I know this is probably old news by now, but I finally went to see the “Pink Lake” in Melbourne at Westgate Park. The salt water lake turns pink almost every summer due to the interaction of algae and halobacterium in the heat. Lots of people were there to see it before it disappears.
If you go, be warned: it’s stinky!
About an hour from Melbourne is the beautiful area of Mount Macedon. Forest Glade is a private garden with a variety of themes, such as English, Japanese, and a fern gully. It costs $10 to get in, and it is beautiful year-around!
A few days after a big wedding in Sydney (where he’s from), Angie and Alex celebrated a second wedding at the registry office in Melbourne (where they live now). Any excuse to wear a second wedding dress is a must, right? It took place at the beautiful Old Treasury Building. Afterwards, we walked around the city for a few shots that were very ‘Melbourne’; a tram, Hosier Lane, Flinders Street Station.
Thanks for exploring the city with me, guys! Best wishes for a happy marriage filled with many adventures 🙂
I love rice. I could eat rice every day. When I was little, sometimes I would eat just a bowl of rice with butter (I was skinny, I needed the carbs!). I love curry with rice, fried rice, sushi rolls, sweet rice with mango, even risotto counts. Anyway, when I heard about the new World Rice Festival coming to Melbourne, I knew it was for me! My husband and I aimed to try as many dishes as possible, but we got full way too quickly. The pork belly from Rice Paper Scissors was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted! There were flamenco performances and cooking demonstrations, so we could sit and let everything digest happily.
pork belly from Rice Paper Scissors
Flamenco
Japanese curry from Maedaya Sake & Grill
sushi class
paella class
There was a lot more to see, but I couldn’t stay for the whole day. I hope this festival comes back every year!!
After living in Melbourne almost two and a half years, we finally went to the zoo! There were some particularly cheeky animals. I recommend going to the keeper talks to get good views and information. Every major exhibit has a message about conservation, such as recycling cell phones and buying products that don’t use unsustainable palm oil. A lot of renovation is going on, so we couldn’t see some things like the frog house, but I think the improvements will be really nice!
On one side of Federation Square in Melbourne sits a small museum featuring Australian art. It’s part of the National Gallery of Victoria. The temporary exhibitions change constantly and they always surprise and inspire. Everything from photography to furniture, audio/visual and interactive collections, including Indigenous art.
The best part? Free entry!
I met the Reyes family on a sunny day at Elwood Beach. We had a short session in the sand and at the park. This American family has been in Melbourne for a year! Three little boys make for some fun moments 🙂
christina hardcastle photography’s 1 hour session includes some portraits!
the session ended with a sweet hug ❤
For information on 1-hour “unscripted” sessions like this one, as well as other services, click here!
This past Sunday we stopped by the Pet & Animal Expo in Wyndham. The dogs loved seeing all kinds of animals, especially at the petting zoo. We (the humans) looked at all the booths and then learned how to perform CPR on dogs. It’s a pretty cool event if you love animals!
Now that the weather is getting nicer, we finally went for a hike. We went to Werribee Gorge (always looking for fun things to do on the west side!). The circuit walk is so good! There are definitely hard sections; parts of the trail are just piles of rocks, and there is a cable to hang on to in one part so you don’t fall in to the water. An old irrigation channel goes along part of the trail, and informational signs about plants and wildlife keep the hike interesting. It took us about 3.5 hours and we took our time.
This past weekend, at Federation Square, the annual Buddha’s Day and Multicultural Festival took place. It celebrates Buddha’s birthday and promotes cultural awareness and inclusiveness. There were many interactive opportunities, including a tea ceremony and an art installation. It was really cool to see people learning about a culture they weren’t familiar with, and participating with open minds. The food was also very, very good!
Alms giving ceremony
Bodhi Tree art installation
Tea ceremony
Bathing the Buddha
Another touristy post!
