Layered landscape

Always on the lookout for moments of loveliness in our inner urban environment, I saw this beautiful wisteria covered entrance to The Port in Graham Street today. I love the landscaping in this development.

Where are the places in Port Melbourne that you enjoy walking past?

All roads lead to Bay Street

The footpaths, roadworks, line marking, kerb extensions and planting are finished at last along Liardet Street between Bay and Princes St.

Drivers seem to be managing turns into and out of Liardet St.

Good start to the planting season

Rain last night - planting this morning in Lagoon Reserve.

Supporting cycling in Port Phillip

A new virtual group for cyclists has been formed.

'The Port Phillip Bicycle User Group is a forum for cyclists who live in Port Phillip to share their experiences, both good and bad, of riding in our neighbourhood. It is also a friendly place to meet other cyclists who live in the area.'

Let the Port Phillip BUG know what your cycling issues are.

http://groups.google.com.au/group/port-phillip-bug/about

The extent of the gathering on Anzac Day

photo Anne Garrow

Liardet project still secure

Some people have asked whether the recent Federal government announcement on childcare funding will affect the two childcare projects in Port Phillip: at Liardet St and St Kilda (Chapel St)
The answer is no.
There is ongoing commitment at federal and state level to seeing these two projects delivered.

The council agenda this week

This week's meeting of the Port Phillip City Council will be held in the Council Chamber, St Kilda Town Hall, on Tuesday 27 April at 6 pm. This is because of today's Anzac Day holiday.

The Port Melbourne item of interest is 8.8 Land Transfer 121 Liardet St Port Melbourne
The report says:

'1.1 It is proposed to transfer land at 121 Liardet Street, Port Melbourne to Port Phillip Housing Association Ltd (PPHA) to facilitate a community housing development comprising twenty two studio apartments and five one bedroom apartments but retaining title to car parking on ground level'

The recommendation before Council is to 'hear and consider submissions received in response to the separate matters of road discontinuance and land transfer related to 121 Liardet Street Port Melbourne, in accordance with the statutory procedures set out in the Local Government Act 1989, and

2.2 resolve to make a final decision on the separate matters of road discontinuance and land transfer in accordance with the statutory procedures set out in the Local Government Act 1989 at the Ordinary Meeting of Council to be held on 10 May 2010.'

To read the full agenda and report go to http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/3577.htm

Watching grass grow

Welcome rain fell on the newly planted sprigs of turf on Turner Reserve over the weekend.

The Borough on Anzac Day

'Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres said his team had shown plenty of "Borough spirit" to defeat Northern Bullants by five points in a pulsating contest at TEAC Oval yesterday.

Forward Adrian Bonaddio kicked only two goals but inspired Port in the third term with one of his trade-mark booming kicks from outside 50 ...' [Brent Diamond in the Age, Monday April 26, 2010, Sport p7]

I saw that inspiring goal.

Lest we forget: Anzac Day in Port Melbourne

Beginning the greening of Rouse St (west)

The newly laid naturestrip and trees outside the recently completed
apartments on the corner of Rouse and Nott St.

Change to the local paper

We've gone from Emerald Hill, Sandridge and St Kilda Times to
Emerald Hill Weekly to
Melbourne Weekly
Emerald Hill.Port Phillip

'We've been finding that fewer of our readers and advertisers felt connection with the historic term Emerald Hill, and that although the magazine has remained connected with the Port Phillip community, its title probably hasn't. We've kept Emerald Hill as a nod to the past, but added Port Phillip because it its far more relevant to the present and future....
But while the front page has changed, what we do won't' [Melbourne Weekly Emerald Hill.Port Phillip, April 21st, 2010]
What do you think?

I note that this week's paper included articles on Webb Dock and North Port Oval, a letter from Port to Port, and some spectacular photographs of Port Melbourne that are incidentally advertising some very expensive apartments. (one for $6m plus)

ANZAC Day arrangements in Port Melbourne

A commemorative service will be held at the Beach Street Memorial (close to the piers where our troops embarked) near the corner of Bay and Beach St, Port Melbourne on Sunday 25th April at 9.45 am.

Back on Deck!

Couldn't bear being without the camera and went off to buy a new one.
Here is Mac Gregory with the model of the Answering the Call statue at the end of Dow Street where it will be located.
[Pity that it is not a particularly good picture]

Murphy's Reserve - how we're going

The reference group for Murphy's Reserve has met twice now. All the major users of the Reserve are represented: Hobsons Bay Dog Obedience Club, Dig In Community Garden, Port Melbourne Soccer Club, Port Melbourne Colts Football Club, Port Melbourne Baseball Club, Port People, Port Melbourne Cricket Club and individual members of the community.
Water has dominated our discussions: how the clubs are impacted when they can't use grounds or when they are in poor condition, where we will be able to access water in the volumes required into the future, and how to consider the water (and other) needs of all the users together rather than one by one.
Another theme that has emerged quite strongly is that not many people go to Murphy's Reserve unless they are members of a sporting club.
Last week we took a walk in the near dark while each user group talked about the key issues from their club's point of view.
If you haven't done the survey for Murphy's Reserve yet, it is open until April 30th at
http://haveyoursayatportphillip.net.au

The Navy in Port

Last week was exceptionally busy and I was looking forward to spending some time catching up with Port Focus, knowing that some people do follow it.

