BRUNSWICK ST, FITZROY

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

YARRA BEND

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 Yarra Bend Golf Club House, officially opened in May 1936, is an original example of American ‘Country Club’ type architecture. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities.

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

LOVE FLOWERS

Busy times in the florist shops this weekend, with everyone wanting to say what they have to say with flowers...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

REDBACK SPIDER

The Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) is an iconic, venomous arachnid native to Australia and a close relative of the North American black widow. It is most easily recognised by the striking red or orange stripe on the back of the female’s spherical, black abdomen.

They thrive in human environments, often building messy, tangled webs in dry, sheltered spots like sheds, garages, under outdoor furniture, or in letterboxes. They are primarily insectivorous, but their strong silk allows them to trap larger prey such as lizards, small snakes, and mice. Behaviour: They are generally shy and non-aggressive, only biting when their web is disturbed or they are accidentally touched.

While the female redback is one of Australia's most medically significant spiders, their bites are rarely life-threatening. Intense localised pain is the most common symptom. Severe envenomation (latrodectism) can cause progressive pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and patchy sweating.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET IN THE PARKLANDS

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

ILLAWARRA FLAME TREE

The tree commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree is botanically named Brachychiton acerifolius. It is a striking, semi-deciduous native Australian tree, famous for its spectacular display of vivid red, bell-shaped flowers that often cover the entire tree when it is leafless.

B. acerifolius is very popular as an ornamental tree both in its native Australia and around the world. The flowering is a spectacular event, as the tree sheds its leaves just prior to producing masses of bright scarlet flowers over the entire tree. It is used for street plantings, public parks and gardens, and in private gardens. It is easily grown and may be propagated from seed, cuttings, or by grafting.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

YARRA RIVER AT FAIRFIELD

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.

NORTHCOTE THEATRE

Built on the corner of High Street and Bastings Street in June 1912 by the Northcote Picture Theatre Company, it was opened on 27 June 1912  by Robert McLeish who remained its general manager while he became as well, the President of the Cinematograph Exhibitors' Association and Chairman of the Hoyts Victorian Executive.

It was designed by local architect, Edward Twentyman, jnr. and remains perhaps the earliest surviving picture theatre designed in Victoria. It possessed a balcony, stalls, its own electricity generator and a stage which was adaptable for vaudeville. It was the first building to be lighted by electricity. Amalgamated Pictures Ltd supplied the theatre with its silent cinema and the Northcote Mayoral ball was held there in late 1912.

It later became part of the Hoyts' chain of cinemas. While it was operating as a cinema, it was used as the setting for the film 'Night Club' in 1952. The cinema closed in 1960. Having been used as a dance studio, it is now used as a Reception Centre, and was used as a pilot for Darebin Council's façade restoration program in 1996. It had been extensively restored inside by the owners and refurbishments strictly considered original character.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

TEMPUS EDAX RERUM*

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

*'Tempus edax rerum' is a Latin phrase translating to "Time, devourer of all things," originating from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'. It signifies that time is a destructive, all-consuming force that destroys physical reality, ruins cities, and consumes everything. It serves as a philosophical reminder of impermanence, urging that time is finite and to make the most of life.

HIGH ST LUNCH

A perfect Summer's day lends itself to an al fresco lunch in High St, Northcote

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme.

BEE AND FLOWERS

The image shows a Western honey bee, on the flowers of a Water Gum plant. Tristaniopsis laurina, the Water Gum or Kanooka is a tree native to Australia, where it usually grows near the eastern coastline and along the banks of streams, where the trunks and branches tend to be shaped in the direction of the current and give an indication of the flood height.

Tristaniopsis laurina has a slow rate of growth, and usually reaches a height of 4–9m. The tree is multi-branched, and may be pruned to maintain a compact shape. It can grow to be 39 m tall in native habitats. The flowers are bright yellow and have a distinctive (and to some, an unpleasant odour).

They attract honeybees as well as small native species of bee. They usually come out in the late spring or early summer. The Water Gum is cultivated as an ornamental tree by plant nurseries, for use in gardens and civic landscaping. It is popular, being easy to grow and forming a good shade tree. Many are planted as street trees, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNSET SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

CACTUS

The Orchid cactus, specifically identified as Disocactus ackermannii or a similar Epiphyllum hybrid, is known and sought after for its vibrant red flowers. These plants are a species of epiphytic cactus, meaning they grow on other plants or objects in their natural tropical Central and South American habitats, sustaining themselves by absorbing nutrients from the air rather than being parasitic.

