Water Towers

 

Above: Queen's Park fountain
Queen's Park in the suburb of Moonee Ponds and is a small retreat from nearby busy streets. Early travellers heading for the goldfields met here because fresh water was available in the lagoon. Burke and Wills camped here on their fateful journey to cross Australia.


Today's quote: That which the fountain sends forth returns again to the fountain ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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The Spires

 

Above: The spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick’s is one of the worlds most elegant and inspiring neo-gothic Cathedrals. This bluestone/sandstone gothic revival cathedral was designed by William Wardell. It was built in stages from 1858 to 1940, when the spires were added. Saint Pat's as it is fondly called, was accorded the title "Minor Basilica" in 1973 and is on the corner of Gisborne Street and Cathedral Place, East Melbourne.


Today's quote: I never weary of great churches. It is my favorite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral ~ Robert Louis Stevenson.

Yellow & Black ~ The e.Bar

 

Above: The e.bar
This is the e.bar of the Old England Hotel in Heidelberg which first opened in 1848. One of the dining areas in the Hotel, the e.bar is a casual bar with a covered and heated outdoor area, inexpensive meals, beer and cider on tap, and Trivia every Tuesday night.
I was standing on the balcony when I took this photo. The double story red brick building you see reflected is the Masonic Hall which is opposite the Hotel.

Today's quote: Few things are more pleasant than a village graced with a good church, a good priest and a good pub ~ John Hillaby


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Theme Day ~ Creative Artisan

 

Above: Artist at work

Walking to the St. Kilda Esplanade Market one Sunday afternoon, I was fortunate to see some of our wonderful street artists practising their craft. I love the colours and motion of this artwork and on asking the artist permission to take a photo, he answered, "Yes, but not my face" to which I dutifully complied.

Street art (or graffiti) is art, but specifically visual art - it is not something you go to a museum or gallery to look at, it just is. It is for the joy of the passerby, the flaneur taking a constitutional, for anyone and everybody. It makes you think about what you are seeing, what the artist is saying, in short, street art is an Art in itself and should be encouraged by councils and governments alike.

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Today's quote: "Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don’t come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they’re having a p-ss." ~ Banksy

Theme Day ~ Pedestrians Crossing

 

Above: Best foot forward - Crossing over to Fed Square
While in the city one weekday morning, I spotted this group of school children led by their teacher, crossing the footpath and mounting the steps of Federatioon Square. In the background is the iconic Flinders Street Station. What I find most endearing is the girls' tunics - they haven't changed since I went to school. Good to see some things are "ageless."

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Today's quote: Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities ~ Lewis Mumford.

Theme Day ~ Cafe Chairs

 

Above: Trendy Seating
Strolling along Southbank one morning checking out the cafes, I was struck by the brilliance of these cafe chairs. A riot of colour - so colourful even on a winter's day, they add a splash of gorgeousness.

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Today's quote: There were around 64 chairs set up, and they had part of those indoors, but most of them were outside on the patio and under tents ~ Barbara Rollins

Holy Cow !

 

Above: Cow up a Tree
This striking and unusual art created by John Kelly was originally installed at Docklands in February 2001, and later dismantled and stored so that construction works to lower the wharf could be undertaken. It was then reinstalled in 2003.

This iconic sculpture is made of five tonnes on patinated bronze and is eight metres high. You may think the sight of a cow stuck up a tree rather curious and surreal but the absurd vision of a cow being stuck up a tree is based on reality. The inspiration comes from the Australian landscape and a water based theme. Australian floods are often violent and it is not unknown for cattle to be swept into trees whilst floods are ascending only to be stranded once they subside. The artist witnessed this occurring in the Gippsland area of Victoria.


Today's quote: I gotta go Julia, we got cows ~ Melissa in Twister