Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne, part 6

Over the last few weeks I’ve been listening to music on my walks instead of taking my camera with me. Things have been super busy at work and I’ve needed that time to clear my head.

These are the photos taken the handful of times I did go out with my camera – which all happened to be around sunset, funnily enough.

Bench and veranda transplanted from a castle, perhaps?

Photo of a well-work wooden bench with wagon wheels instead of legs that’s been placed in a large stone veranda in front of an otherwise unassuming weatherboard house.

Keeping an eye out for intruders

Photo of a dog that has stuck is snout out of the gap left by a missing slat in a white wooden gate.

Keeping a nose out for intruders

Photo of a dog that has stuck is snout out of the gap left by a missing slat in a white wooden gate.

A crow at sunset

Photo of a crow sitting on the top of a utility pole. The sun is setting in the background, casting a golden-orange glow in the sky, so the crow, the pole, and the tops of the trees that are visible in the frame are all in silhouette.

Poking out of the driveway

Photo taken along the length of a residential footpath, with the front fences and walls of houses running along the right side of the frame. Jutting out from one of the driveways are the rear bumper and the boot of a black car.

Scratches on the plexiglass of a bus stop shelter

Photo of two large panes of transparent plexiglass that make up the back of a bus shelter. Through the plexiglass you can see a house. But scratched onto the plexiglass, and visible due to the sunset in the background, are several scratches made by people. None of the writing is readable, though a five-pointed star and some letters of the English language can be made out.

Not quite what a traffic cone is for but, hey, whatever works to make things more safe!

Photo looking at the part of the driveway that curves around the back of a house. Parked on that driveway is a small trailer that you can hitch behind a car. The coupler / locking ball / hitch at the front of the trailer has been covered with an orange traffic cone, making it highly visible to anyone walking or driving on this driveway.

Rainbow lorikeet taking flight from a tree

Photo looking up at a bright, multicoloured bird that is taking off from a tree. This has resulted in the bird appearing blurred compared to the rest of the tree.

Cat chilling in the front garden

Photo of a black-and-white cat sitting in a residential garden. The photo has been taken through the upper vertical bars of a white metal gate.

Cat in the front garden

Photo of a black-and-white cat sitting in a residential garden. The photo has been taken through the upper vertical bars of a white metal gate.

Keeping an eye on its territory

Photo of a large, red-and-white dog sitting on a paved driveway behind a tall chain link fence towards the back of a house. The dog is calm, but is very focused on the photographer who has stopped at the bottom of the driveway.

Making sure the dog that just walked by stays out of its territory

Photo of a large, red-and-white dog standing on a paved driveway behind a tall chain link fence towards the back of a house. The dog is standing on alert, making sure the dog that was just walked in front of its house stays out of its house.

Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne, part 5

Another week, another batch of photos from around the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

For whatever reason, all the photos I took this week looked best when cropped at 16x9.

Also, I should point that while editing this whole series of northern-suburb photos, I seem to have fallen in love with Fujifilm’s Classic Neg. film simulation. A lot of the (literal) street photos I’ve taken over the last few weeks, I’ve edited using this film simulation.

Classic Neg. is based on Fujifilm’s Superia photo film stock from the 1990s which, in turn, makes photos look like they were taken in the 1960s. When you use this film simulation you get contrasty photos with a muted colour palette that leans slightly red, thereby making your photos look classic or “old timey”. For photos taken around residential areas, suburban parks, and local shopping strips, this style seems to work really well.

Anyway, here are this week’s photos.

Life, uh, finds a way

Close-up photo looking down at the exposed top-most brick of wall surrounding a garden. The brick, as part of its construction, has ten evenly-spaced holes in it. Green grass stalks and tiny green leaves are growing in these holes.

Curve in the combined walking/cycling path

Photo of a combined walking and cycling with a weathered and faded walking-and-cycling path sign painted on it. The path curves to the right as it disappears out of frame.

Double reminder of the new speed limit

Photo of a road sign along a residential street. The sign tells drivers that there is a 40 kilometre per hour speed limit from 8am to 4pm between Monday and Friday. A second, smaller sign attached to the same pole, just below the speed limit sign, reads, “new limit”. An identical pair of signs has been attached to an overhead wire pole on the other side of the street.

