The Republic of Indonesia is one of the closest neighbours to Australia. Bali has long been a favourite holiday destination. But there is much more to Indonesia. From a photography perspective, two of the most interesting locations are Mount Bromo & Jogyakarta. Jogyakarta has been the region's Sultan location and has benefited from this culturally.

Borobudur in the UNESCO World Heritage list for it's cultural significance. It was 42m above the surrounding area but stabilisation to preserve the structure where seismic activity is high has reduced this to 34m. The base is 123m X 123m. Area: 2,500 m²

Please have a look at the Google Maps satellite view to see the size of this structure built before 900AD.

Construction thought to have commenced around 760AD. Abandoned around 1100AD due to a shift in the location of the ruling class and damage due to earthquakes.

UNESCO and the Indonesian government undertook restoration of the monument in a big renovation project from 1975 to 1983 and even this was delayed due to volcanic activity covering the site in 2cm of volcanic ash. Today the lowest layer is still under the current ground level that has increased since construction commenced.

Of more interest is the carved panels on each level.

For further info on Borobudur, google or go to http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/bycountry/indonesia/borobudur/ .

Mount Bromo is on the bucket list and more on that later.