Scenic Sunday - Water Wheel

 

Just before sunrise

Just before the sun was rising
I stood outside the door
And listened to the river
And the sounds as the day began to awaken.
As I walked slowly along,
Drinking in my last sight of Malacca,
I was struck by the beauty of the shadows and reflections
Along the river bank.

This is the Malacca Malay Sultanate Water Wheel which turns during the day, and is silent at night. It is a replica of the original which was used to channel waters for the large number of traders.



Today's quote: Water is the driver of nature - Leonardo da Vinci.


To see other Scenic Sundays around the world, click here.

Monkey Business

 

Are you looking at me?
This cute little fellow was one of a number on the road side as we travelled between Angkor Thom and the Bayon. They looked so adorable, I just had to get out of the tuk tuk for some photos. But don't be fooled by their cuteness - they can become very territorial. Particularly when it comes to food!

They also have excellent eyesight - talk about 20/20 vision!


Today's Quote: Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room - Winston Churchill.




What a wonderful surprise to be awarded the 101 Award from Arabesque from Mabuhay-Manila, thank you my friend.

So many have encouraged me with their wonderful photos and writings. I'd like to pass this on and share it with some of them -

Diane from Adventure Before Dementia
Autumn Belle from Klang, Malaysia Daily Photo
JM from Oeiras And Environs Daily Photo
Leif Hagen from Eagan Daily Photo
Gerald from Hyde Daily Photo
Stephen Baird from Nikon Sniper
Lois from Tallahassee Daily Photo
Denise from An English Girl Rambles
Bill from Our Brisbane and Surrounding Areas
Sylvia from Sylvia From Over The Hill

The Elephant and I in Cambodia

Thank you to everyone for their comments whilst I was away. I had an amazing time and will post a few pictures from my trip. I have started a blog (Malaysia And Cambodia) about my experience, which I'll be adding to and with photos.

Heidi, Heidi, Ho,
The great big elephant is so slow,
She swings her trunk from side to side
As she takes the children for a ride.
Heidi, Heidi, Ho,
The elephant is so slow!

Coming down Phnom Bakheng
After trudging up the hill to see a glorious sunset at Phnom Bakheng, I rode an elephant down.
Now, a 1200 - 1400 pound (that's 545 - 635 kg) elephant plodding along a flat path is one thing, but a 1400 pounder going down a very steep hill/mountain is an experience to remember! With every heavy step thumping down, I was at a forward angle and each time we moved I found me rear end slid forwards - almost off the seat. With arms out-stretched, I held onto the wooden sides. It felt like my arms were coming out of their sockets some of the time - but Oh! It was a wonderful experience, and yes, I'd do it all over again given the chance.

My elephant is a female aged 42 years and her name is Teo.

Today's Quote: Let a person walk alone with few wishes, committing no wrong, like an elephant in the forest - Buddha.



Thank you to Inverness Daily Photo who has awarded me the Sunshine Award.

The rules for accepting the award are -

Put the logo on your blog or within your post
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers
Link the nominees within your post
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Many wonderful people have helped me with their positive comments and I'd like to share this award with

J Bar from Sydney - City and Suburbs
Cezar and Léia from Bonjour Luxembourg
Brattcat from Battleboro
Arabesque from Mabuhay-Manila
Davine Pitcher from 53 Buddha's and Me
Soni from Mil Palabras Menos
Chef Kar from Adventures of One Sober Woman
Three Rivers Daily Photo
Jacob from Paree - Photos of the City of Light
Louis from San Francisco Bay Daily Photo
Nefertiti from Un peu d'humour, ca enjolive la vie...
Rob and Mandy from Daily Photo Barcelona

Fruits of The Vine

Lovegrove Estate

Lovegrove Estate lies in the Yarra Valley - I had taken a wrong turning and it was the name "Lovegrove" which caught my eye. I just had to go check it out, I mean with a name like that - who wouldn't? And oh was it my lucky day - lovely gardens, bricks with the warmth of a Tuscan sun and the wine - oh bliss.
Just the thing for a Sunday afternoon.