Flood retarding basin outlet tower

Photo of an octagonal cement tower with a hole at the top. This hole is protected by a wire fence surrounding it. The tower has been build at the corner of a large, grassy field that has been dug out and is at least one storey below street level. There are houses around retarding basin.

Shared bike path sign

Photo of a weathered and faded combined walking-and-cycling path sign painted on a path running along a road.

Flock of Australian white ibis in a flood retarding basin

Photo of a large, grassy field that has been dug out and is at least one storey below street level. This is a flood retarding basin, with a stepped water inlet at one side feeding water into a small creek that runs diagonally through the middle of the field. Several large, white birds with long, thin, black beaks are hanging about in the field.

Cemetery through the trees

Photo of several marble graves seen through a gap in some trees.

The northern suburbs of Melbourne say: Free Gaza

Photo of the side of a house along a residential street. Spray-painted on this brick wall in bright red/pink paint is the slogan, “Free Gaza”.

Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne, part 4

I’ve started taking my camera with me every time I go out of the house –work, running errands, meeting friends, going for a walk, all of it.

To make things more fun, over the last few weeks I’ve only used a single lens: my (relatively new) TT Artisan AF 56mm F1.8 prime. That gives me a full-frame equivalent focal length of 85mm, which is great for picking out specific details in what I see around me.

Here are some of the photos I took this week.

The Pastry Boys are off the job (and I love their logo!)

Photo of a sky-blue coloured food trailer parked on a street. The trailer is not in use. It is not attached to a vehicle and all its windows are closed. On its side the logo for Pastry Boys: two dots for eyes and a croissant designed to look like a moustache.

Nobody said you had to keep left on the other side of the road

Photo of a small ‘keep left’ sign at the start of a divider in the middle of a street. Half of the sign – on the side that’s next to oncoming traffic – has been crumpled by a passing vehicle.

Old Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works pit cover for the local water supply control

Photo of a small, weathered, stamped-metal pit cover with a slit in the middle that allows it to be lifted with an appropriately shaped tool. The cover is square and is painted yellow, with a circular centre that is painted red. The letters MMBW have been stamped around the red section. These letters stand for Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, the agency that is now called just Melbourne Water. The paint on the metal has been stripped over time by weather and people walking over it. The cover is set in a square hole cut out of cemented pavement. Surrounding the cover is a yellow-coloured surface treatment – essentially, thick paint – that has cracked over many years, with chips of this lying around on the pavement.

Water carrier statue in a residential garden

v

Good to know that S design is still in use today!

Photo of a tag and text written in black marker on a hexagonal utility pole. The message shows the tag followed by an arrow pointing to the phrase, “was here”. The tag is a stylised, backward, uppercase ‘S’ that was popular with rock bands in the 1980s and that kids used to draw on their Trapper Keepers and other hole-punched note paper binders.

Water tap and bird bath in a garden

Photo of a water tap at the edge of a residential garden, next to several bushes that have been planted along one side. Lying on the ground next to the tap is a ceramic bird bath full of water.

Spiderweb at sunset

Photo of a dense spiderweb constructed between the bars of a black, wrought-iron fence. The sun is setting off-camera so the spiderweb is illuminated by golden coloured light.

When the ground shifts, something has to give

Photo of a low brick wall at the front of a house, with a taller pillar that ends at the driveway. A white coloured, metal mailbox has been embedded into this two-brick-wide pillar. The ground beneath the house has shifted over time, so the pillar and some adjacent bricks have separated from the main wall, creating a crack.

Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne, part 3

Some more photos from the various suburbs near where I live.

Sharp, straight lawn edging

Photo of a narrow strip of grass outside a residential fence that’s had its edges very carefully trimmed.

Reflective give-way sign

Close-up photo of a triangular give-way sign that’s mounted on a pole along a residential street.

Forgotten after play or awaiting hard rubbish collection

Photo of three, brightly coloured, plastic children’s toys lying on a residential nature strip.

Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne, part 2

Thanks to a bout of post-viral fatigue, I didn’t take a single photo with my mirrorless camera in all of April.

It’s only now that we’re approaching the middle of May that I’ve had the energy to go (a) out anywhere and (b) take my camera with me – even if it’s just when I’m going for a walk, to the shops, or to a cafe in a nearby suburb.

So here are some more of my photos from around the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

Baby Buddha sculpture in a front garden

Photo of a ceramic sculpture placed on a tall tree stump in the front garden of a weatherboard house. The sculpture is of a bald, large-headed baby – the child Buddha – hugging the back of a small elephant. The elephant’s trunk is reaching back to touch the crown of the Buddha’s head. The tree stump has a string of lights wound around it.

Brushing dirt off his guernsey at a local AFL game

Photo of a male AFL footballer standing in front of the goal posts at a local ground. The player is standing alongside a player from the opposing team and in front of an official. The player is pulling at his shirt so that he can brush some dirt off it.

A local AFL game

Photo of a AFL game being played on a local football ground, as seen through some trees are there to provide shade to spectators.

AKAI CRT television ready for hard rubbish collection

Photo of the back of a small, black, AKAI CRT television lying in the nature strip outside a house in a residential area, awaiting hard rubbish collection.

End of life for this AKAI CRT television that’s now ready for hard rubbish collection

Photo of a small, black, AKAI CRT television lying in the nature strip outside in a residential area, awaiting hard rubbish collection.

On final approach to Melbourne Airport

Photo of the front of a house with a jet airliner in the sky far behind it. Their airplane has its wheels down in preparation for landing at Melbourne Airport.

Residential roundabout

Photo of a small roundabout in a residential area. A tree and a few low bushes are growing out of the centre of the roundabout. Cut off by the right edge of the photo frame is a car that is waiting behind the line to enter the roundabout.

A relic of an older time, when satellite TV was bigger than streaming

Photo of a rusted, half-broken satellite dish mounted to the roof of a house.

Avalon Airshow 2025, part 5: dogs

One of the most fun parts of Avalon Airshow are the dogs you get to see there. Both the air force and border security folks run demos, and the Royal Australian Air Force also has a place where you can go and pat their puppies :)

Military dogs demonstration

Cylon is ready for his military-dog demonstration

Photo of a malanois (large, mostly-brown dog) wearing a military harness and holding a stuffed dog toy in its mouth. A name patch reading Cyclon (in all capital letters) is attached to the harness. The dog is on a leash that's being held by its air force handler named Rea wearing battle fatigues. The two are standing in a large field with several carnival rides in the background.

Border security dogs demonstration

A sniffer dog and her trainer at Avalon Airshow 2025

Photo of a brown labrador retriever (a large breed of dog) looking around at the audience at an airshow. The dog is wearing a black harness and the trainer is wearing a blue border security uniform. The two are on a grassy field that's been covered by a large tent. Metal railings and netting have been placed between the field and the audience who are standing around the show area.

Military puppies

Malanois puppy with his air force handler

Photo of a malanois puppy sitting on a low bench in a fenced-off exhibition area at an airshow. The puppy is looking up the air force handler who is standing next to the bench. There are people standing and walking all around the fenced-off area so they can get a look at the puppies.

Avalon Airshow 2025, part 4: hearing protection

Aircraft are loud, so hearing protection is highly recommended at airshows – especially if you’re standing right next to the runway while watching the flying display.

Hearing protection is especially important for young children, with constant announcements about that being made in the hour leading up to the start of flying.

I thought it’d be a fun mini-project to document all the kids (and a few adults) who were out and about wearing some sort of hearing protection or the other.

Hearing protection

Young girl wearing hearing protection

Photo of a young girl in a pale blue jacket wearing large, white hearing protection earmuffs at an airshow.

Avalon Airshow 2025, part 3: people

It’s not just fun to take photos of the aircraft that are flying around, it’s also fun to photograph the people who are attending the show with you. This and the next post are all about that.

People

Taking photos at Avalon Airshow 2025

Photo of a young man in the crowd at an airshow taking photos with a professional camera with a long lens. The man is wearing and Air Force t-shirt.

Avalon Airshow 2025, part 2: flying display

I love the flying display at airshows, and this year I came prepared with a folding chair and a long lens for my camera :)

The flying display at Avalon kicks off with a “wall of fire” along the runway, which is pretty fucking impressive. That’s followed by an aerobatic display and then a military display.

However, there was a crash at this year’s aerobatic display on Friday. The pilot survived, but they cancelled the aerobatic display for Saturday, which is the day I was there.

