Post pics of where you are from...

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A few pics from Geelong (where I currently live) Melbourne (nearest capital to Geelong), and one of Toowoomba (where my family lives, and me too soon)



This is a Fire Tower. There are 6 of these large structures along the South Bank, on the Yarra River in Melbourne. This is where the Crown Casino Entertainment Complex is situated, and one of Melbourne's more popular nightlife spots.



This is why they're called Fire Towers. They are ignited several times every hour from 9pm onward, I think. And when does so they burst moderate flamage to begin with, then they burst huge flames! While renaeden was in Melbourne I took her down there to show her, partly because I'd never seen them in person myself either. We were several meters away from this one, and we could feel the heat for the burst of flame. It was great


This is the "Eternal Flame" at Melbourne's War Memorial.


And this is the Shrine Of Remembrance at the War Memorial.
My and renaeden went there while she was in Melbourne, and it's a disturbing place... Very sobering (not that I was drunk).


The Ice Skating Rink in Geelong. These aren't very common in Australia, though I'd assume most every city has at least one. But being a temperate-tropical-desert country, we don't have much in the way of "Winter Sports".


The view of part of Melbourne from the Rialto Towers (tallest building in Melboure, and Australia I think). Here you can see the "Docklands", and Telstra Dome, one of Melbourne's several Football (that is Australian Football) stadiums, plus in the foreground (behind a building) is Spencer Street Station. A hub in the state's rail services, plus also interstate.
The Docklands is on Yarra River, which you can see in the pic. The River runs from Port Philip Bay (on which Melboure sits), through the center of Melbourne, and out in the Mountain Ranges beyond.


Melbourne, from Rialto Towers. This one from a different side.
In the distance you can see Port Phillip Bay, which several ships travel to bring trade to and from Melbourne. In the early days of Victoria, Geelong and Melbourne were both of roughly the same size, though situated on different parts of the Bay, with Geelong on Corio Bay within Port Phillip. From what I've heard, and this is probably mostly conjecture, Geelong received most of the shipping, but due to a map error, it was made to look as though it was a shorter distance to Melbourne. Melbourne then became the Capital city... Not sure if that's true.
In the foreground, the long silver building is the Melbourne Exhibition Building. Affectionatley known as 'Jeff's Shed', named after the former Premier of the state, Jeff Kennet. Who now, incidentally, is the President of the Carlton Football Club.


This pic I took by putting my camera up to one of the several binoculars around the Observation Deck on the Rialto Towers. Not sure where in Melbourne it is... Probably near the inner city somewhere...


This piece of sculpture sits outside the Victorian State Library in Melbourne. I thought it was pretty cool


Me and renaeden at Federation Square.
Federation Square is relatively new in Melbourne. It sits across the road from Flinders Street Station, the domestic rail hub in Melbourne.
Federation Square is a pretty cool social hub in Melbourne.
Behind us you can see a silver building on the left, that's the Melbourne Information Center. And on our right is NVG (which I think stands for National Victorian Gallery). I think that building looks like it was shattered then put back together in a haphazard way. hehe


This is the "Temple Of The Wind", it's in Melbourne's Royal Botanical Gardens. You can almost see beyond it the light towers of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), one of the more hallowed sports stadiums in all of Australia, for several reasons. One of which is it is where the AFL Grand Final is played.
It's not in the photo, but near the MCG (or "The G" as people sometimes call it), is Melbourne's Olympic Park, and the Glass House basketball stadium. Also nearby is the Rod Laver Arena, in the Tennis Center.
Olympic Park and the MCG are being refurbished for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
The Tennis Center is used every year for the Australian Open.


A friend of mine, Tommy, being silly on Ryrie Street. One of Geelong's main roads.
On the right, outside the photo is a KFC. Futher down the road is a Village Cinemas.
The pole with the yellow box on it is one of Geelong's Bus Stops, that particular one is for Geelong West, Rollins Rd, etc. Across the street is where the Grovedale bus is. The bus I've caught the most, Rt30/12 Thompsons Rd (and Lara if Rt12), is probably about 100m in the direction of the photo, so behind several buildings.


