HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture, and has been added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2024.

Marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, this festival takes place from Chinese New Year's Eve (the evening preceding the first day of the year) to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.

This post is part of the Mosaic Monday meme,
and also the Seasons meme.

SUNDAY BEST #389 - HIGH DENSITY LIVING

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity.

Please do not use this meme to advertise our goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Last week, Roentare in Melbourne showed this intriguing photo of a petrified forest in Victoria. Please visit his blog for more interesting and beautiful photos.

SUNDAY BEST #376 - CITY VIEW

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity.

Please do not use this meme to advertise our goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately.

Another two monstrous high rise apartment blocks going up in Southbank (centre and right). There goes the view...

Last week, Roentare in Melbourne posted thus deceptively simple, yet gorgeous photo. Please visit his blog for more great shots!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

SUNDAY BEST #366 - CONSTRUCTION

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:
1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;
2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;
3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;
4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity.

Please do not use this meme to advertise our goods or services. This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately.

Yet another skyscraper going up in Southbank...

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Last week, Lydia in Sydney shared this photo and the message of her post was very worthwhile reading too! Please visit her blog for more great shots.

MY SUNDAY BEST MEME #89 - FLAMES IN SOUTHBANK

Welcome to the meme, "My Sunday Best", which is a photographic and creative meme that allows you to showcase your talents in imaging. Every Sunday, you can post here showing an image you have created using your camera, (and/or) image processing software, and/or painting and drawing in the conventional way and have scanned in.

The rules are simple:

1) Create your image and post it up on your blog;

2) Put the "My Sunday Best" logo image link somewhere on your post so people can click and come by here;

3) Leave a comment here once you have posted;

4) Visit other posters' blogs and be amazed with their creativity! Please do not use this meme to advertise your goods or services.

This is a creative meme and any inappropriate links or comments shall be removed immediately!

Dominating the Southbank landscape is the Crown Casino complex, here seen from Southbank Promenade. It is one of the central features of the Southbank area in the central business district and the Crown Promenade fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank Promenade.

On the hour, along the promenade outside the Casino there is a display of jets of fire that can quite terrify someone standing nearby who does not know about them or is not expecting them!

This post is part of the My Sunday Photo meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

MELBOURNE BY NIGHT

Having the Yarra River course its way through our city is quite marvellous as it affords beautiful vistas along its length. By night, some magical reflections can be seen in the City as the lights come on. These views are taken from Southbank, an entertainment and residential precinct.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

SATURDAY SILHOUETTES #82

Welcome to the Saturday Silhouettes meme! This is a weekly meme that looks at SILHOUETTES in photography.

SILHOUETTE |ˌsɪlʊˈɛt| noun: The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.
ORIGIN - late 18th century: Named (although the reason remains uncertain) after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician.

This post is also part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Orange you Glad it's Friday meme.

Sunset in Melbourne's Southbank

Please add your contribution below, using the Linky tool. As this is a small but select meme, please visit other contributors and add a comment - they like comments about their work as much as you do!

EUREKA TOWER, MELBOURNE

Eureka Tower is a 297.3-metre skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006.

The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia). The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis.

It was the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the HHHR Tower in Dubai. It is the second tallest building in Australia, behind Q1, Queensland, and is the tallest to roof (excluding spire). As of 2016 it is the 15th tallest residential building in the world.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Greens meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

SATURDAY SILHOUETTES #46

Welcome to the Saturday Silhouettes meme! This is a weekly meme that looks at SILHOUETTES in photography.

SILHOUETTE |ˌsɪlʊˈɛt| noun: The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.
ORIGIN - late 18th century: Named (although the reason remains uncertain) after Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician.

This is Melbourne's Southbank, home to the Casino, numerous restaurants, cafés and entertainment venues as well as a variety of retail shops.

Please add your contribution below, using the Linky tool.

As this is a small but select meme, please visit other contributors and add a comment - they like comments about their work as much as you do!

If you link up, please link back to this page on your post.

APARTMENTS

More and more high-rise apartment buildings are being built in Melbourne presently, with no regard to overcrowding, increased noise, increased traffic, congestion, risk of fires and other disasters, increased demand on failing infrastructure. And of course, it just looks awful especially if you live anywhere near one of the agglomerates (or in one of them!).

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme,
and also part of the Through my Lens meme.

GREAT HALL, NGV

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites. The main gallery, known as NGV International, is located on St Kilda Road, in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct of Southbank, with a branch gallery at Federation Square.

The Great Hall, created by Leonard French between 1963-1967 is a magnificent space, often used for performances, concerts and all sorts of other functions. The ceiling is high (13.72 metres), vast (60.9 x 15.24 metres) and so heavy with glass and steel that its downward projecting triangles need to be held up by a series of slim steel columns.
Looking up, one becomes aware of the wonder of one of the largest glass ceilings in the world. The kaleidoscopic tent of light suspended high above the NGV International's Great Hall is part of the building's fabric and an iconic part of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Leonard William French OBE (born 8 October 1928) is an Australian artist, known principally for major stained glass works. French was born in Brunswick, Victoria. His stained glass creations include a series of panels in the cafe and foyer of the National Library of Australia in Canberra, and this stained glass ceiling for the great hall at the National Gallery of Victoria.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

EUREKA TOWER, MELBOURNE

Eureka Tower is a 297.3-metre skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006. The project was designed by Melbourne architectural firm Fender Katsalidis Architects and was built by Grocon (Grollo Australia).

