Melbourne Places » Tram Route 6

Street Art at the Windsor end of Chapel Street.

Melbourne — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:13:52 +0000

Brighten up a grey winter morning and take in the Graf Art as you stroll along Chapel Street, Windsor. Of course it doesn’t have to be the morning, anytime during the day will do. But the in-your-face colours gives a me lift on a grey morning.

The corner of McIlwrick and Chapel Streets (at Tarlo and Graham)

Most of the art is just around the corner off Chapel Street where there are big flat walls to the sides of the shops.

A lane way off Duke Street 5 meters from Chapel Street

On a cold winter morning it is a flash of colour to lift the spirits. Take a look next time you are in Windsor – that is the strip of Chapel Street from the Windsor Railway Station to High Street.

As seen from Chapel Street

It is hard to know what to call this art. I have heard it called Graf Art, Street Art, Urban Art and I rather like the idea of it being Public Art; that is art that is available for us see as we go about our daily business. We have the chance to admire, criticize, discuss it and ignore it as we walk on by.

Corner of Union Street and Chapel Street.

My only wish is that it could be changed more often – like a shop window. However vivid the piece, you stop seeing it after a while and it becomes part of the background. I want to be startled out of my morning-fog with something new.

There is also this in the way of public art. Check here I always enjoy this on my way to the South Melbourne Market.

Getting there:-
Windsor end of Chapel Street

Tram
78 runs from St Kilda along Chapel Street into Church Street and then to Richmond.
6 from CBD to Glen Iris runs along High Street cross Chapel Street.

Trains
Sandringham Line to Windsor Station

Shakahari – fine vegetarian dining in Carlton.

Melbourne — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:35:12 +0000

My first visit to Shakarhari, the vegetarian restaurant at 201/203 Faraday Street in Carlton, was a few years ago.

I was with a vegetarian friend who was visiting from overseas and I wanted to give her a experience of fine dining –something more than the average vegetarian fare which often seems to include beans or Dahl. Actually I quite like Dahl but I don’t see it as fine dining. A work colleague suggested Shakarahri.

We dined well. The evening and the food were a great success.

This year an old friend suggested Shakahari for a pre-Christmas catch-up lunch. I was excited and I wondered why I had left it so long between visits.

The outside of the restaurant is the same. A cute cottage painted yellow. It opens up inside and flows through to the right, which takes you into the next door house and to the courtyard.

The inside is still the same orange colour and still furnished with a few Indian/Asian artifacts. It is comforting to find something you remember with affection is still the same.

However the menu had changed since my last visit so it was like a new adventure. No change in the wine list and we ordered the Richmond Organic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, that I remember, to sip on while we chatted and discussed food. I have always been wary of organic wines but this is a good Sauvignon Blanc. $8.00 per glass.

There is a touch of romance to the menu. For example ‘Scent of a green papaya’ in the entrees. How could you go past a dish with a name like that – as you read it the scent seems to waft around you? You immediately want to taste it. $14.50

Scent of a green papaya

This is how the menu describes the salad -” Northern Territory green papaya (high medicinal qualities) lightly crushed and tossed with green beans, cherry tomatoes,cashew nuts and seaweed tofu crisps. Dressed with a sourish tamarind palm sugar chilli sauce”.

We also chose Croquettes de Chine.

Croquettes de Chine

This dish is described as; “Crunchy patties of steamed mashed yam, potatoes, roasted macadamia nuts, pickled turnips and diced vegetables. Served with herbal oil, tossed greens, kim chee and a mild black bean ginger sauce”. $19.5

We shared these dishes and thought them good choices for lunch. The papaya salad was especially interesting. The taste was light and different, possibly like the scent of a green papaya. We would order it again. The Croquettes were filled with a subtle flavour. I remember them from last time but I think they had something different served with them.

We had intended to have dessert and we had talked about their ‘Black Rice and Sago Pudding’ as we headed to the restaurant only to find it was one of those things removed from the menu.

Another disappointment was the change in the seating. It was a calm warm day with some sun and we wanted to sit in the courtyard but there were no tables only benches for seating. We asked about a table but we were told the manager, who wasn’t there, had wanted it that way. I hope he has a change of heart and puts tables and chairs out there again.

Friendly service, fine vegetarian dining. The restaurant has been operating for about 20 years so they must be doing something right. For me it is the different slant on the usual vegetarian fare giving the meal a touch of lightness, that is often the romance of food. In the winter a gas fire looks cheerful and welcoming– try for a table near it.

The menu is labeled for gluten free, non dairy and vegan dishes see here. If you plan a visit have a look at the menu on line before you go. It will help you work out what you want to eat.

Where:- Shakarahi Vegetarian Restaurant
201/203 Faraday Street
Carlton
Phone:- 9347 3848

Opening times:- Monday to Thursday Midday to 3.30pm then 6.00pm to 9.30
Friday to Saturday Midday to 3.30pm then 6.00pm to 10.30pm
Sunday 6.00pm to 9.30pm

Getting there:- All trams that travel north along Swanston Street eg, 3, 6, 12,1, 8, 67. Get off at the University stop and walk along Faraday Street to Lygon Street. The restaurant is just over Lygon Street.

W-class Yellow and Green trams icons of Melbourne on route 78/79 are to be replaced so grab a ride while you can.

Melbourne — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:49:44 +0000

W-class trams date back to the 1930’s.

W-class Tram at the corner of Chapel and Carlisle Street

A W-class tram was the first tram I rode in Melbourne. It was before I lived here and in the days when there was a conductor on board.

I clambered up the high wooden step and sat on a hard seat and fell in love with these charming yellow and green vehicles.

Now these wonderful old trams have almost gone. The green and yellow ones on Prahran to Richmond route are to phased out and scrapped. So clamber aboard one of these work horses of the public transport system while you can. They will be history soon.

You can see how badly they are being maintained.

There are some W-class trams that have been painted a dull red for the tourists. They don’t feel like the real thing to me and I haven’t photographed one. The real thing is painted green and yellow!
To take a ride back in time. Take the 78/79 tram from St Kilda to Richmond North (78 during the day and 79 at night). The W-class is still in every-day use on these tracks.

This is one of the few tram routes that doesn’t go through the CBD. It travels in a straight line along Chapel Street and into Church Street.

News reports tell us these trams are for the scrap heap. You can check out what is happening at this web site. So instead of being shaken and joggled on this route in future we can expect to glide along as one would on, say, route 6 which always carries new sleeker models. No charm there.

Grab the opportunity and grab a 78 and slowly progress along Chapel Street, and into Church Street until you get Victoria Street, Richmond – the home of Vietnamese cafes and the Minh Phat Supermarket.

This is not a comfortable ride. People have described the trams as the ‘old green W-class rattlers’. It is the charm of Melbourne’s past you are experiencing. In the recent TV mini-series “Pacific” about World War II, two of the characters flirted on a W-class tram. I wonder if they borrowed one from route 78 for the filming?

Recently a number of the W-class trams congregated in St Kilda – There are 6 in this photo.

Tram route 78/79 is an interesting route to travel. Starting in St Kilda, that is the Chapel Street end of St Kilda, the tram picks up many people who make short journeys – sometimes only one or two stops. Then you cross Dandenong Road and head into Windsor with its eclectic collection of op shops, cafes, designer shops and the fascinating Tarlo and Graham shop. From Windsor it’s across High Street and into Prahran and South Yarra. Chapel Street is packed with cars so the journey is slow. This gives you a change to gaze around. It is a great area to ‘people watch’ – some are walking faster than you are travelling. Across the Yarra and you are into Church Street and the speed picks up. This segment is filled with furniture design emporiums and exotic car show rooms. It is here that you can view the latest Ferrari or Maserati. Finally you arrive at North Richmond where you can take the 109 (always a sleek modern tram) into the CBD or ride back the way you came.

A good place to board a W-class tram is the corner of Chapel and Carlisle Streets. The no 3 and 16 trams from the CBD intersect with it here. The number 6 intersects at High Street and the No 72 at Commercial Road.

What:-
W-Class Trams – Route 78/79
Trams run every half hour – about 5 and 35 past the hour from the St Kilda terminus

Check out the timetables here:-
78 daytime tram-
79 Night-time tram slightly changed route goes to St Kilda Beach

Georgios-A meeting place at 1235 High Street, Armadale

Melbourne — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:39:32 +0000

Georgios has been there forever. That is probably too grand a statement but I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there. During the years I have known it, it has remained the same and become an Armadale icon if not a Melbourne icon. The decor is rather like a sophisticated cafe and doesn’t appear to have changed either over the years. It is pleasant and relaxing and always buzzing. It’s a great place to meet friends – everyone knows it or if they don’t they can find it easily – the corner of High Street and Glenferrie Road opposite the Malvern Town Hall.

