Fairfield Park Boathouse

On Sunday Peter and I spent a lovely afternoon at the
Fairfield Park Boathouse
which is situated on the Yarra River and is only 10 minutes from the city of Melbourne.

Although rain was forecast for the day we decided to go anyway and hoped the weather would allow us to enjoy a boat ride while we were there. As you can see by the photos it had turned out to be quite a nice day after all and not a drop of rain.

When we arrived we had a cafe latte by the river and took in the view, then ordered lunch which was really nice and it was great to sit outside by the rivers edge watching others out rowing around in their boats, kayaks and canoes.

While sitting there we also noticed that quite a few people had bought their dogs with them too. If we had of known one was able to bring their dogs (on a leash) we would have taken Buddy with us ... next time we definately will. Some dogs were having the best time swimming around and playing with their families. I would imagine this place to be very busy during the warmer months of the year.

After lunch we hired a row boat and cruised along the Yarra River for about an hour. Peter did all the rowing while I happily snapped away with my camera. I ended up with a few nice selection of photos from the afternoon.

Peter took a few photos of me while I was enjoying our boat ride on the Yarra River. I wasn't too thrilled with having my pic taken at the moment as I haven't been well for the last few months and on a good dose of cortisone which unfortunately has a nasty side effect of bloatiness.

I've been feeling quite dull and drab lately too ... so Peter on enhanced my red coloured hair the day before as it always peps me up. I didn't realise how bright it was until I saw these photos. I love it though and it did help me feel much better.

There are many beautiful scenes to photograph along the river. This bird has a nice cosy spot in front of his house on Yarra and as we started to get closer it started warning us away ☺

There were also many varieties of ducks and other wild native birds.

I would highly recommend this place to be on your itinerary of attractions to visit for travellers to Melbourne and if you already live here and you want to escape to tranquility for the day ... it's a must do!

More Information

The Fairfield Park Boathouse boasts a Superior Table with all the varieties of the season served in an historic riverside garden setting. It’s fresh, casual and inexpensive.

Enjoy an informal outdoor dining experience where you can relax by the river in summer or sit by the cozy wood fires and admire the view in winter.

Fairfield Park Boathouse offers an extensive range of culinary delights.

From the grill they offer seasonal seafood, high grade meat and poultry, gourmet sausages, home made hamburgers and childrens meals, all cooked in front of your eyes on the outdoor grill.

The Tearoom also has many irresistible offerings including our famous Devonshire Tea.

History of
Fairfield Park Boathouse

Fairfield boathouse was established in 1908 by John St Clair as a picnic, camping and refreshment room area. John St Clair was a piano tuner from Smith street Fitzroy, with a vision. He firstly wrote a letter to the Premier suggesting that he open a refreshment room and boat shed area, with motor boats at Fairfield Park.

The Premier had to seek the approval form Yarra Bend Hospital of the Insane because the proposal for the boat shed was actually on the hospital grounds. The Premier gave his permission for the boat shed project to go ahead. Mr St Clair built the boat shed and six years later Fairfield Park was set aside from the same grounds. However Mr St Clair had seven troubled years with Crown Bailiffs over building permits. Eventually in 1915 the Heidelberg council bought him out.

In 1923 the boathouse was raised by 12 feet to help minimise flood damage, a frequent threat to boathouses along the Yarra.

Boat and canoe carnivals and open air carnivals were common sights at Fairfield until the 1950’s. Boating popularity declined until finally the Fairfield boathouse was closed in 1980 as it was declared unfit for human habitation.

In 1985 the boathouse was restored and re-opened. The derelict building had recently housed squatters and possums. The project took 30,000 hours of restoration work. Meticulous work and an eye for detail was required for rebuilding. Even the gardens have been restored to encourage native birds.

Crimson Rosella's in our Garden

I'm still trying to capture a really good close up of these wonderfully colourful birds we have as regular visitors in our garden. Here a few of the latest.

Crimson Rosella's often feed from the birdseed holder we have hung in the trees which are right outside our home office.


This was my week in photos. Hope you enjoy. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment and let me know if anyone out there in cyber land is reading my blog. I'm still learning it all and trying to refine and develop my blog into something that others are interested in reading about. Any and all feedback most welcomed ... especially the positive kind. :)

Sky High Mt Dandenong

I took these photos from Sky High Mt Dandenong on Sunday 31st August.

It has been raining quite a bit lately here in Melbourne and these photos were taken on a particularly wet and misty day.

I had been stuck in bed for a good week with a bad back and a bout of the flu and was eager to get out of the house for a while.

Peter and I decided to go to the Sky High Bistro for their Sunday Buffet Lunch which was really nice. The food was fresh and very tasty and I would love to go again in a few months time during clearer days and when I'm feeling much better.



