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City
Skyline from Treasury Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008
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Day 2.
Wednesday was spent beating the pavement .. well and truly beating it.
Did three of the Melbourne City walking tours. The Fitzroy Gardens
tour, the Elegant Heritage Tour and the River Walk tour.
Needing
a good night's sleep and avoiding the very cold early mornings, we
finally got on the way around 10am. Missed the morning rush hour as
well, an added bonus. Walked down to Federation Square, passing the
Town Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. Caught the free tourist tram to the
Fitzroy Garden's stop. Saw the Shell Building... well that's what the
map called it tho' there was no sign that was actually what it was.
(Cynthia's daughter works for Shell in London and if she gets a
transfer to Australia, that'd be where she works). Later we found that
it was indeed the "New Shell Building", or should that be the "Middle
Shell Building"? It was built for Shell in 1988-1989 to replace an
older building elsewhere in Melbourne (now demolished), but by the late
90's Shell had abandoned the building and found a home elsewhere. A
guide to the architecture of Melbourne describes it as the "worst
example of architecture ever to blight the Melbourne landscape"! Maybe
a bit harsh, but it'd explain why they left it within 10 years of it
being built. Personally, I'd just call it "uninspiring". Still, it won
an award, so someone must've liked it.
Walked thru' the Treasury
Gardens and then Fitzroy Garden's proper. Both were quite elegant,
green, peaceful and beautiful. No doubt they'd be even better in the
warmer months when all the elm trees are in leaf. Still, all those tree
"skeletons" have their own magic and there were plenty of
Moreton
Bay Fig trees, which're both very large and very green all year 'round.
Statues of state premiers throughout (less 'magical' tho' I'm sure
there're plenty of current politicians people would love to see turned
into statues!), as well as a memorial water feature commemorating John
F. Kennedy. Well it was originally a water feature - thanks to water
restrictions 'cuz of the drought, this water feature was one of the
sacrifices and the lake is dry. Treasury Gardens abuts Treasury Place
(one of the buildings was the colony's treasury building prior to
Federation), which is home to most of Victoria's bureaucrats and the
current premier - previous premiers now being statues in the garden,
figuratively speaking of course. Then across the road into Fitzroy
Garden's. Looks much the same so I suspect they're maintained to the
same theme.
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Fitzroy
Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008
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Fitzroy Gardens is about 4 times the size of the smaller
Treasury Garden's and both date back to the 1850's, only a few decades
after Melbourne was founded. Fitzroy Gardens was named after Sir
Charles Augustus Fitzroy, then Governor of NSW and Governor General of
the Australian Colonies. Being at the top of the local food chain is
always a good way to get places named after you. Fitzroy Gardens
has several notable attractions, along with all the enormous
trees
and carefully manicured gardens. There's the Conservatory, Cook's
Cottage, the Model Tudor Village, fountains, rotundas and more. Through
the middle of the park runs a stream and whilst the rest of the park is
open, along the stream it is heavily planted and much more secluded and
intimate with sheltered glades, little lakes, a rainforest gully and so
forth. Whether you are after some history, lazing in the sun on
expansive lawns, wandering the secluded glades, a delicious snack (or
meal) at the café, a taste of tropical warmth (and colour!) or just a
stroll in the park .. Fitzroy Garden's certainly meets the bill. And
don't forget to look back towards the CBD for some pretty impressive
views of the city skyline. The conservatory, built in 1929, is quite
impressive and colourful ... and a tropical high 20's celcius inside
(when it was a crisp 14C outside). Very coulourful. Lots of ferns,
orchids, impatiens, small lakes, fountains, palm trees and many, many
topical plants. A drastic contrast to the world outside, that's for
sure!!! Fitzroy is almost every inch the typical English formal park -
even the oathways are laid out along the lines of the British Union
Jack flag!
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City
centre at night from Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008
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A short distance away from the Conservatory is Captain Cook's
Cottage. Well his parent's cottage, James Sr & Grace Cook
(where he
was born & grew up). Dissassembled stone by stone and shipped
to
Australia where it was reassembled in 1934 as a gift for Victoria's
Centenary (1837-1937) courtesy of Russell Grimwalde, a philanthropist.
The stone cabin, complete with period furnishings and a herb &
vegetable garden outside is quite impressive. Even the ivy growing over
the house is original ... taken from cuttings of the ivy that was
growing on the house back in Great Ayton,Yorkshire. For Australian's it
has the same significance as the wooden cottage I visited in Kentucky
where Abraham Lincoln was born or the place where Columbus was born.
