Successful tooth extraction

Maggie’s tooth extraction went well, but she was on ketamine not too long ago so the poor thing is still a little out of it!

Photo of a red/brown dog with an orange crepe bandage on its foreleg. The dog, who looks like it’s dissociating quietly, is sitting on a brown towel that’s been spread out on a dog bed on the floor of a living room.

The folks at Fawkner Veterinary Hospital in Melbourne are both lovely and excellent at their jobs, by the way. 10/10 would recommend.

Photo of a red/brown dog that’s fast asleep with its face smooshed against the wall of a dog bed that has been covered with a brown towel. The dog itself has been covered with a small, fuzzy blanket.

AMWP at Emerging Writers' Festival 2023

Nadia’s publication, the Australian Multilingual Writers Project, was invited to present a session at the 2023 Emerging Writers’ Festival in Melbourne.

I went along and took a few photos :)

Nadia getting ready to host the event

Photo of a woman standing on a stage and leaning out from behind a tall, blue pull-up banner that reads “Australian Multilingual Writing Project”. Next to this is another tall banner, this one green, that reads “Emerging Writers’ Festival”.

Podium microphone at the Immigration Museum

Close-up photo of a black microphone mounted on a podium. In the background, and out of focus, is a large, empty exhibition space bathed in pink light. The room is built in the Italianate revival style of Victorian-era architecture, with tall Ionic columns and a very high ceiling.

Sneakers on the floor of the Long Room at the Immigration Museum

Photo looking down at a pair of white sneakers that are bathed in pink light. The floor is a pattern of black, white, and red terra cotta tiles.

Colourful shoes in a colourful room

Photo looking down towards a terra cotta tiled floor. From the left of the frame you can see the legs and feet of a person seated off camera. This person is wearing a yellow skirt with bright patterns on it, light blue socks with flower patterns on them, and slightly darker coloured light blue shoes with a different flower pattern on them. Another person is standing on the tiled floor with pink coloured trainers with blue lines on them. This person is also wearing white coloured ankle warmers and light brown coloured pinstriped shorts.

The stage is set

Photo looking through a doorway at a large event space that is bathed in pink light. There are people seated on plastic chairs that have been set out in rows in front of a stage. On the stage are two pull-up banners. The smaller blue coloured banner reads “Australian Multilingual Writing Project” while the larger green banner reads “Emerging Writers’ Festival” and “14-24 June 23”.

Nadia at the podium, preparing and then performing

Madhvi Singh Thakur, Gabriela Georges, Asiel Adan Sanchez performing

Candid photos of the performers

Strike another one off the list

When you stop supporting your community, your community stops supporting you.

I pay for my favourite social media sites (#privileged) but I now only pay for Tumblr, having cancelled my Twitter subscription earlier (we all know why) and now Reddit.

Screenshot of a pop-up window on a website asking to confirm that the user wants to cancel their (Reddit) Premium subscription.

I fully support platforms working to build multiple revenue streams, by the way, which is why I pay for them in the first place.

Heck, I’ve been paying for Reddit Premium since 2016!

Screenshot of a Reddit ‘trophy case’ box showing four trophies: Ten-Year Club, Gilding V, Verified Email, and Reddit Premium (since July 2016)

But there are ways to charge for usage and then there are ways to charge for usage.

That’s enshittification for you, right? *sigh*

I guess over the next few months we’ll see just how far along the “…and find out” stage we’re at for Reddit.

[Photo walk] Flinders Street, Melbourne

Overhead construction gantry on the corner of Collins and Flinders Street

Photo looking up at a large construction gantry erected two or three stories above the road. You can see the underside of the gantry and, above the gantry, is a tall, white construction crane with the Metro Tunnel project logo on it. Behind this platform is a wide hotel building.

Keeping an eye out for their friends at the steps of Flinders Street Station

Photo of two women at the top of a wide flight of steps that leads into a building. One woman is sitting on the metal hand rail that runs along the steps. The other woman is standing to the side, a few steps back from the top of the stairs. Both women are looking off-camera at the people walking towards the entrance of this building (which is Flinders Street Railway Station). In the foreground, and out of focus, is a woman on her phone walking across the frame of the photo

Flinders Street Station ready to be lit up for RISING festival

Photo looking up at the entrance to Flinders Street Railway Station. The railway station building is a brown, Edwardian structure with a large, green dome and a large clock above the main entrance. Affixed to the building, just below the clock face, are large, serif-font letters that read “RISING:”. These letters will be lit up as part of the RISING festival in Melbourne.

