SUNSET IN THE COUNTRY

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

WONGA WONGA VINE

Pandorea pandorana, commonly known as the wonga wonga vine or wonga-vine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae and is native to Australia, Malesia and the southwestern Pacific region.

It is a woody scrambler or climber with pinnate leaves, juvenile leaves differing from those of mature plants. The flowers are tubular or funnel-shaped and white with purple markings and the fruit are capsules containing winged seeds. It is easy species to germinate and is a popular garden plant.

Common cultivars include the yellow-flowered Pandorea 'Golden Showers', the white-flowered P. 'Snowbells' (shown here), and the pinkish P. 'Ruby Belle'. The wood was used in making spears for woomeras in the Central and Western deserts.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

BOLTE BRIDGE, MELBOURNE

View of the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne, spanning the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour in the Docklands precinct to the west of the Melbourne CBD. Construction took three years from 1996 to 1999 and cost $75 million.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme
and also part of the Nature Notes meme

ON THE FARM

Idyllic spots aplenty in pastoral Gippsland, in the Southeastern part of Victoria.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

AUSTRALIAN BIRD LIFE

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

QUIET CITY

There are some moments in the City when a surreal atmosphere descends on it, and there is an almost post-apocalyptic feel in the air. Here is a morning view where Winter is deciding to leave and Spring to come in, the people hiding it seems...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MALLARD DUCKLINGS

The Mallard or Wild Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae.

The male birds (drakes) have a glossy green head and are grey on wings and belly, while the females have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are gregarious. This species is the ancestor of most breeds of domestic ducks.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SEPTEMBER BLOOD MOON

A blood moon is a term for the reddish appearance of the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. This occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. Sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters the blue light and allows longer-wavelength red light to pass through and reach the Moon, giving it its characteristic crimson colour.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

FLOWERING PEACH

Bonita Joy Flowering Peach (Prunus persica 'Bonita Joy'). Spring is here!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

YARRA VIEW FROM CREMORNE

I took this photo from a moving train in Richmond, while crossing the Cremorne Railway Bridge over the River Yarra looking towards the west and the City. Although we are barely into Spring now, most of our native trees are the evergreen Eucalyptus, and our climate is mild enough to give us this type of view, during the cold winter months. We still have quite a lot of natural reserves of native vegetation, especially in many parklands associated with the Yarra. These pockets of indigenous flora and fauna are worth preserving in our City for the future generations...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

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

YESTERYEAR

A lovely period home in Heidelberg, a Melbourne suburb with much green space and beautiful homes.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

SUNBATHING

Enjoying a little Spring sunshine...

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

CONTRAIL SKY

Spring blossom, blue skies and a speeding jet up high. See the bee?

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DAFFODIL - 'COOL FLAME'

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

BY THE POND

Still looks wintry by the large pond at the Darebin Parklands...

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme
and also part of the Nature Notes meme

WINTRY SKY

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

SPRING IS HERE!

First day of Spring in Melbourne today and the weather has been a Melbourne mixture, as usual. However, the flowers have already started to bloom and the gardens are starting to look very attractive!

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

Flowering aloes, three-cornered leek and wattle.

MELBOURNE MUSEUM

The Melbourne Museum is a natural and cultural history museum located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. Located adjacent to the Royal Exhibition Building, the museum was opened in 2000 as a project of the Government of Victoria, on behalf of Museums Victoria which administers the venue. The museum won Best Tourist Attraction at the Australian Tourism Awards in 2011.

The last few days of Winter here in Melbourne have been windy, cold and wet, so museums, libraries and art galleries are definitely the places to be!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

BLACK SWAN

The Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic conditions.

Black Swans are large birds with mostly black plumage and red bills. They are monogamous breeders that share incubation duties and cygnet rearing between the sexes. Described scientifically by English naturalist John Latham in 1790, the Black Swan was formerly placed into a monotypic genus, Chenopis. Black Swans can be found singly, or in loose companies numbering into the hundreds or even thousands. 

Black Swans are popular birds in zoological gardens and bird collections, and escapees are sometimes seen outside their natural range. This specimen was snapped in our local park.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET ON THE LAKE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

PITCHER PLANT

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants with pitcher-shaped, modified leaves that trap and digest insects and other small prey for nutrients, as they typically grow in nutrient-poor environments. There are two main types: New World pitcher plants (genus Sarracenia), which are ground-dwelling and native to North America, and Old World tropical pitcher plants (genus Nepenthes), which are liana-like and found in the Old World tropics. Their elaborate traps use nectar, color, and scent to lure prey, which then slides down the slippery, downward-haired inner surface and drowns in digestive fluids.

Nepenthes gaya was originally bred by Sam Estes of Leilani Nepenthes in 2004. This is the first of his plants to be mass produced and widely available. A full size plant will sport 15 cm colourful pitchers with red-orange splotches against a yellow background. It grows very well as a houseplant and appreciates lots of bright filtered sunlight or partial sun. The full parentage of this plant is Nepenthes khasiana x ( ventricosa x maxima).

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

ST KILDA ESPLANADE

The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns. In modern usage the space allows people to walk for recreational purposes; esplanades are often on sea fronts, and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach. Esplanades became popular in Victorian times when it was fashionable to visit seaside resorts.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme

and also part of the Nature Notes meme

DONCASTER PUBLIC LIBRARY

A beautiful library and gallery in Doncaster, an outer suburb of Melbourne. This library is part of the Whitehorse Manningham Libraries group, which services several neighbouring suburbs.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

FIRST SIGNS OF SPRING

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

AT THE MARKET

Cutting a deal at the Sunday Market.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

COOL CAT

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

THINGS THAT FLY...

