Melbourne Places » Fitzroy

Fitzroy Nursery – Artist’s Gardens on Brunswick Street. Fitzroy

Melbourne — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 06:53:36 +0000

Brunswick Street, Fitzroy can be hot on summer days. But even the hot pavements don’t keep us away. We still flock there to meet, drink coffee, eat, shop and so on. I often browse in the weekends and when I wish for a cool breeze or just time out from the hurly-burly of the street I head to the Fitzroy Nursery on the corner of Brunswick Street and Leicester Street .

This is favourite Melbourne Place of mine to relax, unwind, cool down and drift. I love the atmosphere, the sound of running water and all the large leafy plants. I have mentioned these gardens in a previous post here .

On a recent visit I was introduced to some new and different metal sculptures. As I listened to the sound of trickling water and stood under the shade of some large, leafy shrubs and trees I admired these iron sculptured animals.

Grant the Goat

Blind Mouse

The metal animals seen in my previous post are made from recycled corrugated iron and created in New Zealand. They have moved to new homes and these have taken their place.

This is Clara the Cow leading the bunch along Brunswick Street

They are made in Vietnam from recycled and scrap metal. I understand that they are made in a community workshop with the money going back into the community. Check them out – you can do this by walking past. They are so creative. I can’t decided whether the colours are the original colours painted on the metal or whether there has been a bit of touch up. If you look carefully you can see parts of old brand names. I’m fascinated by their eyes. I have been trying to work out what those metal circles were used for in their previous life. Someone may know.

Where:-
Fitzroy Nursery – Artist’s Gardens
390 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

Opening hours:-
9.00am to 5.30pm weeksdays
9.30am to 5.30pm Weekends and Public Holidays

They change their hours slightly in the winter – may be worth checking.

Phone 9417 3272

Getting there:-
Tram 112

Cooks’ Cottage set in the Fitzroy Gardens takes you back to the 18th century.

Melbourne — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:20:38 +0000

This is not a cottage that James Cook, the great explorer and discoverer of Australia, actually lived in himself.

His parents moved there after he had left home to begin his life of adventure. It is thought that he visited the cottage at times when he was on leave from the British Navy and in that way has a strong connection with it.

James Cook in the garden of Cooks’ Cottage

James Cook is one reason to visit the house, other reasons are its charm and its depiction of the way life was lived in the cottage in its early years. It was built in 1755 in Great Ayton in England and moved brick by brick to Melbourne in 1934.

The cottage is sweet. Sweet is a good word because by today’s standards it is like a dolls house. It is tiny, the doors low and stairs positively dangerous they are so steep and narrow. There is a dress on show that was worn by a ‘lady ’of the day. How she managed to go up and down those stairs carrying ‘stuff’ and not get tangled in her skirts and finish her life in a heap at the bottom, is hard to understand.

James was the second of eight children so when the Cook family moved into this cottage we can suppose there was still a number of children at home.

When you look at the kitchen, imagine a family of say four children moving around, working, eating and stepping over the family pet. It would be something of a logistics feat and we can only suppose that everyone was very careful where they put their feet. There would be no place for anyone the least bit clumsy.

This is a version of an 18th century door mat. It is made of flint and I understand the same flint was used to make fine bone china. The door mat has stood the test of time and is still effective.

Cooks’ cottage is well worth a visit. It is charmingly arranged with clothes and furniture and objet d’art all from the right period and the house certainly has a feeling of a home. You can image the occupants crowding around the table in the kitchen, writing at the desk upstairs and scraping their boots on the door mat .

There is an audio component that helps to explain life in Captain Cook’s time. However I found that the number of people who were visiting when I was there drowned out most of the sound.

The garden is joy. It is sort of laid out like an English kitchen garden with herbs and flowers mixed together.

I was impressed with the angelica plant. I love angelica when it is crystallized and used in cake cooking.

A healthy angelica plant in the garden at Cooks’ Cottage.

Where:-
Cooks’ Cottage
Fitzroy Gardens
Wellington Parade
East Melbourne

Opening hours:-
Monday to Sunday: 9am to 5pm

Phone 9419 4677

http://www.cookscottage.com.au

Getting there:-
Fitzroy Gardens are about 10 minutes walk from Federation Square
Tram:
No 75 and 48 travel along Wellington Parade.

Exploring the world from Fitzroy with the Time Life Cook Books.

Melbourne — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:47:38 +0000

I couldn’t resist another post about ‘Books for Cooks’ that’s the bookshop for cooks and foodies at 233 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.

I was browsing there the other day and rummaged right into the depths of the shop – the depths of Books for Cooks is a sort of back room tucked away on the left hand side of the shop.

It was there I had one of those great nostalgic moments that come occasionally – a sort of arrow shot from the blue that takes you back in time. I discovered the Books for Cooks collection of the Time Life Series of ‘Foods of the World’.

