Victoria

The Lantern

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Sometimes, the best view is directly above us. This was shot in St. Paul’s Catherdral in Melbourne. It wasn’t always known as a cathedral and was formerly known as St. Paul’s Parish Church. In spite of having been inside several times, I was completely unaware of this feature of the cathedral. Cathedrals are set apart from churches [...]


Cook’s Cottage

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Built in 1755 and still standing, Cook’s Cottage lies in the south end of the Fitzroy Gardens. It wasn’t built here though… in 1933, the owner of the cottage sold it on condition that it remain in England (and was subsequently convinced to expand that region to “the Empire”). It was sold for a mere [...]


Dights Falls

Dights Falls

Tucked away in the suburb of Abbotsford is this cascade on the Yarra known as Dights Falls. Its straight lines and precise geometrical structure are the result of a man-made weir blended with the local geology. At this point, the river narrows and is squeezed between to very different kinds of rocks – 800,000 year-old [...]


Tram-spotting at City Square

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I did some pre-work today before a photo walk that I have organised for Friday the 19th of April 2013. This is City Square in Melbourne. Its tram stops have recently been redeveloped to be more pedestrian and cycle friendly, while eliminating vehicles from being able to access Swanston Street with impunity. It is also [...]


Sunset on the southbound pier

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Moments earlier, I had been treated to a rainbow. Then, as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, the colours of the evening took over. Kerferd Road pier is one of my regular hangouts. After a busy day, or an intense week, it is not uncommon to find me here clearing my head while [...]


A song of sun and rain

The first rainbow of Autumn

Hindus have a couple of different names for a rainbow. The word “Indradhanush” is used in Hindi, literally meaning the bow of Indra, the kings of the Devas (or Gods). According to Hindu legend, Indra is the Lord of Thunder (a bit like Zeus among the Greeks, or Jupiter among the ancient Romans), and his [...]


The Heartbeat of Melbourne

The Heartbeat of Melbourne

Ever city has a heart; Melbourne’s heart would lie very close to this spot, just outside Flinders Street station. This tram stop was put into operation around 2011, after doing away with the old ones that straddled the tracks. Operating in the form of an island between the tram tracks, it is a perfect spot [...]


The Bridge through the Dark Green Woods

Fitzoy Gardens - the Wooden Bridge

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. These are the words of a poem written by Robert Frost in 1922. The title of the poem was “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”. The [...]


The Foyer of 101

The Foyer of 101 Collins Street

Melbourne has a range of different architectural styles that make up its many office buildings. While several of these buildings do not have any sightseeing facilities, they are friendly for visitors and amateur photographers. This image above is the foyer of 101 Collins Street. It happens to be a few doors down from the building [...]


The Digital Bunker

Digital Bunker

Have you ever wondered what Melbourne might have looked like over a hundred years ago? Wonder no further and head down to the basement of Melbourne’s Old Treasury Building, where one of the many bunkers in the cellars houses a digital display of a panoramic view of what the view down Collins Street looked like [...]


St. Kilda Marina

St. Kilda Marina

In Australia, Easter has got to be the best holiday…. even better than Christmas! Four days off in a row cannot be bad… and if you bookend these days with a couple of days off from work, it really gives you the opportunity to unwind, and go out and shoot. The Easter of April 2013 [...]


Alien Moon Rock

Alien Moon Rock

This is an older image which was shot in 2010. I had gone off on a photography trip with a friend from work. This was shot at Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary. I had been hunting for tide pools (which are so very rare around Melbourne) for quite some time. Marengo has plenty of them, and [...]


The Encrusted Anchor of the Marie Gabrielle

The Encrusted Anchor of the Marie Gabrielle on Wreck Beach

Wreck Beach at Moonlight Head along Great Ocean Road was (and still is) on of my favourite spots to visit along Australia’s Southern Coast. It is remarkably poorly sign-posted, and you would not be blamed if you completely missed it while driving along that way. On my first visit here, I had perfect weather in the middle [...]


The Path to Cape Otway Lightstation

The pathway to Cape Otway Lightstation

In a nation where over 90% of its population lives along the coasts, Australia has its fair share of lighthouses. One of the most beautiful would have to be Cape Otway Lightstation, which lies atop the cliff at the tip of Cape Otway. The location is an intriguing one. It is that part of the coast where [...]


The loo with the best view

The loo with the best view

It has come down to this… posting images of public bathrooms… Yet, if you look closely, you’ll notice that this isn’t any old bathroom. The 35th floor of the Sofitel located on 35 Collins Street in Melbourne is publicly accessible. The men’s bathroom has a floor to ceiling window that looks over the Yarra, Olympic [...]


The Intercontinental

The Atrium of the Intercontinental Hotel

Easter comes around in Autumn in Australia. After a very hot summer in 2013, we finally had a bit of relief from the heat. The weather has encouraged me to leave home early with camera gear in tow, and get a photo walk in both in the morning before work, and in the afternoon after [...]


The Pulpit at the edge of the world

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I’d been here before – on a very grey sunrise. I wanted to go back at sunset. In early March 2013, I led a group of photography enthusiasts to the edge of the world… or at least the edge of Victoria and Cape Schanck. There lies Pulpit Rock, a volcanic monolith that stands out like [...]


The Ferris Wheel

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I have had a fascination with ferris wheels for a long time. There are not an extreme ride, but give one enough of a thrill to get an adrenaline fix. This was shot at the 2013 Moomba festival in Melbourne. With the 3-day weekend over Labour Day here in Victoria, I chose to spend a [...]


Carnival!

Moomba - The Crazy Car Square

Every year in March, over the Labour Day long weekend, Melburnians are drawn to the banks of the Yarra. There are rides, music, and a general air of festivity. Water sports run on the river, and fireworks light up the sky at night. It is our city’s version of a carnival. We call this festival [...]


The Beacon to the Heavens

Where Heaven and Earth meet

On the evening of March 10th 2013, I led a group of like-minded photography enthusiasts to Cape Schanck at the edge of the Mornington Peninsula where the Cape Schanck Lighthouse Reserve lies. We had the tide going out as we arrived. We also had a generally clear sky and no moon. Our key objective was [...]


Princes Pier at sunrise in early autumn

Princes Pier at Dawn in Autumn

This weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some time chatting with Brian Matiash and Nicole S. Young who were visiting Australia and had organised a Google+ walk in Melbourne. Both Brian and Nicole had been savouring what our Great Southern Land had to offer, and had been privy to several shots being posted by [...]


The encrusted capstan

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Along the edge of wreck beach lies the remnants of two of many very well-known shipwrecks that occurred along the southern coast of Australia. Pictured below on a beautiful summer afternoon is the anchor and capstan of the Marie Gabrielle. Time and the constant battering of the salty ocean waters have reduced this very large [...]


Revellers

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On February 23rd 2013, the city of Melbourne hosted a party that was the first of its kind for its locals. Following in the spirit of Paris, Montreal and several other cities in the world, the city powered up its lights from 7pm to 7am in celebration of White Night – a cultural event where [...]


Degraves Lane

Degraves Lane

It is one of my favourite haunts and is perhaps one of the coolest little lane-ways in the city. Degraves Lane runs between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, with an assortment of boutiques, city lofts, backpacker accommodations  eateries, barber shops and even the Centre for Adult Education adding to the vibe of a scene that is so typically [...]