Life support

You may have noticed the H2 pods appearing as an alternative to the wheelie bins for providing trees with recycled water.The H2 pods store 500 litres of water, rather than the wheelie bins which stored 240 litres, and are more attractive.
Water is released from beneath the pod at a slow steady rate, allowing tree roots to take up most of the water provided.
The recycled water comes from stormwater run-off captured in Albert Park Lake.
Here a pod supports the palm tree at the entrance to Beacon Road. This is also an opportunity to show the landscaping treatment at this significant entrance to Garden City.

Melbourne main sewer project pictures

Check out these amazing pictures of the tunnelling work taking place underneath the surface of Port Melbourne's Railway Reserves.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/photo-gallery/gallery-e6frf94x-1225846000080?page=1

Getting easier to get around

Three crossing that were identified on 19th February as being inaccessible to wheelchair users have been fixed at:

• McCormack St on Bridge St
• Post Office Place on Rouse St
• Centenary Drive on Princes St

Harvest

Celebration of the The Simply Living Garden in Nott St (off Bridge St) formed part of the Harvest service at Port Melbourne Uniting Church today. This open access garden is used by an increasing number of people - sometimes in surprising ways.

Some people come to the garden just to put their vegetable waste into the compost bin, and especially appreciate this service.

Search Simply living and view posts of 29 September and 21 October 2008 to see the transformation that has taken place.

What people say about Port Melbourne

from a traveller who has just moved here:
'The area seems okay – Port Melbourne looks as though it’s two part kinda thing… one part kinda run down and one part in a huge redevelopment and full of yuppies.'

http://ojevans.com/blog/2010/03/all-change/

Garden in Garden City Reserve

Angela Drew tends the beautiful garden she has created as a centrepiece in Garden City Reserve for us all to enjoy.

The succulent border comes from cuttings taken from her own drought tolerant garden.

Commemorating Greek Independence Day

The Greek flag flies outside the Port Town Hall to acknowledge and commemorate Greek Independence Day.

Port Melbourne banner photographs

Do you like the new banner photographs on Port Focus?
I do. I wanted to represent a range of Port Melbourne settings, locations and environments so that everyone in Port Melbourne can see something to relate to on Port Focus.
The very beautiful photographs were taken by David Thompson, who helped me to create Port Focus. His exquisite blog is at http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com

One toilet open and another one to come

There is now a toilet open to the public at Beacon Cove. It is just behind the pizza restaurant and those umbrellas.

Having a public toilet in an area that attracts so many visitors has been identified as important for some time.

Finding sustainability and environment information

I am not sure how or whether you access information from our website at http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au

Personally, I don't find the City of Port Phillip website that easy to find my way around.
That is why I thought from time to time I would direct you to some interesting and useful parts of the website.
The environment hub is a well presented treasure trove of resources: about sustainability makeovers, our climate change preparation, and environment related events.
http://www.enviroehub.com.au/
Have a look!

Making multi unit developments more sustainable

The Port and Marine apartments are among 10 apartment blocks across Port Phillip to sign up for the 'SOCS and blocks' project, supported by the Council.
This trial program will provide an independent, external sustainability assessment to identify opportunities to introduce efficiency into the management of the block's energy, water, waste and transport. Blocks that commit to implementing sustainability become 'Sustainable Owner's Corporations' or SOCS.

I learned that there are particular challenges confronting apartment owners - such as who owns the roof? This becomes especially relevant when considering the installation of solar panels and water tanks.
What happens when other members of the owners corporation find environmental initiatives such as compost bins unsightly?
What do you do when the rules of the Body Corporate prohibit hanging washing on the balcony?

Congratulations to the proactive owners' corporations of the Port and the Marine apartments.

Ride2School at Port Primary

There was a high level of participation at Port Melbourne Primary in Ride2School day.
Students were amazingly inventive in dressing their bikes with nature, footy, wizardry, and space themes.

My favourite was the Sandridge Life Saver - all in the red and blue.

Ride2School day is an initiative of Bicycle Victoria to encourage active travel to school.

Shark in the shallows at Beacon Cove beach

photograph by Philip Linacre

photograph by Philip Linacre

photographs by Philip Linacre

Photographs of what unfolded at Beacon Cove beach on Saturday.

Mission to Seafarers

The Saturday Age features an interview with Port Melbourne resident Janet Gatehouse about her involvement with the Mission to Seafarers in Flinders Street.
Do make an opportunity to visit this most interesting building which plays a very active role in the welfare of seafarers.
Janet says in the article: 'the big change is that the seafarers don't get enough time on land. Ten yers ago, they would come in and have a drink, dress up and have karaoke, but they only get a few hours now. Some of them don't get off the ship at all. ... And in those precious hours they want to just chill out. When they come in, the first thing they want to do is get on to the computers and catch up with people at home.' Age, March 13, 2010

Commotion at Beacon Cove beach

A bronze whaler shark was swimming near the shore at Beacon Cove beach this afternoon around 4.30 pm. Fishermen in a tinny near the Princes Pier groyne then hooked the shark and were trying to land it. Police and Water Police were in attendance.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/shark-caught-at-port-melbourne-beach/story-e6frf7kx-1225840373110

More post storm observations

Whatever is in our gutter makes its way to our beaches in these heavy rainfall events.

I saw this bougainvillea flower near the Dow St drain outfall. Here it is in all its magnificence on the corner of Dow St and Liardet St.

Clean Up near Lagoon Pier

The evidence of a clean up at Port Melbourne beach. Thank you to those people.
I acknowledged a woman with her dog on the beach this morning who was picking up litter as she walked, and she said 'well .. it's our beach'.

Clean Up Australia Day at Sandridge

Sandridge Beach was significantly cleaner than at the same time in 2009.*
There was very little large litter around. Most of it was small pieces: cigarette butts, bread ties, straws and fragments of plastic.

The worst places were the fishing areas where bait bags, fishing line and other litter was abundant.

The focus of this year's Clean Up is our bays and waterways.
Ian Kiernan, the inspirational founder of Clean Up Australia Day, asks people to pick up [Just 1] piece of litter each day.

* See last year's post 1st March 2009

After the storm . . .

Took a look around to see how Port had fared in the storm.

Crichton Avenue seemed to be the worst affected with cars up to their knees in water.

The raingardens in Howe Parade were performing well - no flooding there.

Rouse St, immediately west of Bay St, had some significant pooling of water.

All night long the Pump House on Esplanade West could be heard pumping the stormwater up and out into the Bay - consequently no flooding there.

Progress on projects

• The new school is taking shape as seen here from Danks Street. It is on track to open in 2010.
• Meanwhile, expressions of interest have been invited to provide aged care services at the St Vincent's Orphanage site on Cecil Street, South Melbourne. Submissions close on March 19, 2010.

Looking after the trees in Rouse Street

The trees in the Rouse Street median have received some tlc with new stakes, a good water and replacement shade cloth.

I know I am not alone in keeping a close eye on their welfare as they tough it out in that windy location.