ROCOCO

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme
And also part of the Weekend in Black and White.

SUMMER MEMORY

Found this in the archives and I sighed a little as it was quite a cold Winter day today, even though it was sunny at times. Well, here's a warm Summer memory from last year in the Fitzroy Gardens in the City.

This post is part of the Roentare’s Water Meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

SUMMER

A shady spot in the garden with the water bubbling in the fountain, sipping on a cool drink, reading a fine book ("Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius). Perfect New Year's Day holiday...

This post is part of Roentare’s Water Meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

MELBOURNE EXHIBITION BUILDING

Originally designed for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, the Exhibition buildings and the surrounding Carlton Gardens are now World Heritage listed. The Royal Exhibition Building is Australia's only World Heritage listed building. Completed in 1880 for Melbourne's first International Exhibition, it was the site of Australia's first Federal Parliament in 1901. With its meticulously restored interior, expansive galleries and soaring dome, it continues to offer a magnificent setting for trade shows, fairs and cultural events.

The Exhibition Fountain by Josef Hochgurtel is of Portland cement built in 1880. Josef Hochgurtel was born in Cologne, Germany, and trained under Herr Fuels, who modelled the Cologne Cathedral. In creating the Exhibition Fountain, he was assisted by August Saupe, who had worked on similar pieces in Berlin, Dresden and Copenhagen. The colossal fountain stands some 10 metres high on the south side of the Royal Exhibition Building, outside the Great Hall. It was constructed for the first of Melbourne’s two grand international world fairs. The fountain’s visual elements were designed to display the young colony’s confidence and advancement, simultaneously signalling the purpose of world fairs to display the produce and industry of nations.

Here it is hosting the Affordable Art Fair held in Melbourne recently.

This post is part of the Travel Tuesday meme

LINCOLN SQUARE

Lincoln Square, Swanston Street, Carlton provides a green space in the heart of the City. A central part of it is the Bali Memorial Fountain. This fountain and landscaped site memorialises those who lost their lives or were injured by the bomb blasts that devastated Kuta, Bali, on 12 October 2002, and honours those who helped in the aftermath. It has been conceived as a place of comfort, the seating offering a place for quiet contemplation.

The memorial’s centrepiece is a low concrete platform in which two rectangular pools are sunk. These house 91 jets, representing the Australians who perished in the bombing; the names of the 22 Victorians killed are recorded on the sides of the fountain. The fountain’s 202 lights represent all who died that night. A plaque on the eastern side of the memorial lists the names of the Australians who lost their lives. On each anniversary of the bombing, the fountain recedes to become a reflection pool. 

This memorial rejuvenated an existing water feature, built on the site in the 1960s. In 1961, the Melbourne City Council began work landscaping Lincoln Square, laying paths, stone terraces, flower beds and installing an ornamental spraying fountain. It was officially opened by Councillor Brens, Chairman of the Parks and Gardens Committee on the 23rd of July, 1965. The fountain was the first work to be designed financed and installed entirely by the Melbourne City Council, at a cost of 18,000 pounds. The City Architects designed a 40 foot square pool with 150 jets forming the water sculpture. The pool is capped with Sicilian marble and Harcourt granite.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

WALKER FOUNTAIN

The Walker fountain was presented by Ron and Barbara Walker, Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Melbourne (1974-1975) to the people of Victoria, opened by the Hon. Lindsay Thompson, C.M.P.,M.P., Premier of Victoria on the 18.12.1981.

It is in the King's Domain in South Melbourne, at the corner of Linlithgow Ave and St Kilda Rd, diagonally opposite the National Gallery of Victoria. The fountain is part of the City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection and comprises 46 underwater lights and 144 individual streams of water.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

EXHIBITION FOUNTAIN

The Exhibition Fountain by Josef Hochgurtel is of Portland cement built in 1880. Josef Hochgurtel was born in Cologne, Germany, and trained under Herr Fuels, who modelled the Cologne Cathedral. In creating the Exhibition Fountain, he was assisted by August Saupe, who had worked on similar pieces in Berlin, Dresden and Copenhagen. The colossal fountain stands some 10 metres high on the south side of the Royal Exhibition Building, outside the Great Hall. It was constructed for the first of Melbourne’s two grand international world fairs. The fountain’s visual elements were designed to display the young colony’s confidence and advancement, simultaneously signalling the purpose of world fairs to display the produce and industry of nations.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

MACPHERSON ROBERTSON FOUNTAIN

The Macpherson Robertson Fountain, designed by Philip Hudson and sculpted by Paul Montford is a granite, bronze and concrete fountain made in 1934 and located in the Shrine Gardens, corner of Domain and St Kilda Roads.