Also, this airshow takes place at Avalon Airport, which is open for regular commercial flights the whole time. Because of that, I got photos of a scheduled Jetstar flight landing in amongst all this. (Jetstar was the airline I used to work for.)

I’ve grouped my photos into galleries for easier viewing, since there are quite a lot of them! One photo I’ve selected as the feature photo for each section.

On the ground

Wall of fire display marks the start of the flying display at Avalon Airshow 2025

Photo of a massive wall of fire along the length of a runway at an airshow. Hundreds of people are standing in the foreground, several with their phones out as they record the display.

Fighter aircraft

F-35A Lightning II close-up

Zoomed-in photo of an F-35A military fighter aircraft in the air at an airshow.

Maritime aircraft and fuel tanker

MH-60R Seahawk "Romeo" and P-8A Poseidon

It’s only at an airshow that civilians like us get to see two aircraft flying this close to each other :)

Photo fo a MH-60R Seahawk "Romeo" multi-mission maritime helicopter hovering above the runway at an airshow. Above this a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flies low across the runway. In the foreground of the photo there are hundreds of airshow attendees watching, photographing, and filming these aircraft.

Transport aircraft

C-17A Globemaster III on the runway

Photo of the front of a C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft on the runway at an airshow. In the foreground of the photo there are hundreds of airshow attendees watching, photographing, and filming this aircraft.

Commercial operations

Jetstar Airbus A320 about to touch down

Photo of an Airbus A320 passenger jet in Jetstar livery about to land on the runway during an airshow.

Avalon Airshow 2025, part 1: static display

I love aviation and have always wanted to be a pilot.

My family wasn’t well-off enough for me to even remotely consider becoming a private or commercial pilot so, up until my teenage years, my plan (very seriously) was to join the air force – like my favourite uncle who retired as Air Vice Marshal from the Pakistan Air Force.

As I got older, my love of computers trumped my love of flying, so I never ended up becoming a pilot. Though I did work for an airline for several years, which was absolutely fantastic.

Airshows FTW!

Lots of industries have expos and events, but I think aviation has the coolest showcase in the form of airshows.

Growing up, my father took me to as many Pakistan Air Force Day events as he could. We’d get up-close to military aircraft, chat with air force officers, watch the flying displays, and buy lots of merch.

He’d even let me skip school that day because Air Force Day isn’t a public holiday in Pakistan and he knew how much I loved aviation. (It was his older brother that was in the Air Force, btw.)

I found out about the biennial Avalon Airshow a year after moving to Melbourne, but it wasn’t until 2013 that I could afford to attend. Since then I’ve gone every time the airshow has been held.

Screenshot from Flickr showing four albums containing photos from Avalon Airshows held in 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025.

Naturally, I take lots of photos while I’m there. This year’s photos are split across five posts because, yes, I took that many photos :)

Static display

In earlier years I focused more on the air show’s booths and static displays of general, commercial, and military aircraft. This year I focused on the flying display and the people watching the flying display – but more on that later.

This is my favourite photo from the static display set. The rest I’ve put in the gallery below.

Touching the engine of the C-17A Globemaster III at Avalon Airshow 2025

Photo of one of the massive wing-mounted engines of a C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft that's parked at an airshow. An attendee is reaching up to touch the bottom of this engine.

All my static display photos

Around the northern suburbs of Melbourne

I haven’t gone on a proper photo walk for a while, so here’s a bunch of photos I’ve taken over the last several weeks.

Tiny ‘road ahead’ sign for cyclists only

Photo showing a small traffic sign with a reflective, bright-yellow background and contrasting black text. The text reads, in all capital letters, “road ahead”. This sign is mounted on top of a metal pole that’s been installed next to a bicycle path. The bicycle path runs parallel to a two-way residential road. The sign is small and placed well away from the road so that motor vehicle drivers don't confuse it for a sign they need to pay attention to.

‘Slow down’ road surface sign on a bicycle path

Photo looking straight down at large, white text painted on the khaki-grey concrete of a bicycle path. The sign reads, in all capital letters, “slow down”. The photographer’s black sneakers are visible in the bottom edge of the frame.

Good spot to feed the birds

Photo of a bird eating some bird seed on a wide, painted, brick pillar that’s part of the front fence of a house.

