Two of our best friends have a new family member, the gorgeous little Jack William.

Had to post these shots from our visit at the hospital !

Tags: baby, Newborn

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On Sunday 19th July, the city of Melbourne opened it’s doors to the public. As part of the State of Design Festival, interior access to 32 of Melbourne’s buildings were available. Thousands of people took part in viewings and there were plenty of photographers around. Information on the buildings below is sourced from the Melbourne Open House website. 101 Collins St was built in 1986-1990. The 57-storey office building was designed by Denton Corker Marshall. The foyer was separately designed by New York firm Johnson Burgee, who added the granite Tuscan Doric columns at street entry and the extravagant and opulent Tuscanesque foyer within. 101 Collins Street appears to be based on the New York skyscraper model – a tower that steps inward up its height and terminates in a pinnacle. In fact, the tower is essentially a square-planed stone-clad shaft with projections and recesses. The foyer’s oversize classical columns and acres of marble and gold leaf make 101 Collins Street, in the words of one commentator, Melbourne’s major monument to 1980s extravagance.

Tags: 101, 101 Collins St, architecture, building, City of Melbourne, columns, marble, Melbourne, Melbourne Open House, Moh, pillar, victoria

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On Sunday 19th July, the city of Melbourne opened it’s doors to the public. As part of the State of Design Festival, interior access to 32 of Melbourne’s buildings were available. Thousands of people took part in viewings and there were plenty of photographers around. Information on the buildings below is sourced from the Melbourne Open House website. Built in 1867-70, Melbourne Town Hall is an amazingly picturesque urban composition, which rekindles the glory of Victoria’s Gold Boom. The exterior facades are made from Tasmanian freestone and the clock tower houses clocks donated by the son of Melbourne’s first mayor. The Town Hall is the primary local government civic building for Victoria’s capital city with a grand French Renaissance style tower. Melbourne Town Hall was the prototype for numerous suburban town halls that were built in the late 1870s and 1880s. The Administration Building has impressive functional and stylistic relationship to the Town Hall, resulting in a coherent civic centre. Renovations have preserved its original grandeur and unique period features such as the impressive wood-panelled Council Chamber. From the mid-1880s to the late 1890s, the Town Hall was the venue for several important meetings on the question of Federation. These meetings marked significant advances in the progress of the Federation movement.

Tags: city, Melbourne, Melbourne Town Hall, Town Hall, victoria

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Just back from a wonderful weekend away with my beautiful wife.

We stayed at Ted’s High Country Lavender Farm in Porepunkah. Gorgeous wood fire mud brick cottages are set on a large property with magnificent views of Mt Buffalo and Porepunkah’s surrounds.

In the summer, purple lavender covers the ground. In winter, the farm offers a great romantic mud brick cottage hideaway. The cottages have spas, wood fires and are self contained, a fantastic rustic getaway.

This time of year brings cold, frosty nights, and the wood fire is a must. The crisp mornings are just beautiful as the frost and fog takes overs the land.

Winter brings plenty of snow to the mountains in Victoria’s alpine region. On clear days, you can see snow capped peaks in the distance. Snow lovers travel up north to hit the alps to ski, toboggan or hike.

For those not into the recreational activities, traveling to the region just to see the marvelous views is sufficient, there’s something for everyone.

Mount Buffalo National Park (see www.parkweb.vic.gov.au for more info) stands tall as the dominant mountain south along the Great Alpine Rd from Myrtleford, Ovens, Eurobin, Porepunkah and along to Bright. The mountain has spectacular granite cliffs, endless waterfalls and enormous, deep gorges.

Lying on the western slope of Mt Buffalo is the massive Lake Buffalo. It is a popular fishing, water skiing and picnicking venue.

This time of year, carrying snow chains is compulsory. The main road is often snow-covered from McKinnons Corner through to Cresta Valley.

In winter, the road to “The Horn” (the peak of Mt Buffalo at 1723m) is closed due to the road being snowed under. Skiers can enjoy a day at Cresta Valley, while hikers can venture around other areas of the park as there is over 90km of tracks. We hiked up “The Hump” track to the Cathedral.

Starting at the Cathedral Picnic Area, the “Hump track” track is covered in snow in winter, but worth the climb for spectacular views of Cresta Valley and the Horn.

On the climb up or down, make sure you stop and check out Torpedo Rock. This unbelievable ‘torpedo’ shaped rock sits on another and looks amazing in winter with the ground covered in snow and a vibrant blue sky.

On the climb down the mountain, we walked the Eurobin Falls Track, which passes Ladies Bath Falls along the way. Just round the bend from the walking track is the Eurobin Falls Picnic Area which is also a lovely spot to stop and view the water running at full force this time of year.

The nights in the Alpine Region get very chilly indeed, especially on clear nights. Below is a 30 minute star trail photo before the fog started to drift over the valley, fogging up the lens as well !

A trip to this region wouldn’t be complete without stopping at one or many of the local wineries. Without doubt, the most popular from the King Valley wine region is Brown Brothers.

The family owned and run Brown Bothers produces the largest range of wines in Australia. You can be sure every time you go, there will be something new and exciting to taste and buy.

Tags: 2009, Alpine, Alpine Region, Bright, Brown Brothers, Cathedral, Eurobin, Eurobin Falls, farm, fog, frost, High Country Lavendar Farm, Ladies Bath Falls, Lake Buffalo, Landscape Photography, Mount Buffalo, mountain, Mt Buffalo, national park, Porepunkah, ski, snow, snow capped, Star Trail, Torpedo, victoria, Winery

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