RAILWAY X-ING

A train trip works well in Summer, especially if the cars are air-conditioned!

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

and also part of the Seasons meme

URBAN FARM

10 km northeast of the CBD in Bellfield, an area of land is set aside for urban farming. Several enterprising and community-minded groups are working there to farm organic seasonal produce that are available for sale in the farm shop. A great initiative and a pleasant place to visit and meet interesting people.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MR CAT

Neighbour's cat keeping cool on a hot Summer's day.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

AT SUNSET

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

ARTICHOKE

The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus), also known by the names French artichoke, globe artichoke, and green artichoke in the United States, is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as food. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom.

The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence), together with many bracts, on an edible base. Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DIGHTS FALLS

Dights Falls is located in Melbourne, Victoria just downstream of the junction of the Yarra River with Merri Creek, about 2 km east of the City. At this point the river narrows and is constricted between 800,000 year old volcanic, basaltic lava flow and a steep, much older, Silurian, sedimentary spur.

Prior to European settlement, the area was occupied by the indigenous Wurundjeri tribe of the Kulin nation. The rock falls would have provided the Aboriginal people with a natural river crossing and place to trap migrating fish. It was also a meeting place for many clans where they would trade, settle disputes and exchange brides.

In January 1803, Charles Grimes, the deputy surveyor-general of New South Wales, was sent to Port Phillip to survey the area. Sailing on the schooner Cumberland, under the command of Acting Lieutenant Charles Robbins, the party entered Port Phillip on 20 January 1803. Grimes explored the Yarra by boat for several miles until he reached Dights Falls on 8 February.

On a ridge above the falls, 250 metres to the east, is a historic marker commemorating the “first white men to discover the river Yarra reaching Yarra Falls on 8th February, 1803. Also to make the first crossing near here with the cattle by the first overlanders John Gardiner, Joseph Hawdon and Captain John Hepburn in December 1836”.

In the 1840s, an artificial weir was built on the natural bar of basalt boulders to provide water to the “Ceres” flour mill, one of the first in Victoria. In the early 1840s John Dight established Melbourne’s first water-powered flour mill on the site. In 1888 “Yarra Falls Roller Mills” built a water-turbine powered mill, which was the largest and most sophisticated of the thirty two water powered mills built in Victoria before 1900.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

MORNINGTON

Mornington is a sea side town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, located 57 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.

Mornington is known for its "village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. Mornington is a popular tourist destination with Melburnians who often make day trips to visit the area's bay beaches and wineries.  The Post Office opened on 21 May 1856 as Schnapper Point and was renamed Mornington in 1864.

The town centre runs into the foreshore area and local beach, which features a yacht club, restaurant and park with playground facilities. Mornington is an attractive destination for shopping and features some excellent restaurants and cafes. The north of Mornington is also home to several horse breeders and stables.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

HEAT!

Tomorrow we are expecting a maximum temperature of 44˚C in Melbourne. That is hot, but in the Northern Victorian towns of Mildura, Ouyen, Echuca, up to 48˚C... Some are predicting a record breaking 49˚C!

A photoshop collage reminding ourselves to keep cool and hydrated and "Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide", which is an expanded Australian sun safety campaign from the Cancer Council designed to prevent skin cancer. It encourages 5 steps: Slip on clothing, Slop on SPF30+ sunscreen, Slap on a hat, Seek shade, and Slide on sunglasses, particularly when the UV index is 3 or higher.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

SUMMER POND

Beautiful Summer morning in the Darebin Parklands at Alphington.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MOORHEN

Moorhens are medium-sized water birds in the genus Gallinula, Latin for 'little hen', in the rail family Rallidae. The genus currently includes seven species, of which one is extinct, and two others probably are. Three species formerly included in Gallinula have been found to have enough differences to be placed in two separate but closely related genera.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme