detail seems to be covered meticulously while, like the name implies, appearing to have grown naturally.

Great work, M. I'll keep watching.

The beautiful view of the promenade and beach from Prestwich Manor made it very difficult to waste the spectacular sunset by staying indoors.

A short stroll down the promenade led to the discovery of a campsite where a group of teenagers were spending their spring break. They came to Ocean View for the scuba diving and shark spotting, but couldn't really afford the luxurious accommodation offered on the promenade.


New friends were soon made and dusk would soon turn into dawn if the the return journey to Prestwich Manor wasn't made soon!


It was indeed a beautiful evening, and Ocean View and surrounds was definitely a place anyone could fall in love with.


If there was any doubt about the beauty of Ocean View, the next morning cemented a growing love for this corner of Bradley.


The ocean was teeming life just off shore and the corals were a sight to behold.


The shipwreck just off the coast was a favourite spot for divers.


And, of course, the friendly sharks of Ocean View was one of the main attractions!


Given all these distractions it is not surprising that the business that brought us to Ocean View is almost forgotten!

A brisk walk back up the promenade takes us there...


...but first, a quick brunch at Papa's on the Promenade! The green roofed icon at the bend of Reef Road is an icon, nay, an establishment of great repute in Ocean View (and an even greater and more interesting history).


You have by now surely noticed the Main Road and Ocean View Central Business District, but also the brown monstrosity known as "The Projects" next to Papa's.

The brown towers lining Reef Road were built during the post-war welfare state experiments as council flats to house the less fortunate. It seems very generous, but the reality is that Ocean View was a mosquito infested swampy morass before the big hearted Congressman Ross discovered it.

The bulldozers and money of Wayne Ross Developments moved in, and with it came condos and skyrocketing land values. Well, almost skyrocketing land values. This was currently being, well, held back a little by the interesting characters of The Projects featuring on the Ocean View skyline.

We think it adds a certain cosmopolitan charm to night-time skyline, but the moneyed class clearly disagrees...


This is where the business proposal of Congressman "Double Cross" Ross comes in...

Mr Ross has found a way to make the towers magically disappear, and with it, the woes of aforementioned moneyed class.

A committee of the House has been briefed on (imagined and invented) problems with the foundation and underlying rock formations of The Projects. With a committed investor, Mr Ross can set the process in motion and soon have an open piece of land on the Ocean View foreshore ripe for development - and for more genteel folk to move in.

Naturally our conscience and concerns for residents of The Projects would never allow such an appalling proposal to go ahead, let alone would we buy into it.

Unfortunately, Mr Ross is an influential man, and we can't just blow him off. We need time.

Before we can commit, we tell the Congressman, we'd like to make doubly sure that Bradley is a sound investment.

We take a quick tour of Bradley Industrial - east of Meyer's Pond - which, apart from the fish farm, is mainly a logistics and shipping centre catering for the growing consumer class in the former small coastal resort town.


We also take a look at Bradley Heights north of Prestondale and Bradley Square. The green lungs of Bradley forms a buffer between farm country to the north and the commercial heart of the town.


We conclude that Bradley is a real gem, a worthy investment, and a great place to be...



... which is all the more reason to ensure that it is enjoyed by and preserved for people from all walks of life.

How we will save The Projects without getting on the wrong side - or in the legendary Big Black Book - of Congressman Ross will be the main challenge...

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Quote from: Themistokles on April 27, 2014, 10:17:47 AM
I've visited your MD many times by now and it is just getting better and better (good enough, that is, to finally pull me out of lurkerdom!) From the way everything fits so seemlessly together, I guess much of it is your own mods, isn't it, or are you just very, very good at finding the right mod for the right place? Wonderful, absolutely wonderful feeling in the city anyhow! 
&apls &apls

Wow! That is a great compliment! Thank you very much!  ;D ()stsfd()

I use a lot of the content as is, but make extensive use of texture replacement 'mods' that I have made myself.

But it is a time intensive and painstaking process of making sure everything matches and fits in properly - even more so because I am quite the perfectionist!

Thanks again for your great compliment and comment! I really appreciate it and hope to see you around these parts again soon!  ;D

Quote from: c.p. on April 27, 2014, 10:07:44 PM
Nice little town!  The water looks inviting for a scuba dive, but I think I'll keep my distance from the sharks, thank you :D

Thank you very much! And it is in no small part due to your amazing content! Thank you very much!  ()stsfd() ;D

The sharks really don't bite... unnecessarily ;)

Quote from: ecoba on April 27, 2014, 11:33:48 PM
As I stumble back into quasi-activity this is a golden find. Every detail seems to be covered meticulously while, like the name implies, appearing to have grown naturally.

Great work, M. I'll keep watching.

Thank you very much! And welcome back!  ;D As mentioned above, I am quite the perfectionist and I hope that shows! Hope to see you again soon over here, and thanks again for your great comment and compliment!  ;D

Thanks to all the readers, watchers, lurkers and commentators! Your continued feedback and engagement really inspires me to share my work. It's hugely satisfying watching it all develop in-game, but your feedback and support makes it worthwhile sharing that joy and work with the community!

Until next time!  :thumbsup:

M

Very nice :)

Gee, there's a lot of progress that you've made in here. The quality of the work is very high. I'm not sure I have the patience for the kind of development and detailing that you have here, so well done.

Also, where's the third heron? I can only find two.
EDIT: wait, is it in the tree? Cause then I spot not one but two heron-colored shapes... ???

Very nice work M! I like the way you're going with this MD and am excited to see what's next.

I need to stop lurking here now :angrymore:

Wow... I missed the last one..  &apls

It looks really good, and to be honest, I see what you mean by English town. When I said American little town, I probably meant little American as in a colonial town, which, it is basically an english looking town.

Now, what I like about the last update is the mix you used... I can see a beach town, I can see some sprawling.. I mean, wow.. and the building selection is superb!!!  &apls keep it up!

Let me start off with by wishing you all a Happy May Day! (Okay, it's a day late, but it's a public holiday here in South Africa, so I was busy with political activity ahead of our elections next week!)

When we last saw Bradley we were saying goodbye, but where are we heading, and what will we be doing on our way there, and when we eventually get there? And more importantly, where exactly were we?


Well, now you know! Okay, what I mean is, now you have a better idea of where Bradley is and what surrounds it... more or less...

A full update in due course, and possibly only after our elections on Wednesday!

Be sure to check out the previous update in the mean time and find out why we were leaving Bradley in such a rush! :thumbsup:

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Quote from: Terring7 on April 29, 2014, 04:09:47 AM
Very nice :)

Thank you!  ()stsfd()

Quote from: APSMS on April 29, 2014, 12:06:15 PM
Gee, there's a lot of progress that you've made in here. The quality of the work is very high. I'm not sure I have the patience for the kind of development and detailing that you have here, so well done.

Also, where's the third heron? I can only find two.
EDIT: wait, is it in the tree? Cause then I spot not one but two heron-colored shapes... ???