The big difference is that while Lincoln's home has essentially been
made into a religious shrine, complete with an elaborate sandstone
"temple" built to enclose it, Cook's cottage sits quietly in
the
Garden. And that neatly encapsulates many of the differences between
USAmericans and Aussies (and I lived in the USA for a few years).
Unless you got up close and read the sign you could be excused for
thinking Cook's Cottage was just another heritage cottage with
some minor historical significance. There were two such cottages in the
gardens, one (Sinclair's Cottage) is an office and the other the
caretaker's residence. One of the most impressive things about Cook's
cottage was it's plain-ness, something it shares with Lincoln's
birthplace. The cottage is furnished with typical period pieces.
Downstairs there's a semi-detached laundry, a kitchen & dining
area
and children's bedroom. Upstairs was the main bedroom and living room,
along with another children's bedroom. Walked past Sinclair's cottage
(now closed to the public) and onto the model Tudor village. The
village was made by & presented to Melbourne by the people of
Lambeth, England, in the late 1940's. A complete Tudor village
including church, inn, castle, village homes and farm houses. Had
morning tea in the café next to the village and then left the park for
the next walking tour.
The Elegant Enclave tour took us through
the suburb of East Melbourne where in past centuries there was a lot of
money (still is), which is reflected in the grand and beautiful
architecture. Well not everything is big .. there're lots and
lots of lovely little terrace houses, but even they seemed a cut above
the average middle class terrace homes of the late 19th century. Plenty
of elaborate mansions, homes with lots of history (or associated with
historican Melbournians). Add to that a large range of architectural
styles over the suburb ... from Gothic to Victorian, from Art Deco to
Spanish, from Modern to, well, just plain bizzare. The home of the
leader of the miners at the Eureka Stockade (the closest Australia ever
came to a revolutionary war), the home of Australia's first female
doctor. A private hospital, a private school, public buildings and
churches, most now homes. An old presbyterian church that was so big it
would make many cathedrals jealous was converted into an apartment
block after fire destroyed the inside - looking from the ground up one
sees a beautiful, but not unusual and grand church but where the roof
would be is a glittering edifice of glass and steel reaching further
into the sky. A somewhat uneasy marriage IMO, but evidently others like
it since it actually got built and occupied. Spent maybe two hours
walking around looking at lots of heritage buildings ... and others
that were just beautiful or unusual.
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Melbourne
at Night from Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008
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Back to Fitzroy Gardens and the café for lunch. Out of the
Garden's and up to St Patrick's Cathedral. As the name would suggest,
the Roman Catholic Cathedral. And boy, is it big and grad. Certainly a
lot bigger and a lot grander than the one in Sydney. Not really a
surprise I guess since Melbourne has always had many more Catholics
than Sydney - Melbourne has more Greek's than any other place in the
world, apart from Greece of course. And not to forget the Irish who
settled the region in droves back in the 1800's. There's also the ruins
of St Patricks College - all that's left is a single tower. Then up
Pilgrim's Way to the Cathedral itself. Built between 1858-1897, tho' it
wasn't really completed until the 1930's. One amusing feature - during
the restoration back in the 1990's a stonemason carved one of the
gargoyles above one of the main entrances in the image of the then
state premier, Jeff Kennett. Apparently not noticed until it was too
late and I guess the premier had enuf of a sense of humour not to
demand it be removed.
Then did the free tourist tram trip around
the city centre ... took maybe an hour, with lots of long waits at some
stops. Some pretty impressive architecture, some pretty strange as
well. Plenty of ideas for things to do later in the week!! Back to the
hotel for a short break and change the camera batteries and then off on
the River Walk tour. Walked maybe 1-2km west along the
northern
bank of the Yarra River from Federation Square, starting at the
curiously named Banana Alley. Enterprize Wharf, near Queen's Bridge,
marks the spot where John Pasco Fawkner stepped ashore, after sailing
up the Yarra on the "Enterprize". Fawkner was looking for a site to
establish a commerical settlement and within a few years his vision saw
the birth of Melbourne. Melbourne, along with Darwin, are the only
state capitals not originally founded as convict settlements (and even
today Darwin's population barely qualifies as a city with less than
125,000 residents and prior to 1900 it's population rarely exceeded a
few hundred). The northern shore of the Yarra is peaceful and quite ..
with some pretty impressive views south of the river to the Southbank
district, which has gone from a squalid industrial and wharehouse
district to a vibrant and heavily built residential and commerical area
challenging the CBD in height in less than 20 years. Melbourne's
tallest building, Eureka Tower, is in the Southbank district and when
it was built it was the world's tallest apartment tower. We crossed a
footbridge and slowly walked back to Federation Square along the south
side of the Yarra - this time with views north of Melbourne's CBD.
