A Brief but Wonderful Week

Winter in Melbourne. Cold. A blustery biting wind. Rain squalls. Black coats and jackets. Gloves and beanies. But also... crisp fresh air in the Dandenong forests; cheery bird calls in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens; eating out with friends in warm and cosy cafes; wandering among amazing exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria; snuggling up with my daughter on the couch bingeing on the TV series 'Only Murders in the Building'. I experienced every one of these on my brief but wonderful week in Melbourne.

The week started off with a walk in the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenongs. Mountain ash trees soared skywards as we took the walk to The Falls. 

I loved the litter layer and the small details on the forest floor.

The falls itself were a trifle disappointing ...

Time to go back.The air was crisp, the sound of bird calls filled the air and the water gurgled over the stones. We felt alive.

The following day was a beauty - both weather-wise and the guided bird walk we took in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens.  A beautiful blue sky belied the freezing weather. 

The guide explained the different types of birds we were likely to see and off we went. At first we didn't spot many (though, enticingly, could hear their calls) until we found a lone kookaburra.

The binoculars I had were excellent and soon we were honing in on bell miners, wattlebirds, ravens, magpie larks, cockatoos, a night heron, purple swamp hens, moorhens, grebes, egrets, and introduced species such as turtle-doves, mynas and blackbirds. Unfortunately, spotting a bird through the binoculars and then grabbing my camera and trying to take a photo before it darted away does not augur well and you'll have to be content with only this photo of a kookaburra. A fun and rewarding walk. 

************************

On Monday, I caught up with friends Kim and Jenny and visited the Ian Potter Centre at the National Gallery of Victoria where we wandered around the 19th and 20th century Australian paintings collection - spotting famous ones and quite a number of paintings by women artists I hadn't heard of. 

'The Pioneer' by Frederick McCubbin, 1904.

I always love Impressionist paintings.

I especially enjoyed the Aboriginal collection. 

These colourful sculptures represent ancestral creatures, malevolent beings and trickster spirits from Central Arnhem Land. 

On the way to lunch we walked up a laneway full of graffiti, where a man was adding final touches to his artwork.

I found this staircase fascinating.

 Lunch was a vegetarian restaurant up a flight of narrow stairs. Kim thought it useful to take my photo while I was eating. But the vegetarian lasagne was delicious, and the view of bare-branched trees through the large bay windows that were letting in a soft wintry sunshine was delightful.   

*************

My next jaunt was a trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Cranbourne - a tram, then train and finally a courtesy-bus ride from Kate's home in St Kilda. The gardens are simply breathtaking, and their status as one of the top gardens in the world (announced recently in the New York Times) fitting. It is, in effect, a landscaper's garden, where the trees, shrubs and flowers have been designed to show their shape, colour, size and architectural splendour. There are many sections, each planted with an array of gorgeous Australian plants. The site itself covers 363 hectares, much of it made up of remnant native bushland where there are trails, picnic areas and the chance to spot wallabies, bandicoots, echidnas. The planted gardens only make up a very small portion. However, on our visit, the bushland was closed to visitors because of tree damage from a recent storm.  But there was plenty to see and do for the next few hours. And despite the wind and rather numbing cold, we enjoyed every minute.

 

The Red Sand Garden.

Here are some 'random' views of the various sections of the garden. 

A seaside garden.

Each plant was clearly labelled providing information about its botanical name, common name, and habitat.

We were intrigued by this grevillea that had been turned into a standard. We'd never seen this done before. I could picture this in my front garden and would have loved to dig this one up and transport it to Encounter Bay!

We wandered on, marvelling at the sheer scale of the gardens - but keeping an eye out for rain.

I liked this waterlily path across the lake.

A rest stop afforded the time for us to listen to the bird calls - and even capture a New Holland Honeyeater (I think) on camera. 

The sun came out just as we were leaving. That's the Visitors Centre on the right.

Always a fan of gift shops, I purchased a lovely mug, perfect for hot chocolates! And a perfect ending to a great day out.

************

The following day I ventured out with friend Michael to see an exhibition at the NGV titled 'Cats and Dogs', a fascinating and very diverse collection of these animals in art, sculpture, pottery, fashion, children's books, cartoons, videos and weavings.  

Michael is inspecting a 1947 scarf.

An Alexander McQeen creation.

In this next photo is a large Jeff Koons dog vase (far left) - quite empty and not particularly eye-catching. But the gift shop had a postcard of it filled with flowers. I reckon someone should fill it every day! 

There were a number of Aboriginal paintings featuring dogs.

And a life-size model of Felix the Cat, the animated cat created by Australian cartoonist and pioneer animator Pat Sullivan in 1919, the silent film era, the first cartoon character created for the big screen. This was accompanied by an hilarious cartoon. I loved this, especially as Kate has a Felix clock in her kitchen. Here it is accompanied by the gorgeous Dita. 

Another fabulous day. 

************

The week went by all too fast, though Kate and I managed to watch all four seasons of the TV series 'Only Murders in the Building'. A cup of tea and feet up. That's what I call bingeing! 

And soon I was back on the Overland train, travelling the 828 kms back to South Australia. 

Here are three photos that bring back lots of memories for me.

• Beside the MacRobertson fountain in the Domain.
• Walking the Sherbrooke Forest trail.
• Son-in-law Kim making an omelette, a tradition on my last night whenever I stay in Melbourne.

**************************************