Keeping to herself on the banks of the Yarra River

Photo of a woman sitting cross-legged on the edge of a walking path along a muddy, brown river that runs through a city centre. The woman is looking down at her smartphone, and she has her backpack placed next to her.

Keeping to himself on a bridge across the Yarra River

Photo of a man wearing a jacket and backpack standing by the stone railing of a bridge that spans the Yarra River in Melbourne. The man has his back to everyone and is looking out across the river. Another man is walking across the frame behind the first one.

Dropped shoes at the entrance of Flinders Street Railway Station

Black and white photo of a pair of trainers lying abandoned on the floor, all by themselves, some distance from the entrance to a train station.

[Photo walk] Collins Street, Melbourne

Clouds reflected off Mövenpick Hotel

Photo looking up to a very tall, blue-glass covered building. The building has rounded edges and two large curves along its length, making it look like a fancy water bottle. There are white, puffy clouds in the blue sky behind the building, and two large clouds are also reflected in the windows of this building.

Road expansion joint in Collins Street, next to Southern Cross Station

Photo of a metal, zigzag shaped road expansion joint built into the surface of a road. A motion-blurred car is driving over this joint as is drives down the road. Across the road from the photographer is the entrance to a large metropolitan train station.

Maintenance work along Collins Street

Photo taken from close to the ground of a large maintenance hatch built into the footpath of a metropolitan road. The hatch is lying open and a large piece of equipment (electric or communications?) that’s attached to a pair of well-shielded cables is lying outside the hatch. In the foreground of the photo (and out of focus) is a silver coloured adjustable wrench. The open hatch is surrounded by bright yellow, temporary, safety fencing, and this photo has been taken from underneath this fence. A bunch of cables exiting this hole in the ground are snaking their way into the back of a while panel van that's parked on the side of the road.

Down-tools at this maintenance site on Collins Street

Photo taken from close to the ground of a large maintenance hatch built into the footpath of a metropolitan road. The hatch is lying open. In the background of the photo (and out of focus) is a large piece of equipment (electric or communications?) that’s attached to a pair of well-shielded cables and is lying outside the hatch. In the foreground (and in focus) is a silver coloured adjustable wrench. The open hatch is surrounded by bright yellow, temporary, safety fencing, and this photo has been taken from underneath this fence.

Driving a coach along King Street

Photo of a driver concentrating on the road as he drives a grey coloured Irizar/Mercedes-Benz coach along a metropolitan road. You can see reflections of tall buildings reflected in the front windscreen of this large bus.

Heading home from their worksite on a Friday afternoon

Photo looking downwards the footpath at the intersection of two roads. Several people are standing in a group, waiting for the light to change so they can cross the road. You can only see these people from the waist down, and they are all wearing work pants or jeans. Everyone in the photo is wearing tan coloured, heavy, steel-capped, work boots.

[Photo walk] Melbourne buildings, part 3

Walkway between apartment buildings

Photo looking up at a covered, third-floor walkway that connects the Melbourne City View Apartments to the City Lights Apartments at Flinders. In the background of the photo, behind these two apartment blocks, are elevated train tracks on which a train is travelling.

Walkway connecting apartment buildings

Photo looking sharply upwards at a covered, third-floor walkway that connects the Melbourne City View Apartments to the City Lights Apartments at Flinders. The building across from the photographer is sixteen floors tall.

Looking up along Northbank Place

Photo looking upwards along the outside of a ten-storey office building. This glass-covered building (Tower 1 at 525 Flinders Street, Melbourne) was built in 2008 and is curved to allow sunlight to reach the street below. Its design includes a bronze painted, steel girder, skeletal structure wrapped around the outside.

No thoughts, just vibes

Photo looking upwards at the top of a tall building on an overcast day. The glass-covered building has a large, blue coloured sign affixed to the top that reads ‘vibe’, which is the name of a hotel chain.

