Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster

One of my favourite parklands is Ruffey Lake Park. The huge patch of green is a whopping 68 hectares and stretches from The Boulevard to Victoria St in Doncaster.

Ruffey Lake Park

The lake itself lies in the centre of the park and has wetlands and boardwalks to explore.
Ruffey Lake Park
With a few different walking tracks to choose from, you can climb rolling hills...
Ruffey Lake Park
 ...meander along flat paths beside the water...
Ruffey Lake Park...and stroll through rows of Monterey Pines, planted as windbreaks by the orchardists who first pioneered the area.Ruffey Lake Park
The track takes you past former quarries where sandstone and mudstone was sourced to build the houses for the German families who settled here in the 1800's.

Ruffey Lake Park

Ruffey Lake ParkRuffey Lake Park
As the trail opens up again closer to Victoria St, Finger's Bunya Pines can be seen on the left. Planted in 1900, either side of the orchard gate, the smaller one was burnt in a fire soon after and was unable to reach the lofty heights of its neighbouring tree.

There are still a few buildings in the area that were part of the orchardists estates, and Schramm's Cottage on Victoria St is worth a look for a journey back in time to the Doncaster of yesteryear.
Ruffey Lake Park
One of the first trees to be planted around Doncaster, The Old Pear Tree, still going strong at the ripe old age of 166 years. About 119 varieties of fruit trees once stood in these former orchards.
Ruffey Lake ParkA few more trees that I like to visit are the ones my family has planted on National Tree Day. These were planted by my husband and daughter two years ago...

Ruffey Lake Park
...and this year, my son and I joined them and we planted about a dozen more trees and shrubs in the same area.  I look forward to visiting them in the future and watching them grow tall and strong.

Ruffey Lake Park
What: Ruffey Lake Park
Where: The Boulevard, Doncaster
When: Daily
Why: walks, history
How Much: FREE
Nearby: Schramms Cottage

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Royal Exhibition Building

A quick walk down LaTrobe St and I was at Carlton Gardens.
Royal Exhibition Building

Royal Exhibition BuildingThe Royal Exhibition Buildings were almost glowing in the sunlight. I joined the 2pm tour at the front desk of the Museum, then we walked over to the grand old building next door.
After being used to the hustle and bustle of trade shows inside, both as an exhibitor and visitor, it was a vastly different experience being here when the building is empty.
Royal Exhibition Building
The ceiling seemed higher...
Royal Exhibition Building...the windows lighter...

Royal Exhibition BuildingRoyal Exhibition Building...the colours brighter than I remembered from my previous visits.
Royal Exhibition BuildingRoyal Exhibition BuildingThe tour lasted about 45 minutes and our guide told us about the history of the building, events that have taken place over the years and stories of things that go bump in the night.
And then something went bump in the day. 
Right behind us. 
And that's when I ran screaming from the building like George Costanza in The Fire episode And that was the end of the tour and we exited out into the sunshine.
Royal Exhibition BuildingI really enjoyed this tour, as the REB is one of my favourite buildings in Melbourne. At $10 it was a reasonable price, and added with the cheap $5 carpark I found on Victoria St, it meant that I had a fantastic day out in the city for a total cost of $15. 
Highly recommended.


Royal Exhibition Building




What: Royal Exhibition Building Tour
Where:
Nicholson St, Carlton
When: 2:00pm daily
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: $10
Nearby:
State Library of Victoria  St Patrick's Cathedral
Grab a coffee at: 65 Degrees

State Library of Victoria

With some time to kill before my next stop - the 12:30 tour at the State Library, I headed off down Little Bourke and through Chinatown and its beautiful old buildings sitting alongside modern skyscrapers.
Chinatown Melbourne







A Shakespearean ghost sign on Russell St - good to know if I ever need some early-bard parking. See what I did there....Melbourne Ghost Signs 
I arrived to find the lawns out the front bathed in sunshine, so I pulled out the sandwich and apple I'd brought from home and ate my lunch in the Winter sun. My lunch date was well travelled, well read, but the strong silent type, so there wasn't a lot of conversation.
I was happy enough to sit and people watch, anyway. 
State Library of Victoria
I headed inside, grabbed a Library Highlights brochure from the information desk and headed for the top floor.
Level 6.
The huge dome ceiling rises above the 6 storey hexagonal building that houses the LaTrobe Reading Room.
State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria

State Library of VictoriaThe 3 metre high Shakespeare Window, a stained glass beauty that sits inside the real arched windows. I watched a few people come out of the lift, go to the window to view the dome then go downstairs, completely oblivious to this gorgeous piece behind them.
Level 5.
The floor is home to the fantastic exhibition, The Changing Face of Victoria. Photos, memorabilia and historic items showcasing our fabulous state.
State Library of Victoria
State Library of Victoria

The Ned Kelly exhibit was excellent. A great display of letters, photographs and Ned's armour on display.

