RINGWOOD LAKE PARK

Ringwood Lake Park is a significant asset, well valued by the Maroondah City community. The 8.5 hectare park has been enjoyed by many locals and visitors since its creation in the 1920’s. The significance of the park has been highlighted through the preservation of the local history, pleasant and naturally significant surroundings and by hosting various annual festivals.Community groups and individuals have contributed both time and funding towards the Park’s preservation, including recent works to enhance the cultural value of the park. 

Ringwood Lake Park is located at the corner of Maroondah Highway and Mt Dandenong Road next to the Belgrave railway line. The lake is about 1 hectare in size with a shoreline of 1 kilometre and a maximum depth of 4.3 metres. In 1926 the lake was created, with community co-operation, by damming the Sandy Creek which flowed north-westerly to the Mullum Mullum Creek. It was an area of mud, fallen logs and grasses which now provides alternative habitat for wildlife as well as passive recreational opportunities.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

BORAGE

Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as a starflower, is an annual herb. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalised in many other locales. It grows satisfactorily in gardens in the UK climate, remaining in the garden from year to year by self-seeding. The leaves are edible and have a cucumber-like flavour. The plant is grown in kitchen-gardens for that purpose in some parts of Europe. The plant is also commercially cultivated for borage seed oil extracted from its seeds.

Borage is used in companion planting. It is said to protect or nurse legumes, spinach, brassicas, and even strawberries. It is also said to be a good companion plant to tomatoes because it confuses the search image of the mother moths of tomato hornworms or manduca looking for a place to lay their eggs.

Traditionally Borago officinalis is used in various disorders, such as gastrointestinal (colic, cramps, diarrhoea), airways (asthma, bronchitis), cardiovascular, (cardiotonic, antihypertensive and blood purifier), urinary (diuretic and kidney/bladder disorders). In Iran people make a tea for relieve colds, flu, bronchitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney inflammation. It is said to be warm in nature and alleviates symptoms that are caused by using food that is cold in nature such as cucumber and fish. People with heart problems can benefit using the borage tea, since it promotes reaching more oxygen to the heart, that’s why one should use this herb in moderate amounts.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme. 

WEB

Autumn is the season when we see quite a lot of spiders spinning their webs out and about. Even the arachnophobe in me loves the beauty of the spun webs.

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and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

CITY VIEW

View to Port Phillip Bay towards the Southwest from Southbank. Most of the high rise buildings you can see are residential apartment blocks.

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AUTUMN MOSAIC

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and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

BACKYARD GECKO

Christinus marmoratus, also known as marbled gecko or southern marbled gecko, is a species of Gekkonidae (gecko) native to southern mainland of Australia, from Victoria to Western Australia. The species is well adapted to a variety of habitats, including city dwellings. This one was making the most of Autumn sunshine in our backyard.

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and also part of the My Sunday Best meme.

FETCH!

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AUTUMN SUNSET

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DAISIES

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EQUINOX SUN

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INVERLOCH

Inverloch is a seaside village in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Bass Highway 143 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, at the mouth of Anderson Inlet, in the Bass Coast Shire and is located close to Australia’s southernmost stand of mangroves. At the 2006 census, Inverloch had a population of 4,140.

Inverloch is a popular tourist destination, particularly for surfers, kitesurfers, windsurfers and fishers. The town hosts a jazz festival each Labour Day long weekend in March. Inverloch's amenities include a visitor information centre, two Pubs, three motels, seven bed and breakfasts, three caravan parks and a foreshore camping reserve. Like most other Australian coastal towns Inverloch has a local surf lifesaving club.

During 2005 and early 2006 the RACV built an eco-village holiday resort on the Cape Paterson Road near Inverloch. Inverloch is a popular holiday resort town for Melbournians and many of them have holiday houses here.

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MOSSYWOOD

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and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

GENTLY...

...does the rain fall and softly does Summer exit, while Autumn still waits gingerly for its cue to take centre stage.

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CONTENTED COWS

Cows grazing in a paddock in Gippsland, about 100 km east of Melbourne.

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SUNRISE

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HAWKESBURY DAISY

Brachyscome multifida is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. Common names include Cut-leaved Daisy, Rocky Daisy, and Hawkesbury Daisy. The species is endemic to Australia. This species has an erect, matting growth habit growing to 45 cm in height. The foliage is fine and deeply divided, The flowerheads arise above the foliage on 4 to 40 cm long peduncles. The ray florets are mauve, pink or white and are 7 to 10 mm long.

The plants main flowering season is early autumn to mid winter, but the daisy-like flowerheads may appear throughout the year. Brachyscome multifida occurs on dry, shallow or rocky soils in sclerophyll forest or grassland in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The species and its cultivars are popular in horticulture, and are used for mass plantings, in hanging baskets, in borders and spilling over retaining walls.

They can be grown in a wide range of soils and tolerate dry conditions, but will benefit from supplementary watering. Plants are best situated in a position with full sun, although partial shade is tolerated. Although relatively frost tolerant, foliage may burn.The plants is readily propagated by cuttings which strike readily. Plants may also be propagated by layering or from seed, though germination rate is usually poor.

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AUTUMN LEAVES

Yes, they've started turning...

