Saturday 17 February
Drive Bethlehem to Auckland Airport Park and Ride. Fly Melbourne and luxury taxi to Mercure Welcome Hotel, 265 Little Bourke Street.
Sunday 18 February [morning]
Melbourne Museum galleries on dinosaurs (pictured below), forest life, and First Peoples.
Many fossil remains and dinosaur skeletons on show.
Floor to ceiling digital video screens showing Cretaceous Period creatures flying, walking and swimming.
The IMAX Theatre within the Museum complex showed a documentary “Deep Space” on the James Webb Space Telescope.
Sunday 18 February [afternoon]
Walked to Federation Square via Swanston Street (local trams cancelled due to huge rally in support of Palestinians in Gaza).
Several blocks of Swanston Street full of marchers carrying Palestinian flags and placards.
Even a Maori flag on display, and people carrying “Free Assange” placards.
In the Ian Potter Centre at the NGV in Federation Square there was a huge exhibition of aboriginal art works Wurrdha Marra (meaning ‘Many Mobs’ in the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language) plus a documentary on Albert Namatjira along with 100 paintings from artists associated with the Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission Station (in the Finke River Valley west of Alice Springs) where Namatjira began his painting career.
Albert Namatjira and his wife Rubina.
Screen shot from the documentary.
Sunday 18 February [evening] After Federation Square walked to Eureka Tower Floor 88 Skydeck followed by dinner at BearBrass.
City and Swanston Street Bridge over the Yarra.
NGV and Botanical Gardens from Floor 88.
View from my table at BearBrass.
Cloud St Pinot Noir.
Monday 19 February [morning]
“Dinos Alive” at Dawson Street, Brunswick, comprising an exhibition of life-size replicas that moved heads, jaws and tails while emitting load roars.
Ankylosaurus (Fused Lizard), 8,000kg, max speed 30km/hr.
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Tyrant Lizard King), 9,000kg, max speed 25 km/hr [Quetzalcoatlus flying dinosaur in background].
Monday 19 February [afternoon]
Acland Street precinct, St Kilda, and waterfront esplanade.
Acland Street Tram terminus.
Example of street art on Acland Street.
Esplanade – War Memorial and Ferris wheel.
St Kilda Pier is under reconstruction
Tuesday 20 February [morning]
Queen Victoria Market.
Market general stalls.
Market food stalls.
Tuesday 20 February [afternoon]
ARTVO Immersive Art experience at Docklands where classical and general art works allow viewer to enter the picture. Then it was on to the Street Art Walk in the central city laneways.
Entrance to ARTVO. Most visitors were accompanied by family or friends who were then able to photograph members of their group within the art pieces. A lady offered to take the picture of the “man in a bottle” with my camera.
Man in a bottle.
Environmental art piece in Myers Lane.
Hosier Laneway with 2.5m art piece.
Tuesday 20 February [evening]
Outdoor cinema in Federation Square – ‘Surreal Shorts’ with music to 3 silent films by two composers and their backing group.
Afternoon preshow entertainment. Deck chairs provide free seating. Stage is below screen shot of 4 singers.
End of show with ad for next silent film night.
Wednesday 21 February [morning]
BBC Earth Experience at the Exhibition Centre, narrated by David Attenborough. A 70 minute multi-screen look at seven continents, so good that I stayed on for a second showing.
Wall display next to the ticket office. My ticket was texted as a message to my phone.
Multi-shaped labyrinth of floor to ceiling screens with viewers on bean-bags or low couches.
Antarctic walrus.
Sumatran pygmy rhino.
African elephants.
Asian Jungle.
South American birdlife.
European hamster.
Australian cassowary.
Exit display of a huge slowly rotating suspended Earth, with live storm centres and flashing lightening strikes in the clouds, stars in the distant cosmos.
Wednesday 21 February [afternoon]
Yarra River Cruise downstream to Port Melbourne.
Passing a sister cruise boat.
Bolte Bridge (columns are purely decorative).
Oil tanker and fuel storage facility.
Passing under docklands bridge designed as an Aboriginal fish trap.
Wednesday 21 February [evening]
Groundhog Day, the Musical – Princess Theatre, Spring Street, Melbourne.
Thursday 22 February [morning and afternoon]
National Gallery of Victoria [NGV] Triennial.
Entrance to NGV (banana exhibit poster behind thumb ).
Banana exhibit poster at left of entrance to NGV.
Main entrance foyer.
Grand Hall behind entrance foyer.
The controversial duct-taped banana occupies the centre of a whole gallery wall (artist recommends a fresh banana replacement every few days).
This floor to ceiling display of strange moving creatures and figures was one of three really weird similar digital displays.
Congregation at a Baptist Conference, USA.
Duke of Apple in the Vile Oubliette.
RIFIFI – the area for kids.
RIFIFI, a cartoonish underwater world.
Friday 23 February [travel home]
Tram to SkyBus terminal at Southern Cross Station.
Plane docking to prepare for flight NZ124 to Auckland.
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