State Library of Victoria

Level 1.
I finished my solo exploration of the Library and joined a guided tour of the latest exhibition in the Keith Murdoch Gallery, Strutt's Australia. 
I hadn't heard of Strutt before, but came away from the exhibit with a new found admiration for the artist, whose work from a very early age showed his enormous talent. I especially loved his works featuring horses and his Australian scenes of bushrangers. 

One more thing left on my itinerary, I set off for the Museum...
State Library of Victoria Strutt's Australia
What:
State Library of Victoria
Where:
328 Swanston St, Melbourne
When: From 10:00am daily
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE tour
Nearby:
Parliament House Public Tour   Royal Exhibition Building Tour


Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Parliament House

I arrived at Parliament House for the second stop on my 'Me Day' in the city, a 10:30 tour of the prominent building on Spring St.

Parliament House
After going through the security checkpoint, I met our guide and the rest of our small group in The Vestibule, or main entrance. Our bags were stored in a locker and we were issued with a tour sticker.
We were led into Queen's Hall, which is available to hire for events and functions. A statue of Queen Victoria was installed in 1883 and portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert adorn the walls of the upper level.
The lower walls feature images of former Victorian Premiers, such as John Brumby, Steve Bracks, Jeff Kennett and the state's first female Premier, Joan Kirner.
I can't think of the late Ms Kirner, without remembering with a chuckle the time she appeared on the D-Gen's The Late Show, as Joan Jett, singing 'I Love Rock'n'Roll'.
Parliament House
Next, we moved into the Legislative Council Chamber, with its Roman Corinthian style columns, ornate ceilings and royal red colours. The Royal Lion, Crown and Unicorn sit above a throne type chair, reserved for the Queen or the Governor General.
Parliament House
I'd rather hear about architecture than politics, so I have to admit I spent more time looking at the ceiling than listening to the guide talk about parliamentary proceedings...something something...
The amount of gold leaf used in the building was apparently worth $10 million in today's value. 
I loved the sculptural reliefs of female figures, symbolising concepts such as History and Plenty.
There was a midday sitting of Parliament on the day I did the tour, and we were invited to sit in and watch, if we were interested.
Parliament House
Along a corridor with ceilings of pastel pink, blue and yellow detail, through to the Legislative Assembly Chamber.
A pair of columns sit either side of the Speaker's Chair and a green theme runs throughout the room.
Parliament House
 Three huge Waterford crystal chandeliers lit up the room, illuminating the reliefs of cherubs and highlighting the intricate details of the ceiling.
Parliament HouseAnd then to my favourite part of the tour, a peek at The Library. A stunning chandelier, made of 2000 pieces of crystal, sits under the domed ceiling.
Parliament House


The sun was streaming through the windows, creating a warm and sunny corner where a comfy old chair sat. I wanted to abandon the tour and the rest of my day, and just curl up in that corner with a dusty old book.
Parliament HouseBooks as far as the eye could see...Parliament House
Doors either side of the Central Reading Room lead to two smaller rooms and a spiral staircase ascends to the upper gallery.
Parliament House
Back to The Vestibule, for a look at its huge mosaic floor and the end of the 45 minute tour.   I grabbed my bag and headed back out into the Winter sunshine for the next leg of my journey...Parliament House

What: Parliament House Public Tour
Where: Spring St, East Melbourne
When: Times vary
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE tour
Nearby: St Patrick's Cathedral   State Library of Victoria

St Patrick's Cathedral

An 'RDO' on a Tuesday enabled me to take a 'Me Day' and head off into the city on a solo adventure. I had a jam-packed itinerary planned for the day and was intent on fitting as much as I could into my 6 hours of free time.
A lap around Carlton Gardens and I found the Holy Grail of street parking on Victoria Parade - no time limit and 80c an hour. 
No, this wasn't 1972. It was 2016 and I got my whole day's parking for a fiver! 
Seriously.
A quick walk over to St Patrick's Cathedral for my first visit. I've walked past, driven past, even poked my head in the door once. Now, I finally had some time to walk around inside and admire the stunning Gothic Revival bluestone and sandstone building, the tallest and  largest church building in Australia.
St Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick's Cathedral
Stepping inside, the vast expanse took my breath away. 
From the soaring ceilings...
St Patrick's Cathedral
 ...to the exquisite stained glass windows...
St Patrick's Cathedral
 ...the giant organ pipes towering over the church...
St Patrick's Cathedral

 ...to the smooth rich tones of the timber doors and rows of pews.
St Patrick's Cathedral
I exited out the rear doors of the building, where a large water feature sits amongst the beautifully manicured gardens. St Patrick's Cathedral

The Cathedral Shop was just around the back, and sells a range of items from books about the cathedral to handmade rosary beads and beautiful crosses like this one from El Salvador.
St Patrick's Cathedral
Back on the street I wandered off to my next stop, Parliament House. The route took me past location trucks filming "Offspring" and an Instagram worthy photo featuring a group of yellow taxis with the grand old Hotel Windsor in the background.
Hotel Windsor

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What: St Patrick's Cathedral
Where: 1 Cathedral Place, East Melbourne
When: Daily
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE to walk around and explore
 
Nearby: Parliament House