This morning I was doing a guided walk on 'The Navy in Port' with Mac Gregory who is immensely knowledgeable on this subject.
I was taking a photo of this model of the statue 'Answering the Call' proposed to go at the end of Dow Street on the foreshore when I dropped my camera which went bouncing down the bitumen footpath. Needless to say, it is no longer working. So - I am having to rely on old photographs until I can replace it.

The point of the walk was to explain that Port Melbourne was the birthplace of the Royal Australian Navy and that the Navy had a significant presence in Port Melbourne until HMAS Lonsdale was sold by the Commonwealth in 1992 leading to private development on those sites.

Mac reckons 15,000 service personnel would have gone through Port Melbourne through both wars. Those who went through HMAS Lonsdale had a PM before their service number.

I recommend Mac's blog to you http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/

Turf repair at Turner Reserve

Turf rehabilitation is underway at Turner Reserve. Topsoil has been spread and seed sown.

A bit of rain would help ...

The Council meets at Port Melbourne tomorrow, Monday 12 April, at 6 pm in the Council chamber. The meeting will be held in Port Melbourne, rather than South Melbourne, following damage to the South Melbourne rooms in the hailstorm a few weeks ago.

Port Melbourne focused items are:

• to receive a petition regarding the proposed removal of Hills Fig Street Trees in Clifford Street, Port Melbourne


• North Port Oval Redevelopment: Council will be asked to approve the final detailed design drawings for the new pavilion at the North Port Oval, and to authorise the commencement of statutory procedures for notifying of its intention to enter a lease with the Port Melbourne Football Club for the new pavilion.
  

Of more general interest is noting the range of submissions on the Footpath Trading Review

Council meetings are fully open to the public.

Full agenda papers are available at http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/3577.htm

Growing the community garden

Work underway to install an underground rainwater tank at the Simply Living Community Garden on Nott St.

The garden will no longer be dependent on the water contributions of members of the community and will allow more water hungry vegetables to be grown.

Some tlc for Turner Reserve

Work to improve the grassy surface of Turner Reserve will take place over coming weeks with top soil spread and smudged and grass planted.

A good year for nippers

Life Saving patrols for the summer finish on Monday 5 April.
The Sandridge and Port Melbourne Life Saving Clubs do an outstanding job each year patrolling Port Melbourne's beaches. The level of volunteer commitment and contribution is immense.
I take this opportunity to thank them all.

It has been a good year with nippers all round with Sandridge's programme strengthening, and Port Melbourne's bursting at the seams.
Imagine that these clubs were struggling for members just a decade ago.
This nipper takes his life saving commitment to Port Melbourne Primary school on Ride2School day.

Extreme effort for our oceans and beaches

You may have seen Jarad Kohlar kayaking out of the Sandridge Life Saving Club very early in the morning. With 8 other paddlers, he is planning to cross Bass Strait from Tasmania to Wilson's Prom on a surf ski to raise funds for the Surfrider Foundation. Jarad says:

'... many of these beautiful beaches are littered with plastic bags, bottles and other rubbish. Even worse, this rubbish often creates deadly traps for birds, fish, crabs/crayfish and other marine life. Next time you head to your local beach, take a plastic bag with you and see how long it takes to fill it up with rubbish.
During this expedition, we will be paddling for up to 8 hours per day, then landing on a beach on one of Bass Strait’s many beautiful islands to set up camp. After dinner, each of us will then spend an hour picking up all the rubbish we can find on the beach and in the dunes, then recording what we’ve collected and advising Surfrider of the results. Surfrider will input this data to the National Marine Debris database and use the results to educate the community and raise awareness of marine debris; trace and address the source of the debris in a non-aggressive, education based way; and to monitor the impact of marine debris on Australian locations.'

Their aim is to raise $20,000 for the Surfrider Foundation. They have raised $7,000 so far.
You can follow his journey (or sponsor him) at http://bassstraiteverestofthesea.com

We can also help Jarad's initiative by cleaning up our own special part of the beach.

'Syrup'

This is the name given to the public art work on the western and northern faces of the recently completed Zinc development on the corner of Rouse and Dow St.

Read below and you will find the reason why:

'created by Ben Kluger, Garry Emery and Kath Forsyth with Peter Williams (project architect)
Pre-fabricated stainless steel sheeting with a duco – like weather proof finish

This artwork references the site's earlier usage in the 1850s as a sugar factory and the refinining process (the boiling of beets to produce a thick syrup. The syrupy drips appear to ooze from the top of the building and from the balcony level.

The work echoes large Pop Art based works of artists such as the oversized replicas of everyday objects by Claes Oldenburg.

This is Ben Kluger’s second public art project and the first for Garry Emery and Kath Forsyth.

Have your say any time

The City of Port Phillip website featured this time is http://haveyoursayatportphillip.net.au/
It is a means for you to give your views on any current information/consultation issue.
Those consultations underway in Port Melbourne at the moment are for the

• Murphy Reserve masterplan
• Sandridge Beach toilet

The on-line consultation pages are available 24/7 and make an alternative way of contribution possible. It is kept current and all consultations can be accessed from this page.