Appears in the weekly Toxic Custard newsletter
Very busy the last few weeks, which is why the blog has been so quiet. Long-time readers would know that I like to write about my interstate and overseas holidays in almost excruciating detail. Well brace yourself for another one – I’ve got a European holiday in planning for later this year. It’s looking like ... [More]
On Friday a number of UK publications posted news articles about a Deutsche Bank report saying that London’s public transport fares are the highest in the world. Evening Standard: London travelcards ‘the most expensive in the world by a large margin,’ study finds BBC: London’s monthly travel cost ‘most expensive in world’ London Loves Business: ... [More]
Another in my series of ten year old photos. The old Olympic Doughnuts caravan, well before the shops along Irving Street were demolished to make way for additional station platforms. Footscray station snapped from the old (uncovered, ancient) overpass. This is platform 1, which has now become platform 3. Despite The Met having been long ... [More]
Friday night concert! I was sold on Things Of Stone And Wood – though my compradres were really going for the support act, Club Hoy. It might be cruel to call TOSAW a one-hit wonder, though none of their efforts charted as well as Happy Birthday Helen. But the song was on an album called ... [More]
Masters Hardware couldn’t launch a viable business against Bunnings, and only a couple of years after launching, have closed up all their outlets. As this photo shows, they also couldn’t construct a functioning pedestrian crossing: No wonder Masters is in trouble – they couldn't even design a pedestrian crossing that goes anywhere. pic.twitter.com/CN8JFL9yHk — Daniel ... [More]
Another in my series of ten year old photos: March 2007. Smartbus advertising at Caulfield station. It was nice to see them promoting the frequent service, but there was only one problem: it wasn’t true. The Smartbus serving Caulfield (route 900) has never been better than every 15 minutes in peak. (And really, the frequency/radio ... [More]
While I work on a bigger post (or at least one requiring a bit more research), here’s a quickie on an interesting parallel observed last week. Part one In the same week that Minister for Energy and the Environment Josh Frydenberg joined in a parliamentary stunt playing with a lump of coal, he also launched ... [More]
On Monday I had an errands at Pinewood. Pinewood? Yes, the minor shopping centre somewhere on Blackburn Road between Clayton and Mount Waverley. I caught the bus up there — the 703 runs from near home in Bentleigh, via Monash Uni, then up Blackburn Road. Unsurprisingly perhaps, we had to wait at the Clayton level ... [More]
I don’t have “get rich quick” schemes. I kind of have “get moderately well-off, gradually” schemes. The worst one has been buying shares. I got a tip that shares in Xero (the online accounting software company) would skyrocket. And they did, from about $6 to something like $40. But that was before I got around ... [More]
The Gold Coast Light Rail, also known as G:Link opened in July 2014, making it Australia’s newest completed tram/light-rail line. I was very impressed when I rode it last week. As you would hope and expect, they’ve put a lot of thought into the design, and there are a number of things Melbourne can learn ... [More]
Part of what makes Friday’s tragic events in Bourke Street so horrible is that it could have been any of us who got hit. One can only have the deepest sympathy for all those affected. I work on Bourke Street, and often go walking along it at lunchtime. On Friday I was on Spencer Street ... [More]
Early start. If all went to plan, I was going to be at Melbourne Airport to meet my offspring at 12:30, assuming they made their connection in Sydney at 11:15. Being there at 12:30 meant flying out of Brisbane by 9am, as the flight is a little over two hours, and in summer there’s an ... [More]
Day two of my quick trip to Brisbane. Memo to myself: when in Queensland in summer, make sure the blinds/curtains are closed properly before going to bed. Given no daylight savings in the Sunshine State, you can expect the sunshine to come through the window at about 5am. I found myself awake at about 5:20, ... [More]
The plan was to head up to Queensland for a couple of days. For a short break, but also to visit my Dad’s memorial bench at UQ, and see my uncle Frank. I devised a plan to fly into the Gold Coast so that (given nobody else was coming) I could have a look at ... [More]
Continuing my series posting ten year old photos. Brighton, near Middle Brighton station. Obviously this bus shelter had been re-used, from somewhere on Victoria Parade I’m guessing. It looks like the same bus shelter is still there, but the tram route numbers may have been removed. Recently, motorists failing to keep intersections clear has been ... [More]
A couple of weeks ago it was highlighted that, not for the first time, Melbourne Zoo is seeking an additional one thousand public car spaces. It seems they want to turn Royal Park into Royal Car Park. For an organisation dedicated to animals, you’d think they’d understand the importance of the natural environment. They seem ... [More]