WINTRY DAREBIN CREEK

A cold morning walk along the Darebin Creek - Sunny but the sun was showing his sharp nails...

This post is part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

SOUTH WHARF SUNSET

Sunset over the Yarra River at South Wharf in Melbourne, Australia.

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

YARRA BEND PARK WALK

Yarra Bend Park has been one of Melbourne’s largest expanses of inner suburban parkland for nearly 150 years. Yarra Bend Park and neighbouring Studley Park were reserved in 1877. Both park areas and several reserves were combined in 1929 to create one large park.

The combined area became known as Yarra Bend National Park despite never being raised to formal national park status. During the 1930’s additions included picnic and sporting grounds, toilet facilities and a public golf course. The Park provides a great open space for walking, bike riding, riverside cafes, golf, boating, BBQs, picnicking and a host of other leisure activities.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Macro Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.

EMDEN GOOSE

Domestic geese (Anser anser domesticus or Anser cygnoides domesticus) are domesticated grey geese (either greylag geese or swan geese) that are kept by humans as poultry for their meat, eggs, and down feathers since ancient times.

Here is an Emden goose, which is a breed of domestic goose. The origins of this breed are thought to be from the North Sea region, in the Netherlands and Germany. The eminent author Lewis Wright wrote around 1900 that he was of the opinion that they originated from the town of Emden in Lower Saxony, Germany. This one lives near the Kew Boathouse on the Yarra River.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

AUSTRALASIAN SWAMPHEN

The Australasian swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus), family Rallidae, is a species of swamphen occurring in eastern Indonesia, the Moluccas, Aru and Kai Islands, as well as in Papua New Guinea and Australia. It is also found in New Zealand where it is known as the Pūkeko, derived from the Māori language.

The Australasian swamphen previously was considered a subspecies of the purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio). In New Zealand and Australia populations have expanded due to the creation of new artificial lakes and ponds. Birds are often seen singly, or in groups of two to three, foraging for food beside motorways or roadside ditches, and collecting grit. A study showed that the preferred grit colour is red (followed by yellow and lastly blue) even though red grit is less common. Roadkill is a cause of mortality.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Saturday Critters meme,
and also part of the Camera Critters meme.

WINTER'S FOG...

...And silver sun

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme,
and also part of the My Town Shootout meme.

YELLOW GUM & VISITOR

Eucalyptus leucoxylon, in the family Myrtaceae, commonly known as the Yellow Gum, (South Australian) Blue Gum or White Ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree with rough bark on the lower 1-2 metres of the trunk, above this, the bark becomes smooth with a white, yellow or bluish-grey surface. Adult leaves are stalked, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 13 x 2.5 cm, concolorous, dull, green. Flowers in white, pink or red appear during winter. The nectar-filled flowers attract native birds such as this Rainbow Lorikeet.

E. leucoxylon is widely distributed on plains and nearby mountain ranges or coastal South Australia, where it is known as the Blue Gum and extends into the western half of Victoria where it is known as the Yellow gum.The species has been divided into numerous varieties and subspecies. A spectacular red-flowered form of uncertain provenance Eucalyptus leucoxylon ‘Rosea’ is widely planted as an ornamental plant, it flowers profusely in winter.

A threatened subspecies known as the Bellarine Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp. bellarinensis) is endemic to the Bellarine Peninsula at the south-eastern end of the species' range. The leaves are distilled for the production of cineole based eucalyptus oil.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DAREBIN CREEK IN WINTER

Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.

The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow.

Here it is in the Darebin Parklands in suburban inner Melbourne.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

OLD TREASURY

At the top, eastern end of Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD, the Old Treasury Building is widely regarded as one of the finest 19th century buildings in Australia.  The Old Treasury building was designed by nineteen-year-old architect J.J. Clark and built between 1858 and 1862. The building is now is now a museum of Melbourne history. Notorious Bushranger Ned Kelly's 'Euroa letter' or 'Cameron letter' is on display.   The museum hosts the original gold vaults where gold bullion was stored during the gold rush era, as well as rare and historic documents from Public Record Office Victoria highlighting key moments from Victoria’s history.

The Old Treasury Building also houses the Victorian Marriage Registry that "caters to a wide range of cultures, preferences and budgets". 

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

BUSHLAND

Rainbow lorikeet and flowering gum tree. Typical early Winter sight in the bushland around Melbourne.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme,
and also part of the Seasons meme.