Princes Pier

Councillors walked out on Princes Pier on Thursday at the invitation of Major Projects Victoria [MPV]. So much space! The forest of piles creates an amazing visual impression. We learned that the Gatehouse had to be carefully lowered as the concrete deck is now lower than it used to be. MPV have updated their website with some spectacular aerial photographs. They will be starting work on laying services to Princes Pier along Pier St this week, and starting work on the long standing drainage and flooding issues in Pier St. Click here to access the update.

Open air gallery closing

The Port Melbourne Primary students' paintings on the concrete barriers of the Melbourne Water/John Holland compound at Swallow/Ross/Byrne have been cleared away, along with the other infrastructure, to prepare for the re-instatement of the road and paths. I have enjoyed the colourful presence of these paintings while the Melbourne Main Sewer works have been underway. I have often reflected on the very urban themes of the paintings.

Shades of grey

HMAS Newcastle, HMAS Perth and HMAS Sirius are at Station Pier as part of the commemoration of 100 years since the formation of the Royal Australian Navy. Or, another beacon picture? The ships will be open to the public on Sunday from 10am to 2pm.

Port in the paper

Port - the place for a village?
'Professor Miles Lewis said many elements of Melbourne's history were "incredibly confusing, including the false rumours about the vollage site". Professor Lewis said a redrawn version of Batman's map indicated the famous description by Batman of a good "place for a village" referred to the south bank of the Yarra River, in what is now the Port Melbourne area.' [Jason Dowling Age, Wednesday 3 August 2011 p9]
'Port of Hastings is the future, but Webb Dock needs an upgrade now'
A piece by Mark Stone, [CEO of the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry] re-asserting the Port of Melbourne's need for additional capacity in the short term since the Port of Hastings is at best 10 to 15 years off. [Mark Stone, Business Age Wednesday 3 August 2011 p15]

Warm weather

'The Melbourne temperature reached 20.2 degrees, the warmest August 2 since records began in 1855. ... The city's previously hottest August 2 was 19.5 degrees in 1873. [Age Wednesday 3 August 2011, p3] You can look at the temperature records back to 1855 at the Bureau of Meteorology's website here.

Extreme commitment to the marine environment

Jarad Kohlar and Clean Across Bass Strait have won the Pam Keating Environmental Sustainability Award at the Keep Australian Beautiful - Clean Beach Challenge awards. Congratulations! They paddled across Bass Strait. They picked up rubbish wherever they camped. 'The data will be entered into Sufrider's National Marine Debris database. The results will be used to educate the community and raise awareness of marine debris; trace and address the source of the debris in a non agressive, education based way; and to monitor the impact of marine debris on Australian locations.' The inspiring Jarad can be found down at the Sandridge Life Saving Club training others in kayaking.

Sandridge project

Work has begun on the Sandridge Beach toilet - middway between the Sandridge Life Saving Club and the western end of Beacon Cove. The current approach to designing toilets is to place them in highly visible places with lots of passing traffic.