Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All

Another abandoned building

and

In the spirit of Christmas, here is a yuletide abandonment, just prior to its demolition.

This very yummy chocolate house was created by a 'cottage industry' lady in the Dandenongs, and presented to me by one of our suppliers - thanks Dean & the crew.

- The cottage in pristine condition

Crossing the ditch

New Zealand is now 30cm closer to Australia, after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck the Fiordland region of the South Island in July.

The cost to fly there, and the flight time remain the same!

Mt Cook, N.Z.

And thereby hangs a tale

While I'm not a big reader of short stories, I do admire authors who can encapsulate an entire narrative in the short succinct format. My favourite SS authors would be Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jeffrey Archer.

And thereby hangs a tale is Jeffrey Archer's sixth volume of short stories. It has his distinctive characterisation and suspense combined with the unexpected plot twists. Taking inspiration from his favourite short story writers - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maupassant, H.H. Munro, W. Somerset Maugham and O. Henry - and from Willie Shakespeare too, as the phrase "and thereby hangs a tale" is from Shakespeare's As You Like It. This collection contains 15 stories, 10 of which are based on true incidents. Being Archer stories, they come with the twist at the end, some you can see coming, but others are classic ohh woww.

What’s the world’s best airline?

From the Lonely Planet blog comes What’s the world’s best airline?

A recent survey saw airlines achieving the top scores hailed from Asia and the Pacific. The gold, silver and bronze winners were Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Emirates, respectively.

Qantas though, didn't rate a mention (obviously they're not trading on the Rainman repution any more). The survey used a 30-point scale that incorporated several subfactors into an airline’s overall rating – including the quality of its website and luggage policies.

Kanamaroo weekend

Just realised what I was doing this time last year (as it is Kannamaroo Festival weekend). Last year we were in the throes of the building renovations, I was uploading photos, and while that was chugging away, strolled down the street to check out the food vendors and didn't quite make it back before the heavens opened with peals of thunder, lightning & wind driven rain.

Have McLachlan Street blocked off by the Dodgem Cars, which besides frustrating many, must have confused one driver who left the Mibus Centre carpark turned right and drove down the left-hand lane to the amazement of all - pedestrians and other cars.

Just exquisite

Best sellers

This list of long-term bestsellers, is interesting.
The “Birdsong” it refers to would be Sebastian Faulks’ 1993 war novel, which I wouldn’t have thought was that well-known or would have topped the list. Set in World War I, Stephen Wraysford discovers his true love, however she's already married. He convinces her to be with him instead, but undying love doesn’t ensue.
Another surprise was that Terry Pratchett would have three of the top ten titles. While I’m a fan of the Discworld, obviously lots of others are too.
And then there are the picture books – the perennial “Very hungry caterpillar” which celebrated its 40th birthday last year, and We’re going on a bear hunt”.

Collecting & discarding

Just when we are discussing weeding, along comes this gem

True Blue

Related to the Titanic theme, I saw James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D in the IMAX theatre too. Conceived 14 years ago and over 4 years in the making, Avatar breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the movie-going experience. I have Avatar on DVD, but had wanted to see it on the big screen, so when IMAX brought it back I decided to go. It is definitely the way to view the movie, as IMAX have digitally re-mastered it with unparalleled crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound quality, and maximised field of view - the most immersive movie experience. I could see how the CGI technology has only just evolved to do this justice.
It is live action with new generation special effects - a spectacular new world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love - an epic action adventure fantasy.

Seen through the eyes of Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) a former Marine now confined to a wheelchair, who is recruited to the human outpost on the planet Pandora where a ruthless mining corporation is extracting a rare mineral that can solve Earth’s energy crisis. Due to the planet’s toxic atmosphere, they have created a program where humans have their consciousness linked to an avatar – a genetically engineered remotely-controlled biological hybrid.
Jake’s mission is to infiltrate the native Na'vi population, after Neytiri saves Jake’s life he is taken into the clan and gradually learns to respect the Na'vi’s relationship with the planet. Ultimately Jake leads a heroic battle to save an alien civilisation he comes to call home.
While the story may be predictable, you can forget all that as you become engrossed with the visual feast. While I admired Sam’s acting, it is the special effects which are the stars of the film – the floating islands are the best, closely followed by the luminescent plants – great, great effects.

