Leptospermum turbinatum, commonly known as Shiny Tea-tree, is a shrub species that is endemic to the Grampians and nearby ranges in Victoria, Australia. It grows to about 3 metres high and has narrow leaves that are about 3 cm long. The flowers have 5 rounded, white petals with red-brown sepals visible in-between. The main flowering period is from October to December (spring) in the species native range.
The species was first formally described by Joy Thompson in Telopea in 1989 based on specimens collected on Mackays Peak in the Serra Range. Previous to this, plants of this species had been identified as Leptospermum nitidum.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme
and also part of the Signs, Signs meme.
Built in classic Spanish Mission style, complete with adobe colour palette, the Fitzroy Gardens' lovely Conservatory building opened in March 1930. The Conservatory exhibits five floral displays each year. Hydrangeas and fuchsias bloom from November to February, begonias and gloxinias from February to April, tropical plants and poinsettias from April to July, cinerarias and cyclamens from July to September, and schizanthus and calceolaria from September to November.
This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.
We dropped into Pastry Art Design at 280 Smith St in Collingwood a couple of days ago and this time I was able to take a few photos, seeing I had my camera with me. The place is small and very popular with the locals who enjoy the freshly baked bread, pizza slices and delicious cakes (ours was the delightful chocolate). Good coffee is brewed here too!
The two murals adorning the walls are signed "BD 99", but the young woman who served us could not enlighten us further. They are delightful and add to the atmosphere of the place. It looks as though there are a few portraits of proprietors/employees in there as well as the stock pastrycooks...
This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme.
The graceful arch of the Southgate pedestrian bridge is very photogenic. This bridge was built in 1992 to allow North/South crossings between the CBD and Southbank. It is a heavily used bridge both day and night.
This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Sunday Bridges meme.
Smith Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne. By the 1860s, Smith Street was a busy and popular suburban shopping strip. Smith Street contains restaurants and cafés and also has numerous shops selling cheap household goods. North of Johnston Street there are factory outlets selling athletic and fashion clothing.
Parts of Smith Street also serve as a meeting place for the local Indigenous Australian community. Smith Street is somewhat more downmarket than nearby Brunswick Street and has not become as fashionable though it is slowly gentrifying.
During the late 1990s, Smith Street was frequented by heroin users and dealers. This earned it the sobriquet 'Smack Street', which, whilst arguably no longer apt, has stuck. In the last few years a number of bars and clubs have emerged on Smith Street, some of them open all night.
The street has been honoured of late by the rise of the local band The Smith Street Band, which has received international acclaim. This is despite the lead singer recently claiming that "none of us live on Smith Street and now everyone time I go there I get quite frustrated that it seems to be becoming more and more gentrified."
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme.
La Trobe Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the CBD (known as the Hoddle Grid).
La Trobe Street is home to a number of precincts and types of public and private spaces. The Carlton Gardens lie at the eastern end of the street, and the western end is at Victoria Harbour in the Docklands precinct. Before Docklands was developed, La Trobe street ended just beyond the Spencer Street intersection. The Flagstaff Gardens are located at the corner of La Trobe and King Streets.
Here we are looking towards the West, standing in the middle of the street, between the State Library of Victoria on the left and RMIT University on the right. The tall building in the centre is the Melbourne Central office tower.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
The Hume City Council is a local government area partially within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It includes the outer north-western suburbs and a number of rural localities between 13 and 40 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre.
It has an area of 503 square kilometres, and at the 2011 Census it had a population of 167,562. The City was formed on 15 December 1994 after the merger of the former City of Broadmeadows, the Shire of Bulla and parts of the City of Keilor and City of Whittlesea.
The City is unique in Australia in that it was the first local government to introduce a Bill of Rights for its citizens in 2004, following the establishment of a Social Justice Charter in 2001. This Bill of Rights predates the State Government's Charter of Rights and Responsibilities by three years, and is more sweeping in that it explicitly includes economic, social, and cultural rights.
The Council’s public library service comprises five branches, a mobile library and a home library service. The libraries are for the enjoyment of the entire community and stock books and resources in many community languages as well as English. Membership is free and open to anyone. The library below is "The Age" Broadmeadows Library.
This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme.