Singing Syrup

Normally a Shiraz drinker, I must say I found their Cab Sav quite delightful - this bottle has been put to cellar for a couple more years.

Today's Quote: Over a wine bottle, many a friend is found - old Yiddish proverb.

Ophelia and the Wine Connoisseurs

Relaxing at Southbank
Inspiring art is everywhere in Melbourne - hidden in nooks and crannies, over, under and around street corners and right where you’d never expect to find it. Southgate features the iconic sculpture Ophelia by Deborah Halpern, which is the big Y symbol (representing Melbourne) that stands at Bear Brass cafe. This colorful and familiar sculpture was named the official face of Melbourne by Tourism Victoria in 1996.

Deborah Halpern, a mosaic artist is inspired by the free spirit of Pablo Picasso. She has been passionate about her form of art for the past 20 years and has pieces on display throughout the country.

When you're in Melbourne, cross over Princes Bridge, turn right and take a stroll down Southbank where you can easily spend a few happy hours whiling away your time with a wonderful view of the Yarra and the city skyline.

Today's quote: To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits, logic and common sense will only interfere. But once these barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams - Giorgio de Chirico.

Chinatown Arch

 

Am I in China?
No, but you could be forgiven for thinking you were. This beautiful, ornate arch marks the entrance to Chinatown in Little Bourke Street. With a fascinating variety of restaurants and grocery shops, and spilling into the surrounding alleys and laneways, Melbourne's Chinatown is one of the oldest in the world outside Asia.

Today's quote: Man who hold hands with woman and walk through arch soon become husband!

Rhythm of Life

"Linear freedom and control of Japanese calligraphy".

Created by Andrew Rogers, this eco inspired bronze abstract sculpture is 2.6m high and was acquired in 2000 by the Victorian Arts Centre and stands ourside the Arts Centre near the entrance to Southbank.
Below you can see the full view with the shaped hedge behind.

 

The hedge I believe is English Box and the building behind it is Hamer Hall.


History of the Rythmn of Life sculpture:
Andrew Rogers was born in 1947 and is one of Australia's most distinguished contemporary sculptors. The Rythmn of Life which he created in 1996, was one of his first abstract pieces. His collection of Geoglyphs have been constructed in eight countries to - Australia, Bolivia, Chile, China, Iceland, India, Israel and Sri Lanka.

Today's Quote: All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Chanticleer

Who is Chanticleer?
Chanticleer is a proud rooster - the Don Juan of the barnyard. Chanticleer comes from The Nun's Priest's Tale of the Cock and the Hen, Chanticleer and Partlet which is one of the stories from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

"For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."

I took the above photo when I went to buy some free range eggs recently and I was struck at the scene they made.


Today's Quote: If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs - Russian proverb.

Federation Square - Atrium

Atrium

"The Atrium" is one of the major public spaces in the Federation Square cultural precinct. It is a street-like space, five-stories high with glazed walls and roof. The exposed metal structure and glazing patterns follow the pinwheel tiling pattern used elsewhere in the precinct's building façades.

Atrium close-up

The Atrium, an elaborate cocoon of steel and glass, was inspired by Melbourne's arcades and laneways and connects the city, through Federation Square to the Yarra River.

The cantilevered form of this covered space is a location for indoor events such as fashion parades, festival launch parties and a regular book market. It is flanked by cafes and boutique stores.

Atrium - inside

The northern part of the Atrium, as a glazed covered street, provides a forecourt to the Ian Potter Centre. The southern end of the Atrium steps from the deck level over the railway down to the river. Within this transition, an indoor amphitheatre, the BMW Edge, provides a public theatre for incidental daily events, casual entertainment or ticketed musical, comedy and other performances.
The design is tuned acoustically to provide a space suitable for small to medium sized music and theatre ensembles, including chamber orchestras.

Today's Quote: I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being - Oscar Wilde.

