YARRA BEND SERENITY

View of the Yarra River in the Yarra Bend Park, about 4 km from the City Centre.

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

SUNSET SKY

This view is from one of the upstairs windows of our house. The position of the sun is telling me that the days are shortening and that the sun has started to appear to move more and more Northward. Before not too long Summer will be over!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

LORIKEET SILHOUETTE

A rainbow lorikeet greeting the sunrise at Yarra Bend Park.

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

BUSKER AT SOUTHBANK

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme.

SUMMER SILHOUETTES

On a very hot Summer day, by the Yarra River at Yarra Bend Park...

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

NEW YEAR WISHING

Every New Year gives us a chance to start something new and fresh. Each New Year allows us to learn from our mistakes and use our experience for the better. This New Year make the world a kinder, more loving place for others, and you will find that it will become better for yourself too.

Thank you everyone for visiting here and leaving your thoughts and kind comments. My very best wishes for you and those you love. Happy New Year 2017!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

BRIGHTEST STAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

RED LIGHT

I have been having internet connection problems these last couple of days, so I haven't been able to post. Rather apt to post this photo of traffic stopped at a red light...

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

IN THE GREEN SHADE

We've had a very wet Spring and Summer is still reluctant to heat us up. As a result, the vegetation is lush and green and walking in the parklands is a pleasure.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

MELBOURNE SUNRISE

One of the advantages of being a 'morning person' is enjoying the sunrise, the quiet streets and commuting in uncrowded public transport. Here is a sunrise I enjoyed recently in my home suburb of Fairfield, an inner northeastern suburb of Melbourne.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.

AT THE PARK

At Yarra Bend Park, one sunny afternoon...

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

PARKVILLE TERRACES

Terraced houses in Australia refers almost exclusively to Victorian and Edwardian era terraced houses or replicas, almost always found in the older, inner city areas of the major cities, mainly Sydney and Melbourne. Terraced housing was introduced to Australia in the 19th century. Their architectural work was based on those in London and Paris, which had the style a century earlier.

Large numbers of terraced houses were built in the inner suburbs of large Australian cities, particularly Sydney and Melbourne, mainly between the 1850s and the 1890s. The beginning of this period coincided with a population boom caused by the Victorian and New South Wales Gold Rushes of the 1850s and finished with an economic depression in the early 1890s. Detached housing became the popular style of housing in Australia following Federation in 1901.

Melbourne's flat terrain has produced regular terraced house patterns. The wealth of the gold rush fuelled speculative housing development and also ensured that many terraces were built with ornate and elaborate details in a generally Italianate style, reaching its zenith in the 1880s with what is often referred to as "boom" style. The generic Melbourne style of terrace is distinguishable from other regional variations.

The majority of designers of Victorian terraces in Melbourne made a deliberate effort to hide roof elements with the use of a decorative parapet, often combined with the use balustrades above a subtle but clearly defined eave cornice and a frieze, which was either plain or decorated with a row of brackets (and sometimes additional patterned bas-relief). Chimneys were often tall, visible above the parapet and elaborately Italianate in style.

Individual terraces were designed to be appreciated on their own as much as part of a row. Symmetry was achieved through a central classical inspired pediment or similar architectural feature, balanced by a pair of architectural finial or urns on either side (though these details were subsequently removed on many terraces). The party walls were almost always decorated with corbels (which sometimes depicted heads), and the large wooden entry doors were decorated with stained or etched glass surrounds.

The Melbourne style often incorporated polychrome brickwork and decorative cast iron balconies (of the filigree style). The demand for imported cast iron eventually led to the establishment of local foundries. As a result, Melbourne has more decorative cast iron than any other city in the world. Melbourne style terraces were often set back from the street rather than built to the property line, providing a small front yard. Decorative cast-iron fencing, regularly dispersed with rendered brick piers, was typically used, and the party wall of the end terraces would sometimes, but not always, extend to the property line to join the fence.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

RAILWAY OVERPASS

The railway overpass in the Darebin Parklands.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

TREE SILHOUETTE

This was a fine afternoon and a beautiful place to enjoy it in. By the banks of the Werribee River in Melbourne's West.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

HERON SILHOUETTE

To photograph birds one must have patience. The blessed things do dart around a lot and even if they are not flying but rather perching somewhere, they do fidget. Or maybe some foliage or twigs get blown in the way, or just as you've focussed and are about to take the photo, they fly off! However, with patience one may capture them as one wishes to. This is a heron high up on a tree in the Darebin Parklands in Alphington.

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

STORMY OUT

The past few days have been rather disappointing weather-wise. Our Spring continues to be unsettled and cold, with many a downpour following windy changes. The view from my window is not conducive to an outing, nor indeed a short walk outside...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,

and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

SOUTHBANK MOON

An evening on Southbank when surprisingly it wasn't overcast or overly cold! Our Spring has been rather  a disappointment this year, so we have learnt to enjoy these evenings with great relish...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

PARKLANDS SILHOUETTES

The Darebin Parklands straddle Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne, and they are a district park covering an area of 33 hectares. Darebin Creek flows through the Parklands, to join the Yarra River, at Alphington. The Darebin Parklands are highly regarded for its social, recreation, education, conservation, water quality management, cultural and heritage values. The Parklands have a rich history as the homeland of the Wurundjeri Willam people and for cattle and sheep grazing, orchard and market garden use post European settlement. The olive trees seen here in silhouette are a remnant of the older use of this land.

This post is part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.

PARKLANDS BIRDS

The Darebin Parklands is a large multi use district park which has a wide range of community uses and user groups. It is one of only a few parklands in the northern suburbs which offers passive recreational, environmental and conservation values, within an urban setting and therefore is therefore of regional importance.

Increasing residential density will also be accompanied by diminished private open space. This will all place increased pressure on premium public open spaces, such as the Darebin Parklands, to provide for a wide range of community needs. Increasing usage will invariably lead to an increase in user conflicts, which will need to be managed.

A significant future development which will also impact on the use of the parklands is the proposal to link the Darebin Creek Trail to the main Yarra Trail to the south and to the City of Whittlesea’s shared trail network to the north. This will hopefully conserve the open green spaces for future generations.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,

and also part of the Friday Greens meme,

and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,

and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,

and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

Purple swamp hen

Mallard ducklings

Male mallard duck

Black cockatoo

Galah

Crested pigeon

CITY MORNING

Sunrise in the City with some early birds around...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.