MORE SUMMER RAIN!

We've had another rather humid and grey day today in Melbourne, with another Summer storm in the afternoon. There was lightning and thunder and of course lots of rain...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Pippa's Week That Has Been meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

And José Feliciano's "Rain" (1969) came to mind...

DUSK AT THE PARK

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of Pippa's Week That Has Been Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,

and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

SUNSET IN THE SUBURBS

The view from my window...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Pippa's Week That Has Been Friday meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

WARRANDYTE GREENS

Warrandyte is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Manningham. At the 2011 Census, Warrandyte had a population of 5,520.

Warrandyte is bounded in the west by the Mullum Mullum Creek and Target Road, in the north by the Yarra River, in the east by Jumping Creek and Anzac Road, and in the south by an irregular line from Reynolds Road, north of Donvale, Park Orchards and Warrandyte South.

Warrandyte was founded as a Victorian town, located in the once gold-rich rolling hills east of Melbourne, and is now on the north-eastern boundary of suburban Melbourne. Gold was first discovered in the town in 1851 and together, with towns like Bendigo and Ballarat, led the way in gold discoveries during the Victorian gold rush.

This post is part of the Friday Greens meme,

and also part of the Skywatch Friday meme,

and also part of Pippa's Week That Has Been Friday meme.

CITY LIVING 2

Hard to believe that today's photos are taken about 4.5 km from the place where yesterday's photo was taken... Yarra Bend Park is a glorious bushland reserve within shouting distance of Melbourne's CBD. 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 Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Photo of the Week meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

CHRISTMAS AT THE PARKLANDS

The Darebin Parklands straddle Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne, and they are a district park covering an area of 33 hectares. Darebin Creek flows through the Parklands, to join the Yarra River, at Alphington.

The Darebin Parklands are highly regarded for its social, recreation, education, conservation, water quality management, cultural and heritage values. The Parklands have a rich history as the homeland of the Wurundjeri Willam people and for cattle and sheep grazing, orchard and market garden use post European settlement. The southern section of the Darebin Parklands was developed as a bluestone quarry in 1890 and following the closure of the quarry in 1965, the land was leased to the Northcote Council as a municipal garbage tip which reached its capacity by 1975.

In the 1970’s the site was marked as a potential freeway or an area for industrial or residential development. Following this classification, local residents moved to protect the area and in 1973, formed the Rockbeare Park Conservation Group. The group pushed for the acquisition of land on the Alphington side and in 1975 the Whitlam Government funded the purchase of land for the park (thank you, Gough!). A management committee was formed which included both adjoining Councils and community representatives. In 2001, the Darebin Parklands Committee of Management joined the Darebin Creek Co- ordinating Committee to form the Darebin Creek Management Committee.

The Darebin Parkland’s rich history has contributed greatly to it being such a special and highly valued place today. These Parklands are within walking distance of our house and we often go there to enjoy a piece of nature right in the middle of the City. Christmas Day this year was an absolute gem of a day and the walk in the Parklands was magical.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
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PRESTON PROMENADE

Preston is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Darebin. At the 2011 Census, Preston had a population of 29,925. Currently, the suburb of Preston exists to the south of the original Preston municipal area. Suburbs which were once part of this include: Reservoir, Ruthven, Keon Park and Kingsbury.

While the majority of Council Halls in Melbourne are known as "Town Hall", it appears Preston calls theirs, "City Hall". Preston City Hall is located at 284 Gower St (Corner High St and Gower St) in Preston. Council offices were located at the Junction Hotel up until 1895 when the Preston Town Hall was built at its present day site on the corner of High St and Gower St.

The council ran a competition to design the new building and plans for an eclectic blend of the Queen Anne and French Second Empire styles by the architects Birtwhistle and Scanlon was chosen. This design is particularly significant as most Town Halls in Melbourne conformed to a classical revival style. The 1880s were a time of great prosperity in Melbourne and the grandiose new Town Hall stood as a symbol for Preston’s civic aspirations. The foundation stone was laid in August 1893. The original design incorporated a magnificent clock tower which was unable to be built due to the financial crash of 1893 and subsequent depression.

As a result of population expansion in the 1920s the former Town Hall was no longer a suitable facility. In 1929 a new Town Hall was built east of the original building which increased the size of the municipal buildings from 25 to 100 squares. Much of these extensions and a new façade were completed in 1934 and are exceptional in their stylistic unity with the original Birtwhistle and Scanlon design.

The Preston Cenotaph (a monument built to commemorate deceased persons whose remains lay elsewhere) was constructed outside the Preston Town Hall at 360 High Street, in 1923. It was built to commemorate fallen service people from the First World War and paid for by public subscription. The inscription on the monument reads: ‘Erected by the Citizens in honour of the residents who served in the Great War 1914-1918 for King and Empire’.