Down with the Titanic

Still with my trip to Melbourne, I got to go and see Titanic : the Artefact Exhibition at the Museum before it closes next week (with the huge crowds & difficulties in getting a ticket, they could extend the season for quite some time).

The tour was very busy, lining up, looking at exhibits over others' shoulders, waiting for the procession to move on.

Here is my boarding pass, given to each exhibition visitor. At the end of the tour you check the lists of passengers & crew to find if your character survived the sinking. I was Miss Bridget McDermott an Irish immigrant in 3rd Class (a third-class ticket on Titanic cost $40, approximately $900 in today’s currency), travelling to visit her cousin in St Louis. The night before sailing Bridget gave a few coins to a wanderer who told her she was going on a long journey 'There will be a tragedy but you will be saved' he said. Bridget was saved from the Titanic.

The story for those living in a cave for over 100 years - On April 15, 1912, Titanic, the world’s largest ship, sank after colliding with an iceberg, claiming more than 1,500 lives, and becoming one of the world’s greatest maritime disasters, and the best known.

The Exhibition showcases more than 280 artefacts retrieved from Titanic’s debris field, offering a poignant look at this legendary ship and its passengers and crew. The Exhibition has created stories through artefacts and re-creations of the ship’s interior.

The exhibition journeys through the life of Titanic, from construction and life on board, to its ill-fated voyage, tragic sinking and the amazing efforts to recover artefacts.

RMS Titanic, Inc. is the company permitted by law to recover objects from the wreck, it has conducted 7 research and recovery expeditions rescuing more than 5,500 artefacts. Artefacts on display, include the D-Deck door, a large hull section, a cherub statue, portholes, china and glass-ware, currency and passenger’s personal effects.

There is a full-size re-creation of the ship’s Grand Staircase. There is a mystery concerning the loss of the entire Staircase from the relatively intact bow section. James Cameron explored the bottom of the stairwell, and no traces of the heavy oak handrails or the wrought-iron balustrades remained. When the Titanic film-set was flooded the entire staircase dislodged - did this also happen to the real staircase and did it float to the surface?

I didn't read all the display boards as the press of people was too great, but did read all the cards on all the artefacts - utterly amazing - one that they could find tiny objects like cuff links and childrens' marbles, and second that some fragile items like paper bank-notes, and linen jackets could survive decades underwater virtually intact.

The re-creation of the First Class hallway & staircase, the Passengers' Verandah Cafe, and the Third Class accommodation were awesome. But strangely it was walking down the carpet of the re-creation of the First Class Hallway which made the biggest impression on me - all those white painted doors with their number plates.

Finally at the end you come to the ubiquitous photo sales and gift shop, and I was intending to pass straight through the commericalism, until I saw the teddies. And I immediately remembered the kids book Polar : the Titanic bear by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden.

Daisy and her husband were a wealthy couple with a passion for travel. With their young son Douglas, they sailed on the Titanic. On the night of the disaster Polar the stuffed bear was tucked under Douglas' arm as the Speddens were lowered into a lifeboat. After the rescue Polar was left behind till a sailor found him and returned him to Douglas.

Three years after the sinking, 9-year-old Douglas was killed in a car accident. No one knows what then happened to Polar.

"Under the clocks"

While I was in Melbourne, I attended a talk by author Jenny Davies on her book "Beyond the Facade : Flinders Street, more than just a railway station".
Jenny is truly passionate about her subject and has undertaken heaps of research and now possesses a wealth of information and stories about the building.

Some of the tales she told included -

• trains and passenger services continued through the building operation
• it is built on the site of the Fish Market
• there was no foundation stone or official opening of the station building
• the building included a creche, gymansium, ballroom and library
• the bullet hole in the Hatter's was reputedly fired by gangster Squizzy Taylor
• the builder was sacked which then led to a Royal Commission
• the painted facade is over a brick and cement render construction
• the clock faces in the tower are 12 feet across
• the Banana Alley Vaults were built in conjunction with the Viaduct linking Flinders Street to Spencer Street stations
  

Who's who in the zoo?