Ceremony and Vehicle for Conveying Spirit

Isn't this impressive?
This huge sculpture made in 1996 by Melbourne artist Maurie Hughes has been designed to take advantage of the movement of traffic and pedestrians. The use of staggered plinths explores the concept of 'journey' and the pomp of ceremonial processions. The work also references Chris Reynolds' "A History Apparatus" which is located on the same median strip on the corner of Bourke Street. The idea of 'spirit' is conveyed symbolically in the flue, through which forces trapped under the earth can be released into the air. This element of the complex sculpture, with its urn, archways and sentinels, is central to the commission.

View from the other side.

Funded by Telstra and the City of Melbourne's Urban and Public Art Program, the sculpture is linked to the redevelopment of Telstra's former Russell Street exchange. The site incorporates the ventilation point for the 6.5 kms of decommissioned Telstra tunnels that run beneath Melbourne's CBD and which housed the line network. Hughes' sculptural vent was commissioned with a brief to incorporate the functional and visually meaningful elements of the vent.

This silicon bronze, galvanised and mild steel sculpture is located on the corner of Russell Street and Little Collins Street.

Today's Quote: All things change, nothing is extinguished. There is nothing in the whole world which is permanent. Everything flows onward; all things are brought into being with a changing nature; the ages themselves glide by in constant movement - Ovid.

Architectural Fragment

 

A fallen building?
One could be forgiven for thinking this to be a broken building from the classical Greek era. This bluestone sculpture titled "Architectural Fragment" is the creation of Petrus Spronk. Born in Holland, he immigrated to Austrlia in 1957 and trained as a ceramicist and sculptor in South Australia, He was commissioned to undertake Architectural Fragment for the Swanston Street Walk Public Art Project in 1992, the work was unveiled the following year.

Located outside the State Library of Victoria, this Port Fairy bluestone sculpture represents a fragment of the library emerging from the footpath as an archaeological artefact might. It was conceived to engage with its environment, visually connecting to its surroundings through form and material.

His inspiration was Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias". Quoting from the poem, the pedestal reads: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my work you Mighty, and despair." Architectural Fragment is a Pythagorean triangle, which expresses a strong association with the geometry of ancient Greece. Like a fallen classical monument, it reflects the past and alludes to the transcience of the present.

Today's Quote: Life is short, the art long - Hippocrates.

Chinese Lion Guardians

 

Marble Chinese Lion Guardians
In cohen Place, just off the main artery of Chinatown, two marble lions stand sentry at the door to the Chinese Museum. They were a gift from the city of Tianjin, in recognition of Melbourne as its sister city.

Often called Fu Lions (Lions of Buddha or Rui Shi), guardian lions first appeared during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), after early travellers first saw tham at Buddhist temples in India. The lions were thought to have mythic power and were stationed at temple doors to protect the dharma.

In China they were traditionally placed at the gates to imperial palaces and tombs, temples and government offices to ward off evil and misfortune, but over the centuries they've shifted into the more popular realm, now even featuring ouside supermarkets.

They most commonly appear in pairs, the male lion playing with a ball (representing the world) and positioned to the right of the doorway, and the female, depicted with a cub (representing the family), positioned to the left.

Today's Quote: A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man - Turkish proverb.

Sandridge Bridge

The Sandridge Bridge which crosses the Yarra River, is a historic former railway bridge redeveloped in 2006 as a pedestrian and cycle path, public space featuring public art and connecting the new Queensbridge Square at Southbank to Flinders Walk on the north bank. It is the third bridge on the site and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

 

History of Sandridge Bridge
The first bridge on the site was built in 1853 for the original Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company line to Sandridge from Flinders Street Station to Port Melbourne, the first passenger railway line in Australia. In 1857 the St Kilda railway line had opened parallel to part of the line to Sandridge, and the original bridge was replaced in 1858 by a timber trestle bridge carrying two lines of rail traffic, with the tight curve of the original railway removed by rebuilding the bridge on a more oblique angle as seen today.

