South Wharf on the southern bank of the Yarra is surrounded by many shopping, dining and conference facilities. The new South Wharf Promenade is home to some of Melbourne’s most exciting hospitality talent, housed in lovingly restored heritage cargo sheds. These cafés and restaurants boast one of the most beautiful waterside views in Melbourne, all within easy reach of the central city.
South Wharf is the site of the Polly Woodside Maritime Museum. Polly Woodside is a Belfast-built, three-masted, iron-hulled barque, preserved in Melbourne, Australia, and forming the central feature of the South Wharf precinct. The ship was originally built in Belfast by William J. Woodside and was launched in 1885. Polly Woodside is typical of thousands of smaller iron barques built in the last days of sail, intended for deep water trade around the world and designed to be operated as economically as possible. It is now moored alongside the Melbourne Convention centre.
South Wharf’s striking new pedestrian "Seafarers' Bridge" is fittingly named to reflect Melbourne’s rich maritime history. Officially named in late-2009, the bridge is already popular with walkers and bike riders accessing Melbourne’s world-class Convention Centre and travelling to and from Docklands.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Photo Friday meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.
As Autumn approaches, the garden is bursting forth in bloom with the last of the Summer flowers: Roses, daisies, starflowers, campanulas and statice.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
The Darebin Creek in the Darebin Parklands is a perennial waterway, although its flow in Summer is quite reduced. These past couple of weeks we have had little rain and in parts, the flow of the water has been greatly reduced.
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.
Meeting a friend I hadn't seen for about year, the conversation was all about catching up and "What did you do last year?" was a question we almost simultaneously came up with. Of course the conversation flowed and we caught up with each other, but later on considering what I did, I came up with this mosaic, which for me at least, summarised my year pretty well...
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.
Yarra Bend Park is the largest area of natural bushland near the heart of Melbourne. The park features steep river escarpments, open woodlands, playing fields and golf courses. The park can be explored by foot or by bike, there is boating on the river and one can enjoy superb views of the city skyline. Pleasant picnic areas, barbecues, rotundas and playgrounds make it popular with families. Meals, refreshments and boat hire are available at venues within the park.
The park is also the home of many species of flora and fauna, including being the major roost site of Grey Headed Flying Foxes (bats), which are currently classified as a threatened species. Flying foxes are an example of the dire effects of altering our natural environment. Due to enormous rates of deforestation in Queensland and a greater food supply in south eastern Australia, Grey Headed Flying Foxes migrated down south and found a new habitat in Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens. Due to the public demand for their removal from the Botanical Gardens, the State government coordinated a mass habitat relocation of the bats using sonar to direct them to possible habitats. The bats decided to choose Yarra Bend Park.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday 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.
Gardenia augusta 'Super Star' in the family Rubiaceae is a wonderful compact gardenia that looks good and smells even better! Super Star is a compact and low growing gardenia with narrow glossy, deep green foliage and masses of single, white, highly perfumed flowers throughout the year. Perfect for a position in sun or shade, and once established is tolerant of a wide range of conditions including heat, frost and drought. A landscapers dream. Gardenia Super Star can be grown Australia wide. It is drought hardy once established and tolerant of both heat and frost.
A plant for full sun to part shade, Gardenias prefer a rich, well drained soils with a neutral to slightly acidic pH. Heavy soils should be improved with organic matter prior to planting. Raised beds are recommended for very heavy clay soils. All Gardenias require good drainage. They are intolerant of very heavy or waterlogged soils. Space 60cm apart for a hedge or border. Planting holes should be approximately twice the size of the pot to be planted and back filled with soil that has been enriched with organic matter. Make sure that the rootball sits no lower than the surrounding soil. Water deeply after transplanting.
Mulching is beneficial to reduce moisture loss from the soil and to protect surface roots from extremes of temperature. Mulch should be around 10cm deep but kept 5cm-10cm away from the stem. Requires no pruning to maintain a neat shape, however if a more formal shape is desired, light pruning after flowering is all that is required. Gardenias should be fed during spring and summer using a good quality complete fertiliser.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
The St Kilda Pavilion is a historic kiosk located at the end of St Kilda Pier, in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. The kiosk was designed by James Charles Morell and built in 1904 by John W. Douglas. The kiosk was proposed and operated by Francis Parer. Until the 1930s the structure was widely known as Parer's Pavilion however its actual name was the Austral Refreshment Rooms. In the 1930s it was renamed Kerby's Kiosk. The Kerby family were involved with running the kiosk from 1934 through to 1987. Noble and Ivy Kerby acquired the lease from the Victorian Government in 1939.
From 1987 through to 2003 the kiosk was leased and operated by Joe Sillitoe then Carmel Grant. On 11 September 2003 the structure was destroyed in an arson attack. After massive public support to rebuild the kiosk and the support of premier Steve Bracks, it was reconstructed to the original 1903 plans, utilising some of the salvaged components, such as the cast iron roof, decorative cresting and weather vane. An additional structure, expanding the capacity was erected directly behind the kiosk and is obscured by the pavilion when viewed from the pier. The Pavilion is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The kiosk re-opened in March 2006. The site is owned by Parks Victoria and is leased to Peter Tzambazis.
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.