Awning at the Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne

Photo of one of the entrances to the Rendezvous Hotel Melbourne. This entrance leads to Mr Tompkins, a restaurant named for Harry Tompkins who was the architect that designed this Edwardian Baroque style building in 1913. A man carrying a bag in one hand is talking on the phone as he walks down the steps inside this entrance. A large, curved awning above the entrance is held up by two thick metal cables. Two large stone heads have been built around the place where these cables are attached to the building structure, with the cables coming out of the mouths of these stone figures.

Flinders Street station flags at half mast for Father Bob’s state funeral

Photo of the Australian and Australian Aboriginal flags being flown at half mast on top of Flinders Street railway station in Melbourne. The railway station building is a brown, Edwardian structure with a large, green dome and a large clock above the main entrance.

Father Robert (Bob) John Maguire AM RFD (1934 – 2023) was a much-loved Catholic priest whose state funeral was held in Melbourne on 5 May 2023. Flags in the state of Victoria were flown at half mast all this day.

Layers of Melbourne on an overcast day

Photo of a city showing several different layers of greenery and buildings. Along the left of the photo are several tall trees, with some palm trees in the background. Along the right of the photo are a brown, historic building; a white modern building; a few glass-covered office buildings; and one tall skyscraper (the Rialto Towers).

[Photo walk] Transport, part 4

Checking the Melbourne tram network map

Photo of a tram stop in the city, with plexiglass shelters on both sides. On the side closer to the photographer is a woman reading the Melbourne tram network map that’s attached to the inside of the shelter. The woman is visible only from the waist down, with the rest of her hidden behind the map. On the reverse of this map is a sign that reads “STOP. Your gran could be stopping off the tram today. When a tram stops, you stop.”. On the side further away from the photographer is a man sitting on a bench and looking at his smartphone while he waits for his tram.

Elevated trains along Flinders Street

Photo of two electric trains in blue-and-yellow Metro-branded livery running along a set of elevated train tracks. Two cars are parked below the elevated tracks. Buildings, several trees, and a bridge are visible from below the elevated tracks, in the background of the photo.

Waiting for the tram doors to open

Photo of a woman standing at a tram stop. A tram has just pulled up to the stop and the woman is waiting for the front-most doors of the tram to open.

Zipping along the elevated train track next to Flinders Street

Photo looking upwards of a blue, yellow, and silver coloured train running along set of elevated train tracks. A large sign affixed to the tracks warns motorists: ‘low clearance, 4.0m’. In the background of the photo are several skyscrapers.

This is not her tram

Photo of a woman sitting on a bench under a plexiglass shelter at a tram stop. At tram has stopped at this tram stop, but it is not the tram the woman is waiting for.

[Photo walk] Along Flinders Street

Taking off her coat so her friend can take her photo

Photo of two women standing in the shadows beneath an elevated set of train tracks. One woman is in the process of taking off her winter coat as she walks away from her friend. The other woman is holding her phone up, waiting for her friend to pose for the photograph that she is about to take.

Food hall, open 24 hours

Photo of a free-standing, single-storey, glass-covered shop sandwiched between a tall building and a set of elevated train tracks (on which a train is running). A large neon sign on top of the building reads, in all-capital letters ‘food hall’. A smaller sign next to this, also in all-caps, reads ‘24hr 7 days open’. A couple with two children are crossing a small laneway that next to the building, heading towards this door of this shop.

Tags on a no-smoking sign outside Melbourne Aquarium

Photo of a no-smoking sign affixed to a brick wall. The sign has been thoroughly defaced with several graffiti tags and stickers.

Chilling in Enterprize Park along the Yarra River

Photo of a man sitting on a bench next to a park that runs along an urban river. The man is wearing a warm, brown coat and appears to be looking at his smartphone.

One of the scar trees in Enterprize Park

Photo looking up along a ‘scar tree’ installed between a park (with tall, growing trees) and a metal gantry along an elevated train line.

City of Melbourne:

Enterprize Park commemorates the spot where the first settlers aboard the ship Enterprize went ashore on 30 August 1835.

Today, it is the site of the Scar Project, a collaborative installation by Aboriginal artists who used original wharf poles from Queens Bridge to engage with the tradition of tree scarring.

Traditionally, Aboriginal people would take pieces of bark from trees to make canoes, shields or baby cradles. The resulting ‘scar trees’ would also serve as signposts for other clans to know they had entered the land of another community. These trees are rare today, but for Aboriginal people they are very precious.

Read more about this artwork: Scar – A Stolen Vision.

Walking through the scar trees in Enterprize Park

Photo of a man carrying his shopping in a couple of large plastic bags walking through the Scar Project artwork installation in Enterprize Park in Melbourne. This photo was taken from inside a brick archway next to this artwork

Megafun:

The City of Melbourne commissioned eight indigenous artists to create a relocatable permanent public artwork for the city.

Initially placed in the city square, the 24 poles that form the work “Scar – A Stolen Vision” are now permanently located in Enterprize Park adjacent to the Melbourne Aquarium.

The works, by eight indigenous artists, are all vertical timber poles, somewhat like trees, and reflect various interpretations of the relationship between the artists culture and the modern western city.

Read more about this artwork: Scar – A Stolen Vision.

Underneath the elevated train tracks that run along Flinders Street

Photo looking upwards at a set of elevated train tracks. The top half of the photo shows the metal girders underneath the train tracks. The bottom half of the photos shows the large pillars on which the elevated track rests. The pillars have a slate and red brick façade around them. A road that runs underneath these elevated tracks has a few cars on it, as well as a person riding an e-bike.

Looking down at a broken uplight

Photo of a commercial uplight that lights the underside of a set of elevated train tracks. The light is build into the asphalt, but its glass front has been shattered. Inside the light are several brown leaves. The photographer’s white sneakers and the cuffs of his black jeans are visible in the bottom of the photo.

No road next to this pillar

Photo of a faded yellow sign with large, black, all-capital letters that reads ‘no road’. This sign is painted on a large, red-brick pillar that is holding up a set of elevated train tracks. Behind the pillar is a road with cars on it. Across this road, and extending in the background, are several buildings.

There’s a bin literally just around the corner

Photo of a large, brown, take-away coffee cup that’s been left next to the green railing of a set of stairs that leads down to a walkway along an urban river.

Picnicking on the Yarra River

Photo of a large bridge across an urban river in the middle of a city. Several people are standing along the bridge railing, taking photos. A rented ‘Go Boat’ motor boat with picnickers on it is about to cross under this bridge.

[Photo walk] Collins Street, Docklands

Cyclists along the Yarra River

Photo of a group of ten cyclists cycling in single-file along the boardwalk next to an urban river.

Trying to make it in the urban jungle of Docklands

Photo of a plant shoot with a dozen or so green leaves. The plant is growing through a crack between the paved footpath that’s next to a flight of steps that runs alongside a glass building.

It's only Friday afternoon and a third of the red neurons are already down

Photo of twelve ‘neuron’ branded e-bikes parked along the sidewalk in a city centre. Four of these bikes have toppled over and are lying on their sides.

Yellow sneakers on a grey day in Melbourne

Photo of a figure wearing dark blue casual pants, light grey socks, and bright yellow sneakers that have pink accents on them. The person is waiting to cross the road at an intersection on the road.

Don't ask for my mood, just look at my nails

Photo of a glass-fronted nail salon with a pink neon sign in the window that reads ‘NAILS’. A black sandwich-board sign next to the door has stylised, hand written text written on it with neon coloured pink, yellow, and green marker. The sign reads “Don’t ask for my mood, just look at my nails”. A dim reflection of the photographer is visible in the glass salon door.

Nadia on the Writing Home podcast on 3CR

Check out Nadia’s interview on the first episode of Writing Home on 3CR (a community radio station in Melbourne).

Hosted by Madhvi Singh Thakur, Writing Home is a series about writers who have more than one home, and it features discussions with migrant writers of colour in Australia.

In case you look up this series online and get confused: Writing Home is one of four series being run simultaneously under the Satellite Skies podcast umbrella, and Satellite Skies will be featuring one Writing Home episode per month.

Nadia at the 3CR studios in Melbourne

Source: satellite_skies on Instagram.

Sleeping with both ears open

Maggie, sleeping with both ears open.

