The Eastern Freeway is an urban freeway in eastern Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. It is one of the most important freeways in terms of commuting to the city, connecting Alexandra Parade and Hoddle Street in the inner suburbs, with EastLink tollway farther east.
The freeway consists of between three to six lanes (including the hard shoulder running lane during peak periods) in each direction, also an inbound transit lane reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants during peak hours. It is the continually widest freeway in Melbourne, with 12 lanes altogether near the Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade end.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Eucalyptus forrestiana, commonly known as Fuchsia Gum, Forrest's Mallee or Forrest's Marlock, is a small tree which occurs in an area near Esperance in Western Australia. It was named after George Forrest (1873-1932).
It is a mallee Eucalyptus with smooth bark and grows to between 1.5 and to 6 metres in height. It has bright red buds and yellow flowers which appear between summer and winter. Two closely related species, E. dolichorhyncha and E. stoatei, have been treated as subspecies in the past.
It is a pretty multi-stemmed native tree with a dark green canopy and smooth grey bark. It produces brilliant flowers in summer that are red caps and yellow flowers in summer and winter. Great as a streetscape tree or suited to a garden, adding colour and drama. It prefers well-drained sandy soils. It is drought and frost tolerant and copes with limited waterlogging. Flowers and fruit are useful as cut flowers.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Kalorama is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Kalorama had a population of 1,157.
The suburb was first settled by Europeans around 1855 when Isaac Jeeves, Mathew Child and Jabez Richardson took up selections. The traditional custodians of the area are the Wurundjeri of the Kulin nation.The Post Office opened on 1 October 1909, but was known as Hand's Corner until 1910, then Mount Dandenong North until 1926.
The area, renowned for its beauty, is the site of a famous lookout point named "Five Ways" which overlooks Kalorama Park, Silvan Reservoir, the National Rhododendron Gardens, and the R.J. Hamer Arboretum. The tea-rooms shown here are a well known feature of the intersection. Nearby attractions include William Ricketts Sanctuary, Olinda Falls, a gallery, and a range of tea-rooms, cafes and stores.
The forests of the region are dominated by various eucalypt species including Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest known flowering plant. The local wet sclerophyll forests form habitat for many species of native bird including the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) which can be sometimes heard voicing its characteristic mimicry from the deeper gullies and south-eastern aspects.The area has featured in the work of many Australian artists, including Sir Arthur Streeton.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, is a street in inner northern Melbourne, known for cafés, live music venues and alternative fashion shops. It is a lively, colourful, often bizarre, never dull locale, where somethign is happening all around the clock. There are many interesting things to see, not least of which is the street art, whether it's imaginative shop signs or whether it's murals.
This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Monday Murals meme.
St Mary's Catholic church on High Street, Thornbury is a fine red brick church dating back to the 1920s. The associated school adjacent to the church first opened in January 1920 in one of the old wooden buildings, which was transported from St Joseph’s, Northcote. As the population increased, the school expanded. In February 1925 Archbishop Mannix laid the foundation of a new brick school building, which was later blessed and officially opened by Bishop McCarthy of Sandhurst.
As part of the Commonwealth centenary celebrations, a fountain was constructed outside the church. It has a fine mosaic of native water flora and fauna.
This post is part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.
Botanica Park is a small park in a relatively new housing development that is found in the outer suburb of Melbourne, Bundoora. It is 16 km north from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the Cities of Banyule, Darebin and Whittlesea. At the 2011 Census, Bundoora had a population of 25,709.
Bundoora is the headquarters of La Trobe University, Bundoora Campus. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) also has a campus situated in Bundoora.The word Bundoora is derived from "Kelbundoora", the name of a 19th-century Wurundjeri tribesman.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.
Heidelberg is a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, 11 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2011 Census, Heidelberg had a population of 5,714. Once a large town on Melbourne's fringe, Heidelberg was absorbed into Melbourne as part of the latter's northward expansion after World War II. Heidelberg once had its own historic Central Business District and its own municipality in the former City of Heidelberg.It was named after the German city of Heidelberg.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Tristaniopsis laurina, the Water Gum or Kanooka is a tree native to Australia, where it usually grows near the eastern coastline and along the banks of streams, where the trunks and branches tend to be shaped in the direction of the current and give an indication of the flood height.
Tristaniopsis laurina has a slow rate of growth, and usually reaches a height of 4–9m. The tree is multi-branched, and may be pruned to maintain a compact shape. It can grow to be 39 m tall in native habitats. The flowers are bright yellow and have a distinctive (and to some, an unpleasant odour). They attract honeybees as well as small native species of bee. They usually come out in the late spring or early summer.
The Water Gum is cultivated as an ornamental tree by plant nurseries, for use in gardens and civic landscaping. It is popular, being easy to grow and forming a good shade tree. Many are planted as street trees, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