I was immediately flung back to a basic eat-in kitchen of years ago and the magic a couple of these books brought to our quiet traditional suburban lives. It was a time when we ate meat, potatoes and two vegetables for the main meal of the day.

Pomegranate and Coffee

The first book I ever saw was ‘Cooking of the Middle East’ and it opened a whole other world to us. The cover features a picture a pomegranate. I had never seen one of these and at that time at least half of the ingredients used in the recipes were unobtainable where I lived. This prevented us from experimenting with many of the recipes. ‘The Cooking of Italy’ was of more use to us.

The Cooking of Italy

We knew about spaghetti. We ate it from a can and we bought macaroni which we could substitute for the unavailable pastas. The cheeses in the photos looked mouth-watering but were not readily available so our dishes had a distinct cheddar flavour.

Italian Cheese numbered and discussed

There are two books in the package. A coffee-table-size full of stunning photos, the history of the food and wines of the country, useful information and some recipes. An A5 ring binder gives most of the recipes and is easy to use on the bench. Books for Cooks are selling them separately.

Italian wines numbered and discussed

These books have stood the test of time although some of the fashion in the photos is a bit retro. It surprises me that the books haven’t been revised and re-published. I was astounded to find there are 27 titles, and they cover such little known traditional food-styles as American Creole, Acadian Cooking and Cooking of the Caribbean Islands?

I’m heading back to Books to Cooks for another bit of nostalgia and to add to my growing collection of the Time Life Series of ‘Foods of the World’. I think I will be the person who buys Acadian Cooking. It’s the cooking of the French-speakers who live in the French-speaking areas of Atlantic Canada. They like to use one pot for everything which is appealing.

Books for Cooks is at 233-235 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy – just around the corner from Smith Street.
Phone 8415 1415
Opening hours: 10.00 to 6.00 Monday to Saturday, 11.00 to 5.00 Sundays

Getting there:-

Take the 86 or the 95 tram from the city
There is metered parking in Gertrude Street

Books for Cooks Gertrude Street – Fitzroy

Melbourne — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:16:18 +0000

Books and Cooks they go together.

Dedicated cooks and the rest of us who dabble in cooking and who eat, can’t resist books about food. Take a look at any book shop and there are whole sections of these books covering every possible aspect of food and eating. Often they display mouth watering photos of food, that probably looks better than it tastes. So it’s a great treat to spend time in a place where the only books to wallow in are cooking books, wine books and books about food and the philosophy of food.

It’s all about eating at Books for Cooks 233 – 235 Gertrude Street Fitzroy.

There are new and re-cycled books, antiquarian cook books and you can’t help but love the retro books at the back of the shop.

Take a look at the photos and you can see it is a unique place to hang out. Great staff too. They know everything. You can talk to them about a cook book you once saw and wanted. They’re happy to chat and try to source it for you.

To my delight they have a re- publication of Elizabeth David’s original Cook books. Elizabeth David’s book ‘Mediterranean Food’ was the first book that taught my family, in small town New Zealand, that olive oil could be used for cooking and not only for soothing an inflamed ear. It’s amazing to think that that was only a few decades ago. Books for Cooks give the opportunity to leap back into those exotic and sensual and pages of Elizabeth David’s early Books.

If you are a cook-book-junkie Books for Cooks is definitely your shop.

You’ll also love Books for Cooks if you are keen on eating. After a browse your taste buds begin to zing you can head for one of the many eateries in and around Gertrude Street. A popular place is Birdman Eating – don’t you love the name? It’s right opposite Books for Cooks.

Books for Cooks is at 233-235 Gertrude Street – just around the corner from Smith Street.

Take the 86 or the 95 tram from the city

Fitzroy Nursery – Garden Oasis in Fitzroy

Melbourne — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:37:09 +0000

Brunswick Street on a busy Saturday afternoon and you’re shopping until you drop.

Give yourself a break – feed your soul for a moment? Duck into the Fitzroy Nursery – The Artists Gardens at 390 Brunswick Street.

Listen to the fountains playing, gaze at the lush plants, take in the garden art and find a spot to linger. It’s a haven from the vibrant life on the street and the art is fun.

The garden art on display is sourced locally but some comes from further a field. The animal sculptures are from New Zealand. They’re made of all-weather re-cycled corrugated iron.

If you come from the land of The Long White Cloud you may want to add one of these to your household. They all have their own unique personality and there is nothing like a touch of nostalgia for corrugated iron.

Fitzroy Nursery is at 390 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Take the no 112 Tram from the CBD.

If you are coming from St Kilda stay on the 96 tram and get off along Nicholson Street at Rose Street and wander along Rose Street to Brunswick Street.