Despatch # 2 March 5th - The Paris End of Collins Street

Yesterday we went into town. While my brother was in a meeting at the Melbourne Hyatt Hotel I went for a stroll down Collins Street across Elizabeth Street up Flinders and back.

My Mum loved the Paris End of Collins Street. “It is so elegant” she said and “Just like a street in Paris”. She was right, after having spent some time in the Paris flat I can attest to it. There are lovingly restored Victorian mansions and office buildings, immense Plane trees – very big and very old, cafes, shops and galleries. The buildings have little European balconies, sprinkled tastefully amongst and betwixt the old are the tasteful new. Across the top is Spring Street with the State Parliament House. Again in his inimitable way it is described by Tedward as the Spring Street Asylum. (Hopefully pictures to come-of the building, not the inmates.)

Many of the colonial buildings (Australia became a country instead of six separate British colonies in 1901) are built of Victorian bluestone. Much of the bluestone in London and Liverpool came from Victoria because it was sent back as ballast. Heavy manufactured items were shipped here and we sent back mostly wool and wheat. These filled up the holds but weight was needed so that’s how Victorian bluestone went to London. It was on one of those ships in the port of Melbourne in the 1880s that a Ted Green fell from the rigging, straddled a beam and hurt himself badly enough that doctors said he would never make the voyage back home. Welcome to Australia, Ted Green. The rest is history. My nephew is Ted Green V. My brother again interjected “Thus proving that a moderate degree of intelligence does not guarantee creativity when naming one’s sons”.

Not only does Melbourne have stunning examples of Victorian architecture i.e. The Melbourne Club, The ANZ banking museum (resplendent with gothic vaulted ceilings) arcades with little shops and Flinders Street Train Station but modern buildings as well. I noted the Australian Museum of the Moving Image. “What the hell is that?” I said to no-one in particular when it came into view. “I think it’s something cultural” a voice beside me answered. I do have pictures of up close views. It has galleries and performing art spaces and a museum for the moving image – film.

I was running out of time so will visit this building again later.

Yesterday I booked my flight to the Sunshine Coast Airport for March 15th to spend four days in Queensland with Annie. It’s hot up in Queensland and we will go for a swim in the ocean. Annie’s house is on stilts with her studio underneath. The studio suffered some damage in the floods.

Xoxo Ellen