Underneath the arch there is a second smaller monument. The plaque on this monument reads: ‘Dedicated to the memory of the citizens of the City of Preston who gave their lives and those who served their country during the Second World War 1939-45 and conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam’.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
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FLINDERS ST RAILWAY BRIDGE

This post is part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
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YARRA RIVER VIEW

Looking towards the City from the Southeast.

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MONTSALVAT, ELTHAM

Montsalvat is an artist colony in Eltham, Victoria, Australia, established by Justus Jorgensen in 1934. It is home to over a dozen buildings, houses and halls set amongst richly established gardens on 48,562 m2 (12 acres) of land. The colony of Montsalvat has a detailed history that reflects the life of Jörgensen and his friends and family; there is also a legend behind its name, while its buildings and gardens are steeped in the art and culture of Melbourne and its surroundings.

Visitors can pay a small fee to walk throughout the colony's historical gardens, artists' houses/workshops and explore the surrounding buildings. All of the buildings on the site were designed and built by residents with locally available materials, from various sources. The Great Hall offers an extensive network of spaces from extravagant halls and vast exhibition spaces, to small corridors and tiny balconies overlooking the gardens.

Currently Montsalvat's grounds and buildings are mostly used for exhibitions, performances, conferences, seminars, weddings and receptions; however, many artists (such as luthiers, jewellers, painters, sculptors and a writer) continue to reside in Montsalvat. Several classes on various disciplines of art are offered year round by the resident artists.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
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RAINY DAY

Rainy day on the Sandridge Bridge, going from Southbank to the City. Our early Summer rain makes fro a very muggy day...

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ROWING ON THE YARRA

There are some delightful late Spring days when the temperature is just right, there is no wind and the sun shines. What better place in Melbourne than on the Yarra River, close to the Kew Boathouse for a spot of rowing?

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MELBOURNE PASTORAL

Around the outer suburbs of Melbourne, there are still some tracts of farmland, orchards, market gardens and scenes of pastoral beauty as seen here near Kangaroo Ground. Kangaroo Ground is a town in Victoria, Australia, 26 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2011 Census, Kangaroo Ground had a population of 1,015.

This post is part of the Photo of the Week meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

CROWN FLAMES AT DUSK

Prominently located in Southbank on the Yarra River is the Crown Casino. It has earned itself a reputation as their slogan suggests, for being “A World of Entertainment”. Crown Casino has more then a dozen bars and clubs, numerous dining and shopping options, free entertainment and much more all within the opulent surrounds of the Crown complex. There is something to cater for everyone including some gambling, clubs, pubs and bars for the adults, and games, cinemas and shopping for all ages.

At night, on the boulevard, Crown Casino erupts into a riverside show of fireballs. These never fail to impress and wow visitors. When the weather is cooler the flames warm bystanders, people reporting they can even feel the heat from the other side of the river. The fireballs are the biggest in the world and explode in a show each hour between times that are subject to the season and weather conditions.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
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DAWN ON THE YARRA

"Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night
Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight:
And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught
The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light."

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
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POLLY AT SOUTH WHARF

Polly Woodside is a Belfast-built, three-masted, iron-hulled barque, preserved in Melbourne, Australia, and forming the central feature of the South Wharf precinct. The ship was originally built in Belfast by William J. Woodside and was launched in 1885. Polly Woodside is typical of thousands of smaller iron barques built in the last days of sail, intended for deep water trade around the world and designed to be operated as economically as possible.

Polly Woodside was closed to the public on 30 April 2006 to allow for the major redevelopment of the lower Yarra River's southern bank. The $1.4 billion redevelopment, announced by the Victorian Government in February 2006, included construction works for the new Melbourne Convention Centre immediately next to the Polly Woodside. The ship was temporarily relocated approximately 50 metres away to a mooring on the adjacent Yarra River on 26 August 2008 – its first move in 33 years – for a $13 million operational refurbishment and restoration of its dry dock home, board walk, and adjacent former wharf sheds.

Between this time and May 2009 the water within the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock was pumped out and a gated dam wall built at the entrance. The bottom of the dry dock was excavated and permanent keel supports built into the concrete base for Polly Woodside to sit upon, allowing the ship to be periodically dry docked for repairs. On 19 May 2009 the dam wall gates were opened allowing water to flow into the dry dock and Polly Woodside was returned to the Duke and Orr's Dry Dock. Polly Woodside was reopened to the public on 23 December 2010.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Photo of the Week meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.