NEW YEAR WISHING

Every New Year gives us a chance to start something new and fresh. Each New Year allows us to learn from our mistakes and use our experience for the better. This New Year make the world a kinder, more loving place for others, and you will find that it will become better for yourself too.

Thank you everyone for visiting here and leaving your thoughts and kind comments. My very best wishes for you and those you love. Happy New Year 2017!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

COOLING OFF

Hot temperatures and muggy weather means lots of pet owners went down to the Darebin Parklands to get their dogs to cool off in the creek...

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

BUYING FLOWERS

The Kingsbury Drive Community Market is held every Sunday between 9am and 1pm. Stallholders sell a large variety of crafts, bric-a-brac and plants.The market is managed by Diamond Valley Community Support (DVCS).  Income from the market is used to fund the various community services provided by DVCS. The market is located in Car Park 2, La Trobe University, Kingsbury Drive, Bundoora.

We often drive there on a Sunday to buy seedlings, garden plants and cut flowers, as well as some nice vegies and fruits.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad It's Friday meme.

KEW BOATHOUSE ON THE YARRA

Historic Studley Park Boathouse, Kew, is only 10 minutes from the city centre and offers visitors the opportunity to dine in the restaurant, relax over a lighter meal in the indoor/outdoor café, or have a light snack from the kiosk while enjoying sweeping views of the Yarra River and natural bushland.

You can also hire row boats, canoes and kayaks from the oldest operating boathouse in Australia. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day. Kids love the place as there are activities, animals and wide open spaces to play in.

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.

YARRA AT FAIRFIELD

The Fairfield Boathouse was established in 1908 by John St Clair as a picnic, camping and refreshment room area and boat shed area. John St Clair was a piano tuner from Smith Street Fitzroy, with a vision. In 1923 the boathouse was raised by 12 feet to help minimise flood damage, a frequent threat to boathouses along the Yarra. Boat and canoe carnivals and open air carnivals were common sights at Fairfield until the 1950’s.

Boating popularity declined until finally the Fairfield Boathouse was closed in 1980 as it was declared unfit for human habitation. In 1985 the boathouse was restored and re-opened. Meticulous work and an eye for detail was required for rebuilding. Even the gardens have been restored to encourage native birds.

Today you can paddle through Inner Melbourne's only remaining natural bushland by hiring a boat, canoe or kayak. Or, at the Fairfield Park Boathouse you can enjoy informal outdoor dining where you can relax by the river in summer or sit by the cozy wood fires and admire the view in winter.

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.

AND A RAINY BOXING DAY

Rain falling on the Yarra River at Yarra Bend Park.

This post is part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

A HOT CHRISTMAS DAY

We had a very hot Christmas Day in Melbourne today, with the temperature rising to 37˚C. Needless to say many people enjoyed Christmas outside with picnic hampers, BBQs and seafood and salad meals. The kookaburras at the Darebin parklands are enjoying a meal of lizards!

Hope you enjoyed your Christmas wherever you are and whatever your weather was like!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

BRIGHTEST STAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

YARRA AT ABBOTSFORD

The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Aboriginal: Birrarung, and Wongete) is a perennial river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river are where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches.

From its source in the Yarra Ranges, it flows 242 kilometres west through the Yarra Valley which opens out into plains as it winds its way through Greater Melbourne before emptying into Hobsons Bay in northernmost Port Phillip. The river was a major food source and meeting place for indigenous Australians from prehistoric times. Shortly after the arrival of European settlers land clearing forced the remaining Wurundjeri to neighbouring territories and away from the river. Originally called Birrarung by the Wurundjeri, the current name was mistranslated from another Wurundjeri term in the Boonwurrung language; Yarro-yarro, meaning "ever-flowing".

Here the river at Abbotsford, in the Yarra Bend Park. The first photo looks towards the North, the second and third towards the South and towards the Abbotsford Beer Breweries. All still looks quite green because of our cool, wet Spring and lack of early Summer heat.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,

and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

BOTANIC GARDENS, MELBOURNE

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are 38 hectares (94 acres) of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and exotic vegetation including over 10,000 individual species.

The Royal Botanic Gardens have a second division in the outer Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne, some 45 km south-east of the city. The 363 hectare (897 acres) Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne have a focus solely on Australian native plants, and feature an award-winning special section called the Australian Garden, which was opened in May 2006.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (shown here) are adjacent to a larger group of parklands directly south-east of the city, between St. Kilda Road and the Yarra River known as the Domain Parklands, which includes: Kings Domain Alexandra Gardens and Queen Victoria Gardens.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

Yucca elephantipes

Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawara Flame Tree)

Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawara Flame Tree)

Canna hybrid

Hosta hybrid

Strophanthus speciosus

Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum)

Nerium oleander hybrid

Tecoma stans (Yellow Bells)

DAREBIN CK, EARLY SUMMER

Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow.

The creek runs through Darebin Parklands, a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek. This is the creek at the Darebin Parklands in Ivanhoe.

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

MELBOURNE ICONS

On the south bank of the Yarra River. The tall building is the Eureka Tower,  a 297.3-metre skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia). As of May 2013 it is the 12th tallest residential building in the world.

The spire belongs to the Arts Centre. “The Arts Centre spire is the most powerful cultural symbol in Melbourne - it is an artistic landmark, and one which represents the city as the arts capital of Australia.”  said Haddon Storey, Minister for the Arts, in 1995. The Princes Bridge is a typical 19th century Victorian bridge that unites old and new quite beautifully.

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.

CROWN CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

First opened in 1997, Crown Melbourne is a large integrated resort and has a casino, three hotels, function rooms, award winning restaurants and shopping and entertainment facilities. It is a significant driver of tourism within Australia, particularly in Victoria. In Melbourne, Crown is located in Southbank with a view over the Yarra River and the City. The decorations and Christmas Display is becoming a Melbourne tradition, with many people making a special visit to see the free show in the Atrium.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.