AT THE STATION

Fairfield Railway Station in Suburban Melbourne, at night.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

At the 2016 census, 356,324 (or 8.5%) of the inhabitants of Melbourne who nominated their ancestry, nominated Chinese ancestry solely or along with another ancestry.

Chinatown (Chinese: 墨爾本華埠) is an ethnic enclave in the Central Business District (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Centred at the eastern end of Little Bourke Street, it extends between the corners of Swanston and Spring Streets, and consists of numerous laneways, alleys and arcades. Established in the 1850s during the Victorian gold rush, it is notable for being the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the Western World and the oldest Chinatown in the Southern Hemisphere.

Chinese New Year has a long tradition in Melbourne, and includes free cultural festivities across the city. Feasting and the awakening of the dragon are just some of the traditional festivities in Melbourne's Chinatown. Join in and explore Melbourne's rich Chinese heritage as Chinatown comes alive in stunning hues of red and gold. Chinese New Year also lights up our city streets from Queensbridge Square to Southgate, South Wharf and Docklands to Queen Victoria Market, with light installations, street performances, outdoor food stalls and acrobatic lion dances.

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.

SUMMER

We had a perfect Summer's day today, so what better than a walk by the river?

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

YARRA BEND PATH

Yarra Bend Park has been one of Melbourne’s largest expanses of inner suburban parkland for nearly 150 years. Yarra Bend Park and neighbouring Studley Park were reserved in 1877. Both park areas and several reserves were combined in 1929 to create one large park. The combined area became known as Yarra Bend National Park despite never being raised to formal national park status.

During the 1930’s additions included picnic and sporting grounds, toilet facilities and a public golf course. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities. Numerous winding paths provide plenty of opportunity for leisurely promenades in the natural serene surrounds of the park.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

PLAYFUL CAT

Met him while walking in our neighbourhood.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

BROWN RAIN

A dust storm picked up by a front moving through Victoria led to a downpour of "dirty rain" across Melbourne last Wednesday, forcing public swimming pools to close and leaving cars looking like they were "sprayed with mud".

In many parts of Victoria, the average monthly January rainfall fell in a matter of a few hours. Rivers and creek swelled and ran with red, muddy water. As the rainwater dried off, it left considerable quantities of red dust on exposed surfaces...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

SUNFLOWER

Sunflowers are in bloom in Melbourne at the moment and despite our weather vagaries, they have flowered well.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CITY BATHS

The City Baths and Fitness Centre in the City. Currently in the midst of a construction site adjacent to the Metro Tunnel train network expansion.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World.

GREEN HEART

In the heart of the City in Melbourne, some wonderful touches of verdant green to relieve the eye amongst all the concrete and asphalt.

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.

SUMMER FLOWERS

Despite the vagaries of our weather and the devastation wrought by drought and bushfires, Summer flowers managed to make the garden beautiful once again this year.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme,

and also part of the Seasons meme.