Stopped half-way along at a café-bar for a few drinks and to wait for
dark ... so I could take night-time foto's of the CBD ... all colourful
lights and reflections on the Yarra. Beautiful. More night-time foto's
on the walk back to the hotel. Rested the poor abused feet for a while,
changed and then headed north to Lygon Street, Carlton, the Italian
heart of Melbourne to have dinner at an Italian (naturally) restaurant
- "Key on the Wall". No idea of the significance of the name. Walked
back to the hotel ... a good 3/4 hours. Need to burn off the dinner!
And that's it for another day.
Treasury
Gardens ...
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Former Shell Building,
cnr Spring & Flinders
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Treasury Gardens
& City skyline
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Government Buildings
from Treasury Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Some well preserved
dead
premiers, Treasury Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Fitzroy
Gardens ...
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The Conservatory,
Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Inside the
Conservatory, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Inside the
Conservatory, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Inside the
Conservatory, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Inside the Conservatory
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Inside the
Conservatory, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Lycopodium,
Conservatory
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Captain Cook's
Cottage, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Kitchen, Captain
Cook's Cottage
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Pond, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Sinclair's Cottage,
Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Creek, Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Shady glade, Fitzroy
Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Rotunda & St
Patrick's spire
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Model Tudor Village,
Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Model Tudor Village,
Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Fitzroy Gardens
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Elegant
Enclave (East Melbourne) ...
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Mossy doorway,
Clarendon St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Lisieux House, 100
George St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Terrace, 138 Powlett
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
190 George St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Cnr George &
Clarendon St's
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Gothic House, 157
Hotham Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Bishopcourt, cnr
Hotham & Clarendon Streets
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Former Cairns Memorial
Presbyterian Church,
cnr Hotham & Powlett Streets
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Terraces, 115-117
George Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Dorset Terrace,
114-120 Hotham Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Terraces, 123-127
Powlett Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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1860's House (now
apartments), 166 George St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Bradoc House, 32-38
George Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Queen Bess Row, cnr
Simpson & Hotham St's
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Cottage, Simpson Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Castle Coombe, Hotham
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Magnolia Court,
Powlett Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
St Patrick's
Cathedral ...
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Main Entrance (south)
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
East view
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Inside
St Patrick's Cathedral
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Jeff
Kennett the gargoyle
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
St Patrick's College
Tower
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Around the
City Centre ...
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Centre Place, off
Flinders
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Old Treasury, Spring
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Lutherian Church,
Premier's Lane
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Tourist tram, Flinders
St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
The Riverwalk
...
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Southbank across Yarra
from Banana Alley
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Rainbow Bridge
& Southbank from Banana Alley
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Southbank across Yarra
from Banana Alley
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Southbank across Yarra,
from Banana Alley
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Sandridge Bridge
&
Southbank, Enterprize Park
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Sandridge
Railway Bridge & Southbank
across Yarra from Enterprize
Park
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Sculpture,
Enterprize Park
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Southbank across Yarra,
from Banana Alley
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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CBD from Southbank near Kingsway Bridge
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
CBD from The
Promenade, Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
CBD & The
Promade at dusk, Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Melbourne at
Night across the Yarra ...
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City lights
at night over Yarra from Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Prince's Bridge
& City at night from Southbank
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
City at night from
Prince's Bridge
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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Melbourne Concert Hall
from Prince's Bridge
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
View east along Yarra
from Prince's Bridge
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
City &
Federation Square from Prince's Bridge
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Strolling
Melbourne at Night ...
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Flinders St Station
from Federation Square
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Town Hall, Swanson
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Town Hall, Swanson
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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St Pauls at night from
Federation Square
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Sculpture outside
State Library, Swanson St
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
State Library, Swanson
Street
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
Nicole Kidman's dress
from
Chanel advert, Myers
Image © David
Powell, 2008 |
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