Foxy's thread on favourite destinations has touched this point. What is the most beautiful place/thing you have seen.

Being more interesten in natural things, than man made, for me Rabaul, New Britain, in PNG would come close.

It is set in the north eastern part of a huge ancient, sunken volcano crater, about 10 miles long, by 6 wide, with a 3 mile wide section fallen in, to give access. There are 5 younger volcano's, 2 still active, around the periphery.

The rich soil grows everything in profusion, & the bay is riot of green, from the coconuts to the huge mango, & avocado trees. This is so thick, that little of the man made town can be seen, until you are very close, as you sail in. Tourists ariving by cruise ship all raved about the beauty.

Yes Rabaul was beautiful, I don't know now, after the last volcano, but a little village on New Gorgia, in the Solomons is more so.

Vu Vu is at the head of a V shaped bay, about 2 Km deep, by one wide, at the mouth. The masses of coconut palms are like Rabaul, but both arms of the bay are fringed with a glittering black volcanic sand beach. You can just detect the village, & a small river/creek at the head of the bay.

Beautiful as this is, it is made truely startling by an island, of about a 5 acre of snow white coral sand, set no more than 50 Ft off the western headland of the bay.

The canopy of the prolific palms & trees actually meet over the passage between the black, & white sands. In an area where it is often hundreds of fathoms [6Ft] deep, just 50 ft off shore, a beach is unusual. These were so different, & beautiful, it took your breath away.

Why, or how, the sands stay seperated is something I keep promising myself, I will look into some day, but for now the facy they do, is enough.

I don't know if it qualifies as the most beautiful I've seen, but the bit of scenery that most sticks in my mind is the hills somewhere near Burra on the Barrier Highway in SA.

When we woke up in the tent in the morning, all you could see were brown volcanic? hills stretching off into the distance. It felt like you were right in the middle of a postcard. Desolation and beauty all rolled into one.

I used to do forestry and hunt in New Zealand in the area I described in Foxy's thread. Probably the most breath taking scenery you could come across, certainly was for me. Just awe inspiring.

Random google image of the area. Unfortunately you can't smell the area with photos.

http://www.fiordland.org.nz/images/GD-Dore-Pass.jpg

Dear Hasbeen,

Thank You for this thread - and for again
sharing your experience with all of us on OLO.

One of my most treasured places - as I mentioned
in my earlier thread was Yosemite National Park
in California. Take a look at these photos and
you'll see why:

http://www.terragalleria.com/parks/np.yosemite.html

The highest peaks, the tallest trees and some of the
most impressive natural scenery in the US is found in
California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is the region
that includes one of the best-known wonders of the world -
Yosemite National Park. Its a wilderness of evergreen
forests, high meadows and sheer walls of granite.
Soaring cliffs, plunging waterfalls, gigantic trees,
rugged canyons, mountains and valleys all combine to lend
Yosemite its incomparable beauty.

What I loved was that there were so many hiking trails and
motor routes all aimed at leading visitors from one awe-
inspiring panoramic scene to another.

I may be just a teensy bit biased, but my considered view is that Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is the most beautiful spot on the surface of the earth.
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=mrs+macquarie%27s+chair&ss=2&s=int
Map: http://snipurl.com/ucpgc

I've seen lots of spectacular landscapes, but for me a human element is important in making a beautiful place really memorable. It’s twenty-five years since I was there, and it wasn’t a very happy time, but I found Thira, on the Aegean island of Santorini, absolutely breathtaking:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/thira/interesting/

Tihany, on Hungary’s Lake Balaton, is not only beautiful, it also has lots of happy memories:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/tihany/interesting/

Dear woulfe,

I too love Santorini.

To me the most beautiful of the villages on the
island is Oia.

The following website will give posters an idea why:

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/santorini-villages/oia-santorini.htm