Thank you very much! It is an incredibly time consuming, sometimes frustrating and painful exercise, but very rewarding, eventually :P Thanks for the compliment!  ;D

The third heron is really only a white speck in the trees next to the lake (on the opposite shore 'between' the top heron and the abandoned boat)  :P

Quote from: sunv123 on April 29, 2014, 02:05:15 PM
Very nice work M! I like the way you're going with this MD and am excited to see what's next.

I need to stop lurking here now :angrymore:

Thank you very much! And thanks for making your presence known! Please do so more regularly, it's great to have you around!  ()stsfd() ;)

Quote from: cmdp123789 on April 29, 2014, 03:32:38 PM
Wow... I missed the last one..  &apls

It looks really good, and to be honest, I see what you mean by English town. When I said American little town, I probably meant little American as in a colonial town, which, it is basically an english looking town.

Now, what I like about the last update is the mix you used... I can see a beach town, I can see some sprawling.. I mean, wow.. and the building selection is superb!!!  &apls keep it up!

Thank you very much!  ;D

Sometimes I surprise myself because everything really does develop 'organically' or 'naturally' (whatever that really means in the context of a simulator like this!).

It is, however, greatly influenced by my experience and studies of developmental trends in South Africa, where we have an interesting spatial development history and expansive natural heritage to preserve. So I am very conscious of maintaining a lot of the 'natural' environment and overdoing it with trees! :P

Let's hope I can continue in this vein going ahead!

---

Until next time!  ;D

Love the overview in the last update. Such a nice place.

Looking forward to what you have for us outside of Bradley. :)

Beautiful work. I like your building's choice and your flora. Please continue in this way.  :thumbsup:

Well well, there's an airport and everything. Consider my curiosity piqued!  :D  :thumbsup:

You've had a great start to this MD - and this week you're all the way at the top of Ben's Top Ten - well done.

Nice work! I like what you have here. And congrats on BTT #1!

wonderful update and very beautiful city!  &apls

Wow! The first photo immediately caught my eye! Awesome! Ya, beautiful place to spend free time, such as public holiday  ::)
We had also the 1st May free. What is more, In Poland we had it even on the 3th May. A long weekend, I guess that, beaches and other touristic places were very crowded! :P

The view of the green lungs is beautiful. I love it! The great mix of greenery, small housing and fields - that's, what I really like! Bradley, especially with so interestingly written story seems to be great MD! Keep it going :thumbsup:

A quick update to commemorate a very significant development! The New Frontier bumped up to the top spot on Ben's Top Ten at SimCity 4 Devotion (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=14211.msg480258#msg480258)!  ;D

Thank you very much to everyone for your continued comments and support, and for reading and viewing my MD! I really appreciate it!

Now, on to the quick update...

---

Our journey north from Bradley takes us through the farm country, the proverbial bread basket of the region. But before we explore this area in great depth, we must make a pit stop in Benthurst, where a swim in the dam is a must for anyone passing through.

The village of Benhurst (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hurst?s=t), and the dam that carries this name, is named after Benedict, a great statistician who was among the first settlers in the area.


Benhurst Dam is to the south of Benhurst Village, which is located along the important regional route and railway through the area.


Here we see one of the freight trains heading to Bradley:


We'll spend the evening and the next day in Benhurst and surrounding area, but first, let's pull over and go swimming!

---

Quote from: art128 on May 02, 2014, 10:06:57 AM
Love the overview in the last update. Such a nice place.

Looking forward to what you have for us outside of Bradley. :)

Thank you!  ()stsfd() Do join us for a dip in the Benhurst Dam  ;D

Quote from: feyss on May 02, 2014, 11:14:20 AM
Beautiful work. I like your building's choice and your flora. Please continue in this way.  :thumbsup:

Thank you! And I sure will do!  ;D :thumbsup:

Quote from: vortext on May 02, 2014, 12:07:53 PM
Well well, there's an airport and everything. Consider my curiosity piqued!  :D  :thumbsup:

But will we ever get to the airport alive? Only time will tell...  :P

Quote from: benedict on May 03, 2014, 03:23:58 PM
You've had a great start to this MD - and this week you're all the way at the top of Ben's Top Ten - well done.

Thank you!  ;D &apls I hope you like Benhurst Dam, and will like the area even more as we explore it!

Thanks for all your great and hard work!  :thumbsup:

Quote from: Schulmanator on May 03, 2014, 07:12:29 PM
Nice work! I like what you have here. And congrats on BTT #1!

Thank you!  ;D

Quote from: warconstruct on May 03, 2014, 09:42:16 PM
wonderful update and very beautiful city!  &apls

Thank you very much! Much appreciated!  ;D ()stsfd()

Quote from: kbieniu7 on May 04, 2014, 02:32:13 AM
Wow! The first photo immediately caught my eye! Awesome! Ya, beautiful place to spend free time, such as public holiday  ::)

We had also the 1st May free. What is more, In Poland we had it even on the 3th May. A long weekend, I guess that, beaches and other touristic places were very crowded! :P

The view of the green lungs is beautiful. I love it! The great mix of greenery, small housing and fields - that's, what I really like! Bradley, especially with so interestingly written story seems to be great MD! Keep it going :thumbsup:

Thank you very much for the great comment and feedback!  ;D

Bradley was also overrun on Worker's Day / May Day, especially the beaches and shopping malls, as the rights of workers and the labour movement as a whole is also enthusiastically celebrated in the little town (and it is also a public holiday). Alas, they didn't get a long weekend unless they took leave...  ()sad()

Thanks for stopping by, and I'm very glad you enjoy the 'green lungs' and the story!  ;D

First time I have seen one of my freight engine in a MD :D

Very nice.  It's impressive how the fence separates the different ground textures, even around the curves.  Also, I really like the region view, and the zoomed out views of the previous updates, and especially, the campsite by the water &apls

Congrats on a job well done.

Finally, a lake you can swim in! You have no idea how frustrating it is when looking for summer vacation spots in California to run across a lake that will let you water ski, but not swim (???). Those are some nice scenic railways, too.

Nice! I am using the same region. It is a monster of a region that offers good layout potential: waterfronts, beaches, shipping, fishing and other types of transportation entities. Mine, I would say is more modern; I think because of my patients or lack of and some early 19th century bats/mods.

I actually use the Google map of Jacksonville as a guide to help name some of my cities, certain areas and road names. I am not trying to duplicate it by no means! Looking and your map "Islands Context & Rivers, Section A & D - Pelican Roost; Section H - Chicopit Bay; Section 5 and below - Saint John's River; below that San Pablo and Section C & B - Fort George. Roads and bridges along with any ferry ports are kind of tricky, especially highways.

Once again, everything looks great, M!

Moving out of the more developed area I see your rural settings are equally detailed as the city. I'll be interested to see everything continue to grow and blend together into a cohesive region. This most recent update is especially impressive with the railroad work and the seasonal flora.

Nice work on the rural area as well. The dam is nice. The second picture is my favorite.

Ahhh, yes. Beautiful work once again! Congratulations too.

