Melbourne Places

A summer’s day and the heat is up.  You pant a bit then fan yourself with your hand,  a light wind wafts around.  It is refreshing and with it comes an instant love of this movement of air.  It is easy to worship the wind on such a day.

In the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne there is The Temple of the Winds. It is an ideal place to give thanks for that wind.

Temple of the Winds

The temple was built in 1901 and sits on a hill overlooking The Yarra River.

This is an elegant structure.  It is built in grey masonry, is circular and has 10 columns to support it.

Its symmetry is beautiful.

Temple of the Winds

At this time of the year the trees along The Yarra and Alexandra Avenue block some of the view.  Iin the winter when the leaves have gone you can see The Yarra, across to Richmond and beyond.

The steps around the base are an ideal place to sit, take in the view, meditate, think on the winds, relax, contemplate life  and on a hot day ask for a cool breeze.

Getting there:-

The Temple of the Winds is at the Alexandra Avenue side of the gardens.  Enter through Gate A on the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Avenue and follow the path that runs parallel with Alexandra Avenue until you come to some wide steps.  Climb them.  The Temple to the Winds is at the top.

Steps to the temple

There is three hour free parking along Anderson Street.

If you approach from the St Kilda side of the Botanical Gardens you need to find your way to the other side of the lake.  Then follow the signs

Opening Hours:- 7.30am to sunset every day of the year.

More information on the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne can be found here

The yet to be named baby elephant is a Star.  Crowds are surging through the gates of the Melbourne Zoo daily and queuing to get a glimpse of this miniature elephant.   Yes that is what she looks like a tiny miniature of the grown-ups.

I couldn’t resist the urge to get my first look at a baby elephant and it was an amazing experience.

We arrived a little after 11.00 am for the 11.00 to 12.00 viewing   and spent time in the queue.  This gave us a chance to absorb that ambience of the plantings around the Elephant Enclosure.

These are Thai elephants and they live in a Thai-like atmosphere surrounded by stands of bamboo and Thai artifacts.  Notices are written in Thai and entrance ways to the enclosure are carved and painted as if we were in Thailand.

The line snaked its way through shady stands of bamboo – it is worth going for the bamboo – beautiful.

Before I got there I was wondering why we were planning to give this young lady a Thai name.   Why not an Australian name?  She was born here.  She is our elephant.

Four names have been selected for the public to choose from. They are:-
Leelawadee (which means frangipani),
Mali (jasmine),
Ma Li Wan (climbing jasmine),
Su Ma Li (osmanthus)
Iyares (which means both elephant and orchid and is pronounced Ai ya

The names are not only in keeping with her Thai heritage but also family lineage – her relatives have names of Thai flowers.

I did see the point of the names and I voted for Jasmine but I still think we could have added an Australian flower to the lineage – Wattle for example.

She was born on the 16th of Jan making her about 6 weeks old now and growing fast.  She appears to be oblivious of her fame and enjoys herself in her enclosure with her mother and her aunt.

If she feels shy she can hide behind the bulk of these as she did when our group entered.   But in a minute she ambled out and began to toss some hay about.  It was a short but somehow a remarkable and memorable experience.  All young have charm and she is particularly charming and cute. She put her trunk up like a ‘real’ elephant and it was a joy to see.

At the moment there are two viewing times 11.00am and 2.30pm.  The queues begin to form about 15 minutes before viewing begins.  If you think ahead you will bring a picnic and eat it at the elephant enclosure where there are seats and shade.  That way you will be in the front of the queue and get your four minutes of staring and camera-clicking time without too much wait.  This will give you more time to see the rest of the Melbourne Zoo.

Zoo opening times:-
Daily 9.00 to 5.00pm

Viewings:-
Weekdays  11.00 am to Noon – 2.30 to 3.30
Weekends – 10.30 to Noon  – 2.30 to 3.30

Getting There:-
Tram –   No 55  runs from West Coburg through William Street the city to the Domain Interchange and stops at the Zoo

Train-    Upfield Line from Flinders Street to the Melbourne Zoo Station

A day out at the beach can be expensive.  Everything along the foreshore is at a premium. It’s expensive Real Estate; the rents are high and  business hope to recoup from the patrons.  So it is a great surprise to come across Il Divo at Port Melbourne.  Il Divo has taken over the space that was once Pings – on the corner of Nott Street.