I was in Melbourne for most of last week, and thought I'd take some time out to visit the Melbourne Zoo. The zoo is one of Australia's oldest, opening back in 1862 on the same Royal Park site.

I hadn't been there for many years, in fact these first 2 images are from slides back in the 60s when the extended family spent the day there.

Things have certainly changed - I couldn't find the elephant ride (above), and the wire cages are long gone, (these brick & bar cages were built back in the 1890s) though they have kept one similar old exhibit cage from 1928 to show visitors how much zoos have evolved and changed their policies on keeping, caring and showing animals.

The other major change I noticed was the fun park rides - the miniature train, the pony rides, and merry-go-rounds are no more. The only reminder of the Fun Fair is the magnificent 19th century English-made merry-go-round, a much-loved feature of the zoo .

The merry-go-round (below) or as they're calling it -the carousel, is now wrapped in plastic, due to its heritage state. It is on the Heritage Register as a significant part of Victoria’s history, it recently underwent a major restoration to restore it to its original glory.




Touring the grounds early in the morning, I came across the western lowland gorillas just after they'd been fed. It was interesting to see them gather a variety of fruit and veg in their hands to eat later and to stop the others from getting it first. They were keen on the rhubarb.

'Trail of the Elephants', is the new complex for the Asian Elephant exhibits which opened in 2003, and is still being added to. I liked this modern/ancient-looking wall.

It was a pleasant morning, but with The Butterfly House set at 28 degrees the humidity moved you on quickly.

The Zoo's philosophy is to divide it into ‘bioclimatic zones’, where animals that share a common native habitats are grouped with or near each other. So the giraffes, zebras and ostriches are in an African savanah habitat.

70 years on

The weekend saw what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, so as I did for Elvis some time ago, here are some Lennon clips.

3WV at Dooen

I've driven through Dooen twice this week, and on Tuesday night asked if anyone remembered the old ABC radio building that used to be there - they didn't and challenged me to find a photo. Well here it is:

The original transmitting station building for 3WV at Dooen, was erected in 1936. It began broadcasting in February 1937. During World War II a 24-hour V.D.C. guard were posted at the site.
The original building was demolished and replaced by the current building in 1988-89.


Some little known facts:

the soil conductivity in different directions from the transmitter showed widely different values (this influenced the selection of the station site)

the 201metre high radiator (a guyed structure surmounted by a horizontal armature, the base of the mast stood on a group of tubular insulators) was installed in 1937. Dooen was the first station in Victoria to operate with an armature radiator

the transmitter upgraded in February 1937, the Standard Telephones & Cables 10 kW transmitter consisted of 2 separate units (the oscillator-modulator, & the linear power amplifier) constructed of a metal framework faced with polished slate panels. In the 50s a 50 kW transmitter was installed

unusually the station generated its own power on site for the 10kW transmitter. In the 30s it had a large low speed heavy engine set plant.

The Art Deco style building with portecochere (an entrance or gateway to a building large enough to permit a coach/vehicle to be driven through) was built on a 20 hectare site, it housed the transmitters, an office, lunch and change rooms, store room and workshop.
Modern technology has enabled transmitters to be housed in small metal frame buildings with unattended facilities.

All this techo data comes from John Ross' "Radio broadcasting technology" book.

Caretaker George Koschmann & technician Ray Leskie outside the building in 1988

(Photo from "Road Board to restructure")

Grey Ghosts

I was in Melbourne on Monday, and pointed out we’d just driven past a Grey Ghost, in this case a Council parking inspector/officer. And I mentioned the story behind this WebUrbanist post - Banksy vs. The Gray Ghost in New Orleans and how we were currently in the city which had painted over a Banksy artwork.

In 2008 the renowned British satirical street artist Banksy visited New Orleans leaving behind his particular brand of social and political commentary on Hurricane Katrina, its effects on New Orleans and issues in American culture.


