Melbourne Places » Garden

West Beach Reserve St Kilda – great for taking the air on a winter’s day

Melbourne — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:22:49 +0000

There is a little known beach between St Kilda Beach and Middle Park Beach called West Beach Reserve. You can get away from the crowds here. For some reason fewer people walk this way.

It is here that the City of Port Phillip are nurturing some of the indigenous plants of the area . This strip between St Kilda Pier and Fraser Street has all the right conditions for these plants to grow. There is Scrub, Grassland and Saltmarsh, everything these indigenous plants need.

Most of the plantings are fairly recent as you can see and it is to be hoped that they take root and find that this piece of beach is where they want to live and multiply.

This one of my favourites. It is a little silvery, springy type of bush and I am keeping watch to see just how it will take and how big it will grow.

Port Phillip City Council have constructed a walkway through the area and it is a very pleasant place to be on a sunny winter morning. The path winds through the vegetation and there are seats so you can take in the view.

On a clear day the view is spectacular but even on an overcast day the colours can be interesting.

Getting there:-
Tram 96,16 or 3 to St Kilda . Then stroll along Beaconsfield Parade towards Port Melbourne.

Melbourne Botanical Gardens and the Terrace Cafe on a wet day

Melbourne — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:30:20 +0000

I joined friends for lunch at the Terrace Cafe in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens on a wet weekday morning. It was a long standing date and we went despite the rain.

The easiest way to reach the Terrace Cafe that overlooks the ornamental lake is to enter the gardens from the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Parade. The paths are lined with trees which shelter them from too much rain.

The entrance on the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Parade

The gardens are different in the wet. The first sound we noticed was the pure ringing note from the bell birds. They appear to like warm, wet, still days.

As we walked moorhens scooted around us giving their high pitched squawk, the earth smelt of vegetation and the noise from cars in Anderson Street was deadened.

Friendly Moor Hens

We passed this notice.

I always look for turtles but I have never seen one even on a wet day like this one. I wonder if they are real and if any one has ever seen one.

It is quiet expect for the birds, the sound of rain on the leaves and the voices of visitors. Even voices seem to quieten on this moist day. It was peaceful and relaxing wandering along to the Terrace Cafe.

The cafe was restful too. We sat outside at the back completely protected from the rain and with glimpses of the lake. For a wet day the Terrace Cafe was busy, couples chatted over coffee, singles read, someone wrote and a group of mothers met there with very young and quiet babies. The voices came from the mothers in animated conversation.

The ornamental lake in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens as seen from the Terrace Cafe
The cafe is known for its scones, cream and jam. It is the one of the best places to have a Devonshire tea. The scones are so good you want to go home and try making them so you can keep indulging.

Scones cream and jam at the Terrace Cafe

Lunch is fairly simple.

Baguettes with a variety of fillings. These ones are smoked salmon and avocado.

Thai chicken pie.

The chips were excellent. If you like chips order a serve to have with your coffee if you just want a snack.

Presentation is tops. One of our group brings her own bread to have sandwiches made to order. This is what they created.

To cleanse your palate the fruit salad not only looks good but is refreshing. I like the way they write on their white plates

Rain or shine the Terrace Cafe is a relaxing place to be with good simple food. There is a garden shop next door with some interesting items including a very beautiful umbrella covered in pansies. Too beautiful to use – a beautiful present, perhaps.

Getting there:-
Tram No 8 get off at the corner of Domain Road and Park Street.
Enter the gardens from there and follow the signs.

Parking:-
There is 3 hour parking in Anderson Street and 2 hours on Domain Road.

Opening Hours:-
The Royal Botanical Gardens:-
Every day of the year from 7.30 to sunset.

The Terrace Cafe:-
9.45am to 4.00pm, May to September
9.00am to 5.00pm, October to April

Alister Clark Rose Garden St Kilda Botanical Gardens – they have names, now

Melbourne — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:25:22 +0000

Something wonderful has happened to the roses in the Alister Clarke Rose Garden in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Well, it is wonderful to me. Some lovely person has identified these roses and now they have name plaques.

There is something about looking at a rose and knowing its name. It adds an extra pleasure. With no names it’s like a never ending sea of flowers. There is no way to distinguish one from the other. I like to isolate the individual. I have mentioned the lack of names before see here. And see Ester’s comment. I hope it has been a labour of love and my thanks to Ester.

It is also fun to see the names the rose breeders have come up with; Dolly Parton for example. Would you have guessed the name by looking at the rose?

Then there is Apricot Passion – it sounds like a wallow in a mango.

Reading the names as I did the other morning, showed how many of the roses had been propagated by rose breeder David Austin.

Then there are those attributed to Alister Clark and of course it is his rose garden. This name of his is a puzzle.

I thank the ‘Rose Namer’. It is lovely to become acquainted with these roses – it’s a pity the prickles prevent a handshake.

Where:-
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
The gardens are open from sunrise to sunset (from dawn until dusk) seven days a week.

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus the end of Acland Street. Walk up Blessington Street – on your left.
67 Tram to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street and walk along Blessington Street -on the right off Brighton Road.

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

St Kilda Botanical Gardens – the Magpie-larks make it time to stop and stare.

Melbourne — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:05:45 +0000

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 haven’t seen many of these little magpie–larks in the gardens. You can hear the shrill, piping voice of one or two of them occasionally. So I think these must the ones I heard piping and shrilling away during the winter and I like to think they see the gardens as their home.

The Rainman is rather a forlorn figure these days. His pond is almost empty and his base is exposed so he no longer looks as if he is standing on water.

The Magpie-larks have chosen a secure and friendly place to bring their family into the world. No four legged-predators can get across the muddy pond and disturb them. When it rains the Rainman is there to shelter them.

The magpie-larks build round nests that are quite small. They make them of grass, plant material then plaster all this together with mud and then line the nest with feathers, soft grass and fur.

I like the thought of the three of them; the Rainman and prospective Mum and Dad settling down together every evening.

These two small black and white birds don’t appear nervous of being watched and photographed and they are happy to potter around in the muddy edge.

Magpie-lark or as it is sometimes called mud-lark at the St Kilda Botanical Garden

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus at 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.
Opening Hours:-
Between sunrise and sunset seven days a week and the conservatory is open between 10.30am and 3.30pm week days and 1.00pm and 4.30pm Saturday to Sunday and public holidays.

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.

Camellia time at the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens is July and August

Melbourne — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:46:04 +0000

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 and you are in the camellia garden

The magic is more pronounce at the moment with plantings of daphne amongst the camellia trees. The perfume from the daphne wafts around as you stroll along the path. It’s a heady sort of perfume.

There are early and late camellias so you are never there when every tree is in flower but the Royal Botanical Gardens say August is The camellia month. There is plenty to see at the moment and many of the species are identified by name.

Some beautiful white blooms.

Clumps of snowdrops tucked between the camellias give a touch of early spring.

Getting There:-
Any tram that goes down St Kilda Road.
Tram 8 runs alongside the gardens and into Domain Road which also borders the gardens.

Opening Hours:-
7.30am to sunset

The Garden of Eden in Albert Park

Melbourne — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:52:57 +0000

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 and dream about what you could do in your outdoor space.

It is a place to stop off, wander about and dream. For a while you can imagine that the winding paths and the secluded nooks are your own.

The staff will talk to you about the plants and they are knowledgeable and know what they are talking about. They also let you wander and daydream.

The building is part of the old Albert Park Railway station so while your musing on how to get that metal arch onto your balcony and then entwine the structure with plants, the 96 tram will slide into the station, doors open, then close again and take off . You have seen nothing because a block of wonderful trees and bamboo has obscured the mundane from view.

When I work in the area and need time out I pop in and soak up the atmosphere. And sometimes I find it pleasant to get off the tram, browse and then pick up a later one. They run frequently on the 96 route.

The Garden of Eden has been there for about 20 years so it is no wonder there are some well established permanent plants.

The staff is interested in sustainable gardens and drought resistant plants and there is a home-ware section in part of the old station that they share with the Railway Antiques and cafe.

I like their garden sculptures and the way they display them making this Melbourne place an oasis in which to escape the everyday world.

The soul soothing experience of the Garden of Eden nursery is free – you can just wander about. It is of course a commercial enterprise but no one stops you absorbing the ambiance.

Garden of Eden
365 Ferrars Street,
Albert Park
Phone 9696 0551

Opening Hours:-
9.00 to 5.30 daily

Getting there:-
The 96 tram to the Albert Park Station

There is free parking on Ferrars Street
You will recognize The Garden of Eden by the bright coloured buckets hanging outside.

Guilfoyle’s Volcano overlooks Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens

Melbourne — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:09:09 +0000

Guilfoyle’s Volcano sits on top of the highest corner of the Royal Botanic Gardens and from here you can look over the rest of the gardens and to Melbourne’s CBD.