The outside tables at Il Divo have expensive sea views.

For a $10 meal and a $6.00 glass of wine you can sit at one of these tables, admire the view and be well fed.

The menu has a list of specials at $10.00 and $15.00 as well as menu with more expensive dishes.

Fish and chips at  Il Divo $10.00.  Lamb shanks are also excellent at $10.00.

Chicken Schnitzel at Il Divo $15,00

We were early eaters and from 6.30pm onwards family groups and groups of friends were drifting in.  The place is spacious with the tables a good distance from each and the sound level is low making it easy to chat in a group.

Il Divo in Port Melbourne is part of a chain of restaurants – there is one in the City, at 260 Collins Street, Altona Meadows, Campbellfield and Footscray.  It is good solid fare that doesn’t seem to vary in quality.  If this is what you like there is the offer a Birthday Club membership which gives you one meal for free for your birthday present.

A Birthday Club has been running very successfully, for a number of years,  at Taco Bill’s in Port Melbourne.   I remember enjoying a special birthday there some years ago with the price of one meal being deducted from our bill.

I’ll be back to Il Divo.   We put our names down to join the Birthday Club and even without the Birthday reduction dining with a group of friends,  a sea view, sometimes a view of the huge cruise ships at Station Pier and a very edible  meal for $10, appeals.  The wine at $6.00 per glass is priced about right.

Since I last ate there only about 10 days ago there appears to be a change in the opening hours with the place closed at the beginning of the week.

Opening Hours:-

At the moment they are advertising Thursday through to Saturday 5.00pm until late

Sunday 11.30am until Late.

Yet they were  open last Monday 22nd February  – ring and check.

Where:-

Il Divo

49 Beach Street

Port Melbourne

PHONE 9646 1101

Getting There:

Tram 109 to Port Melbourne.  Get off at the terminus and walk left toward St Kilda

Or

Tram 1 To South Melbourne Beach.  Get off at the terminus and head towards Station Pier.

One of my favourite places to breakfast in Melbourne is the Mart Cafe at Middle Park – Middle Park tram stop for tram 96 to St Kilda.

This cafe is right on the tram stop – platform 2.  Notice the name – tram backwards.

In the summer I wander in early and make my way out onto the covered verandah at the back.  I use the somewhat old fashioned word veranda because this cafe is in the old station master’s building.  Some of the vintage pieces that decorate the white  interior reflect this.

The verandah at the back could be described as a covered deck.  This is my favourite spot.  I like to sit at the bench overlooking Albert Park and the tennis courts.  On a summer morning the sun hasn’t reached the verandah so it is cool and a gentle breeze wafts around to give a hint of a hot day to come.  Then there is the thwack of the tennis balls, the occasional shout from the tennis court and the rumble of a passing tram.

The bench has room for the Herald Sun and the railing has a flat top  so you can put your coffee out of the way of the paper and still have access to the paper and the coffee.

I am going on about the location but it is the location as well the food that sells it to me.  I can think of no pleasanter way to spend an hour or so than sitting at the bench browsing the paper and looking across the park.

Tables outside in the front of the station master’s office are on the edge of Platform 2.  From there you can watch the trams and the travelling public.

The clientele is an interesting mix of people.  It is child friendly and Mums and babies turn up about mid –morning and so do people conducting business. The tables are big enough for a few papers and laptops.

The Food!   It is good.  I always have the same breakfast – the corn fritters.  The corn has been oven roasted and has a slight crunch, and then there is the bacon and the sour cream.  I sometimes find myself obsessing about these fritters and I have to go back for a fix.  They are always good the quality doesn’t vary.

Also on the menu is home-made Bircher Muesli , French Toast and various varieties of eggs with add-ons.

The muffins are good too, if you are wanting a mid-morning snack.  Lime and coconut last time I had one – different and delicious.

For travellers on the 96 tram (fast rail)  to St Kilda this is a great place to get off, experience the ambiance and the food, then head on to St Kilda.

Getting There:-

The Mart 107A Canterbury Road, Middle Park. – Phone 9690 8831

Tram 96 from the CBD to St Kilda, The Middle Park Stop,  number 103

There is parking for 1 hour along Canterbury Road or in Armstrong Street.

Opening hours:-

7.30am to about 4.00pm.  closing does depend a little on the time of year and the weather.

