Melbourne stuff
I know the cynics will continue to argue there’s no conclusive proof of climate change. But given much of Europe is freezing while we in Melbourne recorded the hottest day ever on record — 46.4 C according to the Bureau of Meteorology (that’s 115.5 F) — which follows on from the longest hot spell in ... [More]
Becoming a redneck: I was standing in the midday sun for a bit too long on Tuesday at the rally. Foolishly I didn’t have a hat, and didn’t put sun screen on. The next morning, for the first time in years, I could feel I’d got sunburnt. Not really badly, but enough to cause some ... [More]
The forecast for Melbourne: Tuesday: Sunny day. Max 38 Wednesday: Sunny. Min 25 Max 41 Thursday: Sunny. Min 26 Max 40 Friday: Sunny. Min 24 Max 40 Saturday: Sunny. Min 24 Max 40 Thankfully it looks like a cool change will come through on Sunday, but it’s times like these I wish I could hibernate ... [More]
Happy Australia Day. One of the most damn impressive things I’ve seen recently is the giant statue of Mazu beside the railway line between South Kensington and Footscray. It towers over everything else nearby. It’s part of a Buddhist temple being built on the site. More pictures here
Whatever the reason, sometimes it’s great to try something new. The idea for this one came from noting the kids getting hooked on Star Trek. Yesterday we headed out for an hour-long sail around the bay on the Enterprize, the replica of the 1829 schooner that brought some of Melbourne’s first settlers from Tasmania. If ... [More]
Went with the kids last week to look around Harbourtown, the new bit of Docklands which has the big wheel in it. Much of Harbourtown is looking a bit basic at the moment. The shopping centre is open, but half the shops aren’t, and some are obviously still getting stock in… the EB Games had ... [More]
Now don’t get me wrong — street violence is a terrible thing. And legendary footy coach Ron Barassi has to be commended for putting himself at risk on New Year’s Eve to come to the aid of someone being attacked. The whole thing is symptomatic of some of the worst ills of society. But really, ... [More]
One day in 1992, I had a joyous moment when I walked most of the length of Swanston Street — in the former traffic lanes — for the first time. It was a wondrous thing, and while Swanston Street still sees delivery vehicles, taxis and the odd errant car, with the wider footpaths and cyclists ... [More]
Spotted a few minutes ago. Apparently it’s Venus and Jupiter, as well as the moon. Thanks to my mum for pointing it out. It’s still up there right now, in the western sky, for those in Melbourne. PS. SMH article (from before the fact)
It’s easy to see why motorcycles are offered free kerb parking around the CBD. They take up less space on the road, and (with typically one rider, not much difference to the 1.22 average people per car) burn less fuel and generate less emissions than cars (though more per person than public transport, cycling or ... [More]
It’s time for a clearout. Here’s a bunch of posts I wrote but never got around to posting. In some cases I intended to research them a bit more before publishing, so beware they may be a little half-arsed. Backwards There were claims and counter-claims during the Kororoit byelection campaign (June 2008). I suppose Les ... [More]
Not as in-your-face as the charity muggers waiting on street corners with clipboards are the roasted chestnut stands around town. But does anybody actually buy them? Particularly now the warm weather’s arrived, I can’t imagine many people buying them, but even in winter I never seem to see them have any customers whatsoever. I hope ... [More]