Riff Raff

Where we stand is the birthplace of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. On this site stood the Embassy Theatre, the home of Hamilton's late night double feature show, and the barber shop where Richard O'Brien cut hair and daydreamed from 1959 to 1964.

Kiwi TSB

I'm back from my long weekend across the ditch: a bit of rugby, a bit of rain, a lot of sunshine and countless steps around the pretty city of Hamilton, my feet still hurt!

In Sunday's post I was telling you about my appreciation of Brisbane's TSBs.. little did I know I would meet their kiwi cousins! Much to my delight, there's a few here and there around town. This one was snapped at the corner of Bryce & Barton St in the city centre.

Ferry map

Hopefully Blogger has been kind to me and posted the photos I scheduled as I have been spending a long weekend in Hamilton... not Hamilton the Brisbane suburb (shown here on this map) but Hamilton.. New Zealand!

TSBspotting

If you happen to be a Brisbane Daily Photo follower, you will be familiar with these painted traffic signal boxes. I absolutely love them!!! and I wish idiots would stay away from them. More info on this TSB snapped in Paddington here.

To Hell and back

Now I can say I've been to Hell and back :).. and they serve some deliciously yummy pizza there. and I'll share the address with you: 232 Given Terrace, Paddington.

Kurilpa Bridge

The last time I was in Brisbane this bridge was a work in progress (see my post here) and I was hoping I'd walk on it on this trip.. well I didn't! It's not quite finished yet. Ah well.. next time!

The mystery behind yesterday's photo

Yesterday's photo was taken up there at Brisbane Town Hall's Tower Clock. On the way down the lift attendant saw my friend's impressive camera and mine (a little less impressive) and stopped at the clock's level for us to take a shot!

Behind the scenes

Beads and sequins

The Museum of Brisbane currently holds an exhibition called In Fashion: Dressing up Brisbane, showcasing local talent and this is where you can see this dress on display. It was created by Hwa Sook Lee Bora, a Korean Brisbane-based designer, and worn by Jennifer Hawkins the night she was crowned Miss Universe in 2004.

Trophies

I was up in Brisbane at the weekend, the purpose of this escapade was to catch some live rugby action on Saturday night! Australia (aka the Wallabies) beat South Africa (aka the Springboks) 21-6 but South Africa having won the two previous encounters this year were awarded the Nelson Mandela trophy (on the left) and the Boks are likely to get hold of the Tri Nations trophy (on the right) should they beat New Zealand (aka the All Blacks) next Saturday in Hamilton (NZ). If only the Wallabies had played earlier in the competition the way they did on Saturday, the silverware would be found at the Australia Rugby Union headquarters!

Veg out

Welcome to Veg out, St Kilda's own community gardens! When I was walking around I thought that this could be the best spot in St Kilda! I loved the concept of having veggie patches in the heart of a the city and the quirky way they were decorated by recycling bits and pieces. Needless to say my camera got a little bit carried away!

Green building

When I laid my eyes on this building in St Kilda I remembered Julie's comment about the windows of the Jane Foss Russell Building at the University of Sydney. THIS is a wasted opportunity. Methinks the architect has a fascination for reptiles or a fishnet stockings fetish . What do you think?

St Kilda pier kiosk

The St Kilda Pavilion is an historic kiosk located at the end of St Kilda Pier built in 1904, originally known as Parer's Pavilion and later renamed Kirby's Kiosk but locally known as St Kilda Kiosk.

An accurate reconstruction of the fire-destroyed heritage St Kilda Pier Kiosk building has been reopened and is welcoming new friends and old to the St Kilda Pier once again.

Original kiosk plans from 1903, historic photos and surviving iron lacework from the arson-destroyed kiosk were used as guides to faithfully reproduce the look of the original historic and much loved structure. The original kiosk was devastated by fire on 11 September 2003.

Additions include a café out back and an observation deck up top. Along the length of the pier interactive panels tell the pier's history. The kiosk complex now sits on a concrete slab supported by 29 new timber pylons, to ensure minimum wear and movement. Here's to another 99 plus years.

Source: Only Melbourne website

Rainman

St Kilda Botanic Gardens

Rainman is the little dude in the middle, he would have deserved a close up but I was too "wowed" by the reflection of the trees on the water.

On a plaque close by you can read the following: Rainman is a solar powered feature in harmony with its environment. In utilizing the sun’s energy, the variations in light are reflected by the flow of water. On a sunny day, rain will fall onto the figure from under the umbrella, the figure’s hand stretched to feel the day beyond. A cloud passes over, it starts to rain, the solar power ceases; a dry Rainman reaches from beneath the umbrella to feel the rain. (Artists: Ken Arnold and Corey Thomas)

Meet the locals

Spotted on a rooftop on Acland Street, St Kilda

Crushed shells

Surfing seagull

Tram lines

Boatin'

St Kilda marina, and Melbourne CBD skyline in the background.

The eye

Anyone who's been in St Kilda or seen photos of this Melbourne suburb should/will instantly recognise the owner of this eye .. if you think you've met his Sydney cousin before, you might be right!

Man at work

Hook turn

In the city centre of Melbourne, and at some intersections in the suburbs you might spot one of these signs. Drivers wanting to turn right must wait on the left until the road is clear of other cars .. and trams!

Tram stop

Scarves

One of the most popular sports in Australia is Australian rules football (two teams of 18 (very fit) players run around after an funny shaped ball to try and score goals and suprise surprise whoever scores the most goals wins the game. That's for the basics.. if you want to find out more, you can click here). The game was first played in Victoria in the late 1850s, which would explain why the game is so popular over there and merchandise of differents kinds sell fairly well at the Queen Victoria Market where I took this photo. Strangely enough, none of the teams "represented" in this shot are based in Victoria! (From left to right: Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans, Fremantle Dockers (aka Freo), Adelaide Crows, Brisbane Lions, West Coast Eagles, a Perth-based team). Maybe they're sold out...

The rugby union/cricket tragic that I am would not be seen dead in one of those scarves but they make a good photo.. I think :)

Southern Cross Station

This is where my journey to Ballarat started and ended! Back to square one in Melbourne...