Hitchhiker?

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

DAFFODIL DAY

Daffodil Day in Melbourne, organised by the Cancer Council, is a fundraising event held annually in August to support cancer research, prevention, and support services. In 2025, Daffodil Day falls on Thursday, August 21. It's a day for Australians to show their support for those affected by cancer and to raise funds for a cancer-free future. 

The Rialto Plaza is a prominent location for Daffodil Day, featuring a large display of daffodils, including a hot air balloon display and a giant daffodil. Daffodils are available for purchase, with proceeds going to the Cancer Council.

Please donate to the Cancer Council, every little bit helps to support research that will achieve a cancer-free future!

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DAREBIN CREEK

Fish ladder on the Darebin Creek at the Darebin Parklands in Alphington. An important conservation area for native flora and fauna.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

PREMIER TOWER

Premier Tower is a mixed-use skyscraper on the corner of Bourke and Spencer Streets, in Melbourne, Australia. Designed by Elenberg Fraser, plans for a 294-metre tall building with 90-storeys were initially proposed in 2014; however, in order not to cast a shadow on the Yarra River to the south, both the height and the number of levels of the project were reduced in later plans, which were submitted to the Department of Planning.

In May 2015, Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved the development, which now consists of a 246–metre high residential and hotel skyscraper of 78 levels. When built, Premier Tower was to become one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne.

According to Elenberg Fraser, the design of the building pays homage to Beyoncé's fabric-draped silhouette in the music video for her 2013 song "Ghost", which captured the curves of the human form. Early construction on the project commenced in January 2017. The skyscraper is developed by the Fragrance Group Limited at a development cost of AUD$430 million.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

STAMPS FROM NEARBY...

A series of imagined stamps I've created from archival shots. Just playing...

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

RAIN ON THE WAY

View of the CBD from Preston, about 12 km away.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

RAINBOW LORIKEET

This little beauty came down on a shrub in the garden and seemed a little stunned. It was quite tame and not scared at all, posed quite prettily to have his photo taken. Initially I thought he was injured, but no, he just wanted to say hello and then flew away.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

SUNRISE

From my window this morning.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MAGNOLIA

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MARIBYRNONG RIVER

Melbourne’s second major river, the mighty Maribyrnong, runs for 160 kilometres from its source on the slopes of Mount Macedon through to Port Phillip Bay. Maribyrnong River’s name comes from the Aboriginal phrase Mirring-gnay-bir-nong, meaning ‘I can hear a ringtail possum’. It was originally called Saltwater River due to the seawater that entered from Hobson’s Bay, into which it directly flowed.

Although it flows through. Melbourne suburbs with a high density population, there are many parks and reserves along its length. The river and surrounding areas are home to a range of animals. One of the more interesting locals is the shy Black Wallaby, attracted by the ample water supply and efforts to restore its natural habitat – including coarse shrubs, bushes and grasses. It's also home to many species of plants, fish, birds, reptiles, insects, and frogs, the majority of which are native.

Here the view is from Moonee Ponds towards the City.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme

and also part of the Nature Notes meme

PARKLANDS, LATE AFTERNOON

At the Darebin Parklands, late yesterday afternoon, as the sun was nearing sunset. A beautiful Spring-like day as we near the end of Winter...

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

A SPRING DAY

Another Spring day followed on from yesterday and it was a beautiful, sunny, mild and fragrant day. One could not help but go out and find some sunny spot in a park somewhere to enjoy the weather. Many Spring flowers are starting to appear (rather early this year!).

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

and also part of the Seasons meme

SPRING IS WAITING...

 ...to pounce! The sun was quite warm today in Melbourne and there were lots of Spring flowers about!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

TASMANIAN DEVIL

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. It was formerly present across mainland Australia, but became extinct there around 3,500 years ago; it is now confined to the island of Tasmania.

The size of a small dog, the Tasmanian devil became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is related to quolls, and distantly related to the thylacine.

It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate among the strongest bites per unit body mass of any extant predatory land mammal. It hunts prey and scavenges on carrion.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

SIGNS OF SPRING

A blooming polyanthus on the cold Winter's day is a welcome sign that Spring is not far away.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PORT PHILLIP BAY

Port Phillip Bay and South Melbourne, viewed from the 25th floor of an apartment in Southbank. I'm stretching the zoom capability of my phone camera as you can see in the first photo. I've tried to clean up the photo with AI in the second image. Moral of the story, if you want best results use a dedicated camera with a decent zoom lens. It was a grey Winter's day, by the way...

Nevertheless, one can see that South Melbourne is a lovely old suburb with many trees and gardens as well as closeness to the sea. The Victorian Town Hall clock tower is evidence of many heritage buildings in this locale.

This photo is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

OLD FARM

Old Farm outbuildings in Gippsland.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

STILL WINTER...

The temperature is falling tonight, a cold wind is blowing and there is rain forecast for tomorrow. Yep, it's still Winter!

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

A TOUCH OF SPRING

After a very cold morning today, the sun began to shine and by 10:00 a.m. there was a smell of Spring about. Could not resist going to the Parklands, where many other people had the same idea!

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme