WILLIAMSTOWN'S ROCKY FORESHORE

Williamstown is located at the mouth of the Yarra River where it enters Hobsons Bay and Port Phillip Bay, south-west of the Melbourne city centre.Originally Melbourne's first sea port, Williamstown has developed from what was a neglected industrialised centre into a popular and fashionable maritime village.


Williamstown is surrounded on three sides by water. The eastern shoreline consists of foreshore reserves dotted with piers, gardens and remnants of Williamstown's maritime history. Scenic views of Melbourne's city skyline can be enjoyed from Gem Pier where cruises on the Yarra River and the bay depart regularly (see my last Williamstown entry here). The rocky south-eastern coastline consists of open parkland which includes the Point Gellibrand Coastal Heritage Park. 


The wildness of the rocky foreshore is quite charming and the lucky ones who live on the esplanade can enjoy its breathtaking views every day. Fishing, gathering shellfish and long walks along the foreshore can be enjoyed by everyone.


This post is part of the Watery Wednesday meme.

YAN YEAN RESERVOIR

Yan Yean Reservoir is the oldest water supply for the city of Melbourne. It is built on the Plenty River a tributary of the Yarra River, 30 km north of the city. A 9.5 metre embankment holds back 30,000 megalitres (30 million cubic metres) of water. Work began in 1853 at the height of the gold rush, and it took four years to construct at a cost of £750,000.


The reservoir is managed by Melbourne Water as part of the water supply system for Melbourne. At the time of its completion in 1857 it was the largest artificial reservoir in the world. It was designed by James Blackburn, an English Civil Engineer and former London sanitary inspector who was transported to Tasmania as a convict following charges of embezzlement. After being pardoned he came to Melbourne in 1849. The Toorourrong Reservoir system, constructed in 1883–1885, supplies water to Yan Yean via an aqueduct.


Around the reservoir there are parklands, an extensive nature reserve and picnic grounds. It is a popular and beautiful spot for family outings, another advantage being its proximity to the city. Native flora and fauna (like the Eucalypts and Eastern Rosella pictured below) can be found in the reserve.


This post is part of the "Our World Tuesday" meme.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE ON A RAINY SUMMER'S DAY

Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1,706 seat theatre in the CBD of Melbourne, located at 219 Exhibition Street. Built in 1886, it is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Purchased in 2000 by Mike Walsh, the theatre was restored and refitted to accommodate larger productions. Her Majesty’s Theatre, affectionately known as ‘The Maj’, is one of Australia’s leading theatres, combining comfortable seating, exceptional sightlines and the industry’s greatest productions. Modern facilities and its rich, historic setting and beautiful Art Deco interiors make The Maj a venue of choice.


The first recorded use of the area near the corner of Stephen (later to become Exhibition) Street and Little Bourke Street as a venue for entertainment was in 1880, when tiered seating was constructed and an openair venue for circuses and equestrian shows established. The Hippodrome lasted four years before the French-born entrepreneur, Jules François de Sales Joubert, secured a 30 year lease on the site and commissioned architect Nahum Barnet to design a theatre, business and accommodation complex.


In 1886 work on Joubert’s project was completed. On the 1st of October, the Alexandra Theatre opened. Named after the then Princess of Wales, wife of the future King Edward VII, the theatre was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, boasting a capacity of 2,800. The very first show staged was the comedy, "Bad Lads". Also in the first year, the Australian classic, "For the Term of His Natural Life", was performed, as was Saturday afternoon wrestling and a season of Italian opera.


The early days of the Alec (as it became known) were problematic. Joubert had spent almost twice his original budget on construction and had been unable to obtain the required operating licences for the hotel, bars and cafes of the complex. By November 1887, he was insolvent. Early in 1888, the Australian-born, internationally renowned actor and playwright, Alfred Dampier, leased the theatre and introduced a successful programming and pricing formula. The Alec prospered. In 1900, well-known expatriate American theatrical producer, James Cassius Williamson, took over the lease of the theatre and engaged architect William Pitt to supervise renovations. The theatre, re-vamped and re-christened Her Majesty’s Theatre in honour of Queen Victoria, re-opened with a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s "HMS Pinafore" on the 19th of May.


In 1909, after a private sound test, Dame Nellie Melba, by then an international star, declared that the theatre’s acoustics were “dead” and that she would not perform unless they were altered. Further renovations to the theatre’s interior were carried out in time for Dame Nellie to hold her Australian opera debut in November 1911.


In 1924, a decision was taken to rename the theatre again. Her Majesty’s Theatre became His Majesty’s Theatre, this time in honour of King George V, after whose mother, the original theatre had been named. Despite the changes in identity, the theatre consistently played host to the world’s best artists and shows. The legendary Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, captivated Australian crowds at performances in 1926 and 1929.


A full history of the theatre can be found here.
This post is part of the Mellow Yellow Monday meme.

ST PETER'S EASTERN HILL

St Peter's, Eastern Hill is the Anglican parish church of the City of Melbourne. The church is located on the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets on the eastern hill of Melbourne and, on one side, is opposite St Patrick's Cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral. On the other side it is opposite the Eastern Hill Fire Station. Although the church is located close to the city centre it draws parishioners and visitors from all over Melbourne and internationally. The parish is in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and dates from 1847.


The letters patent of Queen Victoria declaring the city status of Melbourne were read on the steps of St Peter's in 1848. The parish is well-known as belonging to the Anglo-Catholic or High Church tradition. St Peter's central position in Melbourne means it is able to extend a number of ministries from the parish including a hospital chaplain, university chaplain and parliamentary chaplain. The church is also the location of a breakfast program for Melbourne's inner-city homeless. St Peter's hosted the first meeting of Critical Mass on 25 July 2008. This group aims to draw young people from across the Melbourne diocese to engage in common prayer, share in the Eucharist and develop a support base for Anglican young adults, particularly those in the Catholic tradition.


St Peter's is the oldest Anglican church standing on its original site in the inner city area. The foundation stone was laid by Charles La Trobe on 18 June 1846. The building was first used for services in 1847 even though the first part was not completed until 1848. During the gold rush years, around 400 baptisms and a similar number of weddings took place each year. The building was extended in 1854 to bring its seating capacity up to 1050, much of this space was in galleries that were removed in 1896. The last extensions to the building took place in 1876. The first vicarage (1849) and schoolbuilding stood on land subsequently purchased by the State Parliament in 1884, following which the present vicarage and a new school building (now Keble House) were built.

And given the nature of the last photograph, it is appropriate for Psalm Sunday today to highlight a beautiful piece from John Rutter's Requiem: Part 6/7: "The Lord is my shepherd" - a setting of Psalm 23.

MELBOURNE BIKE SHARE

We are experiencing another relatively cool and wet Melbourne summer, the effect of La Niña weather system. This is pleasing many people who would rather this than the extreme temperatures and humidity of our very hot summers. We still have many tourists, from both interstate and overseas.

These photos were taken on a rainy lunchtime outside the GPO in the City. Shown is "Melbourne Bike Share" a new form of public transport, designed for short trips across the city. Users simply purchase a subscription that suits them, for minutes, hours, days or weeks and then take a bike when they need it and return it to one of the 50 bike stations throughout the city. It's a great idea and encourages people to utilise pedal power in order to move around the city or sightsee, as these tourists are about to do.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

MELBOURNE SUNSET

Air pollution is a problem that no major city in the world has avoided. Air pollution from industry, from the large numbers of homes clustered together in and around the cities and the widespread use of motor vehicles means that the quality of the air in cities suffers. Although the most obvious large emissions from factory chimneys have been eliminated – there are still lots of smaller amounts of polluting emissions from a broad range of large and small industries which contribute to Melbourne’s air pollution.

In Melbourne and other Victorian cities and towns, we are lucky. Air quality is good most of the time, thanks to low population density, favourable climate and tight regulations (see graphs below). The main air pollutants of concern for Victoria are ozone (in summer) and very small particles (mostly in winter) that we can breathe in. Unlike many of the developed countries in the world, acid rain is not a problem for us.


When the air quality is relatively bad with many fine particles suspended in the atmosphere, one thing that occurs is a range of colourful sunsets because of the light diffraction.


This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA

The State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, located in the Melbourne CBD. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district. The library holds over 2 million books and 16,000 serials, including the diaries of the city's founders, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, and the folios of Captain James Cook. It also houses the original armour of Ned Kelly.


The first photo is a street sculpture named “Architectural Fragment” by Petrus Spronk, 1992, in front of the State Library. It is a popular work even though it is post-modern sculpture with neo-classical references and you can’t even sit on it (although there is wear on one edge from skateboard riders). “Architectural Fragment” is based on Spronk’s sand-sculpture works.


The library is not only magnificent architecturally, but it is a wonderful exhibition space, study space, relaxation space and refuge from the hustle and bustle of the City! I could quite happily live there!


This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme.

 “Architectural Fragment” by Petrus Spronk, 1992

Looking North towards LaTrobe St

Looking East

The entry foyer on the ground floor, with thehelpful staff at the information desk.

The main reading room under the Dome.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 4

Lagunaria is a monotypic genus in the family Malvaceae. It is an Australian plant endemic to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and parts of coastal Queensland. It has been introduced to many parts of the world. The genus was named in honour of Andrés Laguna, a Spanish botanist and a physician to Pope Julius III.  It now consists of the single species Lagunaria patersonia, commonly known as the Pyramid Tree or Norfolk Island Hibiscus. It is not a true Hibiscus, however, but does belong to the same plant family, Malvaceae. These trees are often planted along Melbourne streets and in parks and when in flower can be quite spectacular.

Its seed capsules are filled with irritating hairs giving rise to another common name, Cow Itch Tree. The "cow" part however appears to be a misnomer. In many parts of Australia, Lagunaria is considered a pest, and is commonly referred to as the Itchy Bomb Tree due to the tiny, almost invisible, hairs inside the seed pods which, if the seeds pods are split open, can lodge in the skin like tiny barbs of broken glass, causing a great deal of pain.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WILLIAMSTOWN

Williamstown is an inner suburb of Melbourne, 8 km south-west from the central business district. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733. Williamstown is approximately 15 minutes by car from Melbourne via the West Gate Freeway or a 30-minute train journey from Flinders Street Station. Ferries from Melbourne's Southgate Arts & Leisure Precinct take approximately 1 hour.

Representative of Williamstown’s maritime history, large scale maritime industry dominates Williamstown's piers precinct and a maritime theme characterises the Nelson Place tourism precinct. BAE Systems Australia's Marine division (formerly Tenix) has operated out of Williamstown dockyards for nearly 20 years, during which time it has built ANZAC-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy, and will also conduct completion of the Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels. The Nelson Place tourism precinct offers some of Melbourne's best waterfront eateries, many catering for al fresco dining and some with spectacular views of Melbourne's city skyline through the masts of bobbing boats on the foreshore. Also located on Nelson Place is a diverse range of arts, crafts and other speciality shops.

HMAS Castlemaine, berthed at Williamstown (and seen in the first photo) is open for public inspection and allows visitors to explore an original World War 2 warship. She is one of the 60 Australian-built Bathurst class corvettes to serve throughout World War Two and the last such vessel still afloat, having been restored by volunteers over three decades. Castlemaine is open to the public on weekends and public holidays.Today visitors can see how crews lived and worked during the war years, witness the original engines turning over and view a wide range of artefacts documenting Australian maritime history.

This post is part of the Watery Wednesday meme.

BRUNSWICK ST, FITZROY

Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, is a cafe and food precinct bordering on the CBD. It very much reflects the Melbourne attitude in that it is tolerant and accommodating of all types of people. Here you can be Bohemian, poor, rich, alternative, trendy, young or old. You can drive a BMW or ride a hand-me-down bicycle. You can wear the latest business attire or dress in second-hand clothes and have multiple tattoos and body piercings. Regardless of who you are, what you look like or where you come from, you fit in and no questions are asked. In fact, the people walking past on the footpaths make this area what it is - rich, colourful and interesting. Brunswick Street has an amazing selection of small, unpretentious cafes serving tasty food, organic whole food places, take-aways that serve the traditional hamburgers and fish & chips, or some very "in" restaurants that serve a huge variety of international cuisine. The street boats several art galleries, craft shops, organic vegetable shops and flower stalls on the footpath, alternative bookshops and Asian wares. Clothing shops range from exclusive boutiques to second-hand opportunity shops... This post is part of "Our World Tuesday" meme.