Hello, I created this blog because Melbourne is my city and I want people to see what a beautiful place it is. So come with me on a journey of discovery as we traverse the dining precincts, the culture, the laneways and hidden gems that make Melbourne marvellous.
Waltzing Australia
Showing posts with label Icons and Landmarks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Icons and Landmarks. Show all posts
The Melbourne Central shot tower and iconic glass cone.
Located at Knox Place Melbourne, Coop’s Shot Tower and Flanking Building were erected in 1889-90 and consist of a two storey, three bay brick structure dominated by a fifty metre high castellated tower. The Tower was used for the manufacture of lead shot until closing in 1960. It remained unoccupied until being incorporated into the Melbourne Central shopping centre in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Coops Shot Tower is classified by the Victorian Heritage Register and is protected by state law.
Today's Quote: Where is the Princess? In the Tower waiting for us to rescue her - Shrek.
Tennis anyone?
Today is the start of the Australian Open, which takes place in Melbourne each year at Rod Laver Arena in January - the first of the world's four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open (1905), French Open at Roland Garros (1891), Wimbledon (1877) and US Open (1881).
Only one person, Australian tennis player Rod Laver, has won the Grand Slam — winning all four tournaments in one year — twice.
Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena is a part of the Melbourne Park complex. Originally called Centre Court, the arena was officially renamed Rod Laver Arena in January 2000 to honour Rod Laver, a three-time winner of the Australian Open and one of Australia's greatest tennis players of all time.
Seating Plan
The arena which was finished in 1988, seats 16,820 and attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year. Since 1988, Rod Laver Arena has been best known as the venue for the Australian Open tennis finals, however it is also where almost every famous entertainer in the world has performed. The stadium’s versatile nature has seen everything from rodeos, motocross, swimming championships and basketball to children’s shows. The outside courts are available for hire and tours of Rod Laver Arena run daily.
Rod Laver Statue
Rod Laver's statue stands outside the arena and it is from this point that tours are conducted.
The Rockhampton Rocket
Rod Laver was born Rodney George Laver on 9 August 1938 in Langdale, Rockhampton (Rocky) Queensland. A skinny, sickly lad, and one of 13 children, he was raised on cattle farms and learned to play tennis on anthill courts his father built on the properties. A left-hander, he took up the game when he was six using a sawn-off wooden racquet, and was christened ‘Rocket’ by Harry Hopman because of his grit, determination and work ethic. He was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in January 1993, and into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1981 a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend.
Grand Slam 1969
He is the only person to have won the Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969 and was also the first tennis player to become a millionaire. Laver won Wimbledon four times, Australian Open three times and the French and US Open twice.
At the time, (1962) the Grand Slam events were only open to amateur players, who were given (under the table) little more than cost of living money for their appearances in tournaments.
It was not until 1968 that the rules were changed and professional players were allowed to participate and if not for the restrictions of pre-Open era tennis, who knows how many Grand Slam titles Rod Laver would have had?
Rod Laver vs Tony Roche - Australian Open 1969
Laver (in white hat) begins his journey to the Grand Slam 1969
Transport
The free city shuttle bus stops near Rod Laver and tennis fans heading to and from the Australian Open from 18 to 31 January can catch free shuttle trams running on Route 70 from the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets to Rod Laver and Hisense arenas.
Today's Quote: Ladies, here's a hint. If you're up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. That's the hardest shot for the well-endowed - Billie Jean King.
Standing on the corner of Bourke Street and Elizbeth Street in the heart of Melbourne's CBD is the Melbourne General Post Office - or the GPO as we say. John Batman was appointed as the first Postmaster in 1836. In 1842 the first government building for postal services in Melbourne was opened.
In 1859, the foundation stone was laid on its present site and built in the Renaissance Revival style designed by A.E.Johnson.
Below: 1887 Clocktower
The building was extended in 1887 - a third storey was added along with the famous clock tower which quickly became a city landmark.
Cessation of the GPO
In 1992, Australia Post announced plans to end Melbourne’s GPO’s major postal role. The GPO ceased to function as an office of Australia Post in 2001 and plans for an upmarket shopping mall were approved.
