On a recent walk in our neighbourhood, we came across this house that had a little sign posted up on the front fence. The sign acknowledged the traditional, aboriginal owners of the land, the Wurundjeri.
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne. Prior to European settlement, they lived as all people of the Kulin nation lived, sustainably on the land, predominantly as hunters and gatherers, for tens of thousands of years. Seasonal changes in the weather, availability of foods and other factors would determine where campsites were located, many near the Birrarung and its tributaries.
Wurundjeri people spoke the Woiwurrung language. The term Wurundjeri is paired with the term Woiwurrung in that both refer to the same region. Wurundjeri refers to the people who occupy the territory, while Woiwurrung refers to the language group shared by the clans within the territory. The Wurundjeri peoples territory extended from north of the Great Dividing Range, east to Mount Baw Baw, south to Mordialloc Creek and west to Werribee River. Their lands bordered the Gunai/Kurnai people to the east in Gippsland, the Bunurong people to the south on the Mornington Peninsula, and the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurong to the north. Wurundjeri people take their name from the word wurun meaning Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) which is common along Birrarung, and djeri, a grub found in the tree.
This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
I had occasion to attend a function on the top of the excellent Langham Hotel on Southbank, recently. Having my trusty camera on hand, I was able to snap these shots of the City skyline and Yarra River from the South. Looking progressively to the West, in shot 1; to the North in Shot 2; the East in shots 3,4; and the South in Shot 5.
This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
Fairfield is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government areas are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra. At the 2011 Census, Fairfield had a population of 5,946. The Fairfield Railway Station has some historic Edwardian buildings and is a defined "Host Station".
The station consists of two side platforms; Platform 1 has a large weatherboard building, while platform 2 has a smaller weatherboard building. A footbridge is situated at the Flinders Street end of the station, whilst a disused signal box is situated near platform 1 at the Hurstbridge end of the station. The station serves many commuters from the adjacent neighbourhoods.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Inspiring Photography meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria.The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are located in the Victorian city of Bendigo and the NSW-Victorian border centre of Albury-Wodonga. The university has a number of smaller campuses at Mildura, Shepparton, and Beechworth as well as a campus in Melbourne's CBD.
La Trobe University Library is one of Australia's leading academic libraries and operates as one library service across all campuses. A large and growing proportion of the Library's scholarly information resources are available in digital format and can be accessed by all students and staff, regardless of location.The Borchardt Library at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus holds the largest proportion of the total physical collection, delivers centralised services for all campus libraries, and provides a library service to the CBD campuses.
The "mural" is actually a stained glass wall that adorns the postgraduate students study room.
This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God is located in 1 Albion St, Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne. During the late 1970's and early 1980's clergy and parishioners of the Protection of the Mother of God Cathedral in Collingwood began seeking a new church site. The move was necessary as the site in Collingwood was not large enough to expand.
The decision to build rather than buy was made on the rationale that a church in Russian style is more aesthetically pleasing to those who will worship in it than a renovated church in the style of a western denomination.
Three architects were invited to submit proposals for the plans for this new church (Vlad Chernov, Alex Kamenev and John Petrakis). John Petrakis secured the contract with a competitive estimate. He had a working relationship with Brunswick Municipal Council - which was another advantage. John, who was later to become an honourary Russian dubbed Ivan Petrov, developed the design further and approached the Brunswick city council about a Planning Permit for a Church and a Community Centre. His diplomacy in dealing with the City Council, managing to appease them whilst not compromising design is a credit to him.
The foundation laying ceremony took place on the 5th November 1989. Within the stone some relics of Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth were placed with a parchment within a sealed copper/brass cylinder. This is based on the ancient Christian practice of building churches above the graves of holy martyrs.
Psalm 99
1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
2 The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
4 The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.
This post is part of the Psalm Sunday meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.
Melbourne Museum is in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, adjacent to the Royal Exhibition Building. It was designed by Denton Corker Marshall Architects and finished construction in 2001. The museum is a rich response to Melbourne’s urban condition, and provides a place for education, history, culture and society to engage with each other in a contemporary setting. It is now an important part of Melbourne’s soft infrastructure.
It is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and is a venue of Museum Victoria, which also operates the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum.The museum has seven main galleries, a Children's Gallery and a temporary exhibit gallery on three levels, Upper, Ground and Lower Level and was constructed by Baulderstone Hornibrook
The entire Children's Gallery (housed in what looks like a giant Rubik's Cube) is aimed at 3-8 year olds, (although it is proving to be popular with all ages), and consists of three spaces; the exhibition gallery Big Box, The Learning Environment and the Tattersall's Children's Garden.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
Another beautiful morning, on my way to work. I couldn't resist taking these photos of the sunrise over the Yarra River. These are looking East, on top of the Princess Bridge.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Brugmansia suaveolens, Brazil's Angel Trumpet, is a South American species of flowering plants that grow as shrubs or small trees with large fragrant flowers. The flowers are remarkably beautiful and sweetly fragrant, about 24–32 cm long and shaped like trumpets. The corolla body is slightly recurved to 5 main points, but the very peaks in the true species are always curved outwards, never rolled back, and these peaks are short, only 1–2.5 cm long. The flowers are usually white but may be yellow or pink and hang downward from fully pendulous up to nearly horizontal. Fragrant in the evenings to attract pollinating moths, they hang half-closed during the day, but return to their peak again in the evenings.
Brugmansia are grown as ornamentals outdoors year-round in non-freezing climates around the world. Like other large-leaved, fast-growing plants, they appreciate a little protection from the wind, as well as from the hottest afternoon sun. They like organically rich soil, frequent water, and heavy fertilizer when in full growth. Both woody and leafy tip cuttings are used to propagate Brugmansia, although thicker cuttings tolerate lower humidity.
Every part of Brugmansia suaveolens is poisonous, with the seeds and leaves being especially dangerous. As in other species of Brugmansia, B. suaveolens is rich in scopolamine (hyoscine), hyoscyamine, atropine, and several other tropane alkaloids. Effects of ingestion can include paralysis of smooth muscles, confusion, tachycardia, dry mouth, diarrhea, visual and auditory hallucinations, mydriasis, rapid onset cycloplegia, and death.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Abbotsford is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2011 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,907.Abbotsford is bounded by Collingwood, Richmond and Clifton Hill and separated from Kew by the meandering Yarra River. Abbotsford takes its name from the estate of John Orr, which in turn is named after a ford in Scotland's Tweed River, used by the Abbott of Melrose Abbey.
Some well known Abbotsford landmarks include the Skipping Girl Sign, Dights Falls, the former Collingwood Town Hall, Victoria Park Football Stadium and Abbotsford Convent. One of my favourite parts is the parklands on either side of the Yarra River, which is always a pleasant destination for a leisurely walk.
This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.
Numerous small lanes criss-cross Melbourne's CBD and they are filled with interesting shops, cafés, restaurants, pubs and bars. They are a vibrant part of Melbourne and something that tourists as well as locals spend a lot of time exploring.
This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