I worked in Armadale a couple of years ago and once a month we had a breakfast meeting in Georgios. After a while we thought the food had gone off and we found other places. Thinking back I believe we needed a reason to explore other places – we wanted change. Georgios had stayed the same.

Recently a friend said she was meeting her friend there and she would give me a report if I was interested. I jumped at her offer. “Yes please”, I said. “I want to know: is the food still good? Did you enjoy it? What about service? And why did you choose Georgios?

This is what my friend e-mailed to me.

“The reason we chose Giorgio’s is because it is well known which makes it a great meeting place. The atmosphere was humming without being too loud and the service was flawless.

The outside tables were not in use as it had been raining but you could imagine on a summer’s day they would all be full of life.

I had the warm spicy tea.

Then for my meal I had “avocado toast” It was delicious. Two slices of honey and sesame toast with sliced avocado, topped with tomato and crispy bacon and a side of rocket and feta.

My friend had the egg-white omelette. This was on rye bread and the omelette was filled with feta and chopped tomatoes. For an egg-white omelette she said it was very tasty. This came with a grilled tomato on the side”.

Giorgios has a dining area, a large outdoor terrace, wine bar, private function room and a semi-enclosed fully heated outdoor area.

Where:_
Georgios
1235 High Street, Armadale – on the corner of Glenferrie Road
Phone 9822 4664
Opening Hours:- every day from 7.00am to 1.00am

Getting there:-
Tram N0 6 to Glen Iris goes down High Street. Get off at the corner of High and Glenferrie.

Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran

Melbourne — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:54:34 +0000

The Special Cake Shop at 207 Chapel Street, Prahran is an institution in the area.

Over the years Prahran cafes and food outlets have come and gone but not the Special Cake Shop. It just keeps on keeping on. It was opened in the mid 1950s by a Greek Immigrant and then bought in 1976 by its current owner George Seherlis.

The Special Cake shop is in one of these charming old buildings that are fast disappearing from along Chapel Street

The shop has stayed the same. The inside, which hasn’t changed since I have been buying from it, looks a bit retro but I think it is one of those places that fashion has gone the full circle and is back with it.

The inside is divided into two parts with a wide opening between them. As you enter there is seating to the left, the retail counter to your right and the kitchen straight ahead. The windows are full of cakes and biscuits. They are not all Greek cakes. You can get an English sponge roll and lamingtons. There are some wonderful double chocolate biscuits.

I’m told that they are still making coffee in their 1960’s coffee machine. I haven’t checked this out. I have had coffee there. It was good but not the best I have had.

I usually buy and head for home. The Baklava is good – solid hearty Baklava with lots of nuts. Great for desert.

A few years ago they introduced a spinach and feta scone – if you think of ’scone’ in an English sense you’ll look for the wrong thing. This scone is about the size of a saucer and oozes spinach, onion and feta. They are usually in the window but you can buy them warm from the pie-warmer or if you arrive at the right time – late morning – they are warm from the oven.

This scone is my weakness. Every few weeks I begin to crave one and I need to have my fix.

The Special Cake Shop is a friendly place with family members working there. They are always helpful, pleasant and quick. Many of the customers are regulars and appear to be friends. It would be easy to fit into this companionable vibe. They also serve pies, sausage rolls, filled rolls and gourmet sandwiches.

Where:-
Special Cakes, 207 Chapel Street, Prahran Phone 9510 7689

Opening hours:-
Open every day from 7.00am to 6.00pm

Getting there:
Tram No 78 runs along Chapel Street to Richmond. Tram 6 to Glen Iris leaves from the CBD, get off at the corner of High Street and Chapel Street and walk North.

Trains the Sandringham Line to either Prahran Station or Windsor Station

Trash, Treasure or vintage? It is hard to decide in Womango, 47 Chapel Street, Windsor/Prahran.

Melbourne — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:50:50 +0000

The Windsor end of Chapel Street is know as the funky end of Chapel Street, Prahran To me it is the fun end. I often pass Womango and I can never resist the window. It’s a ’stop and stare and stare some more and chat to your friend’ sort of window. It’s a collectors paradise.

