MURAL IN OAKLEIGH LIBRARY

This fine mural is made from sculpted salvaged elm tree wood. It is by artist Glenn Romanis who fashioned it in 2007 and it is installed on the wall of the foyer fo the Oakleigh Public Library.

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

WORKING DOG

This is taken in Fairfield Railway Station, and the guide dog I am sure has enjoyed its outing at the Hound Lounge.

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

SUNSET REFLECTIONS

The sunset sky reflected in the Southbank high rise apartments adds a golden touch to otherwise cold and blue-gray façades. A cold night ahead!

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.

SUNRISE IN THE CITY

Looking over Sandridge pedestrian bridge, towards the West.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 79 - SHEOAK

Allocasuarina is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus Casuarina, they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that function as leaves. Formally termed cladodes, these branchlets somewhat resemble pine needles, although sheoaks are actually flowering plants. The leaves are reduced to minute scales encircling each joint. Fallen cladodes form a dense, soft mat beneath sheoaks, preventing the development of undergrowth and making sheoak woods remarkably quiet.

Another characteristic feature are the spiny "cones", about the size of an acorn but with a texture more resembling a conifer cone. However, sheoak "cones" are actually a woody fruit. Male specimens bear no fruit and are sometimes colloquially referred to as a "heoak". As with legumes, sheoak roots possess nodules containing symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria; together with their highly drought-adapted foliage, this enables sheoaks to thrive in very poor soil and semi-arid areas. However, sheoaks are much less bushfire-tolerant than eucalypts. Fossils of closely related species have been found dating back to the time of Gondwana.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WINTRY MELBOURNE

By the Yarra River in Winter...

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.

COFFEE ON PONYFISH ISLAND

Found under the pedestrian bridge on Southbank, and only accessible from stairs which descend from above, there is another world at Ponyfish Island. Ponyfish bar and restaurant has a location as unique as its name, hidden away in a floating haven on the Yarra River. The vibe is eccentric, and the city perspective is very different, but the menu hits the spot with breakfast toasties, lunchtime quesadillas, platters to share and a range of barbecued burgers. Or, just conversation over a cup of coffee on Winter's day...

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

MURAL IN SOUTH MELBOURNE

I was rushing to an appointment a few days ago and out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a rather large mural adorning the wall of a little lane that led to the parking lot behind the large office on Market St, close to Clarendon St. The brilliant blues was what caught my eye first.

At the risk of being late for my appointment, I did take some photos. Just as well as I did as I had to rush off again afterwards. It was raining too, by that time.

The mural is a tribute to Salvador Dalí, with several signature thematic devices: Melting clock, hatching egg, distorted skulls, etc. There is however, a fixation on chairs and armchairs that run through the imagery. I was wondering whether the mural was connected with a furniture shop nearby?

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

FOG IN THE PARKLANDS

The Darebin Parklands in suburban Melbourne are a wonderful place to have a walk in. This is even true in Winter and especially so on foggy mornings!

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Weekend in Black and White meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

MELBOURNE BY NIGHT

On June 21st, we had Winter Solstice in Melbourne at 8:51 pm EST. The City definitely seemed to have its festive attire on, and its most brilliant jewellery to boot! The glory was perfectly reflected by the gently flowing waters of the Yarra River. It's going to be a long, long night!

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.

DAWN ON THE YARRA

As we approach the Winter Solstice in Melbourne, we are beginning to get some slightly cooler weather, although up till now Winter has been unusually mild. Nevertheless, if one gets up very early it is quite nippy, especially if the night has been clear and cloudless. The sight of the moon above the city buildings and the colours of the rising sun do compensate one for the early start and the cold...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 78 - RHODODENDRON

Rhododendron is large genus in the heath (Ericaceae) family includes some 800 species, which are widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority growing in temperate to cool regions. Gardeners can choose from many different types of rhododendrons: Alpine rhododendrons, with small leaves, wiry stems, and clusters of tiny flowers; shrub rhododendrons, including those up to 15 ft (4.5 m) tall; tree rhododendrons, with a single trunk and a large head of foliage; evergreen azaleas, which are low to tall bushes with semi-persistent foliage and large light-textured flowers; deciduous azaleas, which are large twiggy bushes with flowers usually in shades of yellow, red, or orange; and vireya rhododendrons, which are tender tropical species with funnel-shaped blooms and no fixed flowering season.

In common with most heath family plants, rhododendrons prefer acidic soils, high in organic matter and freely draining, in a partly shaded position. While most prefer some protection from wind, sun, and frost, many others tolerate these conditions. Species may be raised from seed, or propagate from half-hardened cuttings or layers.

Rhododendron foliage is extremely variable. Most species bear "trusses" of up to 24 spectacular blooms, in colours ranging from white to pink, red, yellow, and mauve. Flowers are often multicoloured, with spots, stripes, edging, or a single blotch of a different colour in the throat of the flower. With the exception of some vireya species and hybrids, fragrant rhododendrons are always white or very pale pink. Blooms vary in size and shape but are generally bell-shaped, appearing from early spring to early summer. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule, normally woody, with the tiny seeds sometimes bearing wings or tail-like appendages to aid dispersal.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MERRI CREEK, COBURG

Merri Creek flows about 60 km from the Great Dividing Range through Melbourne’s northern suburbs to the Yarra River. Merri Creek is an environmental, heritage and recreation corridor that draws its significance from its role as a continuous corridor as it does from the qualities of individual reaches. All areas of the Creek are important because they contribute to the linking of areas of environmental, heritage and recreational value along the Creek. At Coburg, one of Melbourne's northern suburbs, the creek has been dammed to form a lake. These waterways through Melbourne's suburbs provide for nesting and living space for the numerous waterfowl, and wild-birds, as well as allowing for residents to enjoy the water and vegetation around the water.

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.

WINTER EVENING

...And the rush hour is beginning.

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

EASTMENT ST STUDIO WALL

Eastment St on top of Rucker's Hill in Northcote is an interesting back street that hides many surprises. One of these is Somewhere Studios, which is a shop, showroom and workshop for the inquiring mind that offers a range of photography and art based products and services that promote Learning By Doing practices. The interesting photographic portrait mural that adorns the façade is a sample of the type of fun stuff that goes on inside. Lots of other murals around this area of Northcote, but that's for another post!

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme.