ARTS CENTRE

The Arts Centre spire viewed from Federation Square on the opposite side of the Yarra River.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SUMMERY

As we approach the end of Summer, it's time to hurry and make the most of the remaining days under the sun.

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

YARRA BEND PATH

Yarra Bend Park has been one of Melbourne’s largest expanses of inner suburban parkland for nearly 150 years. Yarra Bend Park and neighbouring Studley Park were reserved in 1877. Both park areas and several reserves were combined in 1929 to create one large park. The combined area became known as Yarra Bend National Park despite never being raised to formal national park status.

During the 1930’s additions included picnic and sporting grounds, toilet facilities and a public golf course. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities. Numerous winding paths provide plenty of opportunity for leisurely promenades in the natural serene surrounds of the park.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

CURRAWONG

The pied currawong (Strepera graculina) is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised.

It is a robust crow-like bird averaging around 48 cm in length, black or sooty grey-black in plumage with white undertail and wing patches, yellow irises, and a heavy bill. The male and female are similar in appearance. Known for its melodious calls, the species' name currawong is believed to be of indigenous origin. Within its range, the pied currawong is generally sedentary, although populations at higher altitudes relocate to lower areas during the cooler months. It is omnivorous, with a diet that includes a wide variety of berries and seeds, invertebrates, bird eggs and juvenile birds.

It is a predator which has adapted well to urbanisation and can be found in parks and gardens as well as rural woodland. The habitat includes all kinds of forested areas, although mature forests are preferred for breeding. Roosting, nesting and the bulk of foraging take place in trees, in contrast with the ground-foraging behaviour of its relative, the Australian magpie. Here it is seen in suburban Melbourne, in the Darebin Parklands in Fairfield.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNSET PALMS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

BUTTERFLY AND ROSES

An unidentified rose with the small white butterfly (Pieris rapae). This is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is also known as the small cabbage white and in New Zealand, simply as white butterfly. The names "cabbage butterfly" and "cabbage white" can also refer to the large white butterfly.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

SUMMER WALK

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

SOUTHBANK

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

NGV GARDEN

The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as NGV, is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. The NGV operates across two sites: NGV International, located on St Kilda Road in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct of Southbank, and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, located nearby at Federation Square.

The St Kilda Road building, designed by Sir Roy Grounds, opened in 1968, and was renovated by Mario Bellini and reopened in 2003. There is a beautiful sculpture garden in the Gallery, in which this mosaic mural is found. Henry Moore's "Draped Seated Woman" of 1957-58, with the mosaic in the background, a recreation of Fernand Léger's "Grand Parade with Red Background" made in 1985.

In my mosaic below, there is the "Standing Figure 1969"; cast 1984 by Willem de Kooning and also the "Temple of Boom", designed by Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, as an evocative homage to the Parthenon of Athens.

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

WILD MELBOURNE

Hard to believe that today's photo was taken about 4.5 km from the Melbourne CBD... Yarra Bend Park is a glorious bushland reserve within shouting distance of Melbourne city centre. One hopes that building development will not encroach on this truly magnificent nature reserve right within the metropolitan area.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

KOALAS

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET

View from Hanging Rock (also known as Mount Diogenes, Dryden's Rock, and to some of its traditional owners as Ngannelong). Hanging Rock is a distinctive geological formation in central Victoria. A former volcano, it lies 718 m above sea level (105 m above plain level) on the plain between the two small townships of Newham and Hesket, approximately 70 km north-west of Melbourne and a few kilometres north of Mount Macedon.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DAHLIA

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MOSS, LICHEN, FUNGUS

Life, life everywhere!

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

VALENTINE'S BOUQUETS

Flowers Vasette, a boutique florist was established in 1989 and has established a reputation as a Melbourne retail icon, delivering flowers throughout the Melbourne metropolitan region. Situated in cosmopolitan Brunswick Street, Fitzroy the landmark signage and sculptures invite the passers-by into the shop. Inside is a wonderful mix of multicoloured flowers and patterned foliage, and one is assailed by a delicious fragrance. Definitely a place to stop and shop at in Brunswick St.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

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

DAYLESFORD

Daylesford is a spa town located in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, within the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia, approximately 108 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. First established in 1852 as a gold-mining town, today Daylesford has a population of 2,548 as of the 2016 census. As one of Australia’s few spa towns, Daylesford is a notable tourist destination.

The town’s numerous spas, restaurants and galleries are popular alongside the many gardens and country-house-conversion styled bed and breakfasts. The broader area around the town, including Hepburn Springs to the north, is known for its natural spring mineral spas and is the location of over 80 per cent of Australia's effervescent mineral water reserve. It is also the filming location for the third season of "The Saddle Club", and scenes from the 2004 film "Love's Brother".

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

SUNDAY NIGHT

Quiet night out on the street.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

LAZYBONES

 "Go away! I need to get my beauty sleep..."

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

AT THE PROM

Wilsons Promontory, also known as Yiruk and Wamoon in the Gunai and Boonwurrung languages respectively, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at 39°08′06″S 146°22′32″E is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nearby South East Point, (39°07′S 146°25′E) is the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse. Most of the peninsula is protected by the Wilsons Promontory National Park and the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MAGNOLIA

Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 to 340 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol. Illustrated here is the magnificent Magnolia grandiflora.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MOSS

Here is some common feather-moss (Kindbergia praelonga).

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

GIPPSLAND RURAL

In Gippsland, about 150 km east of Melbourne on a day trip.

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

AUSTRALIAN MOSAIC

Trying my hand at digitally creating a mosaic that evokes the spirit of Australia.

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

IN THE CITY

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

QUIZZICAL

 This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

ON THE BAY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

OLEANDER

Nerium oleander, most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium, belonging to subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family Apocynaceae.

It is so widely cultivated that no precise region of origin has been identified, though it is usually associated with the Mediterranean Basin. Nerium grows to 2–6 metres tall. It is most commonly grown in its natural shrub form, but can be trained into a small tree with a single trunk. It is tolerant to both drought and inundation, but not to prolonged frost. White, pink or red five-lobed flowers grow in clusters year-round, peaking during the summer. The fruit is a long narrow pair of follicles, which splits open at maturity to release numerous downy seeds.

Nerium contains several toxic compounds, and it has historically been considered a poisonous plant. However, its bitterness renders it unpalatable to humans and most animals, so poisoning cases are rare and the general risk for human mortality is low. Ingestion of larger amounts may cause nausea, vomiting, excess salivation, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea and irregular heart rhythm. Prolonged contact with sap may cause skin irritation, eye inflammation and dermatitis.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

NEW DAY

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.