WATERSIDE HOTEL

The Waterside Hotel is a multi-level hospitality venue located at 508 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000. It features a classic pub, a Southeast Asian restaurant, a rooftop bar with city views, and several event spaces. It is situated on the corner of Flinders and King Sts, in the City.

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CITY VIEW

The sculpture on Spencer Street in front of the Grand Hotel is a Melbourne public art installation called "Raising the Rattler Pole—The Last of the Connie's" by artist David Bell. Located at the corner of Flinders and Spencer Streets, the 1:1 scale replica is a tribute to the iconic W-class "rattler" trams (see one in action below main photos). The sculpture features a black tram playfully and significantly upended with its rear pointing upwards, a social comment perhaps on the advent of automated ticketing and the abolishment of the human "connie" (tram conductor and ticket issuer).

I took the photo from a moving train going towards the Southern Cross Station.

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DINNER OUT

Sunday dinner at our local pub, "The Old England" Hotel in Heidelberg. A lovely evening in civilised, quiet surroundings with tasty food.

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AT THE WINDSOR

The Hotel Windsor is a luxury hotel in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1884, the Windsor is notable for being Melbourne's only surviving purpose-built "grand" Victorian era hotel. The Windsor is situated on Bourke Hill in the Parliament Precinct on Spring Street, and is a Melbourne landmark of high Victorian architecture. For much of the 20th century, the hotel, dubbed the Duchess of Spring Street, was one of the most favoured and luxurious hotels in Melbourne. It has hosted many notable national and international guests, and has a 5-star rating.

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AT OUR LOCAL PUB

The Old England Hotel in suburban Melbourne was established in 1848. Celebrating its 170th birthday this year the Old England is an iconic part of Heidelberg’s rich and vibrant history. The hotel with its warmth and historical significance has been engrained in the traditions and social landscape of Heidelberg since its foundation. For the last century the old England hotel has attracted Melburnians as a fashionable place to dine, drink and socialise.

Some of the most notable patrons of the day included Heidelberg School of Arts founders: Arthur Streeton, Fredrick McCubbin, Tom Roberts and Charles Conder who as young struggling artists would frequent the hotel during the years they were painting the Heidelberg area around 1888. During this time they would meet regularly to share their dreams, stories, struggles and achievements.

We often go there to dine or have a quiet drink in the cosy lounge. The quality is consistently good and the service efficient.

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HISTORIC HOTELS IN BALLARAT

Ballarat is a city located on the Yarrowee River in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. The city is approximately 105 kilometres west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne, with a population of some 101,686. It is the third largest population for an inland city in Australia. Locals are known as 'Ballaratians'.

Ballarat is arguably the most significant Victorian era gold rush boomtown in Australia. Just months after Victoria was granted separation from the state of New South Wales, the Victorian gold rush transformed Ballarat from a small sheep station to a major settlement. Gold was discovered at Poverty Point on 18 August 1851, and news quickly spread of rich alluvial fields where gold could easily be extracted. Within months, migrants from across the world had rushed to the district in search of gold.

Unlike many other gold boom towns, the Ballarat fields experienced sustained high gold yields for many decades, which can be evidenced to this day in the city's rich architecture. The Eureka Rebellion began in Ballarat, and the only armed rebellion in Australian history, the Battle of Eureka Stockade, took place on 3 December 1854. In response to the event the first male suffrage in Australia was instituted and as such Eureka is interpreted by some as the origin of democracy in Australia.

Other nationally significant heritage structures include the Ballarat Botanical Gardens (established 1857), the longest running lyric theatre building (Her Majesty's Theatre, established 1875), the first municipal observatory, established 1886, and the earliest and longest war memorial avenue (the Avenue of Honour, established between 1917 and 1919).

Proclaimed a city in 1871, its prosperity continued until late in the 19th century, after which its importance relative to both Melbourne and Geelong rapidly faded with the slowing of gold extraction. It is the commercial capital of the Central Highlands and the largest city in the Goldfields region of Victoria, as well a significant tourist destination. Ballarat is known for its history, culture and its well-preserved Victorian era heritage, with much of the city subject to heritage overlays. After a narrow popular vote the city merged with the town of Ballarat East in 1921, ending a long standing rivalry.