This is amazing !! officially we have another great MD in SC4Devotion. Congratulations for your fantastic work, your region looks really good and clena :thumbsup:

Very nice!

And you've held on to the top spot on Ben's Top Ten this week - good work.

I apologise for the lack of updates - or interaction - but that is mainly due to our recent general (national and provincial) elections here in South Africa which have kept me a little busy and...


I will accordingly be sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assembly_(South_Africa)) of the Fifth Democratic Parliament of the Republic of South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_South_Africa) on 21 May, representing the Democratic Alliance (DA) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Alliance_(South_Africa))!  ;D
 
It is on this note that I would like to introduce you to the politics and government of the Mayor's Diary, starting with the vertical division of power between the three spheres of government:


As you can see from the image above, there are three spheres of government: national, regional and municipal or local. The Federal Government has authority over the national level, a provincial government over the regional level, and a district (more rural) or metropolitan (densely urban) council governs over the local or municipal level.

We will explore the national and provincial sphere of government in greater depth at a later stage. Let's look at the local level of government, and locate Bradley and Benhurst in the grand (albeit local) scheme of things.
 
Bradley and Benhurst fall under the North Coast District Municipality. Where feasible, or necessary, district or metropolitan municipal councils can be or are divided into local or sub-councils.
 
In the case of the North Coast District Municipality - which includes Bradley - there are three sub-councils: Bradley, Addington and Tamworth (which includes Benhurst).
 
The North Coast District Municipal Council is made up of 25 Councillors, of which 12 are directly elected (first past the post (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-past-the-post_voting)) to represent a ward (a demarcated geographical area covering roughly 5 700 people) and 13 are PR councillors allocated to parties based on their share of the votes received in the District Municipality overall (using a closed party list proportional representation system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party-list_proportional_representation)). 
 
The current composition of the North Coast District Municipality is as follows, with the Social Democratic Alliance (SDA) holding 14 seats and the Free Democrats (FD) holding 11 (more about these political party groupings at a later stage): 


 
A District or Metropolitan Council has an Executive Mayor and a mayoral committee to assist the mayor in his or her executive duties.

Metropolitan and district councils are responsible for a number of localised matters, including:

• Building regulations
• Electricity and gas reticulation
• Firefighting services
• Local tourism development and promotion
• Municipal health services (clinics)
• Municipal airports, roads, public transport, pontoons, ferries, jetties, piers and harbours
• Stormwater management systems in built-up areas
• Trading regulations, markets and street trading
• Water and sanitation services 
• Beaches and amusement facilities
• Billboards and the display of advertisements in public places
• Cemeteries, funeral parlours and crematoria
• Control of public nuisances
• Control of undertakings that sell liquor to the public
• Licensing and control of undertakings that sell food to the public
• Municipal parks and recreation, amenities and sport facilities
• Street lighting, traffic control and parking

These functions can be delegated to a sub- or local council. Sub- or Local Councils consist of the ward councillors in the area and one PR councillor for every ward councillor. These sub- or local councils are chaired by a local PR or ward councillor.

The North Coast District Council meets at the Addington Town Hall (below), while the Bradley Sub-Council meets at the Bradley Town Hall on Bradley Square (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16481.msg479899#msg479899).

 
In the spirit of all things parliamentary, Addington is named after the first Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Addington,_1st_Viscount_Sidmouth).
 
We will explore Addington in greater detail at a later stage - as we make our way to Parliament to deal with the issue of Congressman Ross and his unsavoury and questionable ways (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16481.msg480108#msg480108).

While the Addington Town Hall dates back to days marked by simpler living, the monstrosity next to it was recently built to house the ever increasing bureaucracy to meet the administrative needs of the District.

 
Apart from being the meeting place of the District Council, the Town Hall also functions as a public meeting place and houses the Magistrate's Court for the North Coast District Municipality. Other civic and municipal services are administered next door at the head office of the North Coast District Municipality.


The Town Hall and District Municipal Offices are located in the heart of old town Addington, to which we will return at a later stage.

 
For now, we'll head back to Benhurst, from where we will continue our journey to Parliament!

Quote from: vester on May 04, 2014, 07:47:33 AM
First time I have seen one of my freight engine in a MD :D

It's too beautiful not to show off  ;D

Quote from: c.p. on May 04, 2014, 08:02:50 AM
Very nice.  It's impressive how the fence separates the different ground textures, even around the curves.  Also, I really like the region view, and the zoomed out views of the previous updates, and especially, the campsite by the water &apls

Thank you very much! Ensuring smooth transitions is one of my pet peeves... but I am always satisfied with the end result, even if it takes hours to get it right!

Quote from: APSMS on May 04, 2014, 10:54:05 AM
Congrats on a job well done.

Finally, a lake you can swim in! You have no idea how frustrating it is when looking for summer vacation spots in California to run across a lake that will let you water ski, but not swim (???). Those are some nice scenic railways, too.

Thank you!  ;D It does sound a bit odd that you can ski, but not swim...  ??? I am not aware of any such restrictions on our dams here in South Africa. You must come visit  :P

Quote from: BTS_SC4 on May 04, 2014, 09:06:55 PM
Nice! I am using the same region. It is a monster of a region that offers good layout potential: waterfronts, beaches, shipping, fishing and other types of transportation entities. Mine, I would say is more modern; I think because of my patients or lack of and some early 19th century bats/mods.

I actually use the Google map of Jacksonville as a guide to help name some of my cities, certain areas and road names. I am not trying to duplicate it by no means! Looking and your map "Islands Context & Rivers, Section A & D - Pelican Roost; Section H - Chicopit Bay; Section 5 and below - Saint John's River; below that San Pablo and Section C & B - Fort George. Roads and bridges along with any ferry ports are kind of tricky, especially highways.

Wow! Great feedback and advice! I really love the region, it's flat and has endless possibilities, as you outline! I prefer flat regions because I don't have the patience to properly develop and plan mountainous regions  :P

Quote from: ecoba on May 05, 2014, 08:01:41 PM
Once again, everything looks great, M!

Moving out of the more developed area I see your rural settings are equally detailed as the city. I'll be interested to see everything continue to grow and blend together into a cohesive region. This most recent update is especially impressive with the railroad work and the seasonal flora.

Thank you very much!  :thumbsup:

I hope to showcase more of Tamworth (largely rural area) next week!  ;D Stay tuned!

Quote from: art128 on May 05, 2014, 10:36:52 PM
Nice work on the rural area as well. The dam is nice. The second picture is my favorite.

Thank you very much  ()stsfd()

Quote from: FrankU on May 06, 2014, 05:02:45 AM
Ahhh, yes. Beautiful work once again! Congratulations too.

Dankie!  ;)

Quote from: kelis on May 06, 2014, 10:12:07 AM
This is amazing !! officially we have another great MD in SC4Devotion. Congratulations for your fantastic work, your region looks really good and clean :thumbsup:

Thanks! I really appreciate it! A great compliment indeed! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment  ()stsfd()

Quote from: benedict on May 10, 2014, 11:28:30 AM
Very nice!

