KEW COURT HOUSE

The Kew Court House at 188 High Street, Kew is a historic 1888 heritage building that operates as a cultural arts centre, live music venue, and temporary home for the Kew Library. The building features old lock-up cells and classic architectural details.

The building is refurbished and contains an intimate 80-seat acoustic theatre hosting live music, speakers, and seminars. It is also a temporary Library Hub, serving as the temporary location for Kew Library while it undergoes upgrades. It is also home to the Kew Historical Society and QArt studio/gallery.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

CHAPEL

This is the historic bluestone chapel at the Convent of Mercy and Academy of Mary Immaculate, located at 88 Nicholson Street in Fitzroy, Melbourne. It is part of the Academy of Mary Immaculate, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1857 and is Victoria's oldest Catholic school. The complex features 19th-century Gothic Revival and Victorian-era bluestone architecture built over several decades.

The Academy has achieved success in sport, speech, choir, concert band, debating and many other extra-curricular activities. Notable alumnae are: Anne Henderson – writer, deputy director of the Sydney Institute; Alice Ross-King (1891–1968) – awarded the Florence Nightingale medal in 1949 by the International Red Cross for service in both World War I and World War II; Mary Maguire – actress; Abbey Lee Kershaw – supermodel; Ged Kearney – Federal Member of Parliament for Cooper, former President ACTU.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

WARRANDYTE MECHANICS INSTITUTE HALL

The Warrandyte Mechanics Institute Hall, managed by the Warrandyte Mechanics Institute & Arts Association (WMIAA), is a thriving cultural and community hub located in the heart of Warrandyte, Victoria. Built in 1928, this charming historic hall serves as the primary home for local arts, theatre productions, and community initiatives.

The current Hall was built after years of rigorous local fundraising. It was officially opened on 7 April 1928 by W.H. Everard, M.L.A. The building immediately became the heartbeat of the town. It hosted weddings (the first on 8 December 1928), local debutante balls, and operated as a local cinema screening pictures up to three times a week until drive-ins arrived in the 1950s. During World War II, it served as a vital base for community fundraising efforts.

In 1955, the Warrandyte Arts Association (WAA) was formed and began utilising the hall extensively, eventually accounting for 90% of its regular use. In 1986, the Warrandyte Mechanics Institute and the WAA officially joined forces to create the modern Warrandyte Mechanics Institute & Arts Association (WMIAA). This structural shift secured the long-term preservation of the building while ensuring it remained dedicated to local theatre, crafts, and performing arts.

Today, it remains one of the few historic Mechanics' Institutes in Victoria that continues to be fully managed by a volunteer-led community arts association.  It has a rich, community-driven history spanning nearly 150 years, evolving from a Victorian-era adult education school into a prominent regional cultural arts hub.

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SOUTH YARRA POST OFFICE

This distinctive "castle" building is the former South Yarra Post Office, a historic heritage landmark located at 162 Toorak Road. Designed in 1890 by architect A.J. MacDonald for the Public Works Department and completed by 1893, it is of an eclectic style: The rear of the building features a unique blend of Scottish Baronial, American Romanesque, and Art Nouveau design elements, making it resemble a miniature medieval fortress hanging over the train tracks.

It is situated directly adjacent to the South Yarra railway station cutting, visible from passing suburban trains (from which train this photo was taken). While it no longer operates as a civic post office, the red-brick building is legally protected under the local heritage overlay.

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GOTHIC

Standing on the corner of Queen Street and Collins Street in the City, are two impressive buildings, the former English, Scottish and Australia Bank and the former Melbourne Stock Exchange. Built between 1883 and 1891, the two were combined and renovated in 1921, and are now the world headquarters of ANZ Bank.

Designed by architect William Wardell and built in 1883-87, the ES&A Bank is the more restrained of the two, with high ceilings, lancet windows and a narrow spire. As well as ES&A's head office, it was once the residence of the bank's general manager. The former Stock Exchange was constructed shortly after and completed in 1891. Designed by William Pitt, its appearance is flamboyant, with gargoyles, stained glass and a rose window at the very top of the building.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme

AT YERING STATION

Yering Station, recognized as Victoria’s first vineyard, was established in 1838. The estate is located in the Yarra Valley, approximately 50 minutes from Melbourne, and is known for its cool-climate wines. The winery grounds feature a modern restaurant with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the vineyards. The property also serves as a contemporary art gallery, showcasing works from established and emerging artists.

The artwork floating in the reflection pool is an abstract figurative bronze sculpture by the acclaimed Tasmanian artist Hugh McLachlan. The "Mother and Child" sculpture is in cast bronze with a deep patina, and is designed to withstand outdoor conditions. It stands as a permanent highlight of the estate's Yering Station Art Gallery collection.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

and also part of the Nature Notes meme

TRAIN STATION

In inner suburban Melbourne, Fairfield Railway Station is a well-preserved Federation Style station. The station features large timber weatherboard buildings on both platforms, constructed in the early 1910s (specifically 1911). These buildings exhibit Arts and Crafts architectural motifs. A notable feature visible in the background is the wooden pedestrian footbridge, which opened in March 1914.

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QUEEN BEE

A colony of giant, golden bees designed by sculptor Richard Stringer and commissioned by the building's architect, Nonda Katsalidis. The main hive and large bees are found at the base (ground level) of the Eureka Tower in the Southbank precinct, with additional bees located at the nearby 2 Riverside Quay.

The bees are constructed from anodized aluminum and riveted together using 110,000 anodized rivets. Their gleaming golden colour is designed to match the building's iconic gold-plated glass apex. The installation serves as a gleaming metaphor for a harmonious, high-density city environment and a busy "hive" of frenetic activity inside the skyscraper.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

INNER SUBURBIA

Johnston St looking east in Abbotsford. One of the older Melbourne suburbs, typical working class in the 19th century. Abbotsford now has a mix of industrial architecture and green spaces, and is popular with both families and creative types. Converted factories, hip cafes and cool bars line Johnston Street, while Abbotsford Convent hosts artsy workshops and is home to markets, cafes and artists’ studios.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

BRUNSWICK STREET

Brunswick Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, known for cafés, live music venues and alternative fashion shops. Brunswick Street runs north–south through the inner northern Melbourne suburbs of Fitzroy and Fitzroy North, from Victoria Parade at its southernmost end, crossing Gertrude Street and Alexandra Parade through Fitzroy, and north continuing until it reaches St Georges Road in Fitzroy North, near the Edinburgh Gardens. Tram route 11 (West Preston to Victoria Harbour) runs along the entire length of Brunswick Street.

It is a renowned bohemian strip and a premier destination for vibrant nightlife, eclectic fashion boutiques, vintage shopping, and diverse, often casual dining. It features iconic pubs, live music venues, street art, and a bustling café culture. Many fine Victorian era buildings ar e lined along its length. Landmarks include the Atherton Gardens housing estate, St Vincent's Private Hospital, and the Australian Catholic University.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday 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

KEW BOATHOUSE

Historic Studley Park Boathouse, Kew, is only 10 minutes from the city centre and offers visitors the opportunity to dine in the restaurant, relax over a lighter meal in the indoor/outdoor café, or have a light snack from the kiosk while enjoying sweeping views of the Yarra River and natural bushland. You can also hire row boats, canoes and kayaks from the oldest operating boathouse in Australia. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day. Kids love the place as there are activities, animals and wide open spaces to play in.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

and also part of the Roentare’s Water Meme

BRUNSWICK TOWN HALL

Brunswick was declared a municipality in 1857, after residents petitioned for municipal government. The first municipal chambers were erected in 1859 on Sydney Road at Lobb's Hill, between Stewart and Albion streets. The present Town Hall began with the construction of what is now the central section in 1877, designed in Renaissance Revival style by Evander McIvor, consisting of three bays, with arched windows, rustication at the ground level, and paired pilasters above.

In 1888 a competition was held for a new structure, won by architect Sydney H Wilson, with a very grand scheme with a central clocktower, similar in style and elaboration to the just completed Collingwood Town Hall. The project however did not proceed, and instead an addition to the north in matching style was built in 1908, the same year Brunswick became a City.

In 1926 it was decided to finally complete the building, and include a smaller and larger hall, as well as offices for the Council. Sydney H Wilson was again the architect, along with Charles R Heath. The design incorporated the 1908 wing, with new sections to the south matching in detail, as part of an imposing building in Victorian Second Empire style, with a taller central section, mansard roofs, and a porte-cochere. The completed building, without the planned finials and cresting, opened in August 1927 with a 'brilliant spectacle'.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

SHOPPING MALL

At the Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme

MELBOURNE IMMIGRATION MUSEUM

The Immigration Museum focuses on Melbourne and Victoria’s immigration history. First opened in 1998 as a division of Museums Victoria, Immigration Museum is located at the restored Old Customs House Building on Flinders Street in Melbourne, Victoria.

The architects of Customs House were Peter Kerr, with additional input by J.J. Clark and Arthur Ebden Johnson. Constructed between 1855 and 1876, its creation was a reflection of vastly expanded trade and soaring revenue from the goldrush, resulting in one of Melbourne's grand buildings. The museum's most important space, the Long Room, is a notable piece of Renaissance Revival architecture. The site was listed in 1948 as one of the key sites for the modernisation of Melbourne. An 11 storey £750,000 Customs House office tower was proposed, which however, did not proceed.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

REMEMBRANCE DAY AT THE SHRINE

Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, at 5:45 am for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at 11:00 am—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918—although, according to Thomas R. Gowenlock, an intelligence officer with the U.S. First Division, shelling from both sides continued for the rest of the day, ending only at nightfall. The armistice initially expired after a period of 36 days and had to be extended several times. A formal peace agreement was reached only when the Treaty of Versailles was signed the following year.

The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as 'The Shrine') is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. It is a site of annual observances for Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November), and is one of the largest war memorials in Australia.

Designed by architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop, both World War I veterans, the Shrine is in classical style, based on the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus and the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The crowning element at the top of the ziggurat roof references the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Built from Tynong granite, the Shrine originally consisted only of the central sanctuary surrounded by the ambulatory. The sanctuary contains the marble Stone of Remembrance, upon which is engraved the words "Greater love hath no man" (John 15:13); once per year, on 11 November at 11 a.m. (Remembrance Day), a ray of sunlight shines through an aperture in the roof to light up the word "Love" in the inscription. Beneath the sanctuary lies the crypt, which contains a bronze statue of a soldier father and son, and panels listing every unit of the Australian Imperial Force.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

HOSPITAL

The bottlebrush flowers soften the rather harsh architecture of the utilitarian Austin Hospital and somehow give some hope to all who enter there... 

This post is part of the My Sunday Best 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

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

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