Close-up photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a fuzzy, orange dog bed. The dog's head is resting on raised edge of the bed. The tip of one of the dog's ears is folded along the side of a cabinet that's next to the dog bed.

You can’t let sleeping dogs lie, you have to take their photo.

Close-up photo of a red/brown dog asleep inside a fuzzy, orange dog bed. The dog's head is resting on raised edge of the bed. The tip of one of the dog's ears is folded along the side of a cabinet that's next to the dog bed. In the foreground of the photo, and out of focus, is one of the dog's forepaws, which is also resting on the raised edge of the bed.

[Photo walk] La Trobe Street, Docklands

There’s a bit of La Trobe Street in Docklands that goes over the Southern Cross rail yard.

This would be a great spot to take train photos from, except that there’s a tough metal grate/mesh that runs along the full length of the bridge (for obvious safety reasons).

Fortunately, there are little square cut-outs in this mesh that let me take a bunch of interesting photos. #FrameWithinAFrame

V/Line train out of Southern Cross Station

Photo of a silver-and-purple diesel engine train going along its tracks next to the Southern Cross rail yard. The photo is taken through a square hole cut out of a large metal mesh. This mesh is installed along the side of a road and pedestrian bridge that crosses the rail yard.

V/Line train heading from Melbourne to Geelong

Photo of a silver, purple, and yellow coloured diesel engine train going along its tracks next to the Southern Cross rail yard. The photo is taken through a square hole cut out of a large metal mesh. This mesh is installed along the side of a road and pedestrian bridge that crosses the rail yard.

Train lines crisscrossing outside Southern Cross rail yard

Photo of about a dozen individual train lines intersecting each other next to a rail yard.

Alstom West Melbourne Depot

Photo of a large building at a train depot with a sign on it that reads ‘Alstom’. The building has a couple of trains parked inside it, and there are several other silver, purple, and yellow coloured trains parked around the depot.

Yep, that’s locked

Photo of a single metal loop attached to a large brick pillar that’s next to a building. Five sturdy, brass locks have been locked onto this loop.

Pointing out birds in Flagstaff Gardens

Photo of two people standing on a path in a public garden containing several large, old trees. Both have white hair and are wearing trousers and warm jackets. One of them is showing the other a bird that’sin the trees.

[Photo walk] Along Harbour Esplanade, Docklands

I took a walk along Harbour Esplanade in Docklands on my way home from work. It was a grey, overcast day, but I think I got a couple of good photos.

Meeting rooms with a view

Photo of a section of a colourful office building that’s jutting out from the main building. This six storey section, which itself is two storeys above ground level, has floor-to-ceiling windows on all three sides. Through the windows you can make out office tables and chairs arranged inside the rooms. The photo is taken on an overcast day, with most of the sky full of grey clouds and only one patch of blue sky peeking through.

Marvel Stadium from Harbour Esplanade

Photo of a stadium with a large sign on it that reads ‘Marvel Stadium’. The stadium is next to a harbour, and the photo is taken from a walkway along one side of this harbour. In the foreground is a grid of several old, wooden, white-tipped pillars sticking out from the water.

Reflection of a bright sky on an overcast day

Photo of an office building wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows. The photo is taken on a grey, completely overcast day. However, there is a patch of blue sky peeking out from behind the clouds. This patch is behind the photographer and you can see its bright reflection on the windows of the glass-covered building that’s in the frame of the photo.

Geelong Flyer catamaran ferry parked at its Docklands terminal

Head-on photo of a 35m wave piercing catamaran ferry (Incat Hull 095) parked at its berth at the Port Phillip Docklands Terminal in Melbourne, Australia. This large ferry has two slender hulls connected by a bridging section, which is where all the passengers sit.

Geelong Flyer catamaran ferry, with the Bolte Bridge in the background

Photo of a 35m wave piercing catamaran ferry (Incat Hull 095) parked at its berth at the Port Phillip Docklands Terminal in Melbourne, Australia. This large ferry has two slender hulls connected by a bridging section, which is where all the passengers sit. In the background of the photo is the Bolte Bridge. This is a large, twin cantilever road bridge with two 140m tall towers that hold up the roadway that spans the width of the Yarra River and Victoria Harbour.

