Melbourne Adventures

On 11 September the first ever National Football League (NFL) game in Australia was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the G).  They were showing the game on a big screen at Federation Square  so I took myself along to suss out the atmosphere.  There had been talk of a drum line (which I thought was something for killing sharks) along Birragung Marr, but all I could see was this mini jazz band. There was a good crowd going along to the G - about the same as might be going to a popular AFL match, but with different sweaters. At 0930 hrs there were very few people at the Square: by contrast, for the Socceroos games in the World Cup the Square was full - I think 7,000 - at 0500 hrs, an hour before kick off. Here is a view of the (full) G taken from a telecast  - see below. As there was not much happening I went to the Library to pick some reserved books, and swung up to Lonsdale St for a few needed groceries.  As I got back to Flinders St  a flypast went ...

  All Aboard the 69 Tram This was the title of a talk (no music at all)  arranged by the Prahran Mechanics Institute Library (PMIL).  The presenter was Professor Janet McCalman .  The invitation from PMIL explains the event For the first time in our history, we’re hosting an event at Parliament House. And not just anywhere in Parliament House. We’ll gather in the magnificent South Library, part of the Parliamentary Library completed in 1861. With its grand historic interiors, solid brass fireplaces and soaring shelves filled with more than 50,000 books and reports, the library is a remarkable working space at the heart of Victoria’s democracy. Above the main entrance hangs Parliament’s first ceremonial mace, used in Victoria from 1857 to 1866 and later by the federal House of Representatives. This extraordinary setting provides the perfect backdrop for a very special Exploring Victorian Voices Patron Lecture, featuring acclaimed historian and new PMI Library Patron, ...

 I went for a prowl from MSAC to Mac Rob on 8 September.  Quite productive with 3 species breeding and 24 species in total for a walk on the Northern end.  Here are my snaps, beginning with the route,. The first Swan family V47 and G89 and 6 cygnets, They went for a a walk ... ... and then a swim.  After about 10 minutes the parents bought them back to a spot where they could climb out.   Later on my walk I noticed a couple of spots where soil had been built up in the reed beds and suggest dumping half a trailer load of rocks and/or soil against the wall every 300 m would give the swans and ducklings easy climb out spots. Moving round to the Lakeside Stadium T28 and V11 were adding to the tally . Back at Mud Island a single Great Crested Grebe was being decorative. An Australian White Ibis on Mud Island. Quite a few of them on Gunn Island.   A well posed group on the S end of the Northern Reed beds. Back to Mud Island.  This shows, the white...