And you've held on to the top spot on Ben's Top Ten this week - good work.

It has certainly been a good week for me!  :o :D ;D ()stsfd()

Thanks!  :thumbsup:

Congratulations.  &apls

A member of parliament, and then from a place as great as South Africa!
(Which ones of the eleven languages do you speak?)

Your MD should get a green party, though ;)

Beautiful MD and congratulations on being elected a MP!

Does this make you the first elected representative to MD from anywhere in the world?

So maybe you could rename this MD to MPD?

Congratulations, and I hope you will be able to help your country into a better future. It surely will not be a simple job!

Okay! It's official! My name was on the list handed over to the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa today of individuals to be sworn in as Members of Parliament's National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures across the country on Wednesday, 21 May! The list is available here (http://www.parliament.gov.za/content/List%20of%20representative%20national%20and%20provincial%20-%20Gazette.pdf), and I'm on page 13.

Next week I will solemnly affirm in the presence of the Chief Justice (as opposed to swearing an oath, which is religious) my allegiance to the Republic, its Constitution and laws and to perform my duties as a Member of the National Assembly of Parliament to the best of my abilities.

Until then, back to Benhurst as the plot thickens...


As you can see, Benhurst is north of Bradley and located in the "breadbasket" of the region: A stretch of the north coast predominantly dedicated to producing the region's food. But more about that later.

After the dip in the dam, we're off to spend the night at the home of Mr Gordon Plumstead, the manager of the North Coast Nature Reserve, who lives in Benhurst.


We pull up in the drive way of Gordon's home at the end of Lilac Street, keeping our opinions of the faux Tudor style exterior to ourselves...


Gordon lives on the eastern end of the little village that is Benhurst, close to the freeway to Bradley and the Benhurst train station that also links the neighbouring town by rail.

Benhurst, despite its rather unimpressive stature, has a local clinic, a primary school, and a modest chapel used by various denominations and religious groups for services and the town-at-large for public meetings.


The conversation at the dinner table drags on way into the night, especially after the mention of the name of Congressman Ross piqued Gordon's interest.

Gordon had not only heard the name before, but was well acquainted with the dealings of Double Cross Ross. Armed with another bottle of Chardonnay, Gordon reveals a web of lies, deceit and manipulation.


The North Coast Nature Reserve was declared a federal conservation area by Congress in the late 1970s. The Reserve covers the area east of the R74 and up to 5km off the north coast. The area may not be developed or permanently settled in anyway, in order to preserve the local fauna and flora.

Ocean View, the Wayne Ross development in which we were asked to invest, completely ignored this and this was never properly investigated. We add this to our to-do list as we set out to save the world...


However, it doesn't just end there... the next morning Gordon takes us on a tour of the surrounding farmland west of Benhurst.


This agricultural heartland of the region has also remained the breadbasket because of a resolution dating back to the founding days which specified that produce grown for food will not be taxed, while non-foodstuff will be taxed heavily. This includes, for example, grain used for whiskey or beer, grapes used for wine, tobacco or flowers.

Congress has upheld this resolution and this applies to all produce grown in the North Coast District Municipality even if it is exported elsewhere for any purpose other than food consumption.

But Gordon takes us south to two grape farms along the river...


It is alleged that the grapes produced on these two farms end up in the wine bottles of a company in which Congressman Ross is the majority shareholder... tax free.

Our to-do list grows...

Fortunately Benhurst and surrounds is not just known for dodgy dealings and questionable transactions. Gordon shows us why the area is known as the breadbasket of the region as he takes us on a tour of the not-so-dodgy farms and cattle kraals.





What a beautiful stretch of countryside!


We bid farewell to Gordon at the Benhurst Station, where he catches the train to Bradley for some business in town.



With Benhurst behind us we head further north - Tamworth bound - armed with new information and an even greater cause.

Quote from: Flatron on May 13, 2014, 01:27:43 AM
Congratulations.  &apls

A member of parliament, and then from a place as great as South Africa!
(Which ones of the eleven languages do you speak?)

Your MD should get a green party, though ;)

Thank you very much! :D I speak 3 of the eleven official languages, and understand about 5 as a result (English, Afrikaans and isiZulu).

The Green Party doesn't contest local elections on its own, it is part of the Social Democratic Alliance (SDA) at the local level, just like the Free Democrats is also a grouping of parties on the right and centre right ;) hehe

Quote from: BigSlark on May 13, 2014, 06:00:03 AM
Beautiful MD and congratulations on being elected a MP!

Does this make you the first elected representative to MD from anywhere in the world?

Thank you!  ;D Maybe I'm just the first elected representative to come out as one? :P

Quote from: FrankU on May 13, 2014, 06:36:48 AM
So maybe you could rename this MD to MPD?

Congratulations, and I hope you will be able to help your country into a better future. It surely will not be a simple job!

MPD sounds nice... ;) And thank you very much! ;D

Congratulations being elected a member of parliament!  &apls

Great couple of updates! I really enjoy the overall atmosphere. Also nice to see the narrowest RHW being used properly. People tend to go all out crazy with RHW while it can also serve as an 'upgraded' road. And nice banner designs btw!  :thumbsup:

Great catching up here  &apls  Really impressive scenes and I'm particularly enjoying the rural and small town areas.

Good job with the nature  ;)

The great M is back? Yeah. :D

It looks fantastic what you've shown here. Dit lyk baie goed uit. Dit is lekker hoe jy alle uitwerk. :) It's nice to see how you work everything out. Keep it going.  :thumbsup:

-Matthijs

Congratulations on your election to South Africa's parliament. I wonder if you're the first professional politician here at SC4D?

And congratulations on having the number one MD on BTT again this week.

I loved the latest Benhurst update, I'm particularly fond of small towns and rural images from SC4 and those were lovely.

Congrats on the election as well Marius, very well done and great to see DA polling so well!

After a lovely month with c.p.'s bats, let see what our newly elected member of parliament has in store for us this month.

(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1041.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb416%2Fthreestoogessc4%2FOSITM%2520Awards%2FOSITMRibbon-M4346firsttime.png%7Eoriginal&hash=b1feb633b61186d3accf620e7937a92774cb0f60)

Congratulations Marius for the OSITM and especially, the election to parliament &apls I look forward to seeing what develops here this month.

Very nice! &apls

Congrats on being OSITM!  &apls

Looking forward to what you've got in store!  :thumbsup:

Beautiful rural scenes. I like it. And congrats for the OSITM :thumbsup:

Dear Friends and fellow SC4Devotees,

Thank you very much for all your congratulations, support and, of course, the OSITM!  ;D

It is indeed a proverbial cherry on the cake after what has been an eventful month! Today marks exactly one month to the day that South Africa went to the polls and returned my party with 89 seats to the National Assembly, one of which I was appointed to occupy.

Although, it didn't stop there, as I was appointed one of two new National Spokespersons (http://mg.co.za/article/2014-05-30-da-appoints-two-spokespersons-to-replace-maimane) for the DA last week.