Blue buildings by Docklands Harbour

Photo of several residential towers of varying heights (ranging from four to over twenty stories), most of which have blue-tinted, floor-to-ceiling windows. The photo is taken on an overcast day, but the various shades of blue are still shining through despite the flat light. In the foreground of the photo is a grid of several old, wooden, white-tipped pillars sticking out from the water.

Reflections of a photographer

Photo of a man taking a photo of his reflection in a large, dirty window. The man, who can’t be seen very clearly, is wearing dark clothes, white sneakers, and dark driver’s cap. The man is looking down at the camera that he is holding just below chest height. The man is standing in a commercial area, with several buildings around him – including one that is under construction.

Looking up along the Melbourne Water building

Photo taken looking upwards next to a glass office building. The outside of the building is decorated with several metal shade-plates with various sized holes drilled through them. These are attached using metal supports and wires. Above the building is a grey, overcast sky with bits of blue sky peeking out from between the clouds.

Construction of the Seafarers Residences

Across the street from where I work in Docklands, Melbourne is the Mission to Seafarers – a worthy charity and volunteer-run organisation.

Right next to the Misson’s heritage-listed building, however, a luxury residential building is currently under construction. They’ve called this building ‘Seafarers Residences’. Weird flex, I know. But there it is.

I was able to take some interesting photos of the construction in progress with my new long lens (Fujinon XC 50-230mm).

Crane operator at the future Seafarers Residences

Close up photo of a crane operator inside the cab of a tall, white/red/blue crane above a construction site. The operator is looking down and to the left since that’s the direction his load is moving in.

Crane at the future Seafarers Residences

Photo of a tall, white/red/blue crane above a construction site next to a river. You can see a crane operator sitting inside the cab. And, far below at ground level, you can see a three construction workers in high visibility vests.

Crane-supported concrete pour

Photo taken from a tall building, looking down at several construction workers on a construction site. The workers are standing around a large, yellow concrete container that’s being held above a section of the foundation by a tall crane. One of the workers is guiding the flow of the concrete from the container into the area around a large wooden cast.

Pouring concrete

Photo looking down at several construction workers on a construction site. The workers are standing around a large, yellow concrete container that’s being held above a section of the foundation by a tall crane. One of the workers is holding the concrete container and is guiding the flow of the concrete from the container into the area around a large wooden cast.

[Photo walk] Along the Yarra River #1

Every Friday after work I walk through the Melbourne city centre so I can take some photos. I took these ones on a walk along the Yarra River.

West corner of Melbourne City View Apartments

Photo of the top few storeys of the wedge-shaped end of a multi-storey residential apartment building. The photo is taken on a clear day with a deep blue sky.

Under the train lines crossing over Flinders Street

Photo of a man waiting at an intersection underneath several elevated train lines. The man is waiting to cross the street. He is wearing white shorts; a blue, short sleeve, button down shirt; black-and-white sneakers, and printed blue socks. To the right of the man is a massive, square rock pillar that’s holding up the elevated train lines. To the man’s left is a pole on which there is a pedestrian crossing sign and a painted sign that reads “Pedestrians watch for traffic”. On street in front of a man is a tram that’s waiting for the signal to turn green so it can cross the intersection. Across the street, coming towards the man, is another tram waiting at the intersection for its turn.

People walking down Oris Walk, next to Lamont Bridge

Black-and-white photo of two people walking across a walkway next to a road and tram bridge that crosses a river in the middle of a city. Behind the people are several tall buildings.

Helicopter taking off from Microflite Melbourne Heliport

Photo looking up at a dark-blue-and-white helicopter (an Airbus H135) that’s just taken off. Behind the helicopter (but below the helicopter in the photo) you can see three tall buildings against the blue sky.

Helicopter landing at Microflite Melbourne Heliport

Photo of a red-and-gold helicopter (an Airbus EC130) seconds away from landing on a helipad build in a pontoon on a wide river in the middle of a city. A sign on the side of the pontoon reads ‘Microflite Melbourne Helipad’. In the background of the photo are several tall and short buildings, as well as a bridge across the river.

That's Australia for you

Photo looking up at a set of red, yellow, and green traffic lights that are covered with cobwebs. These traffic lights are underneath a bridge. You can see the slice of a city in the background from underneath the bridge.