I have no idea where this is... I assume it's Geelong because of the overcast sky, but it could be Toowoomba... You'd think I'd label my photos so I could remember...
Studies it for a bit...Actually yes, it is Toowoomba. I can see the construction site in the distance. It was taken from the backyard of my Auntie's house in Toowoomba. Behind their house is this huge empty (what we call) paddock. You can't see it in the photo, but between the paddock and the buildings in distance is a road, if you follow that from left to right, you'll head to where my parents' live.
Notice around the buildings/houses in the distance, what looks like red bushes? That's actually red dirt. Toowoomba's natural soil is red dusty dirt...Terrible for clothing..heh


Toowoomba Hockey Center. This particular pitch is the water based surface. These surfaces are very expensive to install, I think they cost about $50,000. Not to mention the cost in keeping it watered... This one runs off recycled water so it doesn't cost much to water.
Beyond this pitch/field is the sand based surface, also very costly to install... On the right, off screen, are three grass pitches.
Coming from Geelong which had only one Hockey pitch, a sand based one. This was quite awesome. While I was living there before I moved back to Geelong I played in the Hockey League there, for Rangeville, in Division 3. (I don't like D1 or D2's constant need for the Win. I prefer to play for the sake of playing). I played on this pitch a few times, but mostly we played on the sand based one, sometimes of the grass. I preferred the sand one, which is what I was used to. But the Water Based was pretty cool. I had played on one, once before, in Melbourne's State Hockey Center, so I'd experienced it before.
Oh...Playing on Grass sucks hehe.
I also got the opportunity to coach the Under 16 Boys team with the help of my Dad, which was a great experience.


This is a beach in Torquay, on Victoria's Surf Coast. And no, the tree isn't in the surf. The tree is at the edge of a small cliff, there's still a length of beach, which can't be seen, before the water. A bit of an illusion... hehe.


I know it's on its side...
This is the same location as the pic with Tommy, this was the same day. I'd come down to Geelong (from Toowoomba, which is 1800km north of Geelong) for my 21st birthday and wanted to meet up with my friends. Tommy and Michael (subjetc of photo) were the only ones who could make it on this particular day.
This is the same street as Tommy's pic, except Michael is standing in front of the Bus stop.


This is inside the 'Conservatory' in Fitzroy Gardens, in Melbourne. The photo was taken by renaeden on her camera (her's is better than mine).
Note my "I Have Issues!" t-shirt


Essendon...Suburb of Melbourne...Home of the Essendon Bombers, AFL Club (AFL=Australian Football League). It wasn't noticed at the time...But there's a disabled sign pointing at me...


Geelong...As seen from 30km UP hehe
Relative to the rest of the world, Geelong is a small city.
Further north Lara is marked, I used to live in Lara, hence why it was marked, I was seeing if I could search it on Google Earth heh.
Unfortunatley, Geelong doesn't have high detail photos of it... But Lara does...


My old house in Lara. I used to live here with my family before we moved up to Toowoomba, in Queensland.
I loved it in Lara, great small town. With a bus into Geelong if needed. It sucked when we moved... I was only in Toowoomba for 10months before I moved back down... Well I went down for my 21st, then decided to stay...


Well...that's all I have

GA

Wow , GalileoAce, ever thought about writing a book? That was quite complete, I feel like I just took a trip to australia. But without the jet lag.
Google earth ROCKS!

I have more! Just taken today...


It was quite hot today, not usual weather for Geelong, but not completley unusual either....And is it any wonder? With a Sun THAT SIZE!?
Just kidding, that's a trick of the camera


This is where I live currently. It's owned by a long time friend of the family, Peter. He and my Dad have known each other for about 30+ years, long before I was born. In fact, Peter is the reason my Dad got into Hockey; Teesdale Hockey Club (now since folded) needed a Goalie, so Peter asked my Dad...And that's how it started. Of course since Dad was into it, the kids got into, me and my two sisters.
I'm currently staying at this place while Peter works on it, renovating, in the hopes to sell, which is why I'm moving he wants to sell it before the end of November.


This is Giddings Street, in North Geelong (no it's not the northern most suburb). It's where the above above pic is situated. Nothing really special happening here... Though it's interesting how Photos are different from the way we look. When I took this photo I could clearly make out a small truck heading up the street, but the in photo you can't see it at all...


Yarra Street in the center of Geelong, further behind the photo is the Waterfront district, a pretty cool place, but not used too often...that I know of.
On the right corner is Market Square Shopping Center, certainly nowhere near the biggest shopping center I've been in, but combined with Westfield Bay City they're both reasonably large. (Bay City isn't in the photo, but it's on the right too, on the other side of the road from Market Square).
The car in front is a Mitsubihsi Magna, not sure what year, late 90s probably. Note the P Plate on the back window, denoting a probationary driver. And yes! Left side driving!


This is the Mall. Well that's what everyone calls it. I don't know it by any other name. The road you see wasn't always there, they put that in some years back, a one way. I don't think it really impacts the foot traffic that much.
You can't see it, but on the right is the back of Market Square, on the left is a row of shops etc.


The Mall again, the focus of the photo (which you can barely see ) is the water fountains.
From the perspective of the above above photo this is looking right.
On the left is an early 80s model Holden Commodore, a staple of Australian culture...Not sure why hehe.


Did I mention, that the sun if freaking HUGE in Australia?

GA