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and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,
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MELBOURNE'S MOOMBA

Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday to the second Monday in March.

Moomba is culturally important to Melbourne, having been celebrated since 1955, and regularly attracts up to a million people, with a record attendance of 3.8 million (2.3 million tourists) set in 2018. In 2003, the event was renamed Melbourne Moomba Waterfest.

Traditional events include the Moomba parade, crowning of Moomba monarchs, fireworks displays, carnivals in the gardens along the river, river activities including watersports, water floats and the Birdman Rally, as well as live music and bands. In 2021, the usual Moomba was cancelled by Melbourne City Council, for the first time ever, due to events and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. However "Moomba 2.0" events were held on 5–8 March.

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and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

AUTUMN APPROACHING

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and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

AT NIGHT

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MAGPIE-LARK

The magpie-lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) is a conspicuous Australian bird of small to medium size, also known as the mudlark in Victoria and Western Australia, the Murray magpie in South Australia, and as the peewee in New South Wales and Queensland.  Here it is, drinking some water in the birdbath of our backyard.

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AT SUNSET

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AT PRESTON MARKET

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END OF SUMMER

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GIPPSLAND DAY-TRIP

Gippsland is an economic rural region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-eastern part of the state. It covers an area of 41,556 square kilometres, and lies to the east of the eastern suburbs of Greater Melbourne, to the north of Bass Strait, to the west of the Tasman Sea, to the south of the Black-Allan Line that marks part of the Victorian/New South Wales border, and to the east and southeast of the Great Dividing Range that lies within the Hume region and the Victorian Alps. Gippsland is generally broken down into the East Gippsland, South Gippsland, West Gippsland, and the Latrobe Valley statistical divisions.

As at the 2016 Australian census, Gippsland had a population of 271,266, with the principal population centres of the region, in descending order of population, being Traralgon, Moe, Warragul, Morwell, Sale, Bairnsdale, Drouin, Leongatha, and Phillip Island. Gippsland is best known for its primary production such as mining, power generation and farming as well as its tourist destinations— Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory, the Gippsland Lakes, Walhalla, the Baw Baw Plateau, and the Strzelecki Ranges.

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CHANGE OF SEASON

As Summer turns to Autumn...

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and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
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AT THE PARKLANDS

Mining the archives I cam across this 18-year-old photo of the Darebin Parklands. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place has hardly changed in the intervening years. This is a boon in times of great changes, encroaching urbanisation and lessening of green space in our megalopolis. Especially so, as this green space is so close to the centre of our city (≈6.5 km).

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SWALLOWTAIL

Papilio anactus, the dainty swallowtail, or small citrus butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is endemic to Australia. For protection against predators, this non-poisonous butterfly mimics the poisonous male Cressida cressida, another swallowtail butterfly that obtains its toxic properties through its host plant, the Dutchman's pipe.

Papilio anactus is endemic to Australia. It was originally only present in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, but due to the growing of citrus, a larval food plant of this species, in orchards, the species spread to South Australia in the late 1920s. Papilio anactus is not present on Kangaroo Island or elsewhere in Australia, as there are currently too few citrus trees. It also occurs on New Caledonia. There, it may be an introduced species or a vagrant.

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SUNRISE

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OSTEOSPERMUM

Osteospermum the daisybushes is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Calenduleae, one of the smaller tribes of the sunflower/daisy family Asteraceae. There are about 50 species, native to Africa, 35 species in southern Africa, and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are half-hardy perennials or sub-shrubs. Therefore they do not survive outdoor wintry conditions, but there is still a wide range of hardiness.

Osteospermum are popular in cultivation, where they are frequently used in summer bedding schemes in parks and gardens. Numerous hybrids and cultivars have been grown with a wide range of tropical colours. Yellow cultivars tend to have a yellow center (sometimes off-white). Plants prefer a warm and sunny position and rich soil, although they tolerate poor soil, salt or drought well.

Modern cultivars flower continuously when watered and fertilised well, and dead-heading is not necessary, because they do not set seed easily. If planted in a container, soil should be prevented from drying out completely. If they do, the plants will go into "sleep mode" and survive the period of drought, but they will abort their flower buds and not easily come back into flower. Moreover, roots are relatively susceptible to rotting if watered too profusely after the dry period.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

FUTURE MELBOURNE

Australia sits atop one of the fastest-moving tectonic plates in the world. We move about seven centimetres north-east every year. So by 2066, we shall have moved 300 centimetres northward. Add to that effects of climate change with a warmer and possibly wetter climate in Victoria, we should be feeling positively subtropical by that time.

Victoria's current population of 6.3 million is projected to: Increase by between 1.0% and 1.7% per year, slightly higher than the average annual growth rate projected for Australia, and reach a population of between 10.1 million and 14.5 million by 2066 Most of Victoria's growth is projected to occur in Greater Melbourne. Melbourne is projected to: Increase from 77% of the state's population in 2017 to 79% in 2027 have between 5.9 million and 6.2 million by 2027; to about 11.5 million in 2066 (Australian Bureau of Statistics figure).

Here is some impressions of what Melbourne City could look like in 2066, with a bit of help from Photoshop and AI.

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.