Checking out the rest of the Sydney Road Street Party while waiting for its owners

Photo of a small, fluffy, brown dog sitting on the road while it waits for its owners who are at a market stall. The dog is looking over its shoulder at the rest of the people wandering around this market section of the street party.

A brick is still the best way to keep your gate closed

Photo of the bottom edge of a rusted, but still functional, gate at the bottom of a residential driveway. The gate is made of widely spaced iron bars that are covered with a layer of rust, their paint having peeled off likely years ago. One side of this swinging gate is kept shut with a large bolt that goes into a hole drilled into the driveway concrete. The other side is kept shut by a broken brick that has its two halves stacked on top of each other.

Bee and wasp warning at the cemetery

Photo of a portable, outdoor sign that’s been placed in front of a large tree. This sign and tree are in a cemetery, and many rows of gravestones are visible behind the tree. The bright yellow sign has black text that reads, in all capital letters, “warning, bees and wasps active in this area”. A large icon of a bee has also been drawn on the sign.

Australian white ibis taking flight over a duck pond

Photo of a medium-sized duck pond within a large parkland area. A large, while bird – an Australian white ibis – has just taken flight and is already halfway across the width of the pond.

A space for quiet contemplation

Photo of a wooden bench that’s been installed on the banks of a medium-sized duck pond within a large parkland area.

Nadia and I both have a pair of well-worn black sneakers

Photo looking straight down at the black sneakers of two people who are standing facing each other.

Black sneakers FTW!

Photo looking straight down at the black sneakers of two people who are standing facing each other.

21 years!

Nadia and I are laughing all the way to our 21st wedding anniversary :)

Selfie of a man and a woman laughing while trying to take a selfie. The man is bald, with a salt-and-pepper beard. He is wearing eyeglasses and a while linen button-down shirt. The woman has long hair. She is wearing glasses, large gold earrings, a gold necklace, and a dark-and-light green printed dress.

Tunnel and alley in the CBD

I took a couple of photos while I was in the Melbourne CBD. The compositions had a lot of great light-and-dark contrast, so I figured they’d work well in black-and-white as well – which they do :)

Crossing under St Kilda Road (in black-and-white)

Black-and-white photo of a very wide and very tall pedestrian underpass beneath a major road. Most of the underpass is in shadow and there is a bright square of sunlight at the end of the tunnel, where you can see a fence, some trees, and some buildings. A man and a woman are walking through this tunnel and are about to come out the other side.

Crossing under St Kilda Road (in colour)

Photo of a very wide and very tall pedestrian underpass beneath a major road. Most of the underpass is in shadow and there is a bright square of sunlight at the end of the tunnel, where you can see a brightly-painted fence, some trees, and some buildings. A man and a woman are walking through this tunnel and are about to come out the other side.

Lingham Lane in the Central Business District (in black-and-white)

Black-and-white photo of a short, empty, and very clean alley in a central business district. The section near the photographer is in shadow, but the rest of the alley is brightly sunlit.

Lingham Lane in the Central Business District (in colour)

Photo of a short, empty, and very clean alley in a central business district. The section near the photographer is in shadow, but the rest of the alley is brightly sunlit.

Australian Open 2025

Less than an hour into day one at the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament and a big thunderstorm rolled across Melbourne.

And the intermittent heavy rain stuck around till late in the afternoon.

Screenshot of a weather app showing a severe thunderstorm warning with heavy rainfall expected for most of Melbourne city and surrounds.

Fortunately, Nadia and I got there just as the gates opened, so we managed to watch at least a little bit of tennis on the outside courts before the rain came.

Importantly, we managed to take our annual Australia Open selfie :)

Here are my photos (and selfies!) from the day.

Court-side camera operator

Photo looking down from the stands at a video camera operator sitting on the side of a blue-coloured, hard-surface tennis court. The operator is wearing a cap and a bulky pair of headphones, and there is a small, blue umbrella over his head. The camera has a waterproof cover on it.

Umpire and ball kids

Photo looking down at the net of a blue-coloured, hard-surface tennis court. Two ball kids are standing on either end of the net, and a tennis umpire is sitting on a raised chair at the far end of the net.

Tatjana Maria’s ball toss

Photo of tennis player Tatjana Maria who has just tossed a tennis ball into the air as part of her serve.

