Cablog

Bruiser

Some mean looking dogs in rural Victoria last weekend . They 'quietly' regard the vehicle parked next to them, containing a small white Yorkie terrier going absolutely ballistic out it's partly opened window. Fortunately the three bros' were securely chained to the ute. (image enlarges)

Reminds me of a funny incident in rural NSW. An old farmer arrived in town on his weekly visit, driving nice and slow in the back streets. In the rear of his ute was a somewhat more excited blue heeler cattle dog, hanging over the sideboards, looking for action. As the farmer slowed to negotiate a corner, the blue heeler spotted another dog. It was a Yorkie terrier, a lap dog snoozing in the sun on the footpath, outside the corner house.

In a flash the heeler flew out of the ute and in a couple of bounds pounced on the unsuspecting terrier. The ferocious mauling was all over in two seconds flat, before the heeler chased after the ute exiting the corner, effortlessly jumping onboard. Too easy.

It was a precision attack and took little more than five seconds. The poor little terrier never knew what hit it. Most likely it never again dozed on the footpath.

Bogong

Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest peak and winter playground of Ned Kelly. Usually it's pretty impressive country around the Victorian Alps. However the combination of recent superfires plus unrelenting drought has really taken its toll. After late summer rains in NSW it's easy to forget about the ongoing Big Dry.

Melbourne

Each year during childhood I’d board the train with my family to Melbourne, home of my father’s clan. After an all day trip we’d arrive at Spencer St station in the heart of Melbourne. So it was a pleasant surprise to revisit the bustling station last week and find the joint extensively remodelled under a sexy wave roof of corrugated iron and perspex.

Another revelation was the enormous Testra Dome Stadium right next door to the Spencer St station, a stones throw from the CBD. Apparently a highlight of the footy season is witnessing Collingwood fans’ ‘welcoming’ visiting fans alighting from trains out of Geelong and Port Adelaide. Such gracious warmth from those Pies fans.

After a thirty year absence Melbourne was full of surprises during my few days there. Whilst Docklands was disappointing, a work in progress, the adjoining Southbank was superbly laid out along the Yarra river, reflecting in part a European ambience well suited to the City.

Generally across the inner city Melbourne appears to have successfully differentiated itself. There’s an understated sophistication with a big emphasis on public space, fostering a lively outdoor life, especially at night. From numerous public sculptures and parks to a plethora of street eateries, cafés, bakeries, bars, art galleries the place presents as a very mature culture and a desirable place to live.

Whilst the traffic is nothing to write home about their tram system is excellent. It’s efficiency, comfort and reliability easily outweighed the cluttered maze of overhead wiring and tram tracks, which probably adds to the charm of the bustling street life. From all appearances the shopping is another bonus though my only experience involved a visit to the AFL marketing shop in the City. I’m easily pleased.

That’s a brief impression from my short visit to inner Melbourne, home of historic bluestone architecture, an attractive feature river, vibrant neighbourhoods and lots of beautiful women. I didn’t visit enough localities to form an opinion on the population mix, other than to note a younger demographic and a very friendly, relaxed people. In short, a very impressive city and well worth another visit.

Road Trips

Long ago, I twice visited the United States for extended periods, mainly on the West Coast. A road trip from San Francisco to Alaska was one of the highlights of those visits. Oh, except for the ancient hippy bus and some not insignificant soap-operas therein.

Ever since I've long dreamed of a road trip across the States, by car of course, through the mythical Mid-West. And to keep the dream alive I simply visit Aaron the American trucker and road-movie maker extraordinaire. See what I mean, click images or links...

Blog Travels

Yobbo's back online travelling in Asia and reporting on taxi-tricks.

Adventure Girl decides travelling alone is the only way to go.

Dirk recovers his bike and is on the road again. Wet and happy, finally.

Wogblog reports on a gypsy-sucking Foreign Correspondent.

Gibbo posts some footy images from a recent trip to Dubbo.

Gianna finds out what babies see on a trip north.

Kim travels to Dublin for a 'giant U2 convention'.

Tortured soul and international fugitive, she'saflightrisk is still running.

Brisbane snaps

Here's some snaps for my expat Brisvegas readers. As mentioned in my Service Plus moblog, we scored another meal of the same standard in New Farm. I thoroughly recommend Johnnie's special pizza from Johnnie's Pizza. Where else ? This converted church lit up in Fortitude Valley appeared to be a nightclub, of which there were plenty in that locale. Gay plus straight. Another attractive City area was the converted Powerhouse on the River with it's cafes and adjoining parklands. Ditto the man-made beach outside the Southbank commercial and retail complex. Finally, I couldn't resist capturing this CBD monument to the justice system, calling to mind Queensland's famous enviromental maxim, 'It's better to ask forgiveness than permission'. A classic. Welcome to Queensland. (images enlarge)

Roadside memorials

Last night at work l listened to a timely special on ABC radio. A brilliant repeat called White Lines, White Crosses from December 2003. Appropriately for Good Friday and the holiday weekend, the program dealt with a growing phenomena in Australia - roadside memorials for accident victims,

Simple or elaborate, makeshift or permanent, these memorials are public markers of private grief, and turn public land into private sacred space. Whether or not you think they should be allowed, or you think they’re a useful road safety reminder, or a distraction and potential road hazard – they do hold great meaning for the people who erect them, and open a window on contemporary spirituality and the rituals of grief.

Personally, I accept and respect these sad memorials, considering them valid statements bearing witness to a life lost. Without fail, passing a memorial has me quietly reflecting on it's significance to the victim's connections, and motoring in general... (Click images to enlarge)

None more so than the five small white crosses on the Pacific Highway north of Taree. It's both a heartbreaking and chilling image as one flashes by at 100kph. A whole family were taken out some years ago at Easter. Five crosses send a powerful message.

Actually I'll be passing by in a few days, returning from a visit to The Angel. Despite the awkward location, I'll endeavour to take an image of the scene and send it via moblog.

Out of town

Today I took advantage of the warm sunshine, to walk a deserted rural beach. For I'm currently up the coast, to see my girlfriend for a few days. I'm feeling decidedly precious right now, on the eve of 50. As I walked through the foreshore, slowly recovering some condition from a week in the cab, I pondered if I wasn't one of the oldest bloggers around !

Surveys has shown that bloggers aged 40-49, constitute only 1% of all bloggers. The majority remains to date, aged 16-29, reflecting bloggings origins as an in-house academic tool. 9/11 changed all that though, as the demand for instant information exploded across the internet. Still, if I ask ten people in the cab about blogs, nine have never heard of them. And usually the solitary one has heard of blogs, yet never uses them. Maybe a charge for email will change all that.