It's been a roller coaster ride of a month, having also migrated to a new laptop (thankfully Steam makes the SC4 transition very smooth and simple) and being incredibly sick right now as the real winter chill (http://citizen.co.za/190507/real-winter-hits-sa/#.U5Ag44nii9A.twitter) has set in over the South African interior (although it is still nothing compared to the northern hemisphere winters, I know!)

Given all this excitement, I have a fairly small look at Melrose in store for you all today... so, let's go!

Today we're heading further north from Benhurst towards Melrose, which is a small town en route to Tamworth.


Melrose is a quintessential railway town (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_town), built at the beginning of the previous century by the provincial government to house the growing number of railway workers needed to keep the trains running safely, on time and on track!


The small town of Melrose is also responsible for ensuring that the main freight railway hub is staffed and that the produce and livestock of the region make their way across the country.


Because of the resolution granting significant tax breaks to produce and livestock used for food, the area surrounding Melrose mirrors the vast tracts of agricultural land in the North Coast District Municipality.


Cattle ranches like these also dominate the rural scene in the area:


This area is unfortunately not untouched by the seemingly omnipresent hand of Congressman Wayne Ross.

Ross Industries have bought a small patch of land around this grain elevator / silo for an experimental project: trying to grow bananas in this temperate region...


Naturally, this has the local environmental lobby up in arms as allegations have been flying around about genetically modified food and three eyed frogs.

Some farmers have found less innocuous ways of earning more money by experimenting with other exotic foodstuffs, like these mushrooms here:


There we also get a little glimpse of Little Italy, but more about that next time! Ciao for now!  ;)

Congratulations on OSITM, and a great update to start off with.

Your work is especially pleasing to look at. Nice job!

Very pleasing indeed, everything blends just seamlessly.  :thumbsup:

Congrats on the OSITM award, and on the election as a spokesperson, Marius!

Wonderful update, this railway town is well done. :)

Looking forward to Little Italy... :)

Lovely update and congrats on OSITM!

Fantastic update ! I enjoy a lot looking your pictures becuase I like your clean style, congratulations once again for your excellent job and thanks for share all these pictures.

# Jonathan

Congratulations on OSITM and your election!!! I like yor rural areas very much!! Everything looks perfect, the ideal place to live!!

Congratulations on OSITM and your positions in government  &apls  Great pictures  :thumbsup:

Well done, your CJ is back at number one on Ben's Top Ten this week.

Nicely done, and congrats on the OSITM as well. The pictures in this CJ are very fine tuned...something I wish I had the patience and time for in my own cities. Touches like the fences and cows in the pasture are details that make all the difference.

Hi everyone!

I apologise for the lack of updates in this OSITM period. Unfortunately Parliament didn't go into recess as we had hoped, and is plowing through the budget tabled in February (election years *sigh*).

I remain committed to having four updates for the OSITM, which, according to my count, only officially ends this Friday, 4 July... :P

Thank you very much for all your replies and feedback, it is, as always, greatly appreciated and incredibly encouraging, especially when it leads to a Top Spot on Ben's Top Ten! ;D

Anyway, let's have a look at Little Italy... avanti! ;)

---

Roselle, affectionately known as "Little Italy", is a taste of foreign in the heart of the breadbasket of the North Coast District Municipality, located on the southern outskirts of Tamworth and west of Melrose.


The North Coast District Municipality is truly a breadbasket of the region, as the table below shows.


A significant 155.9ha is under cultivation, of which most is dedicated to vegetables, grains and fruit - no small part due to the heavy taxation on non-food produce.

The very little viticulture and alcohol production that does take place is located, mainly, in Little Italy.

In a bid to encourage tourism in the area, the hamlet of Roselle and surrounds has escaped the heavy tax burden.

Little Italy is an experimental venture by distant immigrant relatives of the Frescobaldi family (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frescobaldi), notable Tuscan winemakers.

The end result is Roselle, a (faux) Tuscan tourist trap known for its local wines, a fresh produce market, and a favourite wedding destination.


Viticulture is aided by both the cool coastal air from the east and the proximity to the river in the south.


The Roselle Market, next to the Chapel of Roselle, is frequented by locals from Tamworth and tourists alike, showcasing and selling the best fresh produce from the area.


Even at night the market attracts, albeit much younger, crowds sampling the local wine and rum (more about that later)...


The above-mentioned relatives of the Frescobaldi family reside in Villa Ottavia, an unmistakable landmark in an otherwise rural setting... an even more recent intrusion makes the home hard to miss...


Not one to miss out on a business opportunity, Wayne Ross Industries struck a deal with the Frescobaldis and bought a sizeable stretch of land within the boundaries of Roselle.

Milking the area's attractiveness to tourists - and handsome tax breaks - Congressman Ross funded a permanent fair ground for the farmers in the North Coast District Municipality.


Wayne Ross Industries also set up a sugar mill and rum distillery - under the guise of a type of theme park development, known as Blackbeard's Den.

This unsavoury pocket of Little Italy has earned it the nickname Covo di Peccatori, which we non-Italian speakers assume means "Den of Sinners".




Beyond Roselle, farming continues much like it does in most parts of the world.


And to the east of the town, a commercial area has developed where farmers in the region can purchase all sorts of agricultural equipment, products, vehicles and machinery. A vet has also set up shop for the growing livestock industry.


The vast rural stretch of the North Coast District Municipality makes way for the outskirts of Tamworth to the north...


But more about that next time.

For now, we head back to Roselle and the Villa Bastide, well known not just for its blue shutters, but its welcome owners, good wine, and comfortable beds!


Goodnight friends!  ()stsfd()

Little Italy looks great!

I love the market place, really well done.

Amazing work! (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2Fe03820ca109c4c698e0ec09bd238a35e.gif&hash=efaf62d8571d582729d35e4b4b2a85754f3e7279) Look fantastic (https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ld-host.de%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2F31fcecdf19b314863ecc989134f51918.gif&hash=5e9554d1c994e0da39a430c935a60130c93952b0)

Okay, gotta say pretty freaking awesome work here.  Lots of cool things going on. In fact, I went through the insane procedure to get an account on this forum (as well as post on it!) just to ask you a few questions.

What is the lot/bat for the boardwalk you're using? (pic in reply #5)

Where can I get or how did you get the sidewalk with fences, etc on the beach area? (pic in reply #20)

How the heck did you make your lakes?  Looks like PPond, but you have an edge around yours that I have never seen using PPond.

Finally, like the looks of several of your low density housing? Is that SimCougar stuff?

The small towns in your last two updates look great. :thumbsup:
I love all the farms in Little Italy, and the Poplars bordering the river.

Lovely. The authenticity of the Italian aroma is soothing in this update. Well done. :)

Late congrats to the OSITM and to your election!

What I love in particular is, how you develop the railways, but the whole MD is wonderful, your nature shots are great, and the attention to details is awesome.  &apls

And this Tuscan village - a place to stay.  :thumbsup:

How did you get seasonal trees on your streets?  I have street side trees but not seasonal.  Looks GREAT!

