Gone

On Thursday Morning the house was gone...

Not sure what is going on at the back though. The area been left as is and fenced off from the cleared area. It is far too wide to be an old laneway. There is a shed and what looks to be a cubby house that can be seen from the street. A check of nearmap reveals the uncleared area at the back to be about a third of the whole block.

And I think that answers the question as to what will be built there. If it were to be units the whole block would have been cleared, so I'd put my money on a new house going up.

Home Wreckers

Is this what happens when you answer one one of those A4 Sheets stuck to electricity poles that say "I buy houses call 0414 123 456"?



I pass this house regularly on the way to and from work. It has been looking run down for quite a while. Then last week they started tearing it down. The garage on the end always intrigued me, too small for a car except perhaps a Morris Minor. This house was finished in a Tudor style, and even though the cladding has been ripped off it still looks the same with the bare frame and plaster walls visible.

It's a nice big block of land. Looking at other developments in the same street the options are to either build a massive two storey McMansion or cram in three or four units. So far I haven't seen a planning permit application board (that's not to say there hasn't been one before I started going this way)...

Off the rails in St Kilda

This is what happens when the Scenic Railway at
Luna Park breaks down.

In the school holidays I took a day off work to take my niece and nephew out. We ended up at Luna Park in the afternoon. The first thing my nephew said when we walked in was that he didn't want to go on the Scenic Railway as it will break down. He obviously knew something I didn't because this happened about half an hour later. I guess it happens all the time. And it was back up and running in a matter of minutes after the last people walked back down the track.

Actually my niece did ride on the Scenic Railway, but before this happened.

When I showed the photo to one of my brothers he mentioned that perhaps Luna Park should up sell the experience as Melbourne's version of the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb. He may be on to something there.

Myki is finally here. Well sort of...

Today at 3pm Myki was turned on...

...for trains only!

What the?

Turns out there are issues with getting the mobile equipment on trams and trains talking to the rest of the system. Apparently Ms Kosky is not amused. Excuse me Ms Kosky, but you've had how many years to get this working and now you are shifting the blame to DoT people. They are probably the same people who might have told you it was unrealistic to tell the public that it would work before 2009 was out.

Also supposedly you can get the Myki for free (instead of paying for the card) if you order it online. I tried to get a card with Myki money but the session timed out before I could finish.

Melbourne Laneways

So in the name of Geocaching a friend and I did some exploring of some of Melbourne's laneways a few weeks ago. Some I had been to before, others I hadn't. One I had been to but didn't realise it was AC DC lane. On some drunken stupor a few years ago I remember getting refused entry from a number of clubs around here.


Anyway this day we visited AC DC lane in search of a cache. It was a Sunday so there was a distinct odour of Beer, piss, spew and rubbish. We found the cache eventually after scouring every likely looking place in the lane. Geocaches are always very obvious once you know where they are.

Next stop on our tour was Degraves followed by Bank Place. I like Bank Place and the Indian restaurant there looks great too. We also visited Hardware lane and finally Hosier lane. But the lane that most interested me was Langs Lane that runs between Bourke and Little Bourke in the block between Spencer and King. At the Little Bourke end it is wide enough for vehicles to enter, but at the other end it is only wide enough for a footpath.

Langs Lane

My question is this. Is Langs Lane Melbourne's Narrowest?

Docklands-South Wharf Wander

A few weekends ago I went for a wander around Docklands specifically because one morning on the train on the way to work (yep it stopped in no mans land between Jolimont and Flinders Street) I watched a route 48 tram turn out of Wellington Parade into Spring Street. A bit of digging revealed that route 48 trams now run down Collins Street instead of Flinders Street to a new terminus at Victoria Harbour. I have no idea when the change happened but it is an interesting development. So after a quick lunch in the food court in Australia on Collins I caught a route 48 along Collins Street.

Waiting...

waiting...

Almost here...

Soon enough we were crossing Spencer Street and passing the Southern Cross station. Then we travelled down hill to the new terminus amongst the giant new headquarters for Myer and the ANZ Bank.

New Myer building

It was interesting to see the the tram terminus is clearly temporary with a small single track stub going off beyond the island tram stop. I guess it will finish up right at then end of this sliver of land eventually.

Funnily this part of Melbourne is how I imagine Dubai to be. All these new and shiny buildings built in a desert. The docklands do remind me of a desert, almost no one walking around in the hot sun/freezing cold wind. There are probably more Mercedes in Dubai though. I hear a lot of people leaving Dubai just dump the car at the airport on the way out.

Leaving...

Shunting into the stub to wait to head back to North Balwyn.

From here I walked over to the river. Skateboarders were already making use of the new urban space and furniture. I'm sure the suits next door will disapprove. Looks like a good fishing spot too, but there are signs saying that is banned.

The New

The old

Boats everywhere

ANZ has imposed a ban on fishing along here. I guess
they don't want smelly bait littering the smokers area.

I set off along the river outside the ANZ building and crossed the river at the pedestrian bridge and then found my way to the new South Wharf complex.

