Categories
Melbourne

Councils give warnings about overhanging trees blocking footpaths – why not parked cars?

From the City of Glen Eira web site: Property owners are responsible for keeping trees and shrubs under control and trimmed back to ensure pedestrian safety and clear sightlines for drivers. … If a Council notice is sent requesting that trees or shrubs be trimmed, the work must be completed within 14 days. … Property  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

Malawi and Moldova

Something I never noticed until yesterday — in an obscure building in Little Bourke Street are the consulates of Malawi and Moldova. Who knew? I wonder how many visitors they get. Bet the security isn’t as strict as at the US Embassy, where you have to place virtually all your belongings in a locker before  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne transport

Ferries and underground railways!! … But why?

Yet again we have public figures extolling the virtues of technology over service in public transport. Underground railways Jeff Kennett thinks underground railways are the panacea: “If I was able to wave a magic wand even now, I would start the planning for an underground rail system,” he told the Australian Property Institute Pan Pacific  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

The rest of the world is slightly out of alignment

Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea. (Credit: Marita spotted it first.) Could be a sequel to this: Everything in the entire world except this bus stop sign is at a funny angle.

Categories
Melbourne Photos

End of the week pics

Pretty funny: Southern Cross Station has departure signs sponsored by Red Rooster. In part because they show less information, they actually have fewer errors than the official signs — but beware — it appears they don’t show trains departing in less than 10 minutes (because they want you to think there’s time to go and  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

The amazing transformation from old man barber shop to trendy cafe

My recollection is the back of the building at the corner of Little Bourke Street and Little William Street was an old man barber shop. (Pic from Google Streetview.) Over the past year or so it’s somehow transformed into a trendy cafe called Patricia. The kind of place that appears to be wildly popular despite  ... [More]

Categories
Culture Melbourne Video games

Can you combine street art, classic video games and a Melbourne street map? Yes!

Can you combine street art, classic video games and a Melbourne street map? Yes! CDH Art: “Using the familiar street art motif of retro gaming, I created a walking guide-map to Melbourne’s street art.”

Categories
Melbourne

Footscray Fire Station: Old and new

Categories
Melbourne

What’s so special about this block of flats?

Hey trivia buffs, what’s so special about this block of flats? (Apart from the fact that one flat is for lease.) (Note, if you clicked-through from Twitter, and are first with the answer, but instead of simply leaving a comment below you decide to return back to Twitter to tell me, then I’m afraid you  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

“No … is allowed”

A bit vague, I thought. What does it mean? No swearing is allowed? No Morse code is allowed? No nothing is allowed?

Categories
Melbourne

Daniel’s theory of paving: The better it looks, the slipperier it is.

I reckon the better a paving surface looks, the slipperier it is, particularly in the wet. Asphalt: ugly, but grips well, even in the wet. Tiles (as platforms at Flinders Street station have been converted to, but thankfully not ramps) and blue-stone (increasingly common on CBD streets) look nicer, but are more slippery. And some  ... [More]

Categories
Melbourne

Love a bit of Neo-Gothic architecture on a grey night

This building looked extra-foreboding last night against the grey sky. It’s the Bank Of New Zealand Australia building, on the corner of Collins and Queen Streets. BNZA is sounds like ANZ backwards, but it’s actually now part of NAB. The building was once known as A.C.Goode House, the original section of which dates back to  ... [More]