PARKLANDS IN FAIRFIELD

Darebin Parklands is a great place to relax in and unwind. Feeding the ducks, having fun walking, jogging, having a picnic or barbeque, playing football, or simply sitting and enjoying the views and feeling refreshed is what it's all about.

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

CRASSULA IN THE BOTANIC GARDENS

We are very fortunate in Melbourne to have a world class horticultural institution in the form of the Royal Botanic Gardens. There is something to enjoy there each and every season and every day of the year. A couple of weeks ago we visited there and enjoyed amongst other things a splendid display of Crassula perfoliata in bloom.

Crassula perfoliata, also known as Crassula falcata, is given the common names 'airplane plant' and 'propeller plant' (because of the fanciful resemblance of the leaves to propellers). It is a succulent plant endemic to South Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope. The foliage is gray-green with striking texture, on plants that grow to 0.61 m tall. The flowers are tiny and scarlet red, that rise in dense clusters above the foliage for a month in summer. This is a choice plant for use in drought tolerant and succulent gardens, and in container gardens.

This plant flowers during summer (November to February). Plants are pollinated by butterflies and the seeds are dispersed by the wind. The plants grow on outcrops and ledges in full sun. Plants are initially solitary but may sometimes have up to three heads later. During wet conditions the leaves become very turgid and during dry spells they become flattened and tinged reddish.

It grows easily and is best planted on rockeries in full sunlight. It would be excellent for dry thicket gardens. In regions where frost is experienced, it is best grown in containers in a greenhouse, or on windowsills under controlled conditions. Propagation is easily effected by division, leaf cuttings or seed. Seed germinates within 3 weeks and plants should flower in the fourth year. Leaf cuttings can be made during spring or summer and rooted in clean sand. They must be kept moist. Sulphur should be applied as a fungicide to wounds.

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

MURAL IN FAIRFIELD

I found this mural as I was out walking in the backstreets of my neighbourhood. Its an interesting one with bold colours and faces, but also there is an element of mystery and unease. I found the reference to Vincent van Gogh quite amusing. I presume the artist is Alex Zilla, as this was painted quite prominently on the upper right of the mural.

This post is part of the Monday Mellow Yellows meme,

and also part of the Monday Murals meme,

and also part of the Blue Monday meme.

AT QV

Queen Victoria Village, generally known as QV Melbourne or just QV, is a precinct in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Covering the city block bounded by Lonsdale, Little Lonsdale, Swanston, and Russell Streets, and located directly opposite the State Library of Victoria and Melbourne Central, QV comprises a large shopping centre, a central plaza, an underground food court, Melbourne central city's first full-size supermarket, apartment buildings, and the global headquarters of BHP Billiton. QV takes its name from the Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne which formerly occupied the site.

This post is part of the Geometric Friday meme,

and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.

CITY CHURCH

St Augustine's Roman Catholic Church is a relatively small one, built around 1869-1870 and is one of only two catholic churches in Melbourne's Central Business District (St Patrick's Cathedral is outside the CBD in East Melbourne). It is built of Malmsbury bluestone (Malmsbury is 100 kilometres north of Melbourne on the Bendigo rail line).

Its design is more ornate than the more centrally located St Francis, this being Georgian. Historically, this church has enjoyed a strong connection with seafarers. The gardens are pleasant but the church is somewhat overshadowed by nearby developments.The church is only 100 metres from the Southern Cross Railway Station.

The church may not be a popular tourist spot, but it is cosy and beautiful enough to visit at any convenient time if you are staying at the central business district. It is usually open during business hours and of course during the mass times. It is always a wonderful spot to enter, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, think and pray.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme,
and also part of the Spiritual Sundays meme.

FLYING INTO MELBOURNE

As one approaches to land in Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine, one can appreciate not only the enormous area of Melbourne (Greater Melbourne Metropolitan area 9,990.5 square km), but also the beautiful countryside around it. The skies on this occasion put on quite a show with their cloudscapes...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme.

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 103 - ERYTHRINA

Erythrina crista-galli is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, most notably in California (in the United States).

It is known by several common names within South America: ceibo, seíbo (Spanish), corticeira (Portuguese) and the more ambiguous bucaré, to name a few. In English it is often known as the Cockspur Coral Tree.

The ceibo is the national tree of Argentina, and its flower the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay. This species characteristically grows wild in gallery forest ecosystems along watercourses, as well as in swamps and wetlands. In urban settings, it is often planted in parks for its bright red flowers. The flowers are rich in nectar and are visited by insects, which usually have to crawl underneath the carina and thus pollinate the flowers. The tree's fruit is a legume, a dry pod a few centimetres in length derived from a single carpel and contains about 8-10 chestnut-brown bean-shaped seeds.

We are seeing more and more of these trees in Melbourne, so even in the suburban gardens one may see such a tree in bloom. The tree flowers in the summer, from October to April in their native South America (and in Australia), and from April to October in the northern hemisphere.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

DAREBIN CREEK & PARKLANDS

The Darebin Parklands straddle Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne, and they are a district park covering an area of 33 hectares. Darebin Creek flows through the Parklands, to join the Yarra River, at Alphington. The Darebin Parklands are highly regarded for its social, recreation, education, conservation, water quality management, cultural and heritage values.

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

SUNDAY MARKET

There are many Sunday markets all over Melbourne, usually held in the morning and having all sorts of things on offer to buy. Trash & Treasure stalls, food kiosks, fresh produce, clothing, footwear, kitchenware, garden needs and tools, plants, etc, etc. Not to forget the entertainment: Buskers of all kinds - musicians, magicians, living statues, singers.

This market is regularly held in the car park of Latrobe University in Bundoora, on Kingsbury Drive, rain or shine! The rain will not deter most stall holders and quite a few people will venture out in order to purchase what they need (and often what they don't), even in rainy weather!

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