Watching the first round match

This photo was entirely accidental! I was trying to get a photo of the player framed between the out-of-focus heads of the people sitting in front of me (which I managed to do in the next photo). But when taking this photo, I’d mistakenly left my camera on its ‘zone focus’ setting and it picked the wrong subject to focus on. Oh well. Even though this photo was an accident, it was a happy one because I quite like how the photo turned out :)

Photo of the back and side of a woman and her young daughter watching a women’s singles tennis match.

Tatjana Maria’s service

Photo of tennis player Tatjana Maria at full stretch as she serves the ball on a blue-coloured, hard-surface tennis court.

Ball kid retrieving the ball

Photo looking down from the stands at a blue-coloured, hard-surface tennis court. One of the ball kids is running up to retrieve a ball from the middle of the left-side court.

Orange shoe and dropped corn snacks

Photo looking down between the spectator chairs at a tennis arena. The subject of the photo is the foot of a person wearing grey-and-white New Balance sneakers with bright orange highlights. Next to this shoe are two orange corn kernels that have been dropped on the concrete.

Airplane disappearing into the clouds above Melbourne

Photo of a small jet engine aircraft flying above some tall buildings on an overcast day. The aircraft is climbing and is about to disappear into the cloud cover.

Thunderstorm less than an hour into the first day’s play

Photo of the outside of a tennis arena with large photo banners set along its side showing past championship winners. The outside area is almost completely empty of spectators because it is raining heavily. Despite the heavy rain, ushers wearing black pants and yellow shirts are standing under red umbrellas that have been affixed next to each area entrance. A supervisor wearing a black skirt and blue polo shirt is walking between two of these umbrellas with a blue folder over her head to minimise the amount of rain she gets on her eyeglasses.

2025 edition of our annual Australian Open selfie 1/3

Selfie of a man and woman smiling at the camera while they sit on blue coloured seats at a tennis court. Both are wearing straw hats and sunglasses. The woman is wearing a white, sleeveless top and the man is wearing a printed black t-shirt.

2025 edition of our annual Australian Open selfie 2/3

Selfie of a man and woman smiling at the camera while standing outside the entrance to Margaret Court Arena, a tennis arena in Melbourne, Australia. Both are wearing straw hats and glasses. The the man is wearing a printed black t-shirt and the woman is wearing a white, sleeveless top.

2025 edition of our annual Australian Open selfie 3/3

Selfie of a man and woman smiling at the camera while standing outside the steps that lead to the entrance of Rod Laver Arena, a large tennis arena in Melbourne, Australia. Both are wearing straw hats, glasses, and black face masks. The the man is wearing a printed black t-shirt and the woman is wearing a white, sleeveless top.

[Photo walk] University of Melbourne #3

My first photo walk of the 2025 was a quick one on a bright, sunny day during summer break at the University of Melbourne.

John Medley Building East Tower

Wide angle photo looking up at the first four stories of a 1970s Brutalist-style university campus building with a light-brown brick facade. A sign above the entrance reads, “John Medley Building East Tower”. The photographer is standing under the third-storey walkway that connects to the west tower. Outside the building, on both sides of the entrance, there are several bicycle hoops, one of which has a bicycle locked to it.

John Medley Building West Tower

Wide angle photo looking up at the first four stories of a 1970s Brutalist-style university campus building with a light-brown brick facade. A sign above the entrance reads, “John Medley Building West Tower”. The photographer is standing under the third-storey walkway that connects to the east tower. Outside the building, on both sides of the entrance, there are several bicycle hoops, and there are four bicycles locked to these hoops.

Shaded seating on the Electrical Engineering Lawn

Photo of a long, wide lawn between two walkways on a university campus. There are several tall, old trees growing in a line along one side of this lawn. Some wrought iron outdoor tables and chairs have been placed the shade of some of these trees.

Quiet, solitary spot on the West Lawn

Photo of a single, yellow coloured, wrought iron outdoor chair lying in the shade of a line of trees alongside a lawn in a university campus. To the left of the photo is a wide walkway leading to a campus building.

Old Arts Building through the trees

Photo of one part of a 1920s Tudor-Gothic style building with a light-brown freestone facade, as seen through a gap in the branches of a tree.