Seasonal Farm Street for SAM (http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/19764-seasonal-farm-street-for-sam-cp-trees/).  "$Deal"$

Hi everyone!

It has been quite a while since the last update (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16481.msg482319#msg482319), and a lot has happened, both here in our community and in my own little world down on the southern tip of Africa.

I remember receiving a message on Facebook from Colyn informing me of the passing of our Goddess. I was shocked. I was deeply saddened, and, I was at a loss for words. I fondly remembered many nights of MSN chats, lively discussions, her passion and eagerness to share her immense knowledge and insight, not only of this great game, but also of the community around it, and often too about the world, life, and her unique take on things.

I didn't reply to Colyn. I didn't visit the community. I opened the game and started, in my own way, to create a tribute to her, with debussyman's contribution (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3207) to it.

I immersed myself in Winterton for a couple of days, and let it be as the demands of work snatched me away from SimCity 4 yet again.

Finally, I had some time - as is often the case with the December holidays - to return to the game and I finished up my tribute, which you will find below.

This does not in any way signal a return to regular updating, and I apologise for reviving a technically dead mayor's diary (even though the region is alive and well in-game).

---

The town of Winterton looks like any other in the North Coast District, but it's history, and one person intimately intertwined with it, sets it apart from all other settlements in the region.


Winterton is located on the mainland, to the west of Claw Island, upriver from Bradley (where our earlier journey began).

To be sure, the town began like most others in the region, as a concentration of human activity supporting the outlying farms that dotted the New Frontier.

The town got it's name - originally Wintertowne, which later became Wintertown, and in the local dialect was eventually shortened to its current form - because it became the primary hub of activity in the region during winter. Farmers wishing to ship or sell their produce and goods preferred Winterton in the colder months, when the coastal town of Bradley was battered by unforgiving storms and bone-chilling ice. Being upriver, Winterton was more sheltered and spared the worst of the winter's discontents.

But the town's story, it's history, was greatly influenced by one woman. Nowhere is this seen more markedly than around Winterton Plaza in old town.


At the southernmost tip of the town, at the southern end of the plaza itself, stands the memorial to and statue of Saint Barbara, looking out over the river, her final resting place. At the northern end of the plaza stands Saint Barbara Memorial Hall, which serves as the town hall and a gathering place for many of the town's social activities.

At night, the statue lights up a bright pink, a fitting tribute to the town's Saint of Flowers.


A more modern annex was added in recent years to accommodate the sub-council government of the town and render various civic services to the community.


Not much is known about the personal life of the young Anglican missionary, whose first name is all that the local townsfolk and its history records seem to recall. The rest has become intertwined with myth and legend as the years passed.

Barbara was among the first to settle in the town, but in addition to her missionary work, she also brought with her an incredible knowledge of all things related to plants: from growing them to cooking them. She played an incredible role in exploiting the agricultural wealth the region had to offer, maximising yields and advising farmers and housewives (or domestic executives as they are called these days) alike.

Sadly, Barbara met her end in the river that nourished that which she loved most. She drowned one chilly winter's morning in a strong current, the result of melting snow further upriver, trying to save a young farmer whose barge capsized.

Neither were seen or heard from again.

The town loved Barbara and the role she played in the church and the community. She was immediately dubbed their "Saint of Flowers". Many, many years later she was even referred to as "The Mother Teresa of the North Coast" in a public address by the Alderman of Winterton, to which someone in the crowd retorted: They should refer to Mother Teresa as the Saint Barbara of Calcutta!"

Barbara was never formally beatified, despite requests of the local dioscese, but the local parish church, next to the local pub where she was just as much a local, was soon renamed The Church of Saint Barbara.

The Winterton College, a major landmark in the more exclusive Winterton Heights, is also closely associated with her legacy, specialising in botany, agriculture, horticulture, and of course, viticulture.

The college mascot, fittingly, is the Goddess Barby, in many ways the feminine version of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and agriculture. A lifestyle that most students seek to emulate...


Winterton Heights is wholly owned by the Winterton College Trust, and as such is an access-controlled area, despite much of the land having been sold off to private citizens as sectional titles. The residents, who seek privacy and a sense of self-importance, prefer it this way.

To the north of Winterton Heights, over the hill and through the forest (marked as much by the indigenous deciduous trees as by the 'alien' spruces flourishing thanks to human introduction), lies the suburb of Highgrove.


At the heart of Winterton lies the commercial district, an odd mix and match of old and new, reflecting the town's historic roots and its contemporary significance in the region. The latter revolving more around tourism and educational activities.


The central commercial district is surrounded by predominantly residential areas made up largely of houses constructed in the late 19th century.

The local schools (elementary and secondary) play a significant role in eastern Winterton - being close to Winterton College - and the area is known as the Schools District.


The area adjacent to the Schools District and north of the commercial heart of Winterton is popular with families with school-age children. Considering this, and it's beauty and tranquility, it's not difficult to see why.




Winterton West, while similarly residential, borders on the old industrial part of town, and is thus home to older townspeople and those working in the remaining factories, which played a major part in the town's early development.


Despite it's colourful history, today the town most importantly stands as a tranquil tribute to their Saint of Flowers, the Mother Teresa of the North Coast, their Saint Barbara, a local hero, and to some, even a Goddess.

Welcome back M.

What a wonderful tribute to Barbara. The town is very colorful and gives a really joyful atmosphere.

Beautiful! &apls

Welcome back! And I like how that town is a tribute to BarbyW.

Fitting tribute!

I've gone through it all just now. Very enjoyable read, and some really creative things across the different towns. Always good to read an MD by you Marius.


Cheers
Willy

Great mosaics and you built your city upon some great terrain as well.

Beautiful pictures !!!  &apls  &apls  &apls

Nice to see you again :) The pictures itself are great, like all those yours single-family-housing, but the background make each of them very moving.

Thank you very much for the responses and lovely comments everyone, I really appreciate it :)

It's good to 'see' all of you again! It has indeed been a while! We've been advised that the parliamentary committees start meeting again on Tuesday (26 January), so it'll be up and down to Cape Town on a weekly basis for me again soon!

In the meantime, here's a little WIP (teaser), part of a broader revamp of my MD: Benhurst Dam!


The dam is a a regional irrigation dam for the vast stretches of farm land along the North Coast.

If anyone knows where I can find a 'water effect' like those Jeroni made that I can plop IN the water, that would be awesome  ;D

Nice dam! Looks like you'll still need to put in irrigation canals coming out of the reservoir behind said dam.

What an imaginative use for that dam!

Indeed, that dam is damn good!

Revamps are always good. Interesting scene; looking forward to seeing what you got planned.


Cheers
Willy

Nice shot, good to think about such things in regions :) However... this island looks a bit funny for me. In such small reservoir, just in the middle?  ;D

Lovely to see you back - I hope the parliamentary year doesn't keep you  away from the game for too long  ;)

Quote from: kbieniu7 on January 22, 2016, 12:45:42 PM
Nice shot, good to think about such things in regions :) However... this island looks a bit funny for me. In such small reservoir, just in the middle?  ;D

I was thinking the same. And, to be honest, it came before I thought of it as an irrigation dam lol.

