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.

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.

Badger Creek ~ Healesville

Badger Creek ~ Healesville by Chrissy Downunder

Click HERE to see the SLIDESHOW

If you click on the individual photos you will be able to see more information about each one of them. Be sure to check out the Lyrebird picture too .. My dad Frank sent me a really cool documentary clip on YouTube about the Lyrebird with David Attenborough.

1. Reflections, 2. Ferned Framing ~Badger Creek, 3. Tall Trees at Badger Creek, 4. Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, 5. Badger Creek ~ Healesville, 6. Rockery ~ Badger Creek, 7. Moss ~ Badger Creek, 8. Natural Beauty ~ Badger Creek Reserve, 9. Ferns Forever, 10. Fungi that caught my Eye, 11. Badger Creek ~ Healesville, 12. The Lyrebird is the world's best impersonator., 13. Through the trees ~ Badger Creek

I took all these photos at Badgers Creek in Healesville, Victoria.

Peter and I have enjoyed a few trips there now and they are all very memorable days. We usually try to get there before midday as it can be quite busy if you want to grab a spot on one of the bbq's including a big round communal one which is always popular if you are one who likes to meet and chat with others. We have met and enjoyed others at this bbq. A lot of people like to stand around this bbq to keep warm too. It throws out a lot of heat.


1. Peter and Chrissy at Badger Creek, 2. Parrots at Badger Creek, 3. Badger Creek Reserve Carpark, 4. Fungi 2, 5. Kookaburra's, 6. Peter at the BBQ ~ Badger Creek, 7. Crimson Rosella, 8. Badger Creek Reserve Picnic Area, 9. Fungi 3, 10. Through the Trees at Badger Creek, 11. Kookaburras at Badger Creek, 12. Ferns n Trees at Badger Creek, 13. Crimson Rosella at Badger Creek

After having our BBQ we then wander along a track which takes you through some of the most amazingly beautiful forest and creek areas I have ever come across.

I was a Scout Leader during the time my boys we growing up in Queensland and I have visited and camped in some really nice bushland and forest areas in my time but Badger Creek would have to be one of my favourites.

I was happy with the set of photos I took which are from July 2007 and during winter here in Australia.

Highly reccommended for a great day out with nature. BBQ facilities and picnic grounds available for public use, but I must stress .. on the weekend .. get there early on a nice day.
A great place to visit, take in and chill out for the day .. especially for photographers .. amateur and professional alike. Wonderful lush areas of trees ferns etc to capture.

Check out more if you like on: MY WAYN
Slideshow and Album

More info about Badger Creek Weir here:
Aussie Heritage
Total Travel - Victoria - Yarra Valley

The Mosaic was created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Fuchsia

Fuchsia
Chrissy Downunder

Taken in my garden.

ABC Gardening
Plant Profile: Fuchsia

Traits: Sun, Shade, Hedge, Container, Birds

This genus belongs to the evening primrose (Onagraceae) family and comprises around 100 species of shrubs and small to medium-sized trees.

They can be evergreen or deciduous, spreading or climbing, and all come from Central and South America, except for a few that are native to New Zealand and Tahiti. With their stunning flowers and lush foliage, fuchsias offer tremendous ornamental qualities, and are ideal for hedges, containers, and hanging baskets, or trained on espaliers.

Many thousands of hybrids and cultivars have been raised. In their native habitat, the American species are pollinated by hummingbirds.

Flowering Season: Summer, Autum, Spring

Appearance

Mostly climbing or spreading shrubs, fuchsias have deep green, heavily veined leaves that grow in whorls on the stems.

The pendulous flowers have long tubes with flared sepals and often contrastingly colored petals, mostly in shades of red, white, pink, and purple, as well as bicolored.

The garden hybrids usually have rounded flowers with a skirt of large sepals around an often double corolla. Fleshy berries, usually with many seeds, follow the flowers.

Clivia

Clivia
Chrissy Downunder

Information from ABC Gardening

Traits: , Shade, Feature, Ground cover, Container, Birds

This genus in the amaryllis (Amaryllidaceae) family is made up of just 4 species of perennials from southern Africa. While these plants are best suited to warmer conditions, and can tolerate only the lightest of frosts, they can be enjoyed as container plants in cooler climates.

The stunning flowers come in vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange, and are followed by equally vibrant and showy berries, which extend the ornamental season of these plants.

The genus was named for Lady Charlotte Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, who was the granddaughter of Robert Clive of India (general and colonial administrator).

Arum Lily

Arum Lily
Chrissy Downunder

The common name is ARUM LILY

Flowers/Seedhead:

Flower stem about as high as the tops of the leaves. Upper half to three quarters of flower spike (spadix) is male and lower part female. Flowers late winter to summer.

Description:

Robust clump-forming, perennial herb to 1.5 m high. Plants with tuberous underground stems (rhizomes) and fleshy white roots. Leaves with blade 15–50 cm long and 8–25 cm wide, on fleshy stalks 40–110 cm long. Fruit green or yellow, about 1 cm wide; seeds yellow-orange, about 3 mm wide.

Family: Araceae.

Form: Herb

Origin: Native of South Africa.

Clematis

Clematis
Chrissy Downunder

Known by many as virgins bower or travelers joy.