They are popular for their large, showy blooms that can measure over 10cm wide. The plant features long, flat, or three-angled stems and does not have typical sharp thorns or spikes. Epiphyllum hybrids are often grown in hanging baskets due to their cascading growth habit and are relatively easy to propagate from stem cuttings.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

MERRI CREEK

The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70 km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The area where the creek meets the river was traditionally the location for large gatherings of the Wurundjeri people and is suspected to have been the location for one of the earliest land treaties in Australia between Indigenous Australians and European settlers.

The photo is Merri Creek at Clifton HIll, along the Merri Creek Trail. This trail is a 21 km shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians that follows the Merri Creek through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It makes for a pleasant walk along the creek and one can pretend that one is walking in the wilderness, while still in the heart of 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

SUMMER LANDSCAPE

A typical landscape in the countryside, in Gippsland, about 100 km east of Melbourne.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

RAILWAY X-ING

A train trip works well in Summer, especially if the cars are air-conditioned!

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

and also part of the Seasons meme

URBAN FARM

10 km northeast of the CBD in Bellfield, an area of land is set aside for urban farming. Several enterprising and community-minded groups are working there to farm organic seasonal produce that are available for sale in the farm shop. A great initiative and a pleasant place to visit and meet interesting people.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MR CAT

Neighbour's cat keeping cool on a hot Summer's day.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

AT SUNSET

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

ARTICHOKE

The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus), also known by the names French artichoke, globe artichoke, and green artichoke in the United States, is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as food. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom.

The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence), together with many bracts, on an edible base. Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

DIGHTS FALLS

Dights Falls is located in Melbourne, Victoria just downstream of the junction of the Yarra River with Merri Creek, about 2 km east of the City. At this point the river narrows and is constricted between 800,000 year old volcanic, basaltic lava flow and a steep, much older, Silurian, sedimentary spur.

Prior to European settlement, the area was occupied by the indigenous Wurundjeri tribe of the Kulin nation. The rock falls would have provided the Aboriginal people with a natural river crossing and place to trap migrating fish. It was also a meeting place for many clans where they would trade, settle disputes and exchange brides.

In January 1803, Charles Grimes, the deputy surveyor-general of New South Wales, was sent to Port Phillip to survey the area. Sailing on the schooner Cumberland, under the command of Acting Lieutenant Charles Robbins, the party entered Port Phillip on 20 January 1803. Grimes explored the Yarra by boat for several miles until he reached Dights Falls on 8 February.

On a ridge above the falls, 250 metres to the east, is a historic marker commemorating the “first white men to discover the river Yarra reaching Yarra Falls on 8th February, 1803. Also to make the first crossing near here with the cattle by the first overlanders John Gardiner, Joseph Hawdon and Captain John Hepburn in December 1836”.

In the 1840s, an artificial weir was built on the natural bar of basalt boulders to provide water to the “Ceres” flour mill, one of the first in Victoria. In the early 1840s John Dight established Melbourne’s first water-powered flour mill on the site. In 1888 “Yarra Falls Roller Mills” built a water-turbine powered mill, which was the largest and most sophisticated of the thirty two water powered mills built in Victoria before 1900.

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.

MORNINGTON

Mornington is a sea side town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, located 57 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is in the Local Government Area of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.

Mornington is known for its "village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. Mornington is a popular tourist destination with Melburnians who often make day trips to visit the area's bay beaches and wineries.  The Post Office opened on 21 May 1856 as Schnapper Point and was renamed Mornington in 1864.

The town centre runs into the foreshore area and local beach, which features a yacht club, restaurant and park with playground facilities. Mornington is an attractive destination for shopping and features some excellent restaurants and cafes. The north of Mornington is also home to several horse breeders and stables.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

HEAT!

Tomorrow we are expecting a maximum temperature of 44˚C in Melbourne. That is hot, but in the Northern Victorian towns of Mildura, Ouyen, Echuca, up to 48˚C... Some are predicting a record breaking 49˚C!

A photoshop collage reminding ourselves to keep cool and hydrated and "Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide", which is an expanded Australian sun safety campaign from the Cancer Council designed to prevent skin cancer. It encourages 5 steps: Slip on clothing, Slop on SPF30+ sunscreen, Slap on a hat, Seek shade, and Slide on sunglasses, particularly when the UV index is 3 or higher.

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

SUMMER POND

Beautiful Summer morning in the Darebin Parklands at Alphington.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MOORHEN

Moorhens are medium-sized water birds in the genus Gallinula, Latin for 'little hen', in the rail family Rallidae. The genus currently includes seven species, of which one is extinct, and two others probably are. Three species formerly included in Gallinula have been found to have enough differences to be placed in two separate but closely related genera.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

JUPITER AND MOONS

It's a warm, clear Summer night in Melbourne tonight and gazing out from the window, I can see stars! Brightest object in the sky is the planet Jupiter, seen in the first photo, with nearby star Wasat (Delta Geminorum).

