The Port invite you to 'see the Port of Melbourne from a new angle'

Have you taken one of the Port of Melbourne Corporation's boat tours? People I have spoken to have been very positive about their experience. I've been a few times and especially enjoy seeing Port Melbourne from the water. With the Port of Melbourne our neighbour at Webb Dock and in our midst at Station Pier, its helpful to get a better understanding of how the port works. So many of the things on which we rely such as fridges, TVs, trams and coffee have made their way from the port into our homes. All attendees must pre-register. Book online at www.portofmelbourne.com/community/tours.asp or call 9683 1565. Tours depart Saturday 24 March and Sunday 25 March at set departure times from Docklands. More details from the contacts provided above.

What really matters [ie not the Grand Prix]

'State of the Climate 2012 provides an updated summary of long-term climate trends. It notes that the long-term warming trend has not changed, with each decade having been warmer than the previous decade since the 1950s. The warming trends observed around Australia are consistent with global scale warming that has been measured during recent decades, despite 2010 and 2011 being the coolest years recorded in Australia since 2001. Global average surface termperatures were the warmest on record in 2010 (slightly higher than 2005 and 1998). 2011 was the world's 11th warmest year and the warmest year on record during a La Nina event. The worlds 12 warmest years on record have all occurred in the past 15 years.' To access more of this short and very readable State of the Climate 2012 report from the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, click here.

Fishermans Bend - more detail emerges

Today's Herald Sun shows two proposed new precincts of Fishermens Bend: Montague and Wirraway. Wirraway is shown as wrapping around Murphy's Reserve on the Plummer St side of Williamstown Rd. It appears that Murphy's Reserve is intended as the open space resource for a future community that would include a school. There is strong support for respecting the history of the area with a puzzling suggestion for a monument of some kind to the aviation history of the area - shown on the corner of Graham St and Williamstown Rd. Puzzling because that is not where the aircraft factories were located and where we propose to construct the wetland to support the sporting fields of Murphy's Reserve.

Experienced local operators take over Gasworks cafe

Emma, pictured here, and Bronwyn open Priscilla Jones at Gasworks on Monday 19 March. Emma, from Hot Honey in Middle Park and Bronwyn from the Emerald Hill Cafe worked together at Cafe Sweethearts many years ago. It looks like they will bring an outgoing approach, style, and community feel to the operation that matches Gasworks.

Recycling uncertainty

We are still putting items in the rubbish bin that could go in the recycling bin, a new report from the Metropolitan Waste Management Group has found. 'Audits of kerbside rubbish bins have revealed that, on average 20% of rubbish sent to landfill (approximately 140,000 tonnes) consists of packaging, paper and cardboard that could have been recycled. This is a significant amount of valuable material that is wasted. Despite a good grasp of the basics, people struggle to discern the different types of plastics, whether or not to recycle 'difficult' items, whether or not to clean dirty items, or whether to take lids off or leave them on. Factors such as bin size, contamination of recycling by plastic bags and lack of knowledge all prevent Melbournians rcycling more often and more effectively.' [Kerbside Recyling in Metropolitan Melbourne: Social Research Summary Report MWMG and Sustainability Victoira] If you're a bit unsure about what can be recycled, check out the Council's Waste and Recycling services guide on p3.

Accident at Bay & Rouse

I have heard that there was an accident involving a motorcyclist at the intersection of Bay and Rouse St at about 10.30 this morning. Did you see or hear anything about what happened, and whether the motorcyclist is alright?

Port Melbourne's newest lane?

I immediately assumed that the name was derived from the former corrugated iron Sugar Shed that once stood on this site. The Sugar Shed made a great subject for photography and before it was demolished the Port Melbourne Historical Society organised a photography competition to capture images of it. However, google exploration has led me to the architecture firm Sugar and Co whose name appears now to be affixed to these apartments. So is it sugar or Sugar?