The 200 species in this genus belong to the buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family and encompass a wide range of forms.

Mainly climbing or scrambling, though sometimes shrubby or perennial, deciduous or evergreen; flowering at any time and in any colour; occurring in both northern and southern temperate zones and at higher altitudes in the tropics there seems to be a clematis for any season and place.

The name virgins bower comes from a German legend that Mary and Jesus sheltered under clematis during their flight into Egypt from the massacre of the innocents.

Flowering Season: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring

Flower Set

Garden Set

Hibiscus

Hibiscus
Chrissy Downunder

Hibiscus

Taken in my garden.

Traits: Sun, Coastal, Feature, Hedge, Container

Information from ABC Gardening

A member of the mallow (Malvaceae) family, this genus contains over 200 annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or trees. They are widely distributed throughout warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of the world.

The epitome of tropical plants, they feature lush foliage and large flamboyant blooms in vibrant colors. In their native regions, these plants were grown not only for their great beauty, but also for their edible leaves and flowers.

Hibiscus species are relatively easy to grow, and while often used as a colourful stand-alone feature in the garden, some species can be trimmed to shape and make effective hedging or screening plants.

Flowering Season: Summer, Autum, Winter, Spring

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

'Seaside Sheep'

'Seaside Sheep' by Chrissy Downunder

Photo taken at George Town, Tasmania

It is a very picturesque township with lots of opportunities for some great landscape and nature shots.

George Town sits on the eastern banks of the Tamar River about 40 minutes’s drive (50 kilometres/32 miles) north of Launceston. It is the third oldest settlement in Australia after Sydney and Hobart.

At nearby Low Head you can explore one of the best-preserved examples of an early pilot station, built by convicts in 1805. The pilot station is still in operation today. Also, from Low Head you can take a penguin tour to see the world’s smallest penguins clamber to their nests each night.

To the east are the vineyards of Pipers River, and the Bridestowe Lavender Farm.

Just south of George Town along the shores of the Tamar River is the deep-water port of Bell Bay and as you follow the A8 Highway you can stop by the Lavender Garden at Rowella, and the Hillwood Strawberry Farm.

More information about George Town, Tasmania

Learning Photography with Neil Creek:

Neil Creek's Blog

Glow in the Dark

Glow in the Dark
Originally uploaded by Chrissy Downunder

Taken in my garden. I know this isn't the sharpest photo around but I like the effect of the shimmering white petals against the dark background.

Please help me with naming my flowers.

As I have mentioned in my profile ... I live on an amazing property full of flowers, bushes, trees and flowering shrubs. There are so many all year round and I have been keeping a record of them all in photo's. As soon as I see something new sprouting up .. I take a photo of it.

I would love to put a name to my flowers but don't have much knowledge about them and was hoping for some help from others who may know what my flowers are.

If anyone who views my flower and garden photo albums recognise what they are I would so much appreciate them leaving a comment on the photo of the flower ... with both the common and botanical name if possible.

At the moment I am surfing the net .. looking for the same flowers and naming them but as you can imagine it is a labourious task..

Flower Set on Flickr

Garden Set on Flickr

Cheers and to all
Chrissy ~ Downunder ☺

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

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!

Stick Insect

Before and after result of photo of a Stick Insect.

The information below was found at The Australian Museum Online
www.austmus.gov.au/factSheets/phasmids.htm

Phasmids are insects that eat leaves and resemble leaves or sticks. They are usually green or brown but may reveal brightly coloured underwings when they fly. They have developed many unusual shapes to camouflage themselves to avoid detection by predators. The order Phasmatodea includes the longest insects in the world.

Read the full article here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mystic-venus/2419253595/in/photostream/

View Chrissy Downunder's map

Bird of Paradise

'Strelitzia Reginae'

This Bird of Paradise is situated right outside my kitchen window in my very own 'Garden of Paradise' and it looks spectacular when it is in bloom. I'm hoping to capture a photo of it while some birds are on it next time it flowers.

The common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise. In South Africa it is commonly known as a 'Crane' flower.

You can read the full article here:

'Bird of Paradise' Strelitzia Reginae - Gather

Our Garden of Paradise

We call it our very own 'Garden of Paradise' which is set on a lush green acre of land in Melbourne, Australia.

My partner Peter and I moved here nearly three years ago during springtime and the whole property was simply bursting with colour.

We both fell in love with the garden the moment we saw it.

On our first inspection of the house and property we were told by the real-estate agent that the previous owner had operated a nursery from here for many years.

You can read the full article here:
'Our Garden of Paradise' - Gather

Walking with Wallabies & Wombats

While in Tasmania in June 2007, Peter and I went to the Narawntapu National Park.
I was really lucky to get so many great photo's of our short but adventurous visit to the Park.

The Narawntapu National Park is a place of peace for people and wildlife alike and offers a wide diversity of habitats for both plants and animals, Narawntapu is an ideal park for the study of nature. Dusk is the best time to observe the many native marsupials that live in the park and come out to graze on the grasslands. Commonly seen are large Forester kangaroos, Bennett's wallabies, Pademelons and Wombats.'

Read the full article here:

Walking with Wallabies & Wombats - Gather