CALLING THE RACE

Horse racing is very popular in Australia and lots of money changes hands as the aficionados attempt to predict the winners. Here in Fitzroy, outside a betting shopfront, a punter listens to his little radio as the race is called to see if his horse won. He can collect his winnings forthwith in the establishment in the background...

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

BRUNSWICK ST MURAL

Brunswick Street is a street in inner northern Melbourne, known for cafés, live music venues and alternative fashion shops. Here is a quirky little public toilet that has been adorned by Alastair Mooney with a wrap-around mural from top to toe. The O/S friend I was with was doubly surprised by both the toilet and the mural!

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme.

ABBOTSFORD CONVENT

The Abbotsford Convent is located in Abbotsford, Victoria, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The Convent is in a bend of the Yarra River west of Yarra Bend Park, with the Collingwood Children's Farm to its north and east, the river and parklands to its south and housing to its west.

During the 19th and part of the 20th century the 6.8 hectare site was occupied by one of the largest convents in Victoria. Today the site and its buildings are used as an arts, educational and cultural hub, the grounds, historic buildings and gardens are occupied by and host artisans; community and cultural events and cultural institutions, a community classical music radio station (3MBS), a Steiner School (Sophia Mundi), live music performances, a gallery, theater, markets, bakery, bar, cafe and an organic pay-as-you-feel restaurant.

There are 11 buildings on the site; the Convent, Convent Annexe, St Euphrasia, Providence, Rosina, St Mary's, Mercator, Magdalen Laundries, Sacred Heart, Industrial School and St Anne's.

This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.

BANK PLACE REFLECTIONS

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 precinct is subject to heritage restrictions, and some of the significant buildings include:

• Mitre Tavern, historic pub established in 1868 and remodelled in the Queen Anne style between 1900 and 1910. Mitre Tavern was a popular 'bohemian' hangout for many of Australia's most prominent artists of the early twentieth century, alongside the neighbouring Savage Club.
• 12-16 Bank Place was built in 1884-85 for Australia's first baronet Sir William Clarke. His son, Sir Rupert Clarke's mistress Connie Waugh is said to have lived there. The Melbourne Savage Club purchased the building in 1923. The building is classified by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
• Stalbridge Chambers (1891) corner of Little Collins.
• Bank House, 11-19 Bank Place Melbourne, built for businessman Charles Victor Robertson to house his Hemingway Robertson Institute.

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,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

THUNDERSTORM IN MELBOURNE

We have had a record-breaking heat wave here in Melbourne this past week. The city has recorded four consecutive days over 40˚C, with overnight temperatures dropping below 25˚C just once since Tuesday. This has not happened before this year since 1908. The extreme heat coupled with bushfires is putting a strain on Victoria's electricity system. Demand has now exceeded 10,000 megawatts over the past four days. Friday night's cool change is certainly going to provide some welcome relief.

There was certainly no shortage of electricity yesterday evening when we had some spectacular lightning and thunder, but not much rain at all, and the temperature remained high. I managed to take some photos from a first floor bedroom at home.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 59 - POLYGALA

Polygala is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae. They are commonly known as milkworts or snakeroots. The genus is distributed widely throughout much of the world in temperate zones and the tropics. The genus name Polygala comes from the ancient Greek "much milk", as the plant was thought to increase milk yields in cattle.

Polygala myrtifolia L. is an evergreen 2-4m tall South African shrub or small tree found along the southern and south-eastern coasts, from near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a fast-growing pioneer plant, a typical fynbos component, and may be found on dunes, rocky places, along forest margins, beside streams, and in open grassland.

The thin, oval, mucronate leaves, 25–50 mm long and up to 13 mm wide, are arranged alternately and have entire margins - some forms of P. myrtifolia have thin, needle-like leaves. The attractive mauve sweetpea-like flowers, which close at night, may also be pink, crimson or white, and have a characteristic brush-like tuft protruding from the keel. The fruit is an oval, brown, dehiscent capsule which is narrowly winged. The species is often cultivated in South African gardens and is naturalised in Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island and California.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

MORNINGTON - AT THE BEACH

Mornington is a sea side town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, located 57 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is in the local government area of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.Mornington is known for its "village" atmosphere and its beautiful beaches. Mornington is a popular tourist destination with Melburnians who often make day trips to visit the area's bay beaches and wineries.

Over the past few days and for the next couple, the temperatures in Melbourne are above 40˚C, so we are sweltering. By the beach is the place to be!

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

'THE GREENERY' MURAL

The Greenery Garden Centre has been operating on a bend of the Yarra river in Heidelberg for over 35 years. It is a wonderful place where one's gardening and lansdcaping needs are catered for. One can find outdoor furniture, homewares, plants and a huge variety of outdoor living needs: Water features, pots and planters, indoor and outdoor garden art and cast iron urns and  fountains.

The centre has extensive display gardens for view. Constructed over the winter/spring period of 2013, The Greenery now have one of the  most extensive display gardens in Melbourne with many plant varieties on show to provide garden inspiration.

A distinctive mural is found on the back wall of the shadehouse and it has been painted by Sandra Drummond and Patrick Jones in 2005. It provides a wonderful trompe l'oeil effect with a rolling landscape that blends with the real plants for sale and the trees behind the wall it has been painted on.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,

and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme.

SUBURBAN GARDEN WITH 'DORTMUND' ROSE

This is a quiet street in Northcote, an inner Melbourne suburb. Most houses have both front and back yards and they are generally well looked after. This stunning rose bush invited photography!

Rosa 'Dortmund' is an upright, Kordesii climbing rose producing showy clusters of flat, single, red flowers with a white eye and dense glossy, dark green leaves. Dortmund has all the great qualities of the Kordes style: health, vigour, and clear elegant lines. The lovely ruffled blooms, of a cheery red with a large white eye occur in large clusters further set off by the glossy dark green foliage. It is impossible not to notice this rose when it is in bloom. Introduced in 1955.

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