Architect Philip Hudson moved from New Zealand to Melbourne in 1903. He designed several grammar schools, as well as the Shrine of Remembrance, near which this fountain is sited. On this work he collaborated with celebrated sculptor Paul Montford, who migrated to Australia from England in 1921. The fountain consists of one pool within another, and a central column upon which sits a bronze figure of a boy catching a dolphin. Water sprays into the pools from bronze animals.

The fountain was a gift from Sir Macpherson Robertson to celebrate Victoria's centenary. Robertson was a successful businessman and a philanthropist, making his money and name in confectionery; he was responsible for introducing chewing gum and fairy floss into Australia. Robertson gave to many causes and expeditions, Sir Douglas Mawson even naming Mac Robertson Land in Antarctica in his honour. In celebration of Victoria's centenary, Robertson donated £15 000 as first prize in the Centenary Air Race from London to Melbourne and £100 000 for works to be undertaken around the city. The fountain is one result of this donation.

This post is part of the Wednesday Waters meme,
and also part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

EXHIBITION BUILDINGS

Originally designed for the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, the Exhibition buildings and the surrounding Carlton Gardens are now World Heritage listed. The Royal Exhibition Building is Australia's only World Heritage listed building. Completed in 1880 for Melbourne's first International Exhibition, it was the site of Australia's first Federal Parliament in 1901. With its meticulously restored interior, expansive galleries and soaring dome, it continues to offer a magnificent setting for trade shows, fairs and cultural events.

The Exhibition Fountain by Josef Hochgurtel is of Portland cement built in 1880. Josef Hochgurtel was born in Cologne, Germany, and trained under Herr Fuels, who modelled the Cologne Cathedral. In creating the Exhibition Fountain, he was assisted by August Saupe, who had worked on similar pieces in Berlin, Dresden and Copenhagen. The colossal fountain stands some 10 metres high on the south side of the Royal Exhibition Building, outside the Great Hall. It was constructed for the first of Melbourne’s two grand international world fairs. The fountain’s visual elements were designed to display the young colony’s confidence and advancement, simultaneously signalling the purpose of world fairs to display the produce and industry of nations.

The interior of the building is as remarkable as the exterior and photos of it during one of the annual Flower Shows held there can be seen here.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

ST MARY'S THORNBURY

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.

This post is part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme.

TREASURY GARDENS FOUNTAINS

The small and peaceful Treasury Gardens stretch between Fitzroy Gardens and Spring Street, and are a popular venue for community events and rallies. The gardens are home to a multitude of brushtail possums that emerge from the trees to feed at dusk. Features include: The Robert Burns memorial; an ornamental pond with a monument to President John F. Kennedy; a memorial statue of Sir William Clarke; and a large embankment, home to various statues of Victorian politicians that offers views to the south.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.

TREASURY & FITZROY GARDENS

The Treasury Gardens consist of 5.8 hectares on the south-eastern side of the Melbourne Central Business District, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The gardens are bounded by Wellington Parade, Spring Street, Treasury Place, and by the Fitzroy Gardens across Lansdowne street to the west. They form part of a network of city gardens including Fitzroy Gardens, Carlton Gardens, Flagstaff Gardens and Kings Domain. The gardens are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for their historical, archaeological, social, aesthetic and scientific (horticultural) importance for its outstanding nineteenth century design, path layout and planting.

The Gardens are a short walk from Victoria’s Parliament House and are overlooked by the old Treasury buildings, and State Offices. They create a landscaped setting for office workers to enjoy during lunch with large areas of lawn and walking paths lined with mature trees. Due to their central location close to the city, they are a popular spot as the starting or ending point for political rallies, demonstrations and festivals. The gardens are also enjoyed by business people and tourists staying at the Hilton Hotel on Wellington Parade, who are able to wander through on their way to the city.

The Victorian heritage listing says "Fitzroy is unique in comparison for its scale and uninterrupted landscape. There are some horticultural similarities between Fitzroy and the Treasury Garden, attributed to the initial work of Clement Hodgkinson, however Fitzroy Gardens is unique due to the layering of history and mosaic of different landscaping styles. The avenues of mature Elms and Moreton Bay fig are some of the best tree lined avenues in Victoria."

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme.