Melbourne Places » Tram 16

St Kilda Botanical Gardens – a winter view

Melbourne — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:18:00 +0000

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 at this time of the year. The roses have been pruned – the green and the flowers have gone and the canes are stark against the mulched ground.

I am interested in their pruning style. When I studied the canes and what was left after such abundant growth earlier in the year I realized that I had been very timid when I pruned my few roses. The gardens have cut them back severely.

I am looking forward to seeing how these canes sprout and how quickly the flowers come. Last season they were beautiful.

The grass is very green after all the rain we have had and bare branches of the deciduous trees stand out against the sky and the luscious green of the Macrocarpa hedge that protects the rose garden.

There is a lot to see at this time of the year.

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus the end of Acland Street. Walk up Blessington Street – on your left.
Trams 67, 3 or 16 to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street and walk along Blessington Street – Blessington Street is on your right when you get off the tram.

Salvos move to Carlisle Street, St Kilda and take on a new look.

Melbourne — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:00:22 +0000

The say good things come in small packages and the St Kilda, Salvation Army Opportunity Shop is proof of this. They have downsized. In doing so they have created a much better outlet in Carlisle Street than the previous one on the corner of Inkerman Street and St Kilda Road.

That huge rambling and messy warehouse on the corner of Inkerman Street and St Kilda Road has closed. The site has turned into a bike emporium.

The new shop in Carlisle has style compared with the old one and they have cut down on their stock. I always believed that there was so much ‘stuff’ in the old warehouse no one would be able say exactly what was in there.

The new store has added style to a Salvo browse. The shop is laid ‘out’. The dressing rooms are no longer a sort of curtained box, designer gear is in the front when you walk in.

Shoes are ordered on racks and someone keeps them tidy.

Home wares tend to be colour coded for example there is a shelf of blue. Books are newer – less knocked about, It feels cleaner and there are less of the things that no one is ever going to buy. It also feels as if the place is dusted sometimes – perhaps regularly.

I have been told they are charging more that they did in the old warehouse. This could apply to their designer gear although my black Country Road singlet was $5.00.

Last time I was there they had a piano, which seemed odd because the shop next door is a piano shop. I was hoping some one in the large browsing crowd would play it. If they did it was after I left. I also noticed some crutches in one corner should you ever need any.

The Salvos, St Kilda:-
Opposite the City of Port Phillip Town Hall in Carlisle Street.

Opening hours:-
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Thursday to Friday 9.00 to 7.00pm
Saturday 9.00a, to 5.00pm

Getting there:-
Trams No 3 or No 16
Get off at the stop on the corner of St Kilda Road and Carlisle Street.

St Kilda and Sunday with the Busking Festival at the Sea Baths

Melbourne — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:33:09 +0000

For the next few Sundays life in St Kilda and particularly on Acland Street is going to get more vibrant. St Kilda is in the middle of holding the Busking Festival. The actual location for the buskers is being shared by various street venues.
Fitzroy Street have had their turn and last Sunday, April 18, it was held at the Sea Baths, 18 Jacka Blvd.

That Sunday was the ideal day with the beach and the boardwalk in front of the Sea Baths crowded with people taking advantage of the warm autumn weather. The buskers also entertained patrons at the Beachcomber and Republica restaurants.

Next Sunday and for every Sunday until 23rd of May the buskers will jostle with the usual crowds for space in Acland Street as the street becomes a live stage.

If you are heading to St Kilda for the Esplanade Market or to indulge in the Acland Street cakes remember the festival. The buskers are entertaining from 1.00pm to 4.00pm.

There is a very good human statue, too I found the statue outside Luna Park on Lower Esplanade. As he is a ‘statue’ he may be fixed in that spot and not move with the timetable.

Getting there:-
Trams 16, 3A, and 96 ( the light rail) to the corner of Acland and Carlisle Street

Where:-
Acland Street, St Kilda: 25th April, 2nd May, 9th May, 16th May, 23rd May.

Finding out more:-
www.stkildabuskingfestival.com.au/

The Esplanade Market, St Kilda is worth a visit

Melbourne — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:00:33 +0000

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.

Artist Camille Monet and the St Kilda residents create a special piece of art for the community

Melbourne — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:30:57 +0000

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