OLD TRAIN STATION, EMERALD

Puffing Billy is Australia's Premiere Preserved Steam Railway.This century-old steam train is still running on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook in the scenic Dandenong Ranges and is a genuine relic of more leisurely days. The Railway is the major survivor of four experimental lines used to develop rural areas in the early 1900s. Puffing Billy is now a major tourist attraction, its operation depending on hundreds of dedicated volunteers. Along its track are some old stations, this being an example.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme.

ABORIGINAL ART MURAL

This Australian Aboriginal art mural adorns a renovated old "corner shop" that has been converted into a residence. The bricked up plate glass windows on front and side have been recently painted with this mural, the artist being Yamba Konrad Ross (contactable at sunsetdreaming@hotmail.com). The mural is very eye-catching and forms a focal point for the otherwise mundane suburban street in which it is found.

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

GOAT IN EMERALD

Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its local government areas are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges. At the 2011 Census, Emerald had a population of 5,813.Emerald also includes Cardinia Reservoir, Melbourne's second largest reservoir. There are many farmlets in the area and it's not unusual to come across friendly, spoiled livestock, such as this goat, that we were tempted to call "Casper"...

This post is part of the Camera Critters meme.

MORNING IN BANK PLACE

Bank Place is a street in Melbourne, Victoria. It is a short, narrow laneway, running south from Little Collins Street between Queen Street and William Street in the central business district of Melbourne. Located in the heart of the financial sector, Bank Place (which incorporates several smaller lanes, such as Mitre Lane) is an oasis of heritage pre-war buildings dating from the 1860s through to the 1920s.

Looking north, a vista is framed by Normanby Chambers. The lane also includes several ornate heritage lamp posts and bluestone alleys. It is home to several bars and cafes which serve many of the nearby office workers. Many of the taller old buildings have been converted into loft style apartments.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.

WINTER SUNSET

We have been enjoying some rather spectacular Winter sunsets in Melbourne over the past few days. Coming home from work, I can just catch the sun setting in the West and with such a fantastic show in the sky I cannot help but stop and take some photos before continuing on my way home.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

Tiffany & Co. has been the world's premier jeweller and America's house of design since 1837. In Melbourne there are two Tiffany & Co stores. Here is the Collins St store, early one morning, looking quite resplendent in the early morning light. I looked for Audrey, but she was nowhere to be found...

This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme.

WHITE CAPS, DOCKLANDS

"Whitecaps" (2012) by Ari Purhonen is an art work in the Water Plaza (asterisk in map below marks the spot). The open sky, wind and the ebb and flow of the tides are elements in Docklands that connect us to the vastness of nature. Nesting on the timber piles that once supported the old wharves, the mesmerising artwork shimmers like a shoal of fish gently moving with the winds and tides of the harbour.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

IVANHOE WALK

Ivanhoe is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2011 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 11,085. In 2011 the average individual in Ivanhoe earned $728 per week, which was more than the national average of $577 per week. Ivanhoe is renowned for its older style homes, with many dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Here is a little roadside reserve where a tree stump has been carved into this beautiful statue. Unfortunately, it has been vandalised with unsightly graffiti. The twig with three species of lichen was too interesting not to photograph! The Winter sunshine was conducive to a nice long walk.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.

FLINDERS ST STATION

Flinders Street Station is a central commuter railway station at the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets in Melbourne, Australia. It serves the entire metropolitan rail network. Backing onto the city reach of the Yarra River in the heart of the city, the complex covers two whole city blocks and extends from Swanston Street to Queen Street.

It was the first railway station in an Australian city, the terminus for the first use of steam rail in Australia and the world's busiest passenger station in the late 1920s.The main station building, completed in 1909, is a cultural icon to Melbourne, with its prominent dome, arched entrance, tower and clocks it is one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. As such it is frequently used to symbolise the city and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

The Melburnian idiom "I'll meet you under the clocks", refers to the row of clocks above the main entrance, which indicate the time-tabled time of departure for trains on each line; another idiom "I'll meet you on the steps", refers to the wide staircase underneath these clocks. Flinders Street Station is responsible for two of Melbourne's busiest pedestrian crossings, both across Flinders Street, including one of Melbourne's few pedestrian scrambles.

Each weekday, over 110,000 commuters and 1,500 trains pass through the station. It is the most used metropolitan railway station in Melbourne, in 2009 there was an average of 85,100 passenger boardings per day. Flinders Street is serviced by Metro's suburban services, and V/Line regional services to Gippsland.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,
and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme.