Melbourne stuff
So this is what it looks like when hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure gets built rapidly in your neighbourhood. Here are some photos and video of the first week of major works on the Bentleigh/Mckinnon/Ormond level crossings. (Click any photo to view it larger at Flickr — or click here to view ... [More]
Pedestrians — Use other footpath. Haha just kidding, there IS no other footpath! You’ll have to use the road or the (possibly wet boggy) grass. Silver lining: it’s not a very busy road. (Ward Street, Bentleigh. The footpath is blocked for building construction. Not many streets in this area have only one footpath, but a ... [More]
We survived! Ten days of bustitution is over… well, almost. Just to be clear — because some of the information is either vague, misleading or missing: The Frankston line is running again, including to Bentleigh station. Bentleigh station will close for demolition and rebuilding in June. But Mckinnon and Ormond stations are closed and demolished. ... [More]
Excuse the wobbly phone footage, but I spotted this a few days ago and thought it was worth noting. (You’ll miss little by muting the sound.) This is the corner of Elizabeth Street and Little Collins Street in Central Melbourne, on the eastern side of the intersection. We are looking south along Elizabeth Street. Cars ... [More]
You’ve probably heard all about this by now. From Facebook: Guys this is the true crime story of the decade: Yesterday a friend told me what might well be the best story I’ve ever heard. She had caught the train in from Frankston. And while she was waiting for the train to come, she noticed ... [More]
I love a bit of local history, even if it’s fairly recent. For my fellow Bentleigh peeps — as part of the level crossing removal project, the old underpass into the station has been partially uncovered. It looks to have been a similar layout to Mckinnon: steps straight to the street, as well as a ... [More]
On Thursday the state government announced two more level crossings in their first term batch of 20: Scoresby Rd and Mountain Hwy, either side of Bayswater station. This provides some interesting challenges due to the adjacent train maintenance facility, which presumably can’t be moved. The press release notes: They [the crossings] will be removed through ... [More]
In quiet Railway Place, North Melbourne, just south of the station, there’s long been a viewing platform for rail enthusiasts to gaze upon the glory of the tracks between Southern Cross and North Melbourne. It must have at least pseudo-official status as it’s marked in the Melway (map 2E, reference F1). Google Maps doesn’t show ... [More]
As I’ve touched upon in previous posts, there are numerous technical hurdles with the Bentleigh area level crossing removals. Via the stakeholder group I’m learning that a lot of the cost with any removal where the railway line is dropped down under the road is related to carefully moving all the services that are buried ... [More]
A quick update on my local grade separations at North Road (Ormond), Mckinnon Road (Mckinnon) and Centre Road (Bentleigh). In most respects, what I wrote on the detail of the project in this post from July still applies, so read up on that if you haven’t already — or check out the official web site.) ... [More]
Obviously the best camera you have is the one you have with you. Normally that’s my phone. Sometimes I’ll also have my ~4 year old Canon IXUS 115, which is compact, but takes some great photos. But for my birthday I treated myself to a DSLR, a Canon 700D (spotted on sale + cashback offer ... [More]
If you catch a train towards Geelong, just after Deer Park, where the train branches off the Ballarat line to head south, you’ll see a great view of the city on your left. (View it larger) Against the bluey-grey skyline, the wheel stands out of course, as do the silos in Kensington-ish. In the foreground ... [More]
I for one welcome our new public-transport-loving overlord. As recently as Friday, new Prime Minister-designate Malcolm Turnbull was riding trams in Melbourne: And here comes today's tram – the number 70 to take us to Hawthorn and a morning with @JoshFrydenberg pic.twitter.com/zeGCmct6nj — Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) September 10, 2015 It’s great that — unlike Tony ... [More]
From the Victorian Heritage Database: The school building was sited for optimal viewing from Alexander[sic] Avenue. The low lying land in the foreground was utilized for a sports oval and the land in between was terraced with steps, paths and roadways. This resulted in uninterrupted views of the impressive building from the north and west. ... [More]
I was looking on the State Library’s web site for material related to my local suburb, and found these old real estate ads. This one is from back when Bentleigh was called East Brighton. It’s dated 1885. It’s the area immediately to the east of the railway station, which opened in 1881, and was renamed ... [More]
Snapped near my house on Sunday afternoon.