For years this strange wonder was hidden under an uncared for wilderness.
It was built in 1876 by William Guilfolye, who is quoted as saying, “ Combine the useful with the ornamental.” Originally it was a reservoirs and Guilfoyle’s folly. The restoration has made it into a reservoir again – combining the ornamental with the useful.

It has been restored with a path winding to the crater lake and a water resistant garden of cacti and succulents. The plantings are startling and it gives a weird effect of a planted moonscape.

The red areas represent the lava flows – they are planted too.

I found the cacti fascinating and felt impressed with the production of so many perfectly round bright green cacti that look almost as if they were on the move. They are called Golden Barrel Cacti ( Echinocactus grusonii)

The recent hail has damaged some of the succulents and the pole cacti. Some of the pole cacti are now staked and one is preparing to produce a couple of large flowers.

Numbers can be interesting and daunting for example; approximately 17,000 plants of 250 different species have been planted, of those species 97 are native to Australia. There must be hundreds of these round cacti and I managed to let go of my urge to count them.

The lake in the crater is full. The idea of looking into a crater lake creates an expectation of seeing steam rising or a few bubbles coming to the surface. It is a slight let down when nothing of the sort happens. Instead there are floating islands. These are to improve the water quality and in time this water will be used to help irrigate other areas the gardens.

The garden is new as are the floating islands and it will be interesting to see how the area looks when everything has become established. If all these pole cacti flower it will be a startling and beautiful sight.

Getting there:-
Tram 8 will take you almost to the Volcano. Get off at the Corner of Domain Road and Park Street and walk into the gardens. It is right there.
The Botanical Gardens can also be accessed from St Kilda Road – follow the signs to Guifoyle’s Volcano.
Parking:- 1 hour free in Domain Road. Paid parking in Birdwood Avenue.

Opening Hours:-
The gardens are open from 7.30am to sunset every day of the year.

Tours:- can be arranged by calling (03) 9252 2429

Take time out from the city with a visit to Werribee Park and Werribee Mansion.

Melbourne — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:08:31 +0000

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.

Werribee Mansion is set in the beautiful park with some old trees that are on the Significant Tree register for Victoria.

The mansion was built between 1874 and 1877 by the Chirnside family. It is described as an exquisite sixty-room Italianate mansion. Sixteen of those rooms are bedrooms. Today a considerable portion of this once family home is refurbished in the style of its early days and is open to the public.

The rooms are furnished either with the original furniture and colours or with equivalent furnishings that reproduce the atmosphere of those leisurely colonial days.
One mind blowing part of the house is the bachelor wing. It houses a billiard room with the required dead trophy animals on the walls and skin rugs complete with the head and glassy eyes on the floor.

Then strangely and stunningly you have a beautiful conservatory leading from it. The contrast is startling and it is hard to image gentlemen who left the dark masculine atmosphere of the billiard room feeling comfortable with their cigars and pipes in the light, bright feminine environment of the conservatory. It gives a surprising and thought provoking view of the colonial gentleman.

One of the most interesting moments was finding a charming blue stone building just outside the enclosed yard. This was the laundry. What makes it interesting is the charming visual and sound show that explains, with miniature figures, how the laundry was done for this huge household – give me my automatic any day.
The ground are extensive – 400 hectares that are owned and managed by the Victorian government. You could bring a picnic and relax under one of these ancient trees or admire the large formal garden that has been planted with petunias; not in flower yet.

This map gives you an idea of the area.

We had afternoon tea at the Sofitel Hotel and Spa which is now in one wing of the mansion.
We sank into comfortable deep couches and devoured delicate sandwiches, newly bake scones, and a variety of cakes. The cost was $25.00 per hear with bottomless cups of plunger coffee and tea or you could order your favourite espresso.

Getting there:-
Werribee Park is located just 30 minutes drive from Melbourne, via the Princes Highway on route to Geelong

(Melway Map 201 D 1)
The address is
K Rd
Werribee VIC 3030
Phone
03 8734 5100
13 1963
Web here
Entrance fee to the Park and the mansion
S14.00 ADULT, $9.00 CONCESSION , $33.00 FAMILY

Werribee Park Shuttle
The Werribee Park Shuttle Service operates daily return trips from central Melbourne to Werribee Park , Werribee Open Range Zoo, RAAF Museum and Point Cook Homestead. For further information and bookings phone (03) 9748 5094 or see the web site