Womango’s Window –
Inside it is as crammed with goods as the window. The old saying ‘there is nowhere to put a pin down’ is spot on.

At the entrance there is a notice saying ‘No Big Bags’ and you can see why. Even without a big bag you have to be careful not to send some of the treasures flying.

There’s a yellow and green jug in the window that I like and I can spend ages gazing at the rings that are in a case inside and then there is something about those long white evening gloves of the fifties. What romance they conjure up. Yesterday there was an old wooden ladder in very good condition filling up some of the entrance space.

If you are a visiting Chapel Street for vintage, retro, antiques and treasures from the recent past , I’d start here.
If you are a collector and looking for something in particular the owner knows her stock – that’s a feat in itself. She is knowledgeable and is happy to talk. She is also happy for you to spend as long as you like exploring this visual feast.
Note the opening hours – they are unusual for the area:-
Closed Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 12.00pm to 6.00pm.

You can ring the owner if you need to make contact at other times – 9533 6650 or 0410 750 310

Getting there

Take the Sandringham Line Train to Windsor Station. Come out of the Windsor Station and you are there. Womango is more or less opposite Syber’s Book Shop, by the pedestrian crossing.

Trams 78 and 79 run the full length of Chapel Street between St Kilda and Richmond.

If you are coming from the CBD by tram you need a tram number 8 or 6 or 72. These trams intersect with Chapel Street at some point.

Browsing High Street, Armadale & eating at Crust

Melbourne — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:11:29 +0000

A chilly but sunny winter’s day on High Street Armadale.

Exploring an area of Melbourne is one of the joys of living in this city where no area is the same as its neighbour. By exploring I mean wandering, drifting into shops and browsing through the merchandise. It is not so much about shopping as absorbing the atmosphere.

Armadale is antique shops, bridal shops and general fashion stores; some very exclusive and some different but not expensive, and galleries; there are a lot of galleries. Veronica George Gallery has some beautiful glass – a passion of mine (see the post hot sculptured glass at the Kirra Gallery).

Armadale is traditionally elegant and restrained but a new comer has changed some of that. Supply and Demand has come to the strip and it is large and painted orange.

Supply and Demand – High Street, Armadale

However it is not the first orange building in the area. Armadale Angling has been there for years but in a funny way it blended in. Now with the orange painted Supply and Demand across the road it stands out and looks tasteless and garish.

Armadale Angling, High Street Armadale

We had no pre-planned place to lunch in Armadale. We came upon Crust and knew it was what we were looking for – casual, with atmosphere. Inside there are dark tables, a dark interior and a cosy fire giving it a European feel. Outside (where we sat) there is a heavy clear plastic awning to make the most of the sun by protecting the tables from the chilly breeze and the traffic fumes -High Street in Armadale is busy on Saturday. There were gas heaters too although they were turned off later as the plastic sheeting collected the sun’s heat.

Saturday lunch at Crust, High Street, Armadale

This is a pizza place hence the name, Crust. We discovered that Crust is a chain although I had never heard of it before.

They are unique in my experience by describing their pizzas as healthy. The menu divides them in to categories – Traditional, Meat, Chicken, Seafood and Vegetarian. Then there is ‘Healthier Choice’ with the red heart tick. Each item has a code by it to help with your healthy diet. For example ‘SR’ means that the sauce base is made from spinach and ricotta and ‘P’ is a pumpkin based sauce – there are others that you can check out if you visit.

We didn’t choose a pizza. We selected the Vegetarian Calzone. It was a good choice – delicious and it went very well with the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
Vegetarian Calzone with an ‘SR’ base sauce is made with Spanish onions, feta, roasted tomatoes and the final touch that tipped it over the edged from okay to delicious; olives.

Vegetarian Calzone, at Crust

We ate, sipped our chilled wine, watched the locals and visitors strolling past from our warm and sunny enclave and felt, at that moment, that everything was fine with the world.

Getting there:
Tram no 6 to Glen Iris runs along High Street. A good place to get off to start exploring is the corner of High Street and Kooyong Road, stop 40 at the Armadale Station.

You can also catch a train to Armadale Station. It is on the Cranbourne, Frankston and Pakenham lines. When you leave the station walk through the arcade. It’s full of interesting shops.

CRUST is at 1162 – 1164 High Street, Armadale Phone 9021 9999