Darebin Creek is a creek that runs through the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the main watercourse of the Darebin Valley and a major tributary of the Yarra River. For tens of thousands of years it was used as a food and tool source sustainably by the Wurundjeri people, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation alliance, who spoke variations of the Woiwurrung language group.
The creek rises on the northern urban fringe of Melbourne north of the suburb of Epping, following a general southerly route and meeting the Yarra at Alphington. The creek forms much of the municipal boundary between the City of Darebin and City of Banyule. Formerly an intermittent stream, increased stormwater runoff with urbanisation of the Darebin Creek catchment has resulted in permanent water flow.
The creek runs through Darebin Parklands, a large nature reserve one or two kilometres northwest of the junction at which the creek meets the Yarra. The Darebin Creek Trail runs along the banks in the lower reaches of the creek. This is the creek at the Darebin Parklands in Alphington.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
And also part of the Sunday Bridges meme.
The inner Melbourne suburb of Darebin commences approximately 4kms to the north
of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) and extends a further 10kms to
the north. It borders the Cities of Yarra to the south, Whittlesea to the
north, Moreland to the west and Banyule to the east.
The City
of Darebin covers approximately 53 square kilometres. With over 128,000
residents and 55,000 properties, it contains one of the largest and most
diverse communities in the State. The City includes the established and
historic suburbs of Northcote, Alphington, Fairfield, Thornbury, and extends to
Preston, Reservoir, and the recently developed areas of Kingsbury and Bundoora
North East Growth Corridor.
The Darebin Parklands are located in an area that includes both Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne. They form a district park covering an area of thirty three (33) hectares. They are one of the most important attractions in the City of Darebin and provide a touch of wilderness in the midst of the City.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God is located in 1 Albion St, Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne. During the late 1970's and early 1980's clergy and parishioners of the Protection of the Mother of God Cathedral in Collingwood began seeking a new church site. The move was necessary as the site in Collingwood was not large enough to expand.
The decision to build rather than buy was made on the rationale that a church in Russian style is more aesthetically pleasing to those who will worship in it than a renovated church in the style of a western denomination.
Three architects were invited to submit proposals for the plans for this new church (Vlad Chernov, Alex Kamenev and John Petrakis). John Petrakis secured the contract with a competitive estimate. He had a working relationship with Brunswick Municipal Council - which was another advantage. John, who was later to become an honourary Russian dubbed Ivan Petrov, developed the design further and approached the Brunswick city council about a Planning Permit for a Church and a Community Centre. His diplomacy in dealing with the City Council, managing to appease them whilst not compromising design is a credit to him.
The foundation laying ceremony took place on the 5th November 1989. Within the stone some relics of Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth were placed with a parchment within a sealed copper/brass cylinder. This is based on the ancient Christian practice of building churches above the graves of holy martyrs.
Psalm 99
1 The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
2 The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
4 The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.
This post is part of the Psalm Sunday meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
and also part of the Shadow Shot Sunday meme.
I had a work function to attend last week, which involved a dinner at Southbank. The night views of the City buildings over the slow-flowing Yarra River were a marvellous thing to see.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
and also part of the Weekend Reflections meme.
The upgrade of the historic Swan Street Bridge in 2009 ensured that one of Melbourne’s most iconic and busiest bridges would serve the city for many years to come. An important link to Melbourne sports and entertainment precinct, the bridge which first opened in 1952, experienced some movement on its south side due to Melbourne’s silt foundations. The upgrade included underpinning the bridge foundations, replacing approach slabs on the south side and replacing existing expansion joints. The landscaping and retaining walls were also upgraded. Carrying some 35,000 vehicles per day, most of the works that may have impacted traffic using the bridge took place in the evenings, with crews working around the clock to get the project completed as quickly as possible.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
and also the Sunday Bridges meme.
St Mary's Catholic church on High Street, Thornbury is a fine red brick church dating back to the 1920s. The associated school adjacent to the church first opened in January 1920 in one of the old wooden buildings, which was transported from St Joseph’s, Northcote. As the population increased, the school expanded. In February 1925 Archbishop Mannix laid the foundation of a new brick school building, which was later blessed and officially opened by Bishop McCarthy of Sandhurst.
As part of the Commonwealth centenary celebrations, a fountain was constructed outside the church. It has a fine mosaic of native water flora and fauna. Fortunately the fountain was not running so I was able to take these photos - you have to imagine the jets of water gushing forth!
This post is part of Psalm Sunday meme,
and the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.
Psalm 95
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Built in 1989 the Southgate pedestrian bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne provides the main pedestrian link for thousands of workers and tourists between Flinders Street Station and the Southgate business and entertainment precinct.
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
A $75,000 public art sculpture installed last October in Darebin Parklands has divided residents, with some saying the egg-shaped work looks out of place in bushland. Darebin council’s art and culture department commissioned the artwork, "The Nest" which was made by artists David Bell and Gary Tippett from recycled materials. The artwork itself has been praised by residents, but some have criticised the location chosen. Darebin Parklands Association president Ingrid Svendsen said there was no community desire for artwork in the park and said the push came from council bureaucrats.
Council’s acting director of city design and environment, David Shepard, said the council had received positive feedback from parklands users. He said the council’s Public Art Strategy involved a ‘‘very detailed’’ community consultation process. Love it or hate it, it is a very imposing structure and it commands attention from several key viewpoints. Besides which, it is very photogenic, I think you'll agree with me...
This post is part of the Scenic Sunday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.
A Melbourne icon, the Yarra River offers a multitude of picturesque settings. The banks of the river have a number of barbecue and picnic facilities, fishing platforms and jetties. In addition, there are trails and paths which cater for cyclists, walkers and joggers.
Board one of the many river craft at Southgate or Princes Walk or travel along the Yarra in your own boat to visit attractions such as Melbourne Park for the Australian Tennis Open, the Royal Botanical Gardens and Herring Island Park. The Yarra River is now the undisputed social heart of marvellous Melbourne. The river is the focus for numerous spectacular events including the famous Moomba festival, rowing regattas, the Melbourne Festival and Dragon Boat Festivals.
We have had gorgeous Summer weather at the weekend, so it was no surprise that many people flocked to the banks of the Yarra, or boarded one of the many pleasure craft.
This post is part of the Scenic Sunday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme,
and also part of the Sunday Bridges meme.