28 June

As reported quite widely, 28 June 2014 (Saturday) marked the centenary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo by Gavriol Princip.   I am no historian, but while this may have been one of the events in the lead up to World War 1, it was by no means the only factor involved, as discussed here and also here.

Latin Bridge

For Serbs, the day is also of significance, as it is Vidovdan. (St Vitus Day) .

Plaque marking the spot from which the shot was fired

The Dog on the Tuckerbox

We drove to Canberra.  We were in rain most of the way, sometimes quite light but also heavy at times.    Yet a week ago we were all sweltering.

Impressive vegetation - nice to see

Two things struck me during this boring trip.  First, the trees planted along the highway in Victoria when it was duplicated are now reaching maturity, and so they form quite an impressive array, often for extended sections.   We regularly travel this route, and I suppose I've been aware of the trees, but on this occasion I became even more conscious of them.

The contrast after crossing the border is stark, although of course perhaps there were fewer trees north of the Murray even when the land was in its original state.   There are some plantings, so perhaps things will change as they reach maturity.

The Dog is there, but the shop has closed

Secondly, in the battle at the "Dog on the Tuckerbox" between Shell/KFC vs the more traditional wayside refreshment places there, Shell/KFC have won decisively.   Shell have a more prominent location, slightly closer to the highway than the smaller businesses, and they have now closed.

....and the business on the other side of the access road to the Dog has also closed

Locks

Southbank

It seems that the world-wide epidemic of attaching locks to bridges has arrived in Melbourne, particularly on the Southbank Footbridge! Perhaps there aren't as many at Southbank as at other locations....but who knows, with the passing of time....

Vrnjacka Banja

Paris

ANZAC Day

We watched bits of the march on TV, but then thought we ought to get out and about.    We headed to Central Park for something to eat and, by coincidence, found that that's where the local memorial is located.

The march on TV

Pen & Ink Sketches of Lorne

All Saints, Lorne

It seems that the Anglican and Uniting churches now operate a combined parish at Lorne, and hence the 8 am service on Sunday at the Anglican church was advertised as a combined service (as was the 10 am service at the Uniting church).    I had never been inside the Anglican church (All Saints) but, encouraged by the fact that I wouldn't be too far out of my depth, I attended the service.    

On my way out, I noticed that for a very reasonable sum, I could obtain a booklet entitled Pen & Ink Sketches of Lorne.

This is a fascinating publication!  It was actually first printed in 1890 (but reprinted in 1985), and was marked as being in aid of the Building Fund of the Church of England, Lorne.  I wondered if the proceeds of its continued sale over 120 years later were being similarly applied!


The booklet contains a number of interesting entries, including one on Teddy's Lookout.  I've previously blogged on the reason why the lookout is so named, and the booklet agrees that the story about the donkey named Teddy is unfounded.   In other words, even in 1890, the version about the donkey descending from the lookout at its own risk was being dismissed.   Instead, it supports the more boring view that the lookout is named after an early cattleman who came to this point to watch out for stray beasts.
 

Ballarat Botanical Gardens

Recalling our recent visit to Ballarat,  it was a great time of year to visit the Botanical Gardens there, as the springtime floral displays were excellent.

Nearby are bronze busts of every prime minister since Federation:

Well, all of them that is except for the current occupant of that office - a spot awaits!

Memorials in Ballarat

We obviously checked out the Pompey Elliott statue in Ballarat, and were suitably impressed.


But what really struck me was the number of other memorials.    
In a city that trades on its Eureka tradition (including a statue of Peter Lalor), there are statues of Queen Victoria and George V in the main street.  But there's an Eight Hours Day memorial, and a plaque commemorating the formation of the AWU.    Is it about balance or am I missing something?   

Along with a number of other interesting memorials and statues (they're  listed in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturt_Street_Gardens), there's a rotunda commemorating the musicians that went down with the Titanic.

 

 

 

 

Burke and Wills

We appear to celebrate Burke and Wills, even though on most counts their expedition ended in failure.  I suppose they were the first explorers to cross Australia from south to north (if tasting salt water counts as getting to the Gulf of Carpentaria), but it does seem to me that this is a somewhat hollow feat if you don't make it home!  In his book, A Walking Guide to Melbourne's Monuments, Ronald Ridley comments that, "The heroisation of the two men out of all who took part in such an appallingly ill-managed expedition is a story without parallel in the history of such monuments".  Interestingly, it is Burke who is placed in a domineering position (apparently in line with his character!)
 
Yet I note with interest that their statue in the city square has been brought forward, so as to be right on the edge of Swanston Street.  I wonder if we were starting all over again whether we'd choose to use this prominent location for a statue of someone else.

However, there is in fact some justification for the prominence given to this statue.  It was (according to Ridley) Melbourne's first public monument.

The sculptor was Charles Summers, and the monument was originally unveiled in 1865 at the corner of Collins and Russell Streets but was moved in 1886 to make way for the cable trams.  It was moved to outside Parliament House, then to the Carlton Gardens.  When the underground loop was constructed in 1979 it returned to Collins Street and after restoration was set up at the corner of Swanston and Collins Streets.

However, I doubt if the tourists taking photos of  this monument appreciate that, at least for some of us, its significance is not the men that it commemorates, but the place that the statue itself has in Melbourne's history