Seating area outside the Old Arts Building

Photo of a small, brick courtyard surrounded by trees on three sides and, on the fourth side, a 1920s Tudor-Gothic style building with a light-brown freestone facade. In the courtyard are five wrought iron chairs arranged around a wrought iron table.

Bicycle hoops outside the Baillieu Library on a bright, sunny day

Photo looking through a long row of bicycle hoops installed in a brick walkway next to a garden.

Baillieu Library

Photo looking up at the windows of a five-storey, modernist, 1950s design, university building with floor-to-ceiling windows along the outside.

Photographer in an old lift

Photo of a man facing the mirror-wall of a 1970s, all-wood-panel elevator. The man is wearing olive green shorts, a black printed t-shirt, and a black cap. His t-shirt reads, in stylised bright yellow-and-orange text, “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” and, in all-capital letters, “don’t panic”. He is wearing glasses and has a short-cropped, salt-and-pepper beard. The man is holding a camera at stomach height and is taking a photograph of himself, as reflected in the lift's mirror.

[Photo walk] Along the Yarra River #4

It was a hot day in Melbourne today. But if you’re smart about it, you can stay mostly in the shade when you walk from my office to Flinders Street Station along the Yarra River :)

Black swan on the Yarra River

Photo looking down to the banks of an urban river where a black swan is floating, its red beak inside the water as it investigates something below the surface.

I’ve been spotted by the black swan!

Photo looking down to the banks of an urban river where a black swan is floating. The swan has noticed the photographer and is looking straight down the barrel of the camera lens.

GoBoat employee explaining something to boat renters on the Yarra River in Melbourne

Photo of an urban river framed by the underside of bridge that the photographer is standing under. The photo shows three adults and one child in a small, flat-bottomed, motorboat with a table affixed to the middle and bench seating around the sides. This is a rental boat, with the brand name GoBoat painted on its side. An employee of the rental company is standing on the pier from which this boat has just been launched. With one hand raised, the employee is explaining something to the renters inside the boat.

Flying to and from Brisbane

This is the last set of photos from my work trip to Brisbane. As an aviation geek I can’t not post photos from every time I visit an airport or fly anywhere :)

‘Melbourne’ sign at Melbourne International Airport (taken from a taxi at 5:30am)

Photo of a large parking structure and hotel next to an airport terminal. The photo has been taken from inside a taxi. A covered pedestrian walkway extends from the terminal (which is off-camera on the left) to the parking structure (which is on the right of the photo). Below this walkway, on the ground floor, is a large, all-caps, three-dimensional, illuminated sign that reads, ‘Melbourne’.

Refuelling and restocking a Qantas Airbus A330 at Melbourne Airport

Photo of the apron outside a domestic terminal at a large airport. An Airbus A330 aircraft in Qantas livery is parked outside one of the gates. An elevated cabin service cart is delivering food and drink items to the aircraft from the rear-left door. Below the left wing a fuel-pump truck is refuelling the aircraft.

Qantas Airbus A330 waiting at the gate at Melbourne Airport

Photo of the apron outside a domestic terminal at a large airport. An Airbus A330 aircraft in Qantas livery is parked outside one of the gates.

Qantas Airbus A330 pulling up to the gate at Brisbane Airport

Photo of the apron outside a domestic terminal at a large airport. An Airbus A330 aircraft in Qantas livery is taxiing up to one of the gates.

Work bus tour in Brisbane

This set of photos is from a bus tour of my work’s road assets in and around Brisbane.

Heading out on a bus tour in Brisbane

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. A person sitting in the front-most passenger seat is holding a microphone in her hand and is getting ready to speak to the people attending the tour.

On a work bus tour in Brisbane

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. A person sitting in the front-most passenger seat is holding a microphone in her hand and is speaking to the people attending the tour.

Police car waiting to turn left in the Brisbane central business district

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is stopped at a traffic light. Across the intersection, also stopped at this traffic light, is a Queensland Police Service car with its left-turn indicator on.

Driving through the M7 Clem Jones Tunnel (aka Clem7 tunnel)

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is driving through a three-lane tunnel with yellowish lighting.

Heading into the Airport Link tunnel

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is about to drive into a two-lane tunnel with yellowish lighting.

Heading up the Gateway Bridge

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is about to drive up a high, multi-lane bridge.

Driving up the Gateway Bridge

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is about to drive up a high, multi-lane bridge.