I've got to say that I'm not terribly impressed with the new DFO, it has a huge ground level car park and very indirect access to public transport. Strangely all the shops are underground. As fro the sheds along the wharf itself, they seem like they are destined to be yet more overpriced restaurants that I will never eat at.

While there I also had a peek inside the Convention Centre. There seemed to be some kind of event on, as there were a lot of families around. I didn't like the interior of the foyer though, I think it will age very quickly. The huge glass wall is great. Somewhere in here is the Hilton Hotel as well.

As a whole, the area seems contrived and desperate, more so than docklands.




From there I crossed the new bridge and edged my way towards Spencer Street. As I crossed a helicopter arrived on the adjacent heli pad. Not a bad way to go shopping at DFO South Wharf.

I wish I could do my shopping in a Robinson R44. A great
parking space as well.

The helicopter is a Robinson R44, the most popular helicopter in the world (the company's website even says so!), it carries 4 people including pilot. It is based on the R22 which seats 2 people. This particular helicopter has also been seen at Ayers Rock.

The always photogenic robofish.

I then walked over the Clarendon Street bridge and back again, before heading up the hill to Southern Cross. On the way I passed this apartment building which has been built on the tiny sliver of land between Flinders Street and the railway viaducts.

Good location, close to public transport.

Not sure I would like to live here.I get a good view in the window of the first floor apartment on the end from the train. Sure being close to Public transport is good, but being this close is bordering on the ridiculous.

From there I made my way up the hill to Southern Cross station passing the new Age building on the way.

pretty self explanatory.

Tianjin Gardens

On the corner of Spring and Nicholson Street in Melbourne there is a small Chinese garden over the entrance to Parliament Station. This is the Tianjin Garden. I've been past it a many times, but barely taken any notice of it, until a few weeks ago...



According to the plaque the gardens were a gift from Melbourne's Chinese sister city, Tianjin. It was designed by experts on such matters from Tianjin. (A short City of Melbourne word document about the garden is here - I think this is what is written on the plaque)


The entrance to the garden is guarded by a pair of lions.



The large boulders you can see around the garden are local Tianjin granite.

St Kilda and City

Still back two weeks ago. After the market I got a tram to St Kilda. There I decided to go for a walk on the St Kilda Pier.

Going forward

...Looking back

On the breakwall

I read somewhere that the breakwall was built to create a harbour for the sailing events at the 1956 Olympics.

The end the breakwall is home to some criters, the Little Penguin
and the Native Water Rat.

While I was looking at the sign above I overheard the following


"how cute"

"oh yuk, it's a rat, oooo!"


You just can't please some people. As far as rats go it is pretty cute.

Looking towards the city skyline

going down wind...

I sat on a rock for a few minutes waiting for the yacht to get closer so I could take the photo. After it passed I headed back towards the shore.

Say aloha to Captain Cook.

I don't know why, but this statue seems somehow out of place here.

I then walked along the Esplanade to the Palais and Luna Park.

The old Palais looks really run down.

And again somehow out of place here.

The show that was on this day was a live version of the childrens TV show Yo Gabba Gabba. I have no Idea who they are or what they do, but it seemed pretty popular with the kids.

Then I saw this restored fire truck, which a maxi taxi kindly decided to park in front of just as I was about to take a photo...

Never mind double parking illegally blocking entry to the street,
or the space a few metres down the road where you could safely unload,
or the person standing in the middle of a traffic island with a camera clearly trying to
take a photo of something...

After a few minutes he settled his fare and finally drove off after asking me if I needed a taxi. I was after all standing on a traffic island to take this photo.

click

Around the back where all the hoses and attachments go.

I guess you could call this the money shot if there

were such a thing as fire engine porn.

AFter getting sick of St Kilda I travelled back to the city on a tram via St Kilda road. I don't know why but I am always surprised that this route usually does not take any longer than the light rail to get to the city. I got off the tram at Lonsdale Street and slowly made my way down to Southbank where I was due to meet my mother.

Southbank Footbridge

Am I the only preson who does not like the design of this footbridge? Not in looks, but in the way it handles pedestrian traffic. There is no clear path across, you spend the whole time trying not to walk into the handrails and dodging people coming the other who are also trying not to walk into the hand rails. All because of the way the bridge zig zags. Not to mention that there are always tourists taking photos, not that that is a bad thing, but because of the design of the bridge they get in the way. My other gripe is the narrow subway under Flinders Street Station that the bridge feeds into, it is all rather uncomfortable. And the often terrible buskers impede the flow of traffic.

Eureka! Tower

Looking back towards Flinders Street Station

After theis I met my mother who had been to the opera and we ate dinner in the Foodcourt at Southbank before catching the train home.

That was my day on the 30th of May 2009

Dim and Sim

Two weeks ago I went to the South Melbourne Market and...

Oh boy can't wait.

Pour in some Soy and chilli sauce...

...Then shake the bag to get maximum
coverage

mmmm yum

...num num num...

Go Away Pigeons! Not for you!

Shake the bag again to get more coverage.

All gone!

Then I went around the corner to the jam doughnut caravan...