Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Degraves Laneway




Degraves Street is a street in Melbourne, Victoria. It is named after Charles and William Degraves, pioneer merchants who settled in Melbourne from Hobart, Tasmania in 1849. William Degraves (1821-1883) was also a large-scale grazier and a member of Victoria's Legislative Council between 1860 and 1874.

It is a short, narrow laneway, running north from Flinders Street to Flinders Lane in the central business district of Melbourne. The cobbled bluestone alley forms a busy alternative thoroughfare for commuters disembarking fromFlinders Street Station toward the shopping areas of The Block on Collins Street and Bourke Street Mall, loosely connecting with Centre Place, a similar lane just across Flinders Lane. The Degraves underpass was built in the 1950s, one of the few public works at the time, to allow pedestrians to get from Flinders Street Station to Degraves street rather than have to walk across busy Flinders Street. Degraves underpass is also home to Platform Artists Group, and frequently presents new works.Vehicles have only restricted access.

The lane features bars, cafes, and restaurants and many of the taller old buildings have been converted into loft style apartments in the 1990s, adding further life to the street.

Redevelopment of the Mutual Store in 2006 has further enhanced the lane with additional shops.

A vista up Degraves laneway is created by "Majorca House", an ornate 1930s building dressed in faience.

People use Degraves Street as a quick stop for a coffee before going to catch their train at Flinders Street Station.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Listening to the music


Miraggio (aka Seated Figure)
By Pino Conte : Bronze statue, 1964
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Kings Domain

Miraggio, a bronze statue of a slender young woman listening to music, came into the city’s public art collection 1964. An anonymous ‘Lover of Italy’ donated it to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl Trust and Melbourne City Council. Following the re-landscaping of the site, Miraggio was reinstalled in October 2001. To be faithful to the donor’s wishes and the apparent intent behind the work, the figure is installed as if she were part of the audience.

Friday, October 08, 2010

In the Sky



“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”



 Buddha quotes (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)


Skywatch Friday
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