PENNYROYAL VILLAGE, LAUNCESTON

Penny Royal Village is located in Launceston and is a tourism and accommodation complex. A visit to Penny Royal World is like stepping back into the 19th century. Its story is of Andrew Gatenby, an early pioneer of van Dieman's land, and his family. They arrived in 1823 and settled on land between Cressy and Ross on the Isis River, then known as Penny Royal Creek. They built their farmhouse and millhouse there.

Over the years the mill fell into disrepair and, rather than be demolished, the complex task of disassembling and relocating it to an old quarry in the centre of Launceston was carried out. The Penny Royal Gunpowder Mills provide the only complete set of working gunpowder mills in the world. Faithfully built, they depict colonial mills of the early 19th century. There are windmills, water mills, gunpowder mills and model boats.

The surrounding area offers quaint accommodation options, walks along the river gorge and plentiful boating opportunities on the river.

This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme,
and also the Things in a Row meme.

PERTH CONVENTION CENTRE

Located in the heart of the city, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is a state-of-the-art facility and Western Australia's only purpose-built convention, exhibition and meeting venue, housing some of the most advanced technical facilities and communications. I was attending a Curtin University graduation that was taking place there as a guest and it was good to see it being used for this very special event.

Curtin University, (formerly known as Curtin University of Technology) is a research intensive public university based in Perth, Western Australia. Named after the former Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin, it is also the largest University in Western Australia.

Curtin was conferred University status after the legislation was passed by the State Government of Western Australia in 1986. Since then, the University has been actively expanding its global presence and currently has campuses in Sydney, Singapore and Malaysia Sarawak. Being a leading global insittution, it has forged close ties with 90 exchange universities in more than 20 countries.

The University comprises of 5 main faculties with over 95 specialists centres.Curtin is one of only two Western Australian universities to rank in the prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong Annual Ranking of World Universities (2011). It is also one of the two Western Australian universities to rank in the Times Higher Education's 2011-2012 world university rankings. Curtin's Chemical Engineering program ranks amongst the best 100 in the world in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings in 2011.

The graduation ceremony was excellent and very well attended. An Aboriginal dance troupe performed a welcome dance for the ceremony and it was  closed beautifully by a musical trio of University students.

This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme,
and also part of the Things in a Row meme.

HAVE A DRINK

But it's not cheap! These are the small, single serve bottles, beloved of hotel bar fridges...

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA

The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria (R.S.V.) was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria (inaugural president Captain Andrew Clarke) and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (inaugural president Justice Sir Redmond Barry), both founded in 1854. The first president of the R.S.V. was Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller, then Government botanist. In 1860 the R.S.V. organised the Burke and Wills expedition.

The Society has played an important role in the life of Melbourne and Victoria including establishing the Melbourne Museum and National Parks, convening the first Australian Antarctic Exploration Committee in 1885, organising the Burke and Wills expedition and establishing the Victorian Institute of Marine Sciences in 1978 (now the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute from 1996). It continues to be active with monthly meetings throughout the year held in its historic headquarters at 9 Victoria Street in the centre of Melbourne.

Membership is open to anyone interested in science and the promotion of science for the benefit of the community. The Society's Hall is the venue for an interesting program of public scientific lectures, symposia and events to promote the sciences to the Victoria and Australian community. These lectures are open to the public. The Society building with lecture theatre, Board Rooms and function rooms is a magnificent heritage building.

This post is part of Lesley's Signs, Signs meme,
and also part of Pat's Things in A Row meme.

BRISBANE BY NIGHT

Going back to the hotel after having dinner out, we were struck by the quiet streets and the otherworldly glow of the neon street lights.

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

VICTORIA MARKET, MELBOURNE

The Queen Victoria Market (also known as the Queen Vic Markets or the Queen Vic, and locally as '"Vic Market"') is a major landmark in Melbourne, Australia, and at around seven hectares (17 acres) is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere. The Market is significant to Melbourne's culture and heritage and has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Market is named after Queen Victoria who ruled the British Empire, from 1837 to 1901. The Queen Victoria Market is the only surviving 19th century market in the Melbourne central business district.

The Market is open every day of the week except Mondays and Wednesdays. On Wednesday evenings in the summer months, there is a night market which offers dining, bars, live entertainment and a variety of other stalls. Here it is on a Monday!

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

ALL IN A ROW

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

WAITING FOR THE TULIPS

In the depths of a grey Melbourne Winter, we are waiting anxiously for the first stirrings of Spring. Here are some photos of the Tulip Festival we attended last Spring in the Dandenongs at the Tesselaar Bulb Farm. You can find more of my photos here.

This post is part of Pam's Things in a Row meme,
and also for the Floral Friday Fotos meme.

LE PETIT GÂTEAU, MELBOURNE

Now that I am based in a different part of the CBD with my new job, there is whole range of new streets and shops to explore. One of my latest favourite haunts is the "Le Petit Gâteau", a  wonderful Parisian style patisserie at 458 Little Collins Street at the rear of the stylish RACV Club, ideal for catering for inner-city businesses.

The patisserie offers irresistible cakes and tarts, which are very indulgent and especially designed to impress the most discerning cake lover. The creations are made on-site daily by RACV Club’s award winning French pastry chef Pierrick Boyer and his team. Each of the cakes and tarts are original recipes and are purposely minimalist and contemporary, featuring fresh, distinctive flavours that have been chosen specifically to satisfy all tastes to suit every occasion. There are chocolate-hazelnut gâteau, lemon tart, brownie and chocolate passionfruit gâteau, as well as rows of wonderful chocolate pralines, amongst other temptations...

This post is part of Lesley's Signs, Signs meme,

And also part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

FO GUANG YUAN GALLERY, MELBOURNE

Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery has on exhibit world class art works, and its collection is rich with cultural and artistic value. The art gallery focusses on showcasing traditional and contemporary concepts of Eastern philosophy, with a special emphasis on the expression of the Buddhist concepts of virtue, compassion and wisdom. One may view extensive and varied collections of paintings, sculptures, calligraphy, embroidery, pottery, decorative arts and antiques from local and international artists and collectors.

Set in the heart of Melbourne at 141 Queens St, since it opened in November 2001, the gallery offers a tranquil oasis from the stress of today’s city environment. Apart from viewing the series of world-class exhibitions, one can also enjoy special blends of teas and vegetarian refreshments offered at the Tea House. One can also simply drop in to meditate or relax in the Meditation Hall. Admission is free. The entrance foyer is quite spectacular and the rows of Buddhas high up on vaulted ceiling line were rather difficult to photograph well.

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

UNDER THE CLOCKS

"Meet me under the clocks at Flinders St Station..." is a well-known Melbourne catch-cry. The central railway station at Flinders St has always been a popular meeting place and the row of clocks in the façade is another Melbourne institution.


This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.

CANDLELIT PRAYERS

A row of white candles
A host of fervent prayers,
Warm hearts in May rain.

This post is part of Pat's Things in a Row meme.