A pair of magpie-larks or mud-larks, as they are sometimes called, have honoured the Rainman statue in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens by making a nest on his arm. They look very much at home and secure as they fly to the statue and settle on their nest to keep their eggs warm. I…
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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…
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The camellia collection at the Royal Botanical Gardens Melbourne is planted in an imaginative way. The area is a sort of square with a twisting path that wanders between the plantings giving a touch of magic – almost as if you were in a private room of camellias. Turn right after this beautiful tree…
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The St Kilda Botanical Gardens are in winter mode. It is a lovely time to visit and see the gardens preparing for spring and summer. Occasionally you see a sign of things to come with clumps of bulbs sending up their first spring shoots. The ambiance in the Alistair Clarke Rose Garden is different…
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Melbourne is a city of public gardens and parks but sometime it’s nice to soothe the soul in a Melbourne place that is more like our own courtyard; if we are lucky enough to have one. The Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park is a Melbourne place where you can recharge your batteries…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Melbourne is the best but sometimes it is good to leave all the buzz and excitement for the surrounding countryside. This hectic time of the year gets me craving for some air, quiet and space – Werribee Park is my choice when I feel like that – it’s only 30 minutes from the CBD….
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I believe some of this tranquility comes from the formal and the symmetrical design. It is pleasing to the eye and it seems to balance the mind. Or maybe it is just the over-all beauty of the design. The garden was officially opened in 1935. It was designed by Hugh Linakar as part of…
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