I'll definitely revisit it! Like I said, it's a WIP.

Thanks!

The people in the New Frontier are a religious bunch... the landscape is dotted with little chapels, churches, synagogues and even a cathedral or two.


Sadly, the region has no significant Muslim population to speak of, as yet. But, that might be changing soon...

Lovely shot! Are there mosque BATs?

And with that you're authoring a best-selling MD.  :thumbsup:


Cheers
Willy

Fantastic pictures ! The update dedicated to Barbara is really nice and very well done.

A great church picture set in the dusk!

Congrats on hitting the Best Sellers! What a lovely picture it is.

Looking excellent M! Great to see you back and with fantastic content to boot!

Nice sunset photo :) Churches and religious builidngs are very often a must-be while creating a realistic town. Especially in Europe it's a central point for many villages. I don't know how does it look like in South Africa, you may tell us a little bit?  :)

And congrats for entering Best Sellers Sections  :thumbsup:

Thank you for all your comments girls and boys, kings and queens, and everything in between! I really appreciate it  ()stsfd() It's a huge factor in why I keep on coming back, so, thank you!!  ;D

Also, a HUGE thank you to all of you for being instrumental in my 'upgrade' to a best-seller  :clap:

A lot has happened recently (and over the years) that has really made me watch in amazement and with great appreciation the work of and role played by, this community in extending the 'shelf-life' of a game that I'm sure EA expected to die within six months of their last update.

It has been, what, twelve years? And I would not have played the game myself beyond the first year without the contribution and sense of community created by all the amazing people like you!

I mean, let's be honest, the Maxis BATs, Transportation Networks, Terrain Textures and Flora is, at best, an infantile job compared to the excellent contribution made by all of us in the years gone by.

I cannot imagine a game with Maxis content, without the NAM, without the CAM (and now CAM 2.0 (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3335)), the amazing, realistic and detailed BATs of so many of you, the powerful tools that some have created for us, and the amazing flora (especially Giraffe's) and terrain textures (Cycledogg's in particular) that have all gone far beyond the limits of the game to create a sense of realism, a particular (customiseable) aesthetic and a game that I can spend hours on end in.

There are too many to mention directly, but I want to highlight the contribution of our Goddess, of callagrafx, Colyn (CSX), Simgoober, Debussyman, Andreas, Ripplejet, Z, dedgren, ennedi, geoffhaw, dusktrooper, diggis, JBSimio, jestarr, jeronij, Mandelsoft, Mattb325, jen_p, vortext. Vester, the NAM team, wouanagaine, xannepan, sebes, the BSC and NHP teams, and, more recently, Invisichem.

THANK YOU ALL!  &apls &apls

Now, on to today's, I suppose, 'teaser'. I hope to post a full update this weekend, but want to give you a little taste of Georgetown (more about the name later...)

---

Georgetown is the largest town in the North Coast District and serves as a commercial and manufacturing hub in the predominantly agricultural region.

It's greatest strength is its commercial and manufacturing (secondary and tertiary industry), supported and driven by an overwhelming primary industry, and it's high quality primary and secondary education offering.


At the heart of the town lies Market Square (Mark Plein), which, prior to the industrial revolution, served as a hub for trading agricultural goods and as the centre of the region's cultural and religious life. Market Square is home to the Georgetown City Hall (housing the mayor, executive and legislative representative and the administration of the sub-council), the St George (Protestant, Calvinist specifically) Church and the Market Theatre.


Georgetown is connected to the various settlements in the district, region and province through the R103 (a regional road, with its maintenance the responsibility of the provincial government (compare N1 - a national road; and M1 - a municipal road) and an extensive passenger and freight rail network.

But the greatest asset of the town is its people. And their homes line the banks of the Modderrivier (Mud River, named for the muddy flow in the heavy rainy season).


We'll soon have a look at what makes Georgetown 'tick'. What does Georgetown do or boast that attracts around 12 000 permanent residents in a largely agrarian environment?

Who knows... ???

---

Until next time mes amis!  ()stsfd()

Nice town!

Georgetown is a wonderful little town. :)

Pretty neighbourhood. The market squares seems to me like something in between the Old and the New World towns  :)

PS. Thanks to you I learnt English phrases of primary, secondary and tertiary industry ;D

Nice and relaxed town :)

Nice pictures Marius! Great to see some RRW action :thumbsup:


Cheers
Willy

Beautiful work!  ;D

Very nice town.  I like how green and leafy it is :thumbsup:

Also, I'm very happy to see my recent uploads being put to good use  :bnn:

Hi again everyone!

I had honestly intended to have a full update ready and uploaded last week already, but, unfortunately, life got in the way, again...  :angrymore:

I've had some trouble in my constituency - violence against and intimidation of our members by the governing party - and the parliamentary year is in full swing again!

This coming week we have the President's annual State of the Nation Address (Thursday evening), and the debate and response to the debate all of next week  /wrrd%&

Hopefully I get into the Chamber this year, last year I was, well, arrested beforehand (http://www.destinyman.com/2015/02/12/sona-da-spokesperson-arrested/) and spent about 10 hours in custody ::)


My lovely view from the back of a police van  &Thk/(

The arrests were politically motivated by an increasingly insecure securocratic governing party desperate to clamp down on the opposition through various means.


This photo, below, in particular, has been haunting me ever since  :P It has appeared in the media numerous times in the past year, and it just won't go away  ::) It was even included in the year-in-review piece of a number of national dailies. Indeed, 2015 was a memorable year (http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/2015-was-a-memorable-year-1965772)  $%Grinno$%


We appeared in court the next day and the prosecuting authority asked for a postponement.


About a month after our first court appearance we were summoned to court again, only to be informed that the State was dropping the charges (http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/sona-scuffle-charges-dropped-1.1824137?TB_iframe=true&height=600&keepThis=true&width=900). They had, as we had insisted from the beginning, no case.

Here I am, with our Shadow Minister of Justice, a free man  :P


Anyway, enough about me!  :P

As I mentioned, I had hoped to post a full update. Unfortunately, you'll have to be happy with these few images from Benhurst 2.0.

Also because I want to show off more of c.p.'s work  :satisfied:

---

As mentioned previously, the New Frontier is still, at this point in time, predominantly an agricultural hub. This is evident from the regional overview of this very much a work in progress  ()stsfd()


Most of the towns in these early years evolved around a central square, where farmers could trade their goods and the who's who of the what's what could be seen.

Benhurst is no exception. Here is this little town's square, Church Square (Kerkplein), which also houses the Benhurst Town Hall.


Benhurst has also become home to a number of notable wealthier families. Although how they got their money is still not quite clear...


But, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough  :satisfied:

On a side note, I've been following news from South Africa, and your Facebook posts ;),  and it's incredibly depressing how blatantly corrupt the ANC are and how they are destroying the country.