Fred Radtke (The Gray Ghost) has made it his mission to erase every bit of graffiti in New Orleans with his paint roller in hand. The anti-street-art crusader passed quietly through each neighborhood, obliterating all traces of spray paint with his own signature splotches of gray – hence his nickname.


Some locals celebrated his dedication to keeping New Orleans clean, while others decried his assault against free expression.



The Gray Ghost himself became the subject of some of Banksy’s New Orleans work, depicted as a bent figure blotting out colur on the city’s walls. Where Banksy painted over huge swaths of Radtke’s gray paint, Radtke came back and painted over many of Banksy’s works of art.

Not all of the Banksy obliteration came courtesy of the Gray Ghost.

A man was actually photographed in the process of painting over ‘Boy on Life Preserver’.

Regardless of who covered them, all the New Orleans Banksy art is now gone except ‘Rain Girl’, thanks to its protective plexiglass.

In April the Melbourne City Council sent the cleaners into Hosier Lane on clean up the lane, but the over exuberant employees accidentally obliterated the Banksy stencil of a parachuting rat, unaware that it was a valuable piece of street art.

Word for the day

Heard an expression I hadn't been aware of the other day - Beating the bounds.
The City of Yarra Council and the Fitzroy History Society celebrated the 150th anniversary of the municipality of Fitzroy. Residents joined the mayor and councillors for a "Beating of the Bounds" walk on Saturday 29 August for a stroll around the suburb hearing the history of significant churches, hotels and historic local sites.


Beating the bounds comes from the old English expression, an ancient custom where the old members of the village would lead young men in a walk around the boundaries of the parish, (usually led by the parish priest and church officials) to share their knowledge and to pray for protection for the lands. Apparently they would "beat" the boys at strategic locations to aid their knowledge retention.

High & dry

The Pasha Bulker


My blog post on July 17, 2010 on Shipwrecks & sea disasters from http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/05/shipwrecks-sea-disasters.html included a photo of the Cherry Venture’s hull, and this set me to thinking about this and other Australian wrecks which didn’t sink.
Here are just a few:

On July 6th, 1973, the Cherry Venture was driven aground in a wild storm at Double Island Point on Noosa's North Shore. The 1600 ton Singapore owned cargo ship, manned by Malaysian, Filipino and Chinese crewmen, was bound for Brisbane from Auckland when it was caught in ‘the worst storm in living memory’ (22 ships fought the 40’ waves). The ship foundered in 12 meter waves and 140 kph winds, it ran aground after its anchor cable broke. It lay in n upright position on the beach.
RAAF helicopter crews safely winched all crewmen from the ship and shuttled them to nearby Tin Can Bay. Attempts were made to refloat the Cherry Venture by digging out sand from around it and filling the excavation with water, but it was not able to be pulled back out to sea and the idea was abandoned. Since then, the rusting red wreck of the Cherry Venture has become a tourism landmark on the Sunshine Coast. Sadly, she was broken up and removed from the beach in 2007.

HMVS Cerberus, the last flagship of the Victorian Colonial Navy was scuttled as a breakwater off Black Rock in 1926. In 1866, the Victorian government ordered a ship to supplement the shore-based fortifications of Port Philip Bay (part of the extensive fortifications at Queenscliff, Popes Eye, South Channel & Point Nepean) and to defend the colony in the event of a Russian attack.

The Cerberus served till 1924 when it was decommissioned. In 1993 there was a major structural collapse after rusting deck supports gave way, leaving only the deck beams to support the deck, turrets, and superstructure. To reduce the load placed on the deck the four 18-ton guns were removed and placed on the seabed next to the wreck. Now a 100 metre exclusion zone exists around the wreck. The Cerberus site, and Heritage Vic's flickr set and Gary Bell's OceanWideImages.

