YARRA RIVER TWILIGHT

As evening falls in Melbourne, the Yarra River becomes a magical mirror...

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SIGNS OF SPRING

We are having a mixed bag of weather these last few days, with wind, rain, sunshine, cool and warm temperatures - all in the same day sometimes! However, the signs of Spring are about and they seem to be a little early this year...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

OLD & NEW

The architecture of Melbourne is characterised by an extensive juxtaposition of old and new architecture. The city is noted for preserving a significant amount of Victorian architecture and has some of the largest in the country. Additionally, it features a vast array of modern architecture, with around 60 skyscrapers over 100 m in the city centre which have deliberately been set back from thoroughfares and streets to preserve historic architecture—leading to the title of "Australia's most European city".

The juxtaposition of old and new has given Melbourne a reputation as a city of no characterising architectural style, but rather an accumulation of buildings dating from the present back until the European settlement of Australia. The city is also home to Eureka Tower (2006), which was the tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor for some time. Here are some landmarks of our city.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

MOORHENS

Moorhens — sometimes called marsh hens — are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus Gallinula, Latin for "little hen". They are close relatives of coots. They are often referred to as (black) gallinules. Recently, one of the species of Gallinula was found to have enough differences to form a new genus Paragallinula with the only species being the Lesser moorhen (Paragallinula angulata).

Two species from the Australian region, sometimes separated in Tribonyx, are called "nativehens". The nativehens differ visually by shorter, thicker and stubbier toes and bills, and longer tails that lack the white signal pattern of typical moorhens. 

"Marsh Hens" are briefly mentioned in the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Gold-Bug", as part of a description of the ecology of Sullivan's Island. The main characters also prepare Marsh Hens for supper at one point early in the story.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

POND REFLECTIONS

"The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us." - Gabrielle Bernstein

Ponds at the Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

FLOWERING TIME

Wild plum flowering in Melbourne currently. Hint of Spring!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

DAWN ON THE YARRA

Dawn on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne.

For a record seven years, Melbourne has topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index — but things have changed. Vienna has dislodged the Victorian capital as the most pleasant city to live in. The two cities have been neck-and-neck in the annual survey of 140 urban centres for years, and are separated by less than a point. Vienna scored 99.1 and Melbourne scored 98.4.

Vienna scored top spot with an improved security situation and a lower crime rate. Melbourne scored well in culture and environment, and maximum points in healthcare, education and infrastructure. The survey tends to favour medium-sized cities in wealthy countries with low population density.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

RAIN

We've had some rain recently, which was a blessing, but we are still below our average for the year. Inland, the drought is plaguing the farms...

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

BOATHOUSE

Fairfield Boathouse was established in 1908 by John St Clair as a picnic, camping and refreshment room area. John St Clair was a piano tuner from Smith St, Fitzroy, with a vision. He firstly wrote a letter to the Premier suggesting that he open a refreshment room and boat shed area, with motor boats at Fairfield Park. The Premier had to seek the approval form Yarra Bend Hospital of the Insane because the proposal for the boat shed was actually on the hospital grounds. The Premier gave his permission for the boat shed project to go ahead.

Today the Boathouse has been refurbished and is the site of a café and restaurant, a place where may rent boats, relax in the shade, with a place to launch kayaks if you are that way inclined.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

CAT ON A ROOF

My bedroom is on the first floor and I can see the neighbour's roof from my window. I saw their cat and it saw me...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.