Exploring Melbourne's Picturesque Parks

One of the reasons why I like Melbourne so far is because of its well manicured parks and gardens. In a way, the city is similar to Singapore, albeit with more stretches of greenery co-existing harmoniously with the concrete jungle. Coupled with the cool and dry weather, they make excellent locations for sport - lots of people run and cycle all hours of the day - having a picnic, having a snooze, or just reading a book or chilling with friends.

Being an outdoor person myself, I had to discover these parks and ventured on a very long walk today.

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One of the first landmarks I saw on my walk through Victoria Street was this rather humorous though irreverent treatment of a former VIP of the city at a public park!

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I also saw a flock of seagulls nestling cosily, dotting the tiled surface with their own "artistic impressions".

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Up next was the historic Carlton Gardens, which was just adjacent to the world class Melbourne Museum.

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The gardens contained the regal and massive Exhibition Building, which was a location for many exhibitions and shows.

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A nice finely sculptured waterfall took pride of place in its middle.

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A watercooler - one of the most common features in Melbourne gardens and parks - helps to slake one's thirst during the searing heat of summer. Thankfully, the weather was nice and cool today (about 18 to 20 deg C).

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A good quiet place to catch up with the day's news...

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...or to snooze away one's cares and worries, amidst fine feathered friends.

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Our next stop is the picturesque Yarra River, which had many parks just beside it on its Southern banks.

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The first is the fairly nondescript Alexandra Gardens. Notice how the dry and hot summer did significant damage to the grass here.

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I also took a walk along Queen Victoria Gardens, and came face to face with her majesty's regal countenance.

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Where there is a queen, there must also be a king. At the King's Domain perched high on a hill, large and noble trees shaped the landscape.

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The garden also had an obelisk like structure which was a monument to something. Unfortunately I didn't have time to check what it was about.

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My final and probably most significant stop was the lovely and sprawling grounds of Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens.

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Every direction I turned was a photo opportunity, and this was helped by the many interestingly shaped trees and comfortably textured carpet grasses.

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A shot of the ornamental lake. If you look closely at the right, you would notice that the girl was actually doing a handstand!

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A sheltered spot provided by a dome-shaped pavillion.

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At one of the tropical greenhouses which I visited, I spotted these useful guides that you can pick and use for educational purposes on a self-guided walk. Neat!

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No prizes for guessing what carnivorous (or rather insectivorous) plants these are.

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Edifying the public about botany seemed to be a key feature. What I liked about their panels is that they are written in easy to understand language accessible to the layman.

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Of course, the parks aren't just about learning but leisure too. I saw this lovely scene of a couple saying their wedding vows in the company of relatives and friends in the park.

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Another idyllic scene of recreation, this time amongst a family unit having a picnic (with wine and fruits too) beside the lake.

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Finally, as part of the city's massive campaign for the environment, one could spot two bins everywhere - one for real rubbish, and the other for recyclables. In fact, the next topic of my posts (if energy permits) would be on the Sustainable Living Festival which I witnessed. More of that later...

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