Waiting behind a Linfox truck in Brisbane

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is waiting at a turn behind a bright red-and-yellow Linfox truck.

Driving through the Legacy Way tunnel

Photo taken from inside a minibus, looking out the front windscreen. The bus is driving through a two-lane tunnel with yellowish lighting.

In and around the Transurban office in Kedron

Transurban’s Brisbane traffic control centre is located in the suburb of Kedron (you can find it on Google Maps), and there’s a whole office next to it that you can work out of.

So after getting a bus tour of our Brisbane road assets (photos in the next post), that’s the office I worked out of for a few hours. And we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

This office is literally an eight minute drive from Brisbane Airport, so it was a super convenient place to hang out before our late afternoon flight back to Melbourne.

Christmas lights at the Transurban Brisbane traffic control room

Photo of multicoloured string lights strung in rows in front of a large window that looks into a motorway traffic control room. The control room has a massive bank of screens set along the back wall. All the screens are showing traffic from CCTV cameras around the road network. In the foreground are several workstations at which traffic control room officers do their work.

Snack table at the traffic control room

Photo looking through a large window with multicoloured string lights hanging down its width. Through the window you can see a large, state-of-the-art motorway traffic control room. In the foreground is a small table on which there is a bowl of fruit with a mesh cover, a couple of baked-goods plastic containers, and a bucket with leftover Halloween candy. The control room has a massive bank of screens set along the back wall. All the screens are showing traffic from CCTV cameras around the road network. In the foreground are several workstations at which traffic control room officers do their work.

Snack table and Christmas tree at the traffic control room

Photo looking at a corner of an office with multicoloured string lights hanging down from a large interior window. In front of these windows is a plastic Christmas tree that has been decorated. There are several small presents lying underneath this tree. Closer to the photographer is a small table with snacks and a fruit bowl placed on it.

Outdoor seating and barbecue area at our Kedron office

Photo of a large, covered outdoor seating area with tables and chairs and lots of large potted plants. A large, eight-bladed ceiling fan is hanging above the seating area.

Pink and purple flowers (no idea what they’re called!)

Photo of two, large flowering bushes in a residential street. One bush has large pink flowers, the other has small purple ones.

Mangoes growing in a front yard

Close-up photo of three mangoes hanging from a tree.

Purple flowers on the sidewalk

Photo looking down at a sidewalk on which there are lots of fallen purple flowers. At the bottom of the photo you can see the photographer is wearing black jeans and white sneakers.

Photographer in a convex safety mirror

Photo of a large, convex safety mirror mounted on a pole. The photographer has stopped to take a photo of himself reflected in this mirror. The photographer is wearing white sneakers; black jeans; a loose, white shirt; and a grey hat.

At the department offsite

This set of Brisbane photos is from the department offsite that was held on the 26th floor of an office building in the CBD. (Not our office building, by the way. That’s on the other side of the CBD.)

Looking down at Kangaroo Point Bridge that spans Brisbane River

Photo looking down from a tall building at a white, single-mast, cable bridge that spans an urban river. This pedestrian and cyclist bridge is in its very final stages of construction, with workers on it finishing up some last-minute electrical fit-outs.

Looking down at Story Bridge that spans Brisbane River

Photo looking down from a tall building (and from between two neighbouring tall buildings) at a large, grey, cantilever bridge that spans an urban river.

Across the road from Level 26 of Admiralty Towers

Photo of the 24th–27th floors of a skyscraper taken from the 26th floor of a neighbouring skyscraper. The photo shows the windows in the walkway between apartments, as well as the balconies of the some of the apartments on these floors.

Ferries around Riverside Ferry Terminal

Photo looking down from a tall building at an urban river. Along one bank of the river is a ferry terminal. One large ferry is departing from this terminal, while another smaller one is approaching.

Keeping us hydrated at our all-day team offsite

Photo of a metal cold water canister with a tap and two very large metal bowls filled with ice and several glass bottles of fruit juice. Both the canister and bowls have a lot of condensation on the outside.

Cold fruit juice for our all-day team offsite

Close-up photo of two very large metal bowls filled with ice and several glass bottles of fruit juice.

Sugar and hydration from our all-day team offsite

Close-up photo of two very large metal bowls filled with ice and several glass bottles of fruit juice.