Things you should know:-

They DO NOT take any plastic – you need to make sure you have cash.

There is CBA cash machine in Armstrong Street about 200 meters away

Be startled, amazed, awed, moved or just plain gob-smacked.  This is an extra-ordinary exhibition.  Viewing twelve pieces of Ron Mueck’s work at one time leaves a lasting impact.

The pieces are either over sized or under sized.  For example there is the ‘Old Woman in Bed’.

A perfect representation of an old lady asleep – a tiny form curled up under a blanket.  It is poignant and touching at the first glance.  Then when you stand and look at it for longer it becomes quite heart breaking in all it says about ageing.    This is my favourite piece in the exhibition.

Most of the sculptures in the exhibition are of naked figures but one of the few clothed is  ‘ Two women’

Even the details of the clothes add to the overall effect.  Take a look at the hem on the brown coat. The wrinkles and expressions on their faces draw you in.   You want to hear what they are gossiping about.

You enter the exhibition and meet Dead Dad.  A small naked figure of an old man with his eyes closed.  An endearing look at death- it is peaceful.  The first real shock is ‘ The Girl’, one of the super sized pieces; a baby girl immediately after birth complete  with the umbilical cord and streaks of blood.

I read on the internet that Mueck was inspired to make her so large because he had recently had a new baby and the baby took on this huge presence in the house.

This information was not supplied by the NGV.  No information in given on the background to the sculptures.  The idea being, I imagine, that you take from each piece what you can or what you need to.    Sometimes this lack of information doesn’t matter because the subject immediately speaks to us as with the old ladies.  But I couldn’t get anything from a naked girl carrying a bundle of sticks.

I believe the curator would have greatly added to our appreciation by giving some background notes to each piece.

The information that is supplied is a list of materials used to make the sculpture, for example  ‘Old Woman in Bed’ was made from resin, fibreglass, silicone, polyurethane, synthetic hair, cotton, polyester.  These materials with slight variations were used for all of them.

The details on the sculptures are extraordinary – every pore, each hair, veins, blood,  wrinkles – even to the wrinkles on the baby’s feet and the legs hairs on the ‘Wild Man’, everyone one of which appears to have been put in individually.

Go to the exhibition if you get a chance. It is fascinating but my suggestion is to read up on Ron Mueck and get some background on his work before you go.

After you have seen the exhibition the obvious question is how does he make them.  This article by Brian Kennedy, who visited Mueck’s studio in London, describes the process.

Getting There:-

National Gallery of Victoria  (NGV) is at 180 St Kilda Road, just across the Yarra River from Federation Square

Open Times:-

The exhibition runs from 22nd January to 18th of April 2010  in Melbourne.

The gallery is open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm  except for Tuesday when it is CLOSED

Prices:-

Adult $15.00 Concession $12.00

It opens at the Queensland Art Gallery on 8th May to 8th August 2010

The Hotel Albion is said to be ‘recognized as a Port Melbourne Landmark’.  I‘m not sure why this is because its architecture is the same as many corner pubs in the area – solid and square with little decoration.

The facade is even plainer than many pubs around Port Melbourne, Albert Park and South Melbourne– see the post on Hotel Nest.

Someone may know something of the Hotel Albion’s history and what makes it remarkable.

It has had a bit of a make-over but it still retains the ‘pub atmosphere’.  There is a Bistro Bar, a fine dining area and a room that can be booked for grander functions.

At the moment it is remarkable for its ‘local’s nights’.

On Monday and Tuesday all items on the Bistro Bar menu are $14.50.  The menu is on the wall and you order and pay for your food at the bar; Pub style.  With a $6.0 glass of the house wine which is better than a lot of house wines you have a meal for $20.50 that is  excellent and several cuts above the usual Pub fare.

It is tempting to go for the most expensive thing on the menu, that’s the  Steak of the Day usually at $24.00.  That is very good and the Hotel Albion makes the best hamburgers I have had for a while.  The usual price for a beef or chicken hamburger is $17.50 so not such a great bargain at $14.50 but I love the hamburgers.

The Albion serves superior bar food.  On Monday and Tuesday  the food looks and tastes like the steal it is.  The place obviously employs a good cook.

These meals have all been given a large tick by the diners  who ate them and who would order them again.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Nicoise Salad.

Steak of the day with mashed potatoes and red wine gravy.

