April 2012 – Kengūrija

Going up

When I got in Melbourne CBD for the first time it looked busy and interesting but all places seemed limited to fast food, sushi and noodles bars or very expensive restaurants, shopping malls, shopping centres, boring designer handbags shops and night clubs in office buildings. Yes, in daytime it is a grey office building, in night time they open some hidden door which takes you down or upstairs to a club where all those screaming drunk girls with high heels go. But it was just first impression. After walking around we discovered some galleries, independent not boring designer shops, amazing hidden cafes with hairdresser, coffee and art shop in one and other things. And the thing with Melbourne – there is like another city on the second, third, seventh floor level.

The fancy – kitschy – magic bar upstairs.

Reda, are you reading this? It was full of stuffed animals, birds, dried giant bugs and other scientific objects decorated with some jewellery.

A giraffe with golden mascara on her eyelashes and a bird (this supposed to be called earbird?). An ostrich with pearls. If women had such long necks, can you imagine how many pearls would they need?!

You hardly can see the street through jungle in the balcony in the second floor (or how they call it first floor in Australia). If you go upstairs on the roof of some 6-7 floors building you get into another beach themed bar.

Another building. Staircase.

It is a home for renown bookshop Metropolis, a couple of restaurants, martial arts studio, few designer boutiques, a gallery space or few.

Rooftop cinema shows old and new movies on a warm and cool summer nights. On a daytime it’s a good place to have some beer or lunch.

The construction process in Melbourne – they left only façade of the giant building.

Gallery boxes on the roof.

After a week they opened a modern jewellery exhibition in this space.

One of the boutiques I told about. Oh, again staircase, same picture!

This is a staircase with a lift. It is in the same building we were at night with Reda. It’s on her blog. See the elevator door on the right.

Doors are opened manually, oldschool stuff.

We found two galleries in that building, amazing view from one of them.

We got a nice present from our neighbours – a tour to the highest viewing platform in southern hemisphere.

The view to St Kilda side. There is the F1 track going around the lake. Just above the island in the photo you can see some tall white buildings on the shore – it is St Kilda where we live.

The city.

Melbourne’s landmark Federation square trough kaleidoscope monoculars.

Street art photos again

What else can I say? Street art is everywhere in Melbourne.

This one is by some famous artist, but I can’t remember his name…

Searching for the Lyrebird

When autumn came to Melbourbe…

…everyone got onto their cars…

…and from the city (on the left) went to the hills (on the right). It was difficult to find where to stop in the little towns in the hills, as it were tourist everywhere.

We found some strange sculpture park.

Very strange. Next to the crucified ones there were koalas, kangaroos and other creatures. It was pretty horrible.

When it started to get dark, we accidentally stopped at one of the popular parks. Here they bring tourists to feed cockatoos, galahs and other birds.

Bird lovers really hate this kind places where they “spoil” birds.

But next t o this place, where lazy tourist don’t often go, there is a little track through the forest, called “Lyrebird walk”. Really promising name. Road signs around just confirm, that this name might not lie.

And here is the Lyrebird itself! 🙂

This bird is special because of it’s ability to mimic other sounds it hears. Anyway, we walked all the track and realized, that there is no other way back, just to go the same path again. So on our way back we stopped for second so that one girl could pass us and a few moments later we couldn’t even believe our eyes. Just a few meters further the Lyrebird itself is crossing the path!

Laurius went after the bird. The bird was totally ignorant and was doing his stuff – looking for food or something.

Other local stopped next by and told that he saw this bird for the first time just the day before. And it had chicks with him. Lucky bastard 🙂 We need to come back here, we decided, and went to the car. Just a few minutes later after we got into the car the storm started.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

Watch this. Really amazing bird!

Mornington peninsula

South west from Melbourne there is a peninsula with little beach sheds, vanilla slices, wineries and musicians who sell surfboards.

Cape Schank. My had was blown away by the wind.

Sometime huge waves can wash people of the shore.

On the other side of peninsula – calm and quiet. Sheds worth 200K dollars. As they show in advertisements – you can keep your surfboard here. What? There are no waves on this side!

Another day we went to a maze.

Sleepy beauty.

Bath tub in lavender fields.

And some farm.

A little town of Sorento. Italiano!

For me it was strange to see old stone houses, tiny streets. I said – italiano!

The thing on the right – a giant dried seaweed which looks like a piece of big tyre.

Melbourne far away.

Gulls are everywhere the same – angry and proud.

Daytrips around Melbourne

One day our friend Saulius and his lovely family took us with Luka’s mum to the hills. We visited animal sanctuary.

Watched the bird show – they did different tricks. Eagle was showing egg breaking skills.

It’s one of the biggest eagles in the world. This bird is using a tool (a stone) to break the egg. Clever, isn’t it?

After that we visited a little town in the hills.

Puffing Billy is a little historic train which goes in the hills. One day we’ll have a ride!

Another daytrip arround Melbourne – Point Cook. Surrounded with pretty uncosy suburbs – still new, no trees, just houses in the flat field. But then you go and get in the swampy area with eagles, kites and herons. Well, they don’t want to be photographed, you know. In a picture above – the bird’s of prey breakfast leftover.

We walked and walked and walked and got into terrible cloud of flies and bugs. The further we went the more of flying creatures were around. Finally we got to the sea.

Bugs were changed by birds. Laurius sneaking.

Red-necked stint relaxing in the sun.

Someone scarred them. They made a big circle and came back. This picture Laurius made looks a little bit like the one in a book about the birds my grandpa had.