Living in Melbourne, I have always wanted to tour Parliament. I never got the chance until recently. We only did the short tour (15 minutes), which was extremely rushed, but still really interesting. I would recommend taking one of the longer tours, because there is so much information! I got the impression that the guides prefer leading the longer tours, too.
Here are some quick photos I got of the building and details.
A cool thing about a lot of wildlife sanctuaries in Australia is that you can feed the animals. They will come right up to you, even grab your hands, and it makes for fun photo opportunities. I took these at the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas.
Fun fact: This is one of the few places in Australia where you can hold a koala!
Australia has a very interesting and dynamic history of immigration. The Immigration Museum is full of surprising facts and amazing stories! They have an exhibition that chronicles the life of Mahatma Gandhi, and a British immigrants exhibition that closes this Sunday. I think the ‘Identity: yours, mine, ours’ exhibition should be seen by everyone. It is a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about diversity and acceptance.
We have lived in this city almost 2 years, and we still do the tourist things. Everyone thinks we’re tourists anyway because of our ‘accents.’ I love the Queen Victoria Night Market because you have tons of local shops and food all in one place. Clothes, art, books, souvenirs; they have everything, in all different price ranges. You can get drinks, dinner, and dessert (see sangria, nachos, and Nutella loukemades below). There is also entertainment, like live music and street performers. Most weeks even have a theme; this one had flamenco and salsa music.
Today is the second to last summer night market! I already can’t wait for the winter one.
The band is Malcura. They were awesome.
Bonus pictures courtesy of my husband: a performer chose me as an ‘assistant’ and I had to basically pull the sword out of his throat. It was so weird and I was thoroughly embarrassed. I cannot control my face in most situations, so here you can really see me freaked out. Haha!
We took a day trip to Mount Macedon recently. It was beautiful and everything was so well-kept. There are a lot of small walks to drive to that offer incredible scenery! The Top of the Range tea room is very cute and gives you the chance to enjoy a glass of wine with a view. We will definitely be back again!
Memorial Cross
Major Mitchell Lookout
View at Camels Hump
Sanatorium Lake
One night a year, from 7pm to 7am, the city comes alive with art, performances, and activities. We managed to stay out all night long, and saw some really amazing things.
I love Melbourne!
Just some scenes from the NGV Triennial in Melbourne.
Apparently the NGV is a great date idea.
One of the most interesting things about the Triennial was the placement of the new, modern pieces in the historical galleries.
The NGV Triennial goes on until April 18th!
Two of the most visually striking displays at the NGV Triennial are Yayoi Kusama’s Flower Obsession and Ron Mueck’s Mass. One involves an explosion of bright red flowers, and the other is a room full of giant human skulls.
When you walk in to Flower Obsession, you are given a flower sticker to place anywhere you want in a recreated living space. The flowers have now taken over, illustrating a hallucination the artist had as a child.
“They killed all those giants! How sad!” -my husband, who sometimes thinks he’s 12.
One hundred individual skulls sit in the historical collection galleries of the NGV. It is so strange and cool.
More photos of the NGV Triennial to come!
My first documentary family session of 2018 was a birthday party! Sharee turned one year old, and her family threw her an intimate party in the backyard. The weather was perfect, and she loved her cake (made by her mum!). Her big sister had fun with bubbles and the trampoline. Next year they’ll be running around together!
So grateful this beautiful family let me share in their day!
This past weekend we checked out the Melbourne Latin Summer Festival. It was a small festival set up in the Royal Botanical Gardens. We saw a lot of amazing salsa dancing and ate some great food. One band that I really liked was the Huanchaco Band (last 2 pictures). They made some beautiful music!
And now I want to learn how to salsa.
What are the best souvenirs for grandparents who come visit from the other side of the world?
Photos!
These grandparents decided a short day in the life session was the perfect way to document their time spent with their family. We went to the park, made pizzas, and spent quality time at home.
Here is a tiny sample of their four hour day in the life session in Hawthorn East.
Christina Hardcastle photography 