Grilled Chicken, avocado, prosciutto, and salad.

Falafel Vegie Burger, and salad

This is casual eating and on Monday and Tuesday the place is crowded.   The Bistro area has groups of locals and families and can be busy and noisy.    For some reason the area around the central bar is designated Bistro and Fine Dining.  For the cheap Bistro meals you need to sit at a table without a white table cloth.   The table cloths are for fine dining and there is a separate menu.  This is a nuisance because the tables covered with pristine white starched linen are the ones that are empty.

If you feel like good food, good prices and a local pub atmosphere head for the Hotel Albion at 146 Evans Street; on the corner  Raglan and Evans Streets, Port Melbourne.

There is a tram stop outside in the Turner Reserve. You can hop off the tram eat and then jump back on again for a walk around Port Melbourne.

Getting there:-

Tram  109 to Port Melbourne.  Get off at stop 127 called North Point. Cross Turner Reserve and you are at the Albion Hotel

Opening Hours:-

Bistro Bar Open from 6.00pm to 9.00pm daily except Sunday when it is closed

Monday and Tuesday are the Local’s Night Special

Summertime in  Melbourne is market time and markets spring up all over the place – Pre-Christmas I had great success with some Christmas presents at a market set up in the Elwood School grounds.

This flurry of summer markets led me to forget the markets that just keep-on-keeping-on.

The Esplanade Market in St Kilda has been keeping on since 1970. And some of the stall holders have been there for most of that time.

The market runs  from Luna Park along The Esplanade to Fitzroy Street.  On my first trip to Melbourne, some years ago, I explored it with a family member and was fascinated.  I still have a pair of ear rings I bought on that visit.

This time these brooches caught my eye.

The Market advertises itself as a “Makers’ Market Place”.  That is the stall holders must be directly involved in the production of the items they are selling.  This makes for an interesting mix.

There is Jena Bedson’s pottery that she describes as ‘comic art’.

Much of the merchandise is familiar to me,  in that some of the stalls have been there for years.  Obviously the ones that stay the distance are quality and offer something the customers want.   Calypsoflash who sell pewter jewelery tell me they have been there for 38 years.  They now have their own website to display their creative pieces.

These architectural cards are stylish and beautiful.

There is a huge tourist-browsing population and many stall holders cater for them.   For example Matt Irwin’s photographs are there and have been since my first visit in the 1990’s.  Then I sent my mother a post card depicting a striking black and white  photo of one of Melbourne’s  trams.  She still has it and they are still on sale.

These magnets were doing good business – I bought 3 for $10.00.  They were delighting children who were spending $3.50 to go home with something cute and useful.   The stall holder creates the whole magnet from the painted design to the finished article.

The market is vibrant and most of the stall holders friendly.  They  will talk about their crafts and discuss in detail how they make the items.  If you are a craft person you can find inspiration – a sort of  “Wow, I could do that!”  But many crafts are time-consuming and for these people making and selling their wares a way of life.

Getting there:-

Trams 16, 3A and 79 to stop 31

Tram 96 to stop 138

Times:-

Sundays ( all year round) 10.00am to 5.00pm.

The St Kilda community has created a wall to bring people together rather than shut them off from each other.  They are calling it the Great Wall of St Kilda.

This wall is 11 metres x 5 meters and made of clay tiles, in total 807 tiles.

Two hundred and seven large tiles that capture characters and stories of St Kilda have been created by Australian Artist, Camille Monet.   Six hundred smaller tiles have been designed and made by local St Kilda people who she encouraged to get involved.  This makes the fascinating and creative wall truly belong to St Kilda

In an  interview with ABC Arts Programme, Monet said, “The mural caters for all sorts of people, including those in and out of homelessness.  It tells the real story of St Kilda and captures its diversity.”
She says it turned out to be bigger than they expected.  She walked the streets of St Kilda, speaking to people and getting to know them so she could capture the ‘ real’ St Kilda and get local people involved.
Each tile is unique and you can spend a lot of time just looking at them and taking in each message.  It’s colourful and Monet believes colour represents St Kilda.

The Great Wall of St Kilda  is erected behind the National Theatre, on the corner of Carlisle Street and Barkly Street,  in the Talbot Reserve.  It covers what was an ugly Citypower wall that was the target of tagging  and old bill posters.

