Five ways you can tell you are in Melbourne, not Sydney

Part Four: Hook Turns

To accommodate trams, and allow them to move smoothly through intersections, some of Melbourne's city streets require motorists turning right to move to the far left to wait to turn. (Don't forget we drive on the left, so normally would position ourselves in the centre, or just left of centre, of the road to turn right). It's easy once you get the hang of it, but the first few times can be a bit unnerving.

Five ways you can tell you are in Melbourne, not Sydney

Part Three: Fences, weatherboards and bricks



I've rarely seen these woven wire fences in Sydney, and weatherboard is not a particularly common building material. For cheap building material fibro is more prevalent in Sydney (and rarely seen in Melbourne). There are of course some weatherboard houses in Sydney, but it is rare to see them lovingly restored; these days they are more likely to be knocked down and replaced by a McMansion. Many inner suburbs of Melbourne have beautifully restored examples of Victorian and Edwardian weatherboard houses.

Now to the peak-capped brick fences. Common in 1950s Melbourne fences; unknown in Sydney.
The colour of bricks depends on the clay you have for raw material. This particular shade of red brick is a Melbourne special, as is the blonde brick. Having lived in both Melbourne and Sydney, show me a traditional commons brick from either city and I reckon I'd have a pretty good chance of getting its origin right. Weird, but there you are!

Five ways you can tell you are in Melbourne, not Sydney

Part Two: Easy-access stations
Aligned with yesterday's level crossing, is the fact that access to Melbourne train stations is usually via a minimal number of steps, or a ramp. Contrast this with my local station in Sydney, which you can only get to the platforms by going up a whole heap of stairs, and down another heap of stairs. Makes it really hard for mums with prams, anyone with physical challenges, older people and so on.

Five ways you can tell you are in Melbourne, not Sydney

Part One: Level Crossings
Suburban railway "level crossings" don't exist in Sydney (maybe there are one or two?). There is always a road overpass or underpass. They remain very much part of the Melbourne suburban landscape. Bells and lights start, the boom gates come down, and the pedestrian gates across the tracks close automatically.

Apparently Melbourne stopped its program of replacing level crossings in the early 1970s, to divert money to construction of the Eastern Freeway.

Melbourne City Baths

I'm in Melbourne for a meeting, and taking the opportunity to visit a frend for the weekend. Yesterday I swam out the crinkles at the historical Melbourne City Baths. It was fabulous; I've been wanting to swim here for a long time. The pool is 30m in length, which is fairly unusual - they are more commonly 50m or 25m.

These beautiful Edwardian Baths started off as public baths (for washing) and urinals. After dereliction, and closure in 1899 they were re-designed and re-opened, to include two swimming pools, in March 1904. Men and women had separate entrances (the signs are still seen on the facade), and there were first class baths upstairs, and second class in the basement.There were also Turkish and vapour baths, a Jewish ceremonial bath - Mikvah bath and a laundry.Mixed bathing was introduced in 1947.In the 1980s, in disrepair, they were nearly closed, but were saved in 1983 by a public campaign and $4 million refurbishment.

My mum (now aged 79) tells me that when she was a young, single woman, workign in the city in the late 1940s/early 1950s, she used sometimes to use the washing facilities here after work, to freshen up beofre going out with a young man or friends.

More numbers

I know 1 May was numbers theme day, but I couldn't resist this collage of footy numbers at my son's game!

Railway Square

The lovely old building is a former post office, now an apartment hotel. Taken through the glass canopy in Railway Square, a major bus stop on the southern edge of the central business district (CBD).

Also, I'd like to apologise for not getting round to visit as many Theme Day photos as I would have liked. Things have been absolutely mad at work - long days (and into nights). I hope to catch up in the next little while.