The bridge in 1928, with the Flinders Street Viaduct to the left hand side

 

The current bridge was designed by the Victorian Railways Department and built by David Munro & Co in 1886, the four track bridge opening for traffic in 1888. Constructed at a 33 degree angle to the river bank, it was one of the first railway structures in Melbourne to use steel girders rather than iron, and the workforce included a young engineering student, John Monash.

On either side of the river the steel girders were supported by bluestone and brick buttresses, and on the south side the structure continued as a brickwork viaduct. In the 1920 overhead electrical masts were added as part of the electrification of the line, and the original timber deck was replaced with rail and concrete slabs.

It was last used for freight in the 1950s, and passenger services closed in 1987, with the replacement by light rail lines of Melbourne tram route 96 to St Kilda, and Melbourne tram route 109 to Port Melbourne.


Train crossing Sandridge bridge in 1959

 

The red train you see above was my favourite as a child and were known as "red rattlers" - they had comfortable dark green leather seats, and narrow wooden doors which were opened by pulling down the handle. The doors openend outwards. Sash windows on either side of the doors were also narrow, the windows opening from the top and being pushed down. There were also wooden shutters you could pull up to block out the sun. Below is a clearer picture.

The "Red Rattler"

 

Redevelpment of Sandridge Bridge
In 2001 the State Government held an expressions of interest process seeking commercial ventures, but were unsuccessful and in 2003 Melbourne City Council and the Department of Sustainability and Environment took over. They committed $15.5 million to restore the bridge, create a plaza on the Southbank side and make connections to walkways on the Yarra north bank.

In 2005 artist Nadim Karam was commissioned to create ten abstract sculptures in a piece titled The Travellers, which represents the different types of immigrants who traditionally arrived by train over the bridge from Station Pier. Nine of the sculptures move across the bridge in a 15-minute sequence, moving on bogies running between the two bridge spans.

The bridge was unveiled three days before the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, at a final cost of $18.5 million and included a new pedestrian and cycle path and public space, connecting a new Queensbridge Square at Southbank to Flinders Walk on the north bank. However, only the eastern half of the bridge was reopened, the western half being stabilised and fenced off from public access.


The Travellers

 

Above is part of the sculpture series the "Travellers" which are large, gleaming silver coloured figures that provide a fascination for all who see them.

Today's Quote: What need the bridge much broader than the flood? - William Shakespeare.

Southgate Footbridge

Built in 1989 the Southgate pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne provides the main pedestrian link for thousands of workers and tourists between Flinders Street Station and the Southgate business and entertainment precinct.

The Curved Arch

 

Originally finished with traditional Merbau timber decking and painted with “anti slip” paints, City Wide services in 2006 removed the existing timber deck and replaced it with prefabricated “OmniTreads”. Constructed from dressed Merbau timbers OmniTread decking panels are prefabricated to include the unique OMNIGRIP Deco surfacing to provide a durable, slip resistant and aesthetically pleasing decking finish.


The footbridge from Princes Bridge

 

The bridge was designed by Melbourne architects Cocks and Carmichael. The curve of the arch is a parabola and is 45.7 metres in length.

Artwork on the bridge

 

As you walk over the bridge from Southgate, the large metal sculpture is on the lower level on the left hand side before the start of the arch.

Today's Quote: Let every man praise the bridge that carries him over - English Proverb.

Federation Square - ACMI

Federation Square, known locally as Fed Square, is a cultural precinct in Melbourne and comprises a series of buildings containing a museum, art galleries, a public broadcaster, exhibition spaces, auditoria, cinemas, restaurants, bars and shops.

ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image

 

ACMI is a world-leading centre for experiencing the moving image in all its forms - film, television, and internet. All year round you can discover the riches of over a century of cinema, through film festivals, curated seasons and regular themed programs.

View from Flinders Street

 

Notice the unique sandstone building façade.