The sorting hall
The hall was almost gutted by fire in 2001, but the building was restored. This photo shows the inside of the sorting hall after restoration and conversion into a shopping mall. The modern design retains many of the important heritage aspects of the site
The former GPO opened for business as a new upmarket retail centre in 2005 and now forms a major arcade running from Bourke Street through to Little Bourke Street. Melbourne’s GPO makes for a totally unique retail and leisure experience.
The calming and irresistible draw of the CBD’s premier boutique shopping destination provides an escape from the hectic Bourke Street Mall, and with over 50 stores across three floors, Melbourne’s GPO houses a diverse mix of dining options, the biggest names in Australian and international designer fashion, alongside exceptional event spaces which have been designed to impress.
Distances from the centre of Melbourne are still measured from the (former) GPO.
Melbourne GPO pre 1880
Lithograph of the first General Post Office before extension and remodelling in the 1880's. (Victorian State Library)
The heritage-listed GPO is considered one of Australia's most important public buildings. Heritage Victoria recognises its social significance as a public landmark and meeting place.
Today's Quote: And none will hear the postman's knock without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten? - W.H. Auden.
Princes Bridge, one of the central bridges in Melbourne links Swanston Street to St Kilda Road and because of its position, is often a focal point for celebratory events in Melbourne such as New Years Eve, Moomba and many other events taking place on the Yarra.
Built in 1886 - 1888, and in the best Melbourne tradition, the bridge is built on solid bluestone bulwarks - none of your flimsy sandstone - with plenty of cast iron.
The circular building is Hamer hall, part of the Melbourne Arts Complex where you can enjoy a variety of performances such as the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, comedy and gala film events. The brown(ish) building is the Herald Sun and the blue one is the Eureka Tower.
Princes Bridge Melbourne 1855
Above is a sketch showing the earlier Princes Bridge built of sandstone in 1850 and which stood for 35 years. Melbourne has come a long way in a mere 160 years.
(Sketch of the Paddlesteamer Gondola to Cremorne Gardens in 1855. State Library of Victoria)
Today's Quote: The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving - Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Bourke Street Mall - No cars here thanks
Bourke Street is the hub of Melbourne's CBD and shopping precinct. Department stores Myer, David Jones and Target are all here. Always bustling with buskers, shoppers and city workers, the section between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets became a mall in 1983, and is the "heart" of Melbourne. So no cars, but the trams run through - well, what would Melbourne be without her trams? And how else would you get from the top of Spring Street up to Spencer Street?
Every year, Myer has the "Christmas Windows". (Photos taken Christmas Day 7.45pm.)
One of the Myer Christmas Windows
Indulge in some Retail Therapy
Not for nothing is Melbourne known as the shopping capital of Australia!
Myer occupies two buildings - the Bourke Street store and the Lonsdale Street store and is joined by an overhead walkway. You can find just about everything - the latest fashions and streetwear, designer label clothing and shoes, a huge variety of top label aftershaves, cosmetics and perfumes. Plus electronics, homewares and children's toys.
David Jones occupies three buildings - one which features menswear, children's wear and a food hall, another dedicated to women's fashions, cosmetics, shoes and accessories, and the Home Store which is all about homewares and bedding.
Transport: Getting There
There's a number of tram routes travelling along Bourke Street and the Mall - including Nos. 86, 95 and 96. At the west end is Southern Cross railway station (formerly Spencer Street) and Parliament railway station at the east end. Flinders Street and Melbourne Central stations are a short walk from the Mall.
A pedestrian bridge at the western end provides access - Southern Cross Station, Telstra Dome (now known as Etihad Stadium) and the Melbourne Docklands.
Below: Bourke Street circa 1910
Below: Looking East
A far cry from today As these two photos show, Bourke Street has come a long way in the past 100 years. Obviously these weren't taken by me - they are from the Melbourne archives.