Many historic buildings exist in Ballarat, not the least of which are some fine hotels. Some of these have remained remarkably unchanged from Victorian times (albeit conserved and renovated for modern use (e.g. Craig's Royal Hotel built 1853), while others have undergone many transformations demolitions and rebuildings (e.g. George Hotel, first built 1851, then again in the 1880s and finally another grander building in 1902).

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Lydiard St, Ballarat today

Lydiard St, Ballarat 1930s

Craig's Royal Hotel, today

Craig's Royal Hotel, 1907

George Hotel, today - the surviving third iteration of 1902

George Hotel, in the 1960s - the surviving third iteration of 1902

George Hotel, late 1880s - the lost second iteration of 1880s

The Lake View Hotel, today

The Lake View Hotel, 1880s

The Court House Hotel in Smythesdale (19 km West of Ballarat) goes way back to the mid 1850’s, originally a weatherboard building (see below) which burnt down after two years. However it was replaced by the majestic two storey Victorian hotel that stands today (above).

Original Court House Hotel, ca. late 1850s

CROWN CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

First opened in 1997, Crown Melbourne is a large integrated resort and has a casino, three hotels, function rooms, award winning restaurants and shopping and entertainment facilities. It is a significant driver of tourism within Australia, particularly in Victoria. In Melbourne, Crown is located in Southbank with a view over the Yarra River and the City. The decorations and Christmas Display is becoming a Melbourne tradition, with many people making a special visit to see the free show in the Atrium.

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NIGHT IN SOUTHBANK

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AT CROWN

Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River. Crown's casino complex opened in 1997, after moving from a temporary location that opened in 1994 and was on north bank of the Yarra. It is one of the central features of the Southbank area in the central business district and the Crown Promenade fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank Promenade. Children under 18 are permitted into the entertainment and shopping section of complex, but not into the gaming area or areas serving alcohol. The entire complex has a space of 510,000 m² which is equivalent to two city blocks, making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world.

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OLINDA, DANDENONGS

Olinda is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km east of Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Olinda had a population of 1568. Olinda is home to cafes, restaurants, antique and craft shops, and numerous art galleries, showcasing local, national, and international artists in such areas as sculpture and painting. It has a public swimming pool, a primary school, and is home to the National Rhododendron Garden and the Olinda State Forest. The Ashendene Boys Home was located in Olinda.

"The Loft In The Mill" is a magnificent bluestone replica of an old flour mill with adjacent stone carriage house. It is located at 1602 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd in Olinda, located in the middle of Olinda Village: Walking distance to boutique shops; lovely gardens, galleries and tearooms; and quality restaurants. A short distance away is the local golf course, and William Ricketts Sanctuary. 15 minutes away is Puffing Billy Railway or the Yarra Valley's numerous wineries.

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WINDSOR HOTEL

Melbourne's Hotel Windsor is a luxury hotel, notable for being Australia's only surviving grand 19th century city hotel and only official "grand" Victorian era hotel. The Hotel Windsor has a 5-star rating and is considered one of the grandest hotels in Melbourne. The Windsor is situated on Bourke Hill in the Parliament Precinct on Spring Street, and is a Melbourne landmark of high Victorian architecture. The hotel has a significant role in the history of Australia as the place where the Constitution of Australia was drafted in 1898. For much of its 20th Century life the hotel, dubbed the 'Duchess of Spring Street', was one of the most favoured and luxurious hotels in Melbourne. It has hosted many notable national and international guests.

One of Melbourne's classic trams is going past the Hotel on the free City Circle line. When the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board was formed to take over the operations of the various Municipal tramway authorities, it found itself with a unified cable system, but an absolute plethora of electric tram types, which it gave letter codes from A through to V. The board decided that it was time to introduce a standard design. The new W-class design, first introduced in 1923, was an outstanding success, and has been the mainstay of the Melbourne tram system for the bulk of this century. It is a two-bogie, drop-centre design, which has had many variants over the years. The oldest W-class tram still in active service was built in 1938!

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CROWN CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Melbourne is certainly the place to visit at Christmas, as the decorations in various parts of the City and suburbs are worth seeing! Here are the decorations at the Crown Hotel atrium this year. There is a music and light show with animated ornaments, but I was rather in a hurry and had only time to take these photos. I'll see whether I can return to take some more another day.

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