Yeah buoy!

Photo of three buoys – one red, one yellow, one green – on a river in the middle of a city. The photo is taken through the horizontal wires of a metal fence along the river. In the background of the photo there is a bridge across the river and lots of tall buildings that make up the city centre.

Train from Flinders Street Station

Photo of a train going down an elevated train line in the middle of a city. Below the elevated train lines are several cars waiting at a red light. In the background, above the train, are several tall buildings.

Stopping to check her phone where the bike trail widens

Photo of a woman sitting on a bicycle. The woman has stopped cycling, one foot on the ground, and is taking something out of her bag. The woman is wearing a bicycle helmet that has several zip ties attached to it, making the points of the zip ties look like antennae. These are to deter and protect her from swooping birds. The bicycle path the woman is on runs alongside a river, and the woman has stopped underneath a bridge that crosses the river because the path here has widened considerably. It is dark in the shade under the bridge. In the background of the photo, in the bright sunshine, you can see dozens of people walking along a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river. You can also see several boats traversing the river or moored along its banks.

Lime e-scooter delivery at Flinders Street Station

Photo of a large, white delivery van with its rear doors open. The van is parked in a delivery parking space next to a large train station. Inside the van are several green-and-white coloured e-scooters. A man in a high-visibility shirt is taking scooters from his van and is placing them along the sidewalk next to the train station.

Avalon Airshow 2023: Super Galaxy

There were a bunch of cool civilian and military aircraft you could walk into at the air show. One of the coolest was the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy II.

Super Galaxy whale tail

Low-angle photo of the tail of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. There are lots of people walking around the event, and several dozen people are making their way into the aircraft from its rear loading ramp.

Walking into the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people walking up the loading ramp of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

Walking through the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people walking through the cargo space of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

Walking out the front of the Super Galaxy

Photo of dozens of people making their way through the cargo space of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The aircraft’s cargo space is large enough to carry tanks and helicopters.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew ready to take questions

Photo of two US Air Force flight crew of the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft wait at the front of its cargo area. They are ready to answer any questions that visitors to the air show might have.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew talking to the visiting public

Photo of a US Air Force flight crew member standing in the cargo area of a Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft during an air show. The crew member is answering a question that he’s been asked by one of the air show visitors.

USAF Super Galaxy flight crew taking questions from the visiting public

Photo of a US Air Force flight crew member standing in the cargo area of a Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft during an air show. The crew member is answering a question that she’s been asked by one of the air show visitors.

Explaining the intricacies of the pumps along the Super Galaxy nose door

Photo of a man in a Federation University (Ballarat, Australia) cap points to a series of hydraulic pumps attached to the nose door of a military cargo aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy). The man is explaining the intricacies of this pump to another man standing next to him.

Open nose door of the Super Galaxy

Photo of the open nose door of a massive military transport aircraft (the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy) at an air show. The entire nose section at the front of the aircraft has been separated from the rest of the airframe and raised up on massive hinges. There are dozens of visitors walking out from the cargo space at the front of the aircraft. There are also hundreds of people walking around the event, looking at the dozens of aircraft parked at the air show.

Avalon Airshow 2023: Black Eagles flying display

At this year’s air show we were treated to a aerobatics flying display from the Republic of Korea Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team. Here are some of the photos I took of that display.

Black Eagles in diamond formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft are flying in a diamond formation across the sky.

Black Eagles looping in formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft are flying upside-down towards the ground as part of a loop manoeuvres they are performing. The aircraft are all emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Black Eagles breaking their loop formation

Photo of eight black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft have just broken formation after completing a loop manoeuvres in the air. The aircraft are all emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Two Black Eagle jet aircraft flying at each other

Photo of two black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft appear to be flying in to each other head-on, as part of an aerobatic manoeuvres. Both aircraft are emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.

Two Black Eagle jet aircraft that have just flown past each other

Photo of two black-and-yellow jet aircraft (specifically, KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers) from the Republic of South Korea Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic team. The aircraft have just flown past each other head-on at close range, as part of an aerobatic manoeuvres. Both aircraft are emitting white aviation smoke to show their flight path.