BROWNS RESERVE MURAL, ABBOTSFORD

As well as having large parks and gardens all around Melbourne, there are a number of smaller reserves scattered throughout the suburbs. These are generally the size of a house lot or two and have been gifted to the community by former owners of the land. These reserves are looked after by the local councils and they may have BBQ facilities, children's playgrounds, park benches and flower beds, or in some cases art works.

This is Browns Reserve on Nicholson St in Abbotford (an inner suburb to the East of the CBD), a typical example of such a reserve. A mural adorns one of the adjoining house walls and considering it was painted in 1988, it is doing quite well in terms of resisting the effects of the weather and of defacement. The theme is native flora and fauna, and it was designed by Carol Ruff.

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

The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the banded anteater, or walpurti, is a marsupial found in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. Once widespread across southern Australia, the range is now restricted to several small colonies and it is listed as an endangered species. The numbat is an emblem of Western Australia and protected by conservation programs

The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron.In Australia, its status varies from state to state. It is listed as 'Threatened' on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared. On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the Little Egret is listed as endangered. On the right The magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a common bird, seen in parks and suburban gardens across many parts of Australia. It is easily recognised and has the following features: Its head, belly and tail tip are all black there are splashes of white on its wings, its lower back and tail, and the back of its head its beak is blue-grey in colour its legs are black its eyes are brown. The magpie's lack of shyness has made it popular with suburban gardeners and farmers both for its carolling song and its appetite for insect pests.

The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), Greek for "dog-headed pouched one", was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped back) or the Tasmanian wolf. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae, although several related species have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene. The thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before European settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite its official classification as extinct, sightings are still reported, though none proven.