I zoomed in with my camera (a compact Sony DSC-HX90V) and with a bit of fiddling I was able to capture the second photo, showing Jupiter and its four Galilean moons, and Wasat.

The last image is a screen capture from the excellent, free, planetarium program "Stellarium". It shows in greater detail what I was observing through the camera. Isn't technology wonderful?

The Galilean moons are the four largest moons of Jupiter. They are, in descending-size order, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. They are the most readily visible Solar System objects after Saturn, the dimmest of the classical planets; though their closeness to bright Jupiter makes naked-eye observation very difficult, they are readily seen with common binoculars, even under night sky conditions of high light pollution.

The invention of the telescope allowed astronomers to discover the moons in 1610. Through this, they became the first Solar System objects discovered since humans have started tracking the classical planets, and the first objects to be found to orbit any planet beyond Earth.

They are planetary-mass moons and among the largest objects in the Solar System. All four, along with Titan, Triton, and Earth's Moon, are larger than any of the Solar System's dwarf planets. The largest, Ganymede, is the largest moon in the Solar System and surpasses the planet Mercury in size (though not mass).

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MOTH PLANT

Araujia sericifera is a perennial vining plant in the genus Araujia, of the family Apocynaceae, that is native to South America. The species was described in 1817 by the Portuguese botanist Félix de Avelar Brotero. The synonym Araujia hortorum is in more frequent use in New Zealand.

Its common names include bladderflower, white bladderflower, bladder vine, cruel vine, cruel plant, moth plant, moth vine, common moth vine, and false choko. It was introduced to Europe and other areas as an ornamental plant, but it is now considered a noxious weed. In some countries, such as France, the attractive and abundant fragrant flowering make it a specimen considered worth cultivating. However its strong robustness combined with high seed production can make it invasive in most environments, but not in France due to its sensitivity to frost.

Moth plant is toxic for some people. Skin contact with its sap can cause rashes. Contact with the eyes, in particular, can cause severe discomfort.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

CREEK IN SUMMER

The Darebin Creek in Preston, at the Darebin Forest Park. Another much needed natural bushland area in the middle of suburbia.

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

HOUSE WITH A VIEW...

...Or view with a house? Looking across the creek, towards Ivanhoe from Darebin Parklands in Fairfield. This location with wonderful bushland, native flora and fauna, the Darebin Creek and many walking and cycling paths is only about 6 km from the City Centre.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme.

SENDING SUMMER THOUGHTS

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

SOUTHBANK

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

BEMUSED CAT

This poast is part of the Saturday Critters meme

SUNRISE SILHOUETTES

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme

AT THE FLORIST'S

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme

PORT PHILLIP BAY

Port Phillip Bay is a large, horsehead-shaped bay in southern Victoria, Australia, serving as the aquatic playground for Melbourne and Geelong. It is a popular destination for recreational activities and a home to diverse marine life and extensive coastlines.

This is the view from the top of a building in Southbank, and I am stretching the capabilities of my iPhone camera, zooming as much as I can to capture the sailing boats. The clock tower is that of the South Melbourne Town Hall.

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

BEAUTY HIDES DANGER

Walking along the Darebin Creek in Thornbury, an inner suburb, one can enjoy the natural beauty of the bush in the midst of the City. However, in Summer especially, there may be some untoward encounters, such as meeting this Tiger Snake.

The Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus) is a large and highly venomous snake of southern Australia, including its coastal islands and Tasmania. These snakes are often observed and locally well known by their banding, black and yellow like a tiger, although the species can be highly variable in colouration and patterning. All populations are classified within the genus Notechis (Elapidae). Their diverse characteristics have been classified either as distinct species or by subspecies and regional variation. While tiger snakes are usually ground-dwelling, they are able to swim as well as climb into trees and buildings.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

and also part of the Saturday Critters meme

INDUSTRIAL

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

BUSHFIRE SUNSET

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

DUCKPOND

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme

HELLISH TIMES

We've had three consecutive days in Victoria where temperatures have stayed up in the low 40s (˚C). The extreme heat, strong winds and tinder dry grasslands and Eucalypt forests have created a catastrophic set of circumstances for bushfires to start. Climate change and unpredictable weather events are making each year worse in Australia as fires, floods, droughts, cyclones and storms wreak havoc.

Presently, hundreds of firefighters are flat out out trying to contain many large out-of-control fires as night falls on Victoria, the most concerning fire is the enormous Longwood fire, which has been threatening several townships as it spreads through central Victoria. Firefighters and emergency services are concerned as a change in wind direction expected this Friday evening could hamper their efforts, as it pushes the blazes into new directions.

Three people, including a child, remain unaccounted-for after a house burned down in Longwood. The Country Fire Authority says cooler, calmer conditions might allow firefighters to assess the impact of multiple blazes in the coming days.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme