SUNSET AT THE PARK

A typical suburban park and as evening falls, the Western horizon becomes golden.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 100 - LINDEN

Tilia × europaea, generally known as the common lime (British Isles) or common linden (North America), is a naturally occurring hybrid between Tilia cordata (small-leaved lime) and Tilia platyphyllos (large-leaved lime). It occurs in the wild in Europe at scattered localities wherever the two parent species are both native. It is not closely related to the lime fruit tree, a species of citrus.

Tilia × europaea is a large deciduous tree up to 15–50 m tall with a trunk up to 2.5 m radius. The base of the trunk often features burrs and a dense mass of brushwood. The leaves are intermediate between the parents, 6–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, thinly hairy below with tufts of denser hairs in the leaf vein axils. The flowers are produced in clusters of four to ten in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtending bract; they are fragrant, and pollinated by bees. The floral formula is ✶ K5 C5 A0+5∞ G(5).

The fruit is a dry nut-like drupe 8 mm (0.3 in) diameter, downy and faintly ribbed. This hybrid is very widely cultivated, being readily and inexpensively propagated by layering; as a result, it is often the commonest Tilia species in urban areas and along avenues and streets. It is not however the best species of this purpose, as it produces abundant stem sprouts, and also often hosts heavy aphid populations resulting in honeydew deposits on everything underneath the trees. Furthermore there is substantial leaf litter in autumn.

We don't have many linden trees growing in Melbourne, so it is always a pleasant surprise to find one, especially if it in bloom. This specimen was growing up in the Dandenongs, where the weather is cooler and more amenable to this tree's growth.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

CITY VIEW

View of Melbourne City from the East.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SASSAFRAS TEAROOM

Sassafras is a locality and township within Greater Melbourne beyond the Melbourne metropolitan area Urban Growth Boundary, 43 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Sassafras had a population of 968. It is located at an altitude of approximately 500 metres, near the top of the ridgeline of the Dandenong Ranges, a few kilometres south of the highest peak of Mount Dandenong.

The area was named Sassafras Gully, after the trees which grew in the area. The land was opened to small scale farming in 1893 and a small township developed. The Post Office opened on 1 June 1901 and has always been known as Sassafras Gully. In the early 1900s tourism began to increase and the township consequently grew. Today Sassafras is a tourist destination with several boutique stores including Devonshire tea outlets, antique shops and nurseries.

Drawing inspiration from Agatha Christie’s classic character, Miss Marple’s Tea Room (382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road) features an intriguing gallery full of memorabilia. The quaint, cottage style café offers a menu of traditional English fare such as cottage pies and Devonshire Tea. Unfortunately, the milieu is not good enough to make up for the shortfall in the menu - ranging from the rather ordinary, uninspired, to the much less than average food. For example, the "scones" are really a bready, cake-like concoction and the savoury dishes completely lacklustre. Still, I guess it's OK if the company is compatible, in which case, who cares about the food...

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

COLLINGWOOD MURAL 2

In Campbell St, Collingwood, right across the road from the zebra mural I showed you last week, is a group of murals that are quite striking and colourful. Not as much to my taste as the jaunty zebra mural, but nevertheless, they do provide an interesting vista.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme.

ST PAUL'S ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria. The cathedral, which was built in stages, is a major Melbourne landmark.

St Paul's Cathedral is built on the site where the first public Christian service in Melbourne was conducted in 1835. The area of the current site became a corn market until 1848, when it was made available for the construction of St Paul's Parish Church, a bluestone church. St Paul's Parish Church was consecrated in 1852 and was in use until 1885 when it was demolished to make way for the current cathedral. A distinguished English architect, William Butterfield, designed the cathedral, in the architectural style of Gothic transitional.

The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and, on 22 January 1891, the cathedral was consecrated. St Paul's replaced St James Old Cathedral which then stood on the corner of William Street and Collins Street - later moved to a site near the Flagstaff Gardens. The erection of the spires began in 1926, to the design of John Barr of Sydney instead of Butterfield's original design.

The 1960s saw extensive work completed to the exterior of the cathedral and the T.C. Lewis Organ was restored in 1989 by a major National Trust appeal.Major restoration works were completed in 2009 with significant repairs to the spires, the building of the Moorhouse Tower Lantern and the new processional doors.

This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,

and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.

YARRA FLATS PARK

Yarra Flats Park features 85 hectares of pastoral and heritage landscapes, natural bushland, wetlands, abundant birdlife and a number of informal picnic areas. There is a wood barbecue, picnic tables and shelters located near the car park. Along the Main Yarra Trail is the Heidelberg School Artists Trail, which illustrates how artists a century ago (such as Condor, McCubbin and Streeton) interpreted the landscape.

Pedestrian and cyclist access is available from various points in the park at all times. Vehicle entry is available from The Boulevard, East Ivanhoe (Melway 32 B6). Car park gates are open 6am to 6pm, extending to 9pm during daylight savings. Dogs are permitted in the park but must remain on a leash at all times. Dogs are not permitted within the (fenced) Annulus Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

YARRA RIVER SUNRISE

Looking towards the East on the Yarra River, close to the boating sheds.

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

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 99 - MAGNOLIA

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia south to central Florida, and west to East Texas and Oklahoma. Reaching 28 m in height, it is a large, striking, evergreen tree with large, dark green leaves up to 20 cm long and 12 cm wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30 cm in diameter. Widely cultivated in warmer areas around the world, over 50 cultivars have been bred and marketed commercially. The timber is hard and heavy, and has been used commercially to make furniture, pallets, and veneer.

The climate in Melbourne suits this tree very well and there are many fine specimens in gardens, parks, streets and reserves. Once established, the trees are drought tolerant, and are indeed the most drought tolerant of all the Magnolia species.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

ALTONA BEACH

Altona is a western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-west of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2011 Census, Altona had a population of 9,918. Altona is a large suburb consisting of low density residential in the south-eastern half, with mixed industry in the north-western half. A key feature is Altona Beach on Port Phillip, which is one of only two swimming beaches in the western suburbs (the other being Williamstown Beach). Altona takes its name from the then independent German city of Altona which is today a borough of Hamburg.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.