This mural is the final part of an up-grade to the Talbot  Reserve which has  included  new seating,  a children’s play area, more paths, landscaping, lighting and a very stylish drinking fountain.

If you are in St Kilda wander into the Talbot Reserve and study The Great St Kilda Wall.   I’m sure it will become part of St Kilda’s history.  It is a stunning idea and the wall is eye-catching and with so many contributors it is truly unique.

It is a feel good piece of art.

To see it you need to go into the Talbot Reserve  as the wall is somewhat hidden from view when you are on Barkley Street.

Getting there:
Melways  58  B10 – You may want to check this as the wall is hard to see from the road.
Tram 17  and  tram79  in the weekends – Get off at the corner of Carlisle and Barkly Streets.  Talbot  Reserve is behind the National Theatre.

Tram 96 – Get off at the corner of Acland and Carlisle Streets and walk up Carlislie to Barkly Street

I had the luck to find myself at Blairgowrie Beach on the Mornington Peninsular for Christmas.  On Christmas Day it was amazingly quiet there.  I expected the little village to be filled with Christmas revelers.
It wasn’t.  It was closed and empty.

All these photos were taken on Christmas Day – when the lack of people was slightly eerie but very  relaxing.

It is good to get out of Melbourne occasionally and this is a beautiful place to spend time. For those of us who were in Blairgowrie it was a Christmas to remember.

It changed as the year drew to a close – the town seemed to open and the cars and people rolled in.

Blairgowrie is a small ‘ village’ nestled between Rye and Sorrento and for that reason there is a friendly village atmosphere.  This was  part of the pleasure when we wandered to the now busy village on Boxing Day for a wine and an hour or so to check out the locals from one of the cafes.

A number of cafes in Blairgowrie have good cafe food and there is the best IGA store I have ever seen – it is a gourmet feast for the eyes just to wander around.

The beach is perfect for children with a very gradual decline into deep water.

I am back in Melbourne, now,  enjoying the  city in its holiday mode.  As I drove back to Melbourne I could see  a large percentage of the Melbourne population  headed in the other direction – towards the sea.

Getting there:
The quickest way to get to the Mornington Peninsular and any of the seaside places down there is to drive.  It is about 90 minutes from the CBD,  so it’s possible to take a day trip.

Public transport is easy – it just takes more time.  Take the train to Frankston ( Frankston Line) from Flinders  Street station.  At Frankston buses leave from the station and head along the peninsular . Many of these buses meet the train.

To work out a time schedule ring Portsea Passenger Services (03) 9586 5666 for information on the buses and to confirm the trains they meet.  The first bus leaves Frankston Station for the peninsular at  5.40 am – should you want a bus that early and the last one at 11.05pm.
Accommodation can be arranged through the Visitors information centre at Federation Square

The Carlisle Street Bazaar opened just before Christmas adding another retail experience to shopping in the piece of Carlisle Street around the Balaclava Rail Station.
This Carlisle Street Bazaar replaces a store where I often browsed.  It was one of those stores that covered an eclectic range merchandise – clothes, furniture, home ware, jewelery, gifts.    All this appeared to be individually chosen to give a cohesion to the store.  This space has now morphed into the Carlisle Street Bazaar.  It is as if the original store has re-invented itself and presented a new face to the world, the cohesion has gone but the atmosphere has livened up.

To me it is an improvement.  For one thing the space is lighter and brighter.   I found the old space rather gloomy.  The variety is better and it is more fun to browse.

Stock moves too.  There was a hand created metal pig and sheep when I first walked into the Bazaar and a few days later they had gone.  “Snapped up,” I was told.  They still have smaller roosters from the same artist.  They are the sort of patio/garden object that lift your spirits and cause you to smile.

So far the Carlisle Street Bazaar have been a constantly changing visual feast – new clothes, new displays, new bric-a-brac.

At this point the venture looks successful and it will be interesting to watch it evolve. I like the original art and would like to see more creative works for sale.

To discuss hiring space: – phone   0411598411.
Opening hours: -

Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm.  The Bazaar closes at 5.00pm on Sunday.

Getting there:

Trams – 12, 3, going along Carlisle Street, first stop past St Kilda Road. 67 Tram get off at the corner of Carlisle and St Kilda Road  or a 78 that runs from Richmond to the St Kilda East end of Chapel Street.

Train – Sandringham line to Balaclava Stration