The Maheno was built in Scotland in 1904-05 and was the world’s first ever triple screw steamer. It was employed on trans-Tasman crossings for several years after she was launched. The Maheno was then used as a hospital ship in WW 1. In 1935 the Maheno was sold as scrap to be melted down in Japan, it was on this journey that the Maheno was hit by an unseasonal cyclone off the coast of Fraser Island. Attempts were made to refloat the Maheno unsuccessfully and eventually it was left abandoned on the 75-mile beach.

The Runic, a 13,587 ton (meat freighter) refrigerated cargo liner. Built in Belfast in 1950 it was 561 x 72 x 32 ft. and was wrecked, on Middleton Reef, Pacific Ocean, during a cyclone in February 1961, no lives were lost. At the time, it was the world’s largest refrigerated cargo liner. She was caught in a 1961 cyclone between Auckland and Brisbane and came to grief on Middleton Reef’s northwest side. She struck the reef at a speed of about 17 knots, riding over the sharp coral for about 25 metres before stopping, leaving almost three quarters of her length in deep water. It sits high and dry on the reef in a upright position. The whole stern section has completely broken away from the main structure and stands separate. The Runic is no longer the attraction that she once was. Charred with fire, the ship is now a broken relic, stripped of her valuable fittings Since the time of European settlement in Australia, many other unsuspecting ocean going vessels have fallen victim to this treacherous reef. Between 1806 and 1972, at least 32 vessels are known to have been wrecked on the reefs; 17 on Middleton Reef and 13 on Elizabeth Reef. Some authorities believe the real figure may be as high as 90 vessels, and includes the One and All a ketch which sank near Middleton Reef in 1971. Her crew of six constructed a wind driven generator on the wreck of the Runic while sheltering and awaiting rescue.

The Ethel, a three-masted iron barque of 711 tons was built in 1876. Bound from South African ports to Semaphore, S.A. The Ethel went ashore on Reef Head, close to Cape Spencer on 2nd January 1904. One member of the crew who attempted to swim ashore with a line lost his hold and was drowned, but the remainder of the crew reached safety. The wreck was first reported by SS Ferret when she arrived at Port Adelaide on 4th January. Attempts to free the Ethel failed and she became a total loss. Ironically, the Ferret was lost only a few metres away 17 years later and the hulk of the Ethel was used to secure a lifeline to rescue the crew of the Ferret. Her boiler protrudes from the sand just metres from the Ethel.

On 21 July 1991, the Greek tanker Kirki was off the Western Australian coast, about 125 miles north of Perth and 18 miles west of Cervantes. Its forepeak ballast tank had filled with sea water, efforts to pump out the tank were unsuccessful and serious structural damage had occurred to the forward hull. The weather was severe, force 8 winds from the west/south west, rough seas and heavy swells. The damaged bow section broke off causing the bulkhead to fracture and expose the cargo tanks to the sea. Cargo oil was spilled and fire broke out from the bow, the fire was extinguished by wave action. An estimated 2.9 million gallons of light crude oil (the Exxon Valdez spill was 10.9 million gallons). were dumped into the Indian Ocean, the oil slick was more than seven miles long and almost a mile wide The Kirki was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Fremantle. Helicopters rescued the 37 crew. Following the removal of oil the Kirki was towed to Singapore where she was broken up for scrap.

Burke & Wills & Camels

I recently set up a display to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Burke & Wills Victorian Exploring Expedition, probably the best known expedition in Australian history. Their story has been told in books, films, song, folklore, melodrama, and re-enactments.

On 20th August 1860, in an attempt to be the first party to cross the continent, Burke & Wills set out from Melbourne in a large well equipped expedition. While successfully reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria, Burke, Wills and Gray all died on the return journey.

The image of Burke and Wills perishing near the Dig Tree beside the Cooper Creek, is central to the Australian narrative (and who thought it would be linked to the Federal Election).

The Royal Society of Victoria organised the Expedition, and this year have organised a range of commemorative programs and activities to celebrate the 150th.

The Wimmera’s link to this famous expedition is that some of the remaining camels and camels used on the Relief Expeditions were retired to the Longerenong pastoral run, Charles Wilson was a member of the Royal Society, and offered to have the camels on his property in a drier climate rather than suffering in Melbourne’s damp conditions.