YARRA RIVER

Yarra River at Dights Falls. Perfect place for some relaxation and meditation, only 4 km from the City! How lucky we are in Melbourne to have such a natural gem in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the metropolis.

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.

YARRA BEND MOSAIC

More from this wonderful urban nature park in metropolitan Melbourne, a stone's throw from the CBD. Enjoying the last few weeks of Summer...

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

YARRA BEND PARK

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 Yarra Bend Golf Club House, officially opened in May 1936, is an original example of American ‘Country Club’ type architecture. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

AUSTRALIAN WATER DRAGON

The Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), which includes the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii) and the Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia.

The Gippsland water dragon is generally the more southern of the two subspecies and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland water dragon from the Eastern water dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.

Australian water dragons have long powerful limbs and claws for climbing, a long muscular laterally-compressed tail for swimming, and prominent nuchal and vertebral crests (a nuchal crest is a central row of spikes at the base of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, getting smaller as they reach the base of the tail).

Including their tails, which comprise about two-thirds of their total length, adult females grow to about 60 cm long, and adult males can grow slightly longer than one metre and weigh about 1 kg. Males show bolder colouration and have larger heads than females. Colour is less distinct in juveniles.

The Australian water dragon's diet depends on its size. Juveniles and yearlings tend to feed on spiders and small insects such as ants, crickets, and caterpillars. When they get bigger, so does their prey. An adult diet includes small rodents, such as baby mice, other reptiles, frogs, fish, crabs, yabbies, molluscs, worms and eggs, although insects are still the most commonly consumed. Types of vegetation reportedly consumed include figs, lilly-pilly fruits, berries, and other fruits and flowers.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

AT THE RIVER

Feeding the ducks...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

YARRA RIVER

At the Fairfield Boathouse on the Yarra River in Fairfield one fine Spring day. Yarra Bend Park surrounds the River as it comes to the City (≈4 km from the CBD) and is a beautiful and extensive nature reserve.

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.

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 much older steep, 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.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes 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 much older steep, Silurian, sedimentary spur.

The area can be readily accessed from the Yarra River Trail. The rapids have been used many times for the Victorian Canoe Slalom Championships. The falls are a major obstacle to fish migration up the Yarra River. A fish ladder was installed in 1993, but subsequent research found it was not functioning adequately and would require modifications to improve its efficiency and effectiveness”.

Melbourne Water have undertaken works from the end of 2010 to replace the weir and construct a new fishway to address this issue. In 2024, although works have been completed, there are still issues left unaddressed and the area is partly closed off.

Nevertheless, we are lucky to have such a gem of conserved native parkland along the Yarra River in the midst of our City and accessible to so many people.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme,
and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

YARRA RIVER

At Dight's Falls, approximately 2km from the City Centre. The area is of considerable environmental, historical, cultural and geological significance.

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

WILD MELBOURNE

Hard to believe that today's photo was taken about 4.5 km from the Melbourne CBD... Yarra Bend Park is a glorious bushland reserve within shouting distance of Melbourne city centre. One hopes that building development will not encroach on this truly magnificent nature reserve right within the metropolitan area.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SUNSET AT THE PARK

Living in a big city like Melbourne can be quite stressful. Thankfully we still have many areas of unspoilt natural bushland right in the midst of our city. These little islands of serenity and repose are places where we can take refuge in and recover some of our sanity... This sunset is at the Yarra Bend Park.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

FLYING FOX

This is an Australian Grey Headed Flying Fox (bat), which is  currently classified as a threatened species in Australia. Flying foxes are an example of the dire effects of altering our natural environment. Due to enormous rates of deforestation in Queensland and a greater food supply in south eastern Australia, Grey Headed Flying Foxes migrated down south and found a new habitat in Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens. Due to the public demand their removal from the Botanical Gardens, the State government coordinated a mass habitat relocation of the bats using sonar to direct them to possible habitats. The bats decided to choose Yarra Bend Park, where they now live happily!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

ROWING

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

WINTER

July is our coldest month here in Melbourne, and looking around one can certainly appreciate we are in midwinter. However, all is not bleak! Splashes of colour become apparent when one looks closer. A patch of blue sky, amongst the denuded branches, a blooming, cheery yellow wattle, a bright, brick red toadstool, the warmth of an open fire...

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

and also part of the Seasons meme.

LORIKEET

The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species. Rainbow lorikeets have been introduced to Perth, Western Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hong Kong.

Rainbow lorikeets are true parrots, within the Psittacoidea superfamily in the order Psittaciformes. They include two subspecies: Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus and Trichoglossus molucannus septentrionalis. The rainbow lorikeet is a medium-sized parrot, with the length ranging from 25 to 30 cm, including the tail. The weight varies from 75 to 157 g. The plumage of the nominate race, as with all subspecies, is very bright. The head is deep blue with a greenish-yellow nuchal collar, and the rest of the upper parts (wings, back and tail) are deep green. The chest is red with blue-black barring. The belly is deep green, and the thighs and rump are yellow with deep green barring.

In flight a yellow wing-bar contrasts clearly with the red underwing coverts. There is little to visually distinguish between the sexes; however, to a keen observer of their colouring and behaviour, their dimorphism is readily apparent.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

NORTHCOTE AMPHITHEATRE

The Northcote Amphitheatre in Fairfield Park began life in 1983 as a temporary scaffolding arena seating 500. It was the brainchild of Epidavros Summer Festival, a community theatre company specialising in drama in the outdoors. A co-operative building venture between the Northcote Council and community groups, began in July 1985.

The venue is also known as the Northcote Open-air Theatre, and is designed on classical lines, comprising 11 tiers of terraced seating in a semi-circular arrangement around a circular stage, 10 metres in diameter. The auditorium is built from sawn bluestone slabs over a concrete skin. It seats 460 and commands a splendid view of the Yarra River and surrounding bushland.

The bluestone was originally mined from the Northcote quarry and used to line gutters and kerbs in Northcote. When concrete replaced the stone gutters and kerbs, the bluestone was recycled for use in the seating area. It is set in a public park with boating facilities and tearooms close by.

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.

YARRA BEND PARK

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 Yarra Bend Golf Club House, officially opened in May 1936, is an original example of American ‘Country Club’ type architecture. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

FISHING AT THE BEND

Fishing at Yarra Bend Park on a fine Summer day.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

WARY

Just a little wary of strangers, but friendly when you get to know him...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.