Doorways to the sea
The doorways of these bathing boxes face the sea (you enter through the back). The front one shows "The Boxing Kangaroo". The kangaroo is one of the most recognised Aussie icons, one of the largest marsupials in the world and is native only to Australia. Qantas airlines has the red flying kangaroo as their logo.
The Boxing Kangaroo has long been accepted as a symbol of Australia and was designed by RAAF Warrant Officer Gus Bluett, and is based on recorded, including film archives, 19th century travelling side-show entertainment, when the sport of boxing contests between men and kangeroos were a reality.
During World World II in 1941, RAAF pilots based at Sembawang Station in Singapore, forming 21 Squadron, had a stencilled boxing kangaroo painted on the side of their Wirraway fighter planes by aircraftman David Marfleet to identify themselves to the Japanese as Australian and not British.
In 1983, when Australia won the America's Cup (yachting), the flag became famous with younger Australians when Alan Bond, the owner of the team, used the flag on the yacht Australia II, entering and leaving harbour. The AOC purchased the rights to the Boxing Kangaroo for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, for $13,000,000.
The Eureka Tower soars 300 metres (984 ft) in the air and is located in Southbank and took four years to build, opening on 11 October 2006. It is the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor.
The observation deck (Eureka Skydeck 88) occupies the entire 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and is the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere at 285 m (940 ft). Southbank
For those unfamiliar with Melbourne, Southbank is the area that stretches along the southern bank of the Yarra River and was once an old and neglected area, mostly industrial, but has now been rejuvenated as the heartbeat of the central city area. This has been done by using the Yarra River as a central feature and by introducing entertainment facilities along the river bank.
"Meet me under the clocks" - is what we said when we were going into "Town". Everybody who went into town (now called "The City" always met their friends/mates/girlfriends/boyfriends under the famous clocks of Flinders Street Station.
Flinders Street Station is the meeting place for all Melbournians.
Flinders Street Station (on the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street) is the oldest station in Australia (1910) - although the first station on this site was opened in 1854 and is the busiest suburban railway station in the Southern Hemisphere, even after the completion of the city loop railway subway and its 700 metre main platform is the longest in the country.
Over the years, Flinders Street Station has become a famous Melbourne landmark, emerging as a symbol of Victoria's capital city and is an institution in the daily routine of nearly a quarter of a million people. Flinders Street 1910.
And in 1927.
In 1854, Flinders Street Station was an interesting collection of weatherboard sheds known as the Melbourne Terminus. It was the first steam rail station in Australia, a fact that pleased Victorians who were used to taking second place to New South Wales, the mother colony.
Thousands of people assembled at the station and along the track to Sandridge (today known as Port Melbourne) to see not only Victoria's, but Australia's first public steam train.
An interesting tidbit
Rumours abound that the plans for Bombay railway station and Flinders St railway station were mixed up in the designers' office in London, and as a result the Bombay railway station now sits in Melbourne and the original Flinders St railway station was built in Bombay.
While there's no actual evidence to support this claim, Flinders Street Station has in fact had its influences reach further ashore. The Luz Station in Sao Paulo, Brazil was based on a design inspired by the lines of Flinders Street Station.
"Tickets please, tickets please" - so called the tram conductors aka "connies" of old.
One of our most loved Melbourne icons - our trams. When other Australian capital cities closed down their tram network between the 50's and 70's, Melbourne thankfully did not.
Did you know that Melbourne is home to the largest tram network in the world and is a major form of public transport, and has 245 km of tram tracks, 500 trams and 1,813 tram stops? That is a lot of tram stops! And has around 178 million passenger trips a year?
Here is a map of Melbourne's Tram Network
The above tram was one of the "new" trams when I was a little girl - it had nice seats with vinyl padding on them. But usually when we caught the tram, it was almost always one of the "old" ones - long timber seats down both sides, timber seats in the middle with doorways but no doors. Used to get a bit cold in winter.
This was one of the W Class trams, introduced in 1923 and below is one of the "old" ones.
I'll be doing more photos/posts about our lovable trams.
One of Melbourne's icons - The Brighton Bathing Boxes.
