YARRA BRIDGE

Sunrise on the Yarra River, Melbourne, with the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge reflected in the quiet waters.

This post is part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SOUTHBANK MYSTERY MURAL

Looking through my photo archives the other day, I came across a few photos from 2003 that I had taken in Southbank. They were of a large, striking mural situated in a little cul-de-sac of the shopping centre of Southgate. I had always liked this and that's why I had photographed it, of course. Since then I remember having tried to find this mural again, but it has disappeared... I have no idea who the artist was or whether it has been overpainted or hopefully moved. If you know anything about this mural or its creator, please leave a comment.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

SOUTHGATE'S 'OPHELIA'

Southgate’s resident art sculpture “Ophelia” by artist Deborah Halpern has been re-located to the river promenade. For nearly 20 years “Ophelia”, had watched over the entrance to Southgate from her courtyard position at BearBrass. As part of Southgate’s redevelopment, “Ophelia” was temporarily taken back to the artist’s studio for restoration before being permanently relocated to a prominent riverside location, right out the front of Southgate’s main entrance.

Once known as the face of Melbourne, “Ophelia” was inspired by the character from Hamlet, full of both love and sadness. Halpern says “Ophelia” is the cousin of “Angel”, the sculpture that adorned the moat of the National Gallery of Victoria for nearly 20 years and now lives upstream at Birrarung Marr. Together they bring life and humanity to the river.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

CHRISTMASSY YARRA FOOTBRIDGE

The Yarra Footbridge is a relatively recent addition to the Yarra River crossings in Melbourne. The bridge stands between Princes Bridge and Sandridge Bridge (a former railway bridge, now another pedestrian bridge). It is the closest footbridge to Federation Square and the Melbourne tourist information office.

The Yarra Footbridge links Flinders Street and station with the Yarra Promenade on the Southbank. It is very busy at the rush hour as it is one of the main pedestrian links to the railway station from the Southbank. For tourists and those visiting Melbourne, the Yarra Footbridge offers great views of the Melbourne skyline and easy access to the restaurants and cafes that line the Southbank.

The Christmas decorations are up on the bridge and the splashes of red cheer up the dull grey, rainy day we had yesterday! The padlocks secured on the bridge is a worldwide pop cultural phenomenon and you can read more about it here.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SOUTHGATE BRIDGE, MORNING

The graceful arch of the Southgate pedestrian bridge is very photogenic. This bridge was built in 1992 to allow North/South crossings between the CBD and Southbank. It is a heavily used bridge both day and night.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Sunday Bridges meme.

SOUTHGATE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

Built in 1989 the Southgate pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne provides the main pedestrian link for thousands of workers and tourists between Flinders Street Station and the Southgate business and entertainment precinct.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,

and also part of the Sunday Bridges meme.

SOUTHGATE MURALS

Located on the south bank of the Yarra River with views of Melbourne’s CBD, Southgate is a Melbourne restaurant, shopping and entertainment venue. There is a wide a range of restaurants, bars and cafes to suit a variety of tastes and budgets. The licensed riverside food court offers casual dining with spectacular views. Southgate also boasts interesting shops and offers a delightful selection of boutique designer fashion and accessories, unique gifts and homewares, as well as everyday shopping needs.

Visiting there last weekend we came across a series of murals based on the theme of a little girl on a voyage of discovery. The murals were delightfully whimsical and well-suited to where they were. I couldn't find any indication of who they were done by.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,
and also part of the Mellow Yellow Monday meme.

ST JOHN'S, SOUTHGATE

St John's Church at Southgate is a modern church that was designed by David Cole, an architect from Buchan, Laird and Bawden. The original St John's church was built in 1927 and located off City Road not far from the present church. The site was chosen because of its central location and access to public transport. In 1989 the church building was demolished to make way for the Southgate development. The design of the church links architecturally with the Southgate complex. St Johns is first and foremost a place of worship. However, St Johns was designed also to serve a range of purposes, and it is an ideal venue for concerts and a centre for meetings and functions. For its many visitors the church provides a place for friendship and support.

There is a strong tradition of music -making in the church and it is often the venue for sacred music concerts. Today when we visited we were fêted with a rehearsal of beautiful choral music.

This post is part of the Sunday Psalms meme,
And also part of the Spiritual Sundays meme.

Psalm 83: "Keep not thou silence..."

"Out of Darkness, into His Marvellous Light..." 1 Peter, 2:9. Artist: Judy Heidenreich

SOUTHGATE FOOTBRIDGE, EARLY MORNING

Southgate is an entertainment area on the riverside, with lots of restaurants and shops, the National Gallery, State Theatre and Concert Halls. Markets are held in this area on most weekends and there si always something to see and do here. Further to the West, there is bustling business precinct and even further along the West is ht eCrown Casino Complex. The Southgate Footbridge was built in 1989 over the Yarra River in Melbourne, and provides the main pedestrian link for thousands of workers and tourists between Flinders Street Station and the Southgate business and entertainment precinct. This pedestrian bridge over the Yarra is a focal point from both sides of the river and its graceful curves are much photographed. The Ponyfish Island café and bar just under the bridge is in a good location to have a coffee or a light meal, if a trifle damp! This post is part of the Mellow Yellow Monday meme.