Melbourne Docklands
Sat Aug 26 17:26:09 2006
Observant readers will notice that the layout of these pages has changed. Specifically, text that used to float nicely around the picture it was meant to go with now appears underneath. This is because Someone Who Says He Knows How To Do CSS has broken it. Never mind, we'll make do. The CSS cookbook is still in the sea freight, somewhere in the Pacific.
Went flat-hunting today, concentrating on Melbourne Docklands. It's much like London Docklands, only it has a bigger harbour to play with. Plus, the Australian habit of building environments that are not just functional but also interesting and fun to look at is evident everywhere. Here are some examples of art in Docklands Park.
Apparently, sometimes the flood washes cows and other animals into trees. The animals are then stranded when the floodwater recedes. Or so the plaque says for this statue.
This bridge has some poetry written on its side. The words did not make a great deal of sense but then poetry has never been my favourite art form.
Anyway, we decided it was a lovely (if expensive) area to live in. After looking at a couple of perfectly acceptable if somewhat small flats we came to what was predictably the most expensive apartment in the list. Located high up and with wrap-around carpet-to-ceiling windows it has views of both the city and the harbour to die for. This is the building.
Note the proximity to the Telstra Dome, where they play Aussie Rules Football. Someone Who Knows About Rugby is trying to learn about Aussie Rules. A perfect opportunity.
In Australia, you have to apply to rent a property; it's not necessarily first-come-first-served. So we'll see what happens. But we like this area in general, and this flat specifically.
Here are some more examples of Docklands architecture.
This footbridge's form is meant to reflect the winding and waves of the Yarra. It is for pedestrians and cyclists only.
To complete our schedule we looked at some places on the South Bank of the Yarra as well. One had lovely views of cars thundering past on the motorway (sorry, "freeway"), though the flat itself was very nice and brand-new. The other was located in this building, being The Architecture Critic's favourite skyscraper:
Predictably, this flat too was lovely and expensive...