Alfred Deakin Building

 

The Alfred Deakin Building is home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), the Victorian State Governments film and screen culture organisation, and the Melbourne operations of SBS, Australia's multi cultural radio and television broadcaster.

The various facilities and services provided at the Alfred Deakin Building are assigned into the two different buildings. One is more enclosed, an almost windowless structure hosting the two cinemas, with a function space, digital lounge, retail space and cafe, while the other is more open containing the management offices, recording and broadcasting studios for SBS, as well as the corporate offices of ACMI, with theatrette, web-casting studio, electronic classroom, video production lab and numerous screen exhibition spaces.

Two different arcades have been used to provide public circulation within the building, as well as linkage and connection to the rest of Fed Square. The central arcade joins the two main buildings, providing both a Flinders Street and main Square level entry. The central arcade also forms the main foyer and circulation space that vertically connects all the functional components. The east arcade serves as a public connection to the Square, as well as providing an animation of the building through the temporal ebb and flow of people leaving the cinemas after each session.

Fed Square's Tiled Courtyard

Did you know there are almost half a million sandstone blocks in the main square and they were all hand laid? One cobble stone in the main square contains a prehistoric oyster shell.

Paved with 470,000 ochre-coloured sandstone blocks, these blocks are from the Kimberley in Western Australia and invoke images of the Outback. The paving is designed as a huge urban artwork called 'Nearamnew', by Paul Carter and gently rises above street level, containing a number of textual pieces inlaid in its undulating surface.

Inlaid Artwork

Flinders Street Entrance

 

This view was taken from the corner of Russell Street and Flinders Street looking west towards Flinders Street Station.

360º view of Fed Square

Federation Square is huge and is bordered by Flinders, Swanston, and Russell Streets and the Yarra River. The open public squares are directly opposite Flinders Street Station to the west with St Paul's Cathedral to the north. The layout of the precinct connects the historical central district of the city with the Yarra River and Birrarung Marr. This refocusing of the city on the Yarra River reinforces links with the Southbank district, which is on the west side of Swanston Street and south of Flinders Street. (The above panaromic view is from Wiki)

Today's Quote: I never called my work an 'art' It's part of show business, the business of building entertainment - Walt Disney.

Painted Poles

Painted Poles

Another display of Melbourne's beautiful public art.
Standing outside the State Library of Victoria in Swanston Street, these elaborately painted metal poles are the work of Jennifer McCarthy and were painted in 1992. Her work involves three poles painted in a colourful, highly decorative style. This work is not considered permanent. The City of Melbourne commissioned this work as part of the Swanston Street Walk Public Art Project.

You can see one of Melbourne's trams in the background. A city with trees in almost every street.

Today's Quote: I'm painting an idea not an ideal. Basically I'm trying to paint a structured painting full of controlled, and therefore potent, emotion - Euan Uglow

Charles La Trobe

 

Charles La Trobe

Peter Corlett sculpted this 3 metre high bronze statue of Charles Joseph La Trobe which was unveiled 21st November 2006. It shows La Trobe reading the Proclamation of Separation looking rowards the city and dressed in full uniform.

 

Reading the Proclomation
The statue stands outside the Victorian State Library near La Trobe Street in the CBD.

 

Portrait of Charles Joseph La Trobe (1801 - 1875) by W. A. Hirschmann, 1851. State Library of Victoria.

About La Trobe
Charles Joseph Latrobe was born on 20th March 1801 and was the first lieutenant-governor of Victoria. On 30th September 1839, he arrived in Melbourne with his wife and daughter, a couple of servants and a prefabricated house.

The population of Port Phillip in 1839 was less than 2,000 - when he resigned in 1854 Melbourne was the then richest city in the world with a population of over 76,000. From a small settlement of wattle and daub houses, Melbourne now had a telegraph line, a railway line, gas lighting and the foundation stones had been laid for a public library as well as a university.

Unlike mmany colonial governors, La Trobe had no army or naval training and little or no administrative experience. He was a talented and cultured gentleman with high principles. Melbourne owes a great deal to Charles La Trobe, most of our gardens, national parks and societies we have are the result of his vision.

La Trobe's Cottage

La Trobe's cottage originally stood in Jolimont, but with the passing of time fell into disrepair. It was purchased in 1960 and relocated to King's Domain near the southern entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens and restored by the National Trust. Many of the original furnishings were found and are on display in the restored cottage.

To get to the cottage, catch the No.8 tram heading south in Swanston Street and get off at stop 21 or 22.

Today's Quote: I am convinced that we shall get more than one strange animal before we have finished - Charles La Trobe 1847.

Room With A View

 

Let there be light
At the Southgate complex in Southbank, you get a fabulous view of the Yarra from this upper arched area. The "round the world" globe is decorative with stained glass underneath. Through the arch you can see Flinders Street Station, with the trees below forming part of the City Walk along the northern riverbank.


Below is a shot of the glass roof and metal lighting.

 

Today's Quote: Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror - Byrd Baggett.

The Waiting Game

 

Platform nine and three quarters?
Some of these people might very well have looked less bored if they really were waiting for the Hogwart's Special. As it is, they're stuck with platform five. The lady in the pink top is decidely tired of waiting, the fellow in the blue check top thought he may as well take the opportunity to eat, and the chap in the white t shirt resorted to reading a newspaper.

Do you realise we spent most of our lives waiting? Waiting for the train, waiting for it to stop raining, waiting for a taxi to come, waiting for the dinner to cook and - waiting for the train.

Today's Quote: But the important thing about learning to wait, I feel sure, is to know what you are waiting for - Anna Neagle

Melbourne Central Clock

 

What's The Time Mister Wolf?
This gleaming, ginormous fob watch is in Melbourne Central, a large shopping complex in the CBD. Designed by Seiko, this masterpice of imagination enthralls many. Every hour, on the hour, people stop and stare in wonder to watch the marionette display which drops down from the bottom of the watch.

See Aussie birds and animals - galahs, cockatoos (cockies) a couple of minstrels and koalas moving around as the strains of Waltzing Matilda are heard. The whole show goes for around 3 or 4 minutes. And while the music plays, you hear the sounds of birds twittering away. You'd almost think you were in the Australian bush - the birdsong is so real.

Next time I'm in the city, I'll try to be here as the clock strikes and get a photo of the display.

Today's Quote: Tempus fugit (time flies)- Ovid.

Scenic Sunday - TarraWarra Lake

 

TarraWarra Lake
In the Yarra Valley on the Healesville-Yarra Glen Road is TarraWarra Estate, one of a number of fantastic wineries. Established over 20 years ago, TarraWarra has lovely gardens and sitting outside enjoying a drink or coffee, this is just one of the enchanting views.

We were here one Sunday afternoon and after tasting at the cellar door just wandered around drinking in the scenery.

Today's Quote: Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books - John Lubbock.


To see other Scenic Sundays click here.

Apologies for not posting every day and visiting - I am going overseas in four days and have been busy organising the last minute details - as the time draws ever nearer I find there are many things still undone. I will try my best to visit your blogs before Thursday.

The Spiral Staircase

 

Round and round and round she goes
Spiral staircases have been around long, long ago. You may think they were invented in the Middle Ages, but they've been around a lot longer than that. In the Bible, there were "winding" stairs in Solomon's Temple, and the oldest archaeological remains are thought to be the remnants of a 2,500 year old spiral staircase at a Greek temple in Selinunte, Sicily.

This wonderful example is at Southbank and covers three levels - climbing it is not as easy as it looks.


Today's Quote: Never look backwards or you'll fall down the stairs - Rudyard Kipling.

Theme Day - Passageway

Up The Ramp
This is one of the underground ramps of Flinders Street Station to the platform. Initially I had cropped it for a later post, but I think it looks more fitting in its unaltered state.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Today's Quote: A valet, of stealthy step, thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my progress to the studio of his master - Edgar Allan Poe.