YARRA BEND TREES

The large area of parklands along the Yarra River is a wonderful oasis of green amongst the built up metropolitan area of Melbourne.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Trees & Bushes meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

SUNSET AT THE PARKLANDS

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

WINTER'S ARRIVAL

As Autumn cedes its place to Winter, we are experiencing a rather warm season this year. Cosy blankets and jumpers have remained in the wardrobe for much of May, and we've been warned that southeast Australia should prepare for a warmer-than-average winter this year.

Melbourne has been making the most of higher-than-usual temperatures, enjoying 13 days of 20˚C or above from May 11 to 23, beating the previous longest run of 10 days, set in 1972.  The 2014 May mean of 19.4˚C is 2.7˚C higher than usual.

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,

and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

AUTUMN AT HEIDE

Heide Museum of Modern Art is a modern and contemporary art museum located in Bulleen, east of Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1981, the museum comprises several detached buildings and surrounding gardens of historical importance that are used as gallery spaces to exhibit works in various mediums by contemporary Australian artists.

The fifteen acres of landscape at Heide have been developed over several decades in tandem with its art and architecture. When John and Sunday Reed purchased Heide in 1934, it was a neglected former dairy farm. They immediately set about establishing a Provençal-inspired kitchen garden adjacent to the original farmhouse and initiated a major planting program. Today, the cultivated landscape includes a sculpture park with over thirty sculptures, several of the original gardens which are now heritage listed, an Indigenous Remnant Conservation Zone and a diverse range of exotic trees, unusual roses, herbs, flowers and vegetables.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

CHINATOWN NIGHT

Chinatown is a distinctive and well known area of Melbourne which dates back to the gold rush days of the 1850s. Chinatown Melbourne is the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the western world. Chinatown's essential character and main focus is along Little Bourke Street with alleys that link the area to Bourke Street and Lonsdale Street.

Since its inception in 1854 and the arrival of Chinese immigrants to Melbourne, the city's Chinatown has played an important role in establishing the history and culture of the ethnic Chinese immigrants in Australia. An increasing interest in an ethnic variety of food and culture peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, Chinatown fuelled the growth of many restaurants, cafes, businesses and places of worship. Today, Melbourne's Chinatown is a major tourist attraction.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,

and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

SHADES OF AUTUMN

Melbourne is an excellent place to see the seasons change. In summer, most people head out to visit our golden beaches. In autumn, we experience the glorious foliage of the many European-style parks that fringe the CBD. In winter, Melburnians enjoy the warmth of cosy cafes and bars. Spring is a time for renewal – a great time to head back into our parks and revel in our beautiful gardens.

At the moment, we are enjoying some lovely, warm, mellow Autumn days with sunshine and blue skies. All the better for showing off the golden and orange tones of the deciduous tree foliage.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

AUTUMN IN MELBOURNE

We are beginning to see more and more signs of Autumn in Melbourne. The last of the roses are blooming, the rose hips are ripening, numerous fruits and berries are maturing and the leaves have begun to turn gold and orange.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

SUMMER RAIN

One thing about Melbourne weather is that one is never bored. It may be 42˚C one day and the next, after a cool change comes in, there may be rain and the temperature hardly reaches 22˚C. Here is some Summer rain in the park beside the Yarra, close to the Fairfield Boathouse.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

CHRISTMAS IN MELBOURNE

Christmas in Melbourne is very special. Whether it's the Christmas markets, the City Squares, or the Christmas decorations, the lighting displays or the Christmas villages, Melbourne has it all. The Myer Christmas windows, the Boulevard Christmas lights, Carols by Candlelight, special Christmas church services, you'll find it here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,

and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

FLINDERS ST STATION

Flinders Street Station is a central commuter railway station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in Melbourne, Australia. It serves the entire metropolitan rail network. Backing onto the city reach of the Yarra River in the heart of the city, the complex covers two whole city blocks and extends from Swanston Street to Queen Street.

It was the first railway station in an Australian city, the terminus for the first use of steam rail in Australia and the world's busiest passenger station in the late 1920s.The main station building, completed in 1909, is a cultural icon to Melbourne, with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks it is one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. As such it is frequently used to symbolise the city and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks", refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance, which indicate the time-tabled time of departure for trains on each line; another idiom "I'll meet you on the steps", refers to the wide staircase underneath these clocks. Flinders Street Station is responsible for two of Melbourne's busiest pedestrian crossings, both across Flinders Street, including one of Melbourne's few pedestrian scrambles.

Each weekday, over 110,000 commuters and 1,500 trains pass through the station. It is the most used metropolitan railway station in Melbourne, in 2009 there was an average of 85,100 passenger boardings per day. Flinders Street is serviced by Metro's suburban services, and V/Line regional services to Gippsland.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

SUNSHINE IN THE PARK

A beautiful Autumn afternoon in the Darebin Parklands las Sunday, with the sun casting a few brilliant rays of sunshine before setting.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

MORNING WALK

This morning was a cool and wet Monday. I went for a walk by the Yarra, but soon had to abandon that idea as it started raining. Autumn is well and truly with us. The first photo represents reality, while the second one is wishful thinking with the aid of Photoshop!

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

MELBOURNE TEACHERS COLLEGE, PARKVILLE

The Melbourne Teachers College has had multiple identities. As the Normal Institution it operated at the Model School in Spring Street from 1855-59, reopening in the same premises as the Training Institution in 1870, with F.J. Gladman brought from England to instil the latest educational philosophy.

In 1889 the Institution moved to a grand, highly decorated, teaching and residential building adjacent to the University of Melbourne where it reopened as the Training College after being closed because of the depression from 1893-1900. The new principal was Frank Tate, one of Victoria's foremost educationists, who left to become Director of Education in 1902. Under Tate and his successor, John Smyth (principal 1902-27) the College was a leading force in Victorian teacher training.

Renamed the Teachers College in 1913 it quickly expanded beyond primary training to secondary, kindergarten and other specialised areas. From 1903 secondary training was conducted in conjunction with the University, a connection that was extended and formalised in 1919 with the principal being simultaneously appointed to the Chair of Education. During the 1920s trainee numbers rose far beyond the accommodation capacity, peaking at over 1000 in 1928. New colleges established at Ballarat and Bendigo in 1926 eased the pressure on the now Melbourne Teachers College until another round of depression cutbacks slashed trainee numbers. After considerable controversy the formal link with the University was broken in 1939.

Postwar expansion saw enrolments peak at 1153 in 1971 before the establishment of several new colleges relieved pressure. To rationalise resources the College amalgamated in 1973 with the adjacent Secondary Teachers College to form the Melbourne College of Education, which in turn became the State College of Victoria at Melbourne, and, in 1983, the Melbourne College of Advanced Education, before being amalgamated in 1989 with the Education Faculty of the University of Melbourne to form the Institute of Education.

This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme.

FAIRFIELD RAILWAY STATION

Fairfield is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra. At the 2011 Census, Fairfield had a population of 5,946. The Fairfield Railway Station has some historic Edwardian buildings and is a defined "Host Station".

The station consists of two side platforms; Platform 1 has a large weatherboard building, while platform 2 has a smaller weatherboard building. A footbridge is situated at the Flinders Street end of the station, whilst a disused signal box is situated near platform 1 at the Hurstbridge end of the station. The station serves many commuters from the adjacent neighbourhoods.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.