One hopes the DA can push them from power at some point and deliver progress for modern South Africa



Now back on topic....that's a rather pretty residential area, good to see you're still finding time to play, I know how difficult it gets with each passing year.

Normally we don't get many news from South Africa, but it seems there are problems everywhere...  &mmm

You've built many beatiful towns. The squares look very nice and cozy. Great work!!  :thumbsup:

Beautiful! :)

Oooh! Two mini-updates in one day! (Well, two days, it's already Monday morning here... 2:38 to be precise. That's AM, for the non-military time types! :P)

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/13986107747_9cf535c952_o.jpg)

Quote from: Akallan on February 07, 2016, 02:00:53 PM
Beautiful! :)

As we say in Afrikaans: baie dankie! Thank you!  ;D

Quote from: romualdillo on February 07, 2016, 12:57:19 PM
Normally we don't get many news from South Africa, but it seems there are problems everywhere...  &mmm

You've built many beatiful towns. The squares look very nice and cozy. Great work!!  :thumbsup:

Indeed. Problems everywhere. We have some very special problems down here, but I love what I'm doing and there's no problem too big for those who are willing to tirelessly work towards addressing it.

Thanks for the comment, and the highly appreciated compliment  ()stsfd()

Quote from: belfastsocrates on February 07, 2016, 12:03:46 PM
On a side note, I've been following news from South Africa, and your Facebook posts ;),  and it's incredibly depressing how blatantly corrupt the ANC are and how they are destroying the country.

One hopes the DA can push them from power at some point and deliver progress for modern South Africa

Now back on topic....that's a rather pretty residential area, good to see you're still finding time to play, I know how difficult it gets with each passing year.

I'll try and avoid as much political discussion on the Forums (Lest we forget the  "$Deal"$), so I'll just say, "we're working on it!"  ;)

I hope to play this game until I'm one hundred and eleventy! It never gets old, largely because communities like this. Here's to many more years, and many more beautiful towns  ;D

Did I hear someone ask something about mosques?  ()what()


Not all were happy under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, and some sought a new life of adventure, riches and freedom (particularly religious freedom) like many others who came to the frontier towns like Georgetown.

However, their hopes of freedom were soon dealt a blow.

The New Frontier had been, until recently, inhabited predominantly by Christians, overwhelmingly Protestant, and some rather puritan at that.

The Muslim community, having grown steadily over the years, sought to build their own House of Worship and a private educational institution. This, unfortunately, met with some resistance and opposition. The mainly Christian community objected vehemently to the construction of a Mosque and Madrasa on their doorstep, and many a public consultation was marked by vitriol and fierce opposition.

When the City Council decided, informed by public opinion, to reject the application for the construction of the Mosque, and the provincial education department declined to provide a license to operate an accredited public education institution, the Muslim community turned to the High Court.

The Court, weighing the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the country, declared that the City Council's decision was invalid and a violation of the Muslim community's basic rights and freedoms. It, however, upheld the decision of the provincial education department not to recognise the Madrasa as a public education institution, largely because the option of setting up a private education institution was not considered.

But, the City Council, now forced into approving the construction of the Mosque, had the proverbial last laugh... much to the disappointment of the local Muslim community.


Irritated by the High Court ruling forcing its hand, the City Council approved a construction site for the Mosque and Madrasa... on the poorer outskirts of town, and bordering the growing industrial area.

This did not discourage the local Muslim population, and soon the Madrasa boasted 105 students, and the Mosque became a central focus of their vibrant and rich community life.


Even in the evenings the Mosque (bottom) and Madrasa (top) bustled with activities, with pupils receiving instruction until 20:00, and their families engaging in various cultural activities.

They hoped that one day the prejudice and bias of their neighbours would be a thing of the past.

Interesting! I didn't know there were mosques in SC4 because I've never seen anyone use them in their cities.

And I hope the sort of stuff that happened to you by that tyrannical party in power never happens here in America, God forbid.

Sharp suit! I'd be a troublemaker as well if they messed with it ;D  Also, very good to hear you're settling for a retirement plan that includes SC4. I'd better start saving up for a more comfortable chair here. :thumbsup:

Nice imagery as well; apparently they do have a mosque BAT. . .


Cheers
Willy

Hi everyone! Just a quick one before this MD gets put on the shelf...  :P

It's an update on Benhurst, which we last saw (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=16481.msg505579#msg505579) about 90 game years ago  :D It has taken 107 game years to get Church Square and surrounds to look the way I want it to!  :'( I wanted W2W buildings around Church Square, and as an almost non-negotiable personal rule, they all have to grow 'naturally'. So, here it is!

---

Today's visit takes us back to the heart of Benhurst, a small, largely agricultural town on the North Coast with 3 167 inhabitants at the last count.


Church Square, which takes its name after the Benhurst Reformed Church at the eastern end of the square (in the image above), has been a hub of activity since the founding of the town. It is also the site of the Benhurst Town Hall (on the western end), home to the town council and mayor's office, and most of the local and regional administration. The remainder of the town and regional administration, as well as offices of the provincial and national administration (notably the Department of Home Affairs), as well as the Benhurst Magistrates Court, is housed in the red brick building with the cupola to the north of the Church.


The Square has transformed from a dusty patch of land traversed by wagons carrying off agricultural produce to the neighbouring Georgetown and beyond, into a sandstone paved area with tree-lined avenues and shops and other businesses along it.

Open air markets still dominate the Square and its surroundings, which includes the old Weigh House north of the Town Hall. This prime property has largely been preserved and saved from development due to its historic significance.


The Town Council, with support from the North Coast Heritage Agency, has imposed strict conditions for development around the Square, the urgency of these measures was compounded by the development of the first, arguably, modern office building that popped up diagonally across the road from the Ben Hurst Post Office (next to the Fire Station, which is next to the Town Hall).

Our visit to Benhurst today, however, is for the Easter Market, a huge annual attraction to the town.  We disembark from the train station east of the town and board a bus to the Square as the sun starts setting over the region.


After the Easter Service we leave the Church to join in the festivities on and around the Square.


We take some time to admire the obelisk in the middle of the Square. A plaque notes that it was erected with the generous donation of Mr Grant Weston, a local Freemason and businessman, to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Great War (the contemporary name for the First World War).


The next morning we set out to explore the rest of the town, starting at the Old Wagon House, which is now a small museum and a micro-brewery. We indulge in the craft beer, yes it's 9:00 (which means it is morning ::) ), but it is for educational purposes, it being a museum and all...

The Wagon House has been replaced by more modern logistics and warehousing companies to the south of 'downtown', that provide jobs for the residents of Benhurst as the freight industry modernised with the times.


There was initially some opposition to the Nokia factory setting up shop in town, but strict conditions of local beneficiation swayed residents. "Manufacturing Mile", as it has since become known, is also home to other warehouses and an older textile mill, as well as more modern office complexes.

Although not as visible, there is also a Pizza Hut and a KFC.


We head east along "Manufacturing Mile" and back to the train station. We are needed back in Georgetown...

That's a really neat looking town. Always love how green what you build is.