I still wasn't feeling my best when we went but tried to enjoy it as best I could. Naturally I had my camera with me and hoped the weather would clear a bit before we got up into the Dandenong Ranges but it didn't and was bitterly cold and extremely windy outside where I was taking photos from. I tried a few with my 300mm zoom to but Melbourne turned out to lost in the misty fog so I have done some post processing on them to bring out the buildings and landmarks as best I could.

Some information about Sky High

One of Victoria’s Premier Tourist Destinations

* Viewing platforms with stunning views that sweep across Mornington Peninsula and Port Phillip Bay , to the You Yangs on the Southern horizon.

Get Some Perspective & Escape the noise and pressures of the concrete jungle. Less than 1 hour from the Melbourne CBD you can be SkyHigh – on the uppermost reach of the Dandenong Ranges, amid cool fern glades and lush towering native forest, looking at the big picture, from the Mornington Peninsula across the majestic sweep of Port Phillip Bay, surrounded by Melbourne’s growing urban fringes, to the You Yangs on the southern horizon. After sunset the southern sky, brilliant in the clear mountain night, is imitated by a spectacular carpet of city lights.

First established as a survey point in 1861 this historic area, which has recently undergone a lavish and sympathetic redevelopment, affords a unique overview of Greater Melbourne. Enjoy the unparalleled vista from the SkyHigh Bistro or fire up a public barbecue, spread a rug and picnic on the elevated viewing terrace.

SkyHigh has something for the whole family including, an exquisite English garden, Adventurous SkyHigh Maze and links to trail walks in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. If you really want to see Melbourne from above...
____________________________________________________________________

Spring is in the air.

It has been raining quite regularly for the last few weeks in Melbourne. I had been waiting for a few nice days to get out into the garden to take some photos and see what new and wonderful blossoms and blooms had sprung up over the last week or so.

Buddy, Peter and I ventured outside between showers to take a few photos.

This is Buddy happy to be outside with us checking out what's happening in the garden.

These are new daffodils coming up .. I think they may be coming on a little early this year but am happy to see their smiling faces. Daffodils always give me the feeling of happiness when I see them.
One side of our property has a hedge. I was trying to get a photo with a 'vanishing point' within it.



The old glasshouse roof. It does need some work done on it but I'm happy with the old rustic look. A crack here and hole there.

We picked this old red wheelbarrow from somewhere down the road ... it's not functional but it looks nice in the front garden. We plan to put some plants in it. .. It's on the list along with so many other things we would like to do in the garden ... Can't wait for summertime!

Some vibrant flowers looking up at me. Love the colour of these blooms. Im still trying to find out what they are though.

A little post processing and they just pop right out at you!


The garden is starting it's spring parade. Flowers and colours everywhere I look. The rain has been most welcomed and I know the garden is going to be spectacular this coming Spring.


The Bird of Paradise is also joining in the Springtime parade. I noticed it is just starting to bloom and I'm hoping to get some photos with a bird on it this year.

Finally after an hour or so in the garden Peter made a wonderfully delicious dinner for us. Warm beef with garden salad ..... most appropriate after our time in the garden. It was really yummy and I surely am a spoilt girl to have a man that enjoys cooking good healthy meals for me.

The Melbourne Museum

The Melbourne Museum by Chrissy Downunder

A fun day spent at the Melbourne Museum with Peter and my sons, Jai and Beau. At the time I was using a Ricoh Caplio R40 Point and shoot, but now that I have my new Canon Rebel XTi I can't wait to spend another day at the museum taking photos. I hope they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner there though ..... I have a feeling I'll be there all day next time. So many interesting things to see, touch, learn and photograph.

Click on the links to photos below to see more information about each one.

1. What's for Dinner .. Dino?, 2. Balance on Butterfly, 3. Melbourne Museum ~ Angles in Colour, 4. Windmill Angles, 5. Dinosaur Display at Melbourne Museum, 6. Australian Coat of Arms, 7. In Days Gone By, 8. The Melbourne Story, 9. Parallel Lines, 10. Checking out the ants, 11. Reflections on Phar Lap, 12. Spiderman - Melbourne Museum, 13. Cable Tram - Melbourne Museum

Share your Melbourne Story experience with the world!

If you have any photo's of the Melbourne Museum .. share them in the Visitor's Photo Album.

Melbourne Museum has created a group on the photo-sharing website Flickr, enabling visitors to share their unique images of this exciting new exhibition, allowing others to see through their eyes.

If you’re a seasoned Flickr user, jump straight in to the Melbourne Museum Group .. join up and start adding your photos. Be sure to tag your images with 'themelbournestory' to make them appear in this Visitor's Photo Album.

Those unfamiliar with Flickr should take their tour and then sign up.

Note: images displayed on Flickr remain the copyright of the original photographer.

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

A Night out with Jimi Hocking

Photo of our favourite blues performer Jimi Hocking taken on one of our nights out.


I thought it might be good for this weeks challenge 'Happiness' in:
Learning Photography with Neil Creek

Everyone looks pretty happy here getting into the music. Going to see Jimi Hocking certainly makes Peter (in the bright blue shirt) and I happy every time we see him play.

Read more about Jimi Hocking on an Aussie Affair

Jimi Hocking's Website

Support Australian Independent Artists

Your 1st DSLR .. How did you feel?

Photo is of me using my Dad's Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi

Discussion of Flickr:

Learning Photography with Neil Creek

I'm interested to know how others were feeling and the level of their anticipation about having their first new DSLR's.

My Dad cruised into town this week (from Tassie) and had his Canon 400D with him. I tried really hard to greet him with much excitement and enthusiasm as I did while spotting his camera sitting on the back seat of his car, knowing that I too will be the proud owner of one soon.

Over the last day or two he has checked out what I have been up to lately with my photography and was quite impressed with the photos I have been taking with my little Ricoh CaplioR4 point n shoot.

For the last year I have been dreaming about owning one like his.

He sees the passion I have developed over the last 6 months …. so this morning he announced to me he feels I should have one sooner than October (my birthday) which has been a promised combined gift from him, Peter and my two grown up sons.

I am soooo excited and it feels like when I was a young teenager dreaming and thinking about my first true love …

.... do you remember those feelings of waking up every few hours through the night and the first thing that pops into your head is your new lover?

Does this sound like I have a problem I need to see a therapist about?

I can't sleep .. I can't eat .. I'm dreaming day and night about this camera and it consumes my thoughts constantly .. for heaven's sake :) ..... Do I need to see a therapist perhaps or is this a normal reaction and emotion felt by people passionate about photography? Lol

I'm hoping to have photos for this weeks challenge 'HAPPINESS' with my new camera. ..... The order is in and I will have one within the week!

Jimi Hocking - Blues Machine

Jimi Hocking - Blues Machine

I took these photos on one of our blues nights out recently of our favourite blues performer.

Jimi Hocking who is a songwriter, singer and guitarist of the highest calibre, the electric love child of T-Bone Walker, BB King and Jimi Hendrix.

He struts the stage with his band, playing his ‘showy’ guitar style while pulling all the classic stunts ... behind the head ... the duck walk ... even the splits!

Jimi’s affinity with the guitar started as a boy when his father, Kevin Hocking (a well known pianist and composer) realised that Jimi was more interested in Chuck Berry than his piano lessons, and so presented him with a primitive acoustic guitar for Christmas. These humble beginnings led to an ongoing career in music, with Jimi playing electric guitar, acoustic guitar and mandolin.

Read the rest of Jimi Hocking's Bio

A video for 'Skinny White Boy', a song considered by many to be Jimi's signature tune, hits YouTube.


If all that ain't enough, Jimi has also written music for film and TV, and played for many other artists in a career now spanning 25 years. He continues to write, record and perform with astonishing enthusiasm.

Jimi Hocking on YouTube

Royal Exhibition Building - Melbourne

Royal Exhibition Building - Melbourne

Chrissy Downunder

Royal Exhibition Building
is situated in Carlton Gardens just across the Melbourne museum. It is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the world's oldest remaining exhibition pavilions.

A World Heritage site is defined as a place that is important to all peoples of the world.

The Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens is the first non-Aboriginal cultural site in Australia to win World Heritage listing. It joins our nation’s other World Heritage listings, which include Aboriginal cultural sites such as Uluru-Kata Tjuta, and the continent’s many natural heritage areas—from Kakadu in the north to the Tasmanian Wilderness, from Shark Bay (Western Australia) to the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast.

Around the Bend

Around the Bend by Chrissy Downunder

Around the Bend on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Part of our regular walk. I love this pathway fence.

The Mullum Mullum Creek Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows Mullum-Mullum Creek in the outer eastern suburbs in Melbourne Victoria Australia

The path has two distinct sections which are not connected. The upper section is located in Ringwood. The lower section is located in Donvale and Warrandyte and is highly recommended due to the excellence of the environment.

The upper section of the trail will be extended and link up with the Koonung Creek Trail, when the EastLink project is completed. The gap will be narrowed further still by the extension of the lower section from Tindals Road to Park Road.

Mullum Mullum Creek Trail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Length Upper 5.4km, lower 6.4km
Difficulty Easy
Hills Undulating
Hazards Horses
Connecting Transport
Train Ringwood station
Tram None

I'm Learning Photography with Neil Creek

Neil Creek's Blog

Healesville Sanctuary: Double Take

Distorted Double Take

Chrissy Downunder

Family day out:
with Peter Frank (my dad) and my two sons Jai and Beau☺

Healesville Sanctuary
Healseville Victoria.

Took this photo with my dads
Canon Digital Rebel XTi.

SPECS

Camera Type:	DSLR
Megapixels:	10.1 Megapixels
Optical Zoom:	Unknown
LCD Size:	2.5 in
Media Type:	CompactFlash, Microdrive

I'm happy with the effect the 'distortion' mirror made. I didn't create the effect through a graphics program, this is how it turned out. All I did was crop and sharpen just a tad.

CLICK HERE for more information about the Sanctuary

Tall Trees at Badger Creek

"It's one thing not to see the forest for the trees, but then to go on to deny the reality of the forest is a more serious matter"
Paul Weiss

More photos of Badger Creek here

Go here for more info about Badger Creek Weir

Total Travel

Eastlink Sculpture & Artwork Drive

Eastlink Opening Day
Sculpture & Artwork Drive
Chrissy Downunder

It was a chilly, cloudy and overcast yesterday

FANTASTIC!

A perfect day for photography.
I took this photo with our Caplio R40

One of the artworks along EastLink at Ringwood. The blue tinge was caused by the tinted front windscreen of our car, but I quite like the effect.

I was quite happy with the result. I didn't do too much processing .. A tad brightness and small crop ..

Eastlink Maps

Eastlink Gallary Statues & Artworks:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Chrissy Downunder

Healesville Sanctuary

Australia's premier wildlife park
is nestled in the foothills of the Yarra Valley, just one hour from Melbourne. Koalas, dingoes, kangaroos and the unique platypus are just a few of the 200 species of Australian wildlife flourishing in a stunning Australian bushland environment.

Don't you just love some of the old Aussie nursery rhymes. This is what I had singing in my head when taking a shot of this Kookaburra. I had to zoom in, so unfortunately the pic is a bit grainy .. although I don't mind the effect.

For those of you who don't know this catchy little tune, you can listen to it here at All Downunder

Put these words to the tune and you will see what I mean about having it playing in my head.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

We Luv The Blues - Jimi Hocking

Peter and I enjoy dining out in a variety of restaurants in and around Melbourne. We love seeing live bands particularly blues. We love to get out and about ... dancing, drinking, mixing with friends generally raging the night away at one of our great little clubs, taverns, hideouts or Live Blues venues.

'Jimi Hocking' is one of our absolutely favorite blues performer, we would even consider ourselves to be groupies :) ... love his music and have been seeing him and his band 'The Blue Machine' play in Melbourne regularly (at least once a month) for the last 3 years. If you love blues .. you will adore Jimi's music, he is a great act!

He not only rocks you with his music, he will have you raging out on the dance floor, he tells some funny lead in stories to his songs which will have you laughing. He a very entertaining artist and it's always a fun night out.

Extract from Jimi's Site: "I've posted a free MP3 from each album that's still in print, so you can get an idea of the flavour of each recording. These are hosted by the good indie folks over at Somersault Music, and they'll ask you where you're from before you start downloading. You don't have to say, but I like to get some idea where in the world my music is going. And in these global, downloading days I mean that literally"

Just click a song title below to download the MP3s - if you like what you hear, swing over to Somersault Music to pick up copies of the albums.

Yank It Up
The Golden Rule
Skinny White Boy
Do You Know My Name
Always In Between
Concrete Shoes
The Broken Arm Song

Check out his gig guide here.

I will be adding some reviews to cool places to eat .. drink and rage out at soon."

Dinosaur at Melbourne Museum

I took this photo on Sunday April 27 2008 at the Melbourne Museum.

This photo has been Cross Processed.

I am trying to find out more information about this dinosaur which is displayed at the Melbourne Museum. Any information ... anyone may have would be greatly appreciated ... feel free to message me or leave a comment :)

Dinosaur at Melbourne Museum on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Angles at The Melbourne Museum

I took this photo at the Melbourne Museum.

If you have any photo's of the Melbourne Museum .. share them in the Visitor's Photo Album
Share your Melbourne Story experience with the world!

Read the full article here:
Angles at The Melbourne Museum on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The Melbourne Story

I took this photo at the Melbourne Museum.

This trompe l’oeil painting by Carol van Rees is based on a photograph taken in 1870-75, by the American & Australasian Photographic Company (Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss).

Read the full article here:
The Melbourne Story on Flickr - Photo Sharing!