St Paul’s

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Springtime in Melbourne – new growth

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Victorian Disability, Sport & Recreation Initiative of the Year Award

Tonight I accepted this Award for the Walking and Rolling Together Project I led for Victoria Walks. It has been a privilege working with the awesome Victoria Walks team and recently retired EO Ben Rossiter. It has been a privilege to co-design and co-audit with so many people living with disability, their families and carers. Collaborating with Scope Australia, DSRV, RSV, RSAs GippSport, Sport North East and Valley Sport made all the necessary statewide connections possible. To the State Government of Victoria and Department of Sport and Recreation thank you for recognising our vision and funding it not once, but twice.

A closing statement: there are still many good people out there doing many very good things. Join them.

Buildings of Melbourne

Exhibition Street cityscape, Melbourne, Victoria.

Winton swamplands

Autumn swamplands landscape, Winton, Victoria.

Walking and Rolling Together

Please copy and share this tile to your networks and social media.
Please copy and share this tile to your networks and social media.

For the past three years I have had the pleasure of leading the Walking and Rolling Together project for identifying, assessing, photographing and describing potential accessible walking / rolling paths across our wonderful state of Victoria.

Victoria Walks’ unique audit tool, developed and co-designed by people with disability, and its application to the co-auditing process by and for people with disability, has resulted in seventy metro, regional and rural accessible walking / rolling paths being published as digital accessible walking / rolling maps.

We have made the audit tool free to download and use for discovering more accessible walking and rolling paths. It would be applicable anywhere in the world.

The project is coming to a close. People with disability and carers can now look up an accessible walking / rolling map and find out all about the accessible features. We are promoting this work as far and wide as we can to encourage everyone to share the accessible walking maps, to get outdoors and to enjoy nature.

We have created this resource for everyone. There is no doubt, walking and rolling can deliver amazing experiences as well as great health and wellbeing outcomes.

public art

Sculpture “Shell Mace” by Charles Perry 1989. Corner of Flinders and Spring Streets, Melbourne.
I love the part 
played by public art
for the stories it tells
for the stories that well
for what it says about us
in artists we trust

Photography days #36.

canoe

Paddling on Lysterfield Lake, Victoria.
My canoe
nothing else to do
just paddle away
enjoy the day
my canoe

Photography days #35.

Tableland walking

Boundary Hill Road, Strathbogie Tableland, Victoria.
Walking Boundary Hill Road in dappled sun
from the Mannas and Blue Gums lining the run
the trees are magnificent and so is the landscape
when you are walking here the feeling is great

Photography days #30.

Black swan, Earlston

Swamp, Earlston, Victoria.
black swan glides smoothly by
ancient red gums standing high
take a breath let out a sigh
enjoy the moment no asking why

Photography days #28.

Spotted pardalote

A Spotted pardalote, Hughes Creek, Ruffy Tableland, Victoria.
This pardalote resides near the ground
a nest, burrow or embankment
"sleep dee dee" is its call
a sighting generates excitement

Photography days #27.

14 Yarra views

Melbourne’s Yarra River and embankment can be busy places. I have published some of these photos before, but thought this group made a nice new set.

It's the river that binds
Melbourne's spreading towers
to the city
and when the weather is good
it looks oh so pretty!

Photography days #26.

The environmentalist

Tree planting, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.
At the close of day
He looks around and says
Today was a very good day
Because on another day to come
This bare hill will be a forest of trees

Photography days #22.

Spooky table with a view

Picnic table amongst coastal Ti-tree, Lorne, Victoria.
This picnic table had a great view of the sea
but it was what was behind that distracted me
when I turned these twisted elongated branches
were reaching at me with strong twiggy pincers
their prehensile limbs moving into my space
their sinister demeanour put a frown on my face
I was sure as I sat that these ti-trees did creep
I was sure as I sat that my body they did seek
before being encased in the arms of these woods
I got up and ran while I felt I still could

Poetry days #24.

Oxygen

Victoria Lake, Maryborough, Victoria.

Friendship is like oxygen.

Photography days #18.

Wheat

Wheat crop Nagambie, Victoria.
Millions of hectares and more
under the scorching sun
the ripening crop a massive store
of protein again begun
drying off yellowing
all one plant just one
finally ready for harvesting
ton after ton after ton

wheat rain heat
rain heat wheat
repeat

Poetry days #19.

The Balconies

The Balconies in The Grampians, Victoria.
This ancient place
of an ancient race
is nature's gallery
viewed from a balcony

Photography days #16

Wombolano

Wombolano walking track
A dreamy filter diffuses the sun
path, walking and sun all become one
the foliage the light the green and the gold
wombolano morning a sight to behold

Photography days #12.

Mt Stirling, Victoria

Photography days #11.

Snowline

Above the snowlike looking toward the Paps, Timbertop, Victoria.
for the clearest view
here's what to do
climb the highest mountain
to just above the snowline
where the trees fade away
on a clear blue day

Photography days #10.

Autumn at Alfred Nick

There is a garden in the Dandenong Ranges
I call it Alfred Nick
after its long departed owner
who bequeathed it to our state

There are many gardens in the Ranges
but this one is the pick
of autumnal Ranges' splendour
vivid colour above
below lying thick

I drive the winding roads most every autumn
with camera in my hand
at the gates I pause
deeply breathe crisp mountain air
in anticipation of trees so grand

there is a lake in the Ranges
in the garden I call Alfred Nick
in autumn leaves make artful arrangements
on the surface
ephemeral so be quick

in this magical place full of growth and life
the photography is opportunistic
where human design and nature's creations
blend native, exotic and mystic
where ethereal mists linger and clear
for ambient blur and clarity rarely seen
in one place at one time
without ever repeating

every visit is unique
every visit is a joy
every vista a delight
reigniting the spark in
every nature loving
man, woman, girl and boy

For this week’s dVerse prompt Punam has asked we poets to write of autumn. My favourite season. The prompt speaks of love, so I present one of my autumn loves – Alfred Nicholas Gardens in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.

Buildings of Melbourne #03

A gallery of 10 images. To see each full image click on any photo, then click the arrows to scroll.

Photography days #08.

Air Show #02

A gallery of 8 images. Click on a photo to view the full image, then click the arrows to scroll.

Rainbow

Double rainbow and squall, Gobur

Buildings of Melbourne #02

Melbourne has a rich architectural heritage. Sadly, much was lost to development in the 1970s. However, an innovative present is some consolation. I love to walk around the city taking photographs of the preserved buildings/facades of yesterday and the creative designs of today. I hope you, my reader, enjoy the view too.