A colourful reminder of our past. In a time long before the advent of the mini skirt, or shock horror - shorts, bathing was a daring business,
with "Neck-To-Knees" being the height of fashion.
Brighton was Melbournian's favourite seaside destination and where the well-heeled liked to promenade. Brighton’s foreshore is home to 82 pieces of local heritage and culture. Take the train to Brighton Beach or follow The Esplanade to Green Point car park. Step on to Dendy Beach and experience an era where bathing modesty was preserved behind the weatherboard walls of a European-style bathing box.
The local council plans to build six new bathing boxes in Brighton and auction them to ratepayers. The council owns the land for each box and charges an annual licence fee of $500. Only Bayside ratepayers are allowed to have one, which sell for between $150,000 and $200,000 each with council approval. Nice - eh?
These bathing boxes are photographic favourites with both locals and tourists, and form the backdrop to many family portraits and wedding memories. They're quietly famous too, you know, having featured in an episode of Kath and Kim, made appearances in Getaway and been aired overseas during the Australian Tennis Open and the Formula One Grand Prix.
So, what are you waiting for - pack a picnic and pop down to Brighton on your next weekend and stroll along the beach.
The hallowed ground of the MCG, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest stadium in Australia and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is here that the Melbourne Olympic Games of 1956 were held, it is here that the Boxing Day Test Match commences each year, and during winter is the home of Australian Rules Football - colloquially referred to as Aussie Rules - and where, on the last Saturday in September, the Grand Final is held.
It is where legends are made and history is created.
And it is where Sir Donald Bradman, aka "The Don", scored his maiden Test hundred(112) against England on January 3rd, 1929.
Dennis Lillee became the 10th sporting legend to be honoured with a statue outside the ground. In an era when men sported long hair and bristling moustaches, Lillee was no exception - his flowing mane of hair, a ferocious scowl on his face, his fast delivery of the ball had his opponents quaking in their shoes. His statue was sculpted by Louis Laumen.
This statue, also created by Louis Laumen, is to mark the centenery of Federation 2001.
It depicts the first recorded game of Australian Football held on 7th August 1858.
When the first European settlers arrived in Melbourne in 1835 there was no permanent crossing point of the Yarra River. Over time various punt and ferry operators set up business but there was still no bridge. In those times there was no point in waiting for the government in Sydney to provide a bridge and most of Melbourne’s early infrastructure was provided by private enterprise. On 22nd April 1840 a private company was set up with the intention of constructing a bridge across the Yarra and they opened a wooden toll bridge.
By 1850, the government had caught up and built a fine single span structure of brick and stone, opened it on 15 November, called it Princes Bridge, and made it available to the public for free. Within a year, gold was discovered in country Victoria, population numbers swelled and Melbourne became recognised as ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ and the narrow carriageway on the bridge was then inadequate for such a bustling city.
By 1888 and our second International Exhibition, Melbourne had designed and built the third bridge on the site and the one that we know today.
Young and Jackson's is Australia's, and Melbourne's most famous pub. Opening on 1st July 1861, it was originally named the Princes Bridge Hotel and was renamed Young and Jackson's when it was taken over in 1875 by two Irish diggers - Henry Young and Thomas Jackson. The Y & J as it is sometimes colloquially called is on the corner of Melbourne's busiest intersection, Flinders Street and Swanston Street and is listed on the Victoria Heritage Register.
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Young and Jacksons Pub
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Princes Bridge first built in 1845 was a timber toll bridge. It was rebuilt in 1888 by the Government and was free.
Street lamps adorned the bridge from the early 1850's and are set on bluestone half columns. Beneath these columns are piers which support the three iron girder arches.
The early lamps ran on gas and were later replaced with electricity.
The Spire of the Melbourne Arts Centre is a landmark standing proudly at over 160 metres in height and is lit at night casting dappled lighting over the waters of the Yarra.
Hello, I created this blog because Melbourne is my city and I want people to see what a beautiful place it is. So come with me on a journey of discovery as we traverse the dining precincts, the culture, the laneways and hidden gems that make Melbourne marvellous.