The developer of the tower was Eureka Tower Pty Ltd, a joint venture consisting of Daniel Grollo (Grocon), investor Tab Fried and one of the Tower's architects Nonda Katsalidis. It was the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor, until surpassed by Ocean Heights and the HHHR Tower in Dubai. As of December 2013 it is the 14th tallest residential building in the world. It is currently the 98th tallest building in the world.

This post is part of the Blue Monday meme.

SOUTHBANK, MELBOURNE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

SOUTHBANK REFLECTIONS

The Queens Bridge is a historic road bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Victoria. The bridge was built in 1889 and has five wrought iron plate girder spans, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The bridge was built by contractor David Munro, and replaced a timber footbridge built in 1860. The bridge is a very flat arch, and has five spans constructed of wrought iron plate girders. The bridge rests on iron cylinders filled with concrete, in groups of eight, with arched bracing between. It connects Market Street and William Street on the north bank to Queensbridge Street to the south. Trams on route 55 also cross the bridge.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Pink Saturday meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.

OPHELIA, SOUTHBANK

"Ophelia", the large face statue by Deborah Halpern has become the face of Melbourne. Deborah Halpern is a well-respected ceramic and mosaic artist who is inspired by the free spirit of Pablo Picasso. She has been passionate about her form of art for the past 20 years and has pieces on display throughout the country. Deborah Halpern’s "Ophelia" is situated near the main entrance to Southgate. Deborah believes her work is a joyful expression of her life. Like Angel in Birrarung Marr, Ophelia is decorated with a “big face”, giving the artwork life and emotion.

This post is part of the Pink Saturday meme.

RED STAIR AMPHITHEATRE, MELBOURNE

Situated along Southbank Promenade beside the Yarra River, Queensbridge Square is a major public meeting space connecting Southgate, Southbank Boulevard, Queensbridge Street, the casino, the Freshwater Place apartment tower & the Sandridge Bridge, which leads to the Flinders Street Station and its underpass.

This red stair works as a beacon, an easy to find meeting place. It is an outdoor amphitheatre for buskers and small meetings or demonstrations, and for sitting in the sun. On any given day hundreds of people descend upon the stair for a casual chat, a quick bite to eat with co-workers, access to their recommended daily vitamin D intake, or put on a show of impressive BMX and skateboarding tricks off the canted sides of the structure.

The high back wall cuts the wind and hides the roadway leading to the tunnel underneath.  The back wall further functions as a book end to Queensbridge Square.  This creates a sense of enclosure to the urban space effectively resulting in a modern Piazza. The iconic form and bold use of colour helps signal a truly successful urban space.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.

SUNSET REFLECTIONS

A group of apartment buildings in Southbank.

This post is part of James' Weekend Reflections meme.

BRIDGES ON THE YARRA

The Queens Bridge is a historic road bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia. The bridge was built in 1889 and has five wrought iron plate girder spans, and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The bridge was built by contractor David Munro, and replaced a timber footbridge built in 1860. The bridge is a very flat arch, and has five spans constructed of wrought iron plate girders. The bridge rests on iron cylinders filled with concrete, in groups of eight, with arched bracing between. It connects Market Street and William Street on the north bank to Queensbridge Street to the south. Trams on route 55 also cross the bridge.

Queen's Bridge, looking towards the Southwest, with the Crown Casino on the centre right

Standing on Queen's Bridge and looking to the East one sees the old Rail Sandridge Bridge, now converted to a footbridge

The Sandridge Bridge is a historic former railway bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia, which has been redeveloped in 2006 as a new pedestrian and cycle path featuring public art. It is the third bridge on the site and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The bridge is 178.4 metres long and is made up of five spans, measuring in length, from the south bank to the north bank: 36.9 metres.

The Sandridge Bridge

In 2001 the State Government held an expressions of interest process for refurbishment of the bridge, seeking commercial ventures, but the process was not successful and in 2003 Melbourne City Council and the Department of Sustainability and Environment took over. They committed $15.5 million to restore the bridge, create a plaza on the Southbank side and make connections to walkways on the Yarra north bank. In 2005 it was announced that artist Nadim Karam had been commissioned to create ten abstract sculptures in a piece titled "The Travellers", which represents the different types of immigrants who traditionally arrived by train over the bridge from Station Pier. Nine of the sculptures move across the bridge in a 15-minute sequence, moving on bogies running between the two bridge spans. The white arc of the newer Southgate Footbridge can be seen behind the Sandridge Bridge

Crossing the Sandridge Bridge

The Southgate Footbridge

Back on Queen's Bridge looking towards the West, and the Melbourne Exhibition Centre ("Geoff's Shed" commemorating former Premier Geoff Kennett). The King Street Bridge can be seen, taking King Street over the Yarra. The bridge continues south as an elevated viaduct, with the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex built around it in later years. Another footbridge runs parallel to the road bridge and can be seen in front of it

A temporary structure - a bar and café built for the duration of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. This is located on the Southbank end of Queen's Bridge

And another view of the Sandridge Bridge looking from Southbank towards the City

This post is part of Louis' Sunday Bridges meme,
and also part of the Scenic Sunday meme.