Mon 13 August 2007 - Pics in the city
I had a walk around Fed Square and Birrarung Marr on Friday. I was actually looking to get a pic of the Spamalot information booth, which had a big inflatable Monty Python foot on top of it. The kids could have had great fun animating it.
Alas my plan went askew when I couldn’t find the booth, and my “real” camera had flat batteries. But I took a few pics with my phone.
The giant Luxo Junior on Flinders Street reminded me that I really must take the kids along to the Pixar exhibit before it closes.
If you had to ring Triple-0 in an emergency and they asked you what street corner you were near, and you were in the middle of a big park, what would you say?
It seems the people who set up Birrarung Marr thought of this already:
Now, my question of the day is… what is the purpose of that thing on top of the Mercer building? Anybody know?
August 13th, 2007 at 8:09am
Daniel
and I thought it was only weird Japanese tourists who walked around Melbourne taking photos of signs stuck to poles…
Rog.
August 13th, 2007 at 10:20am
That thing on the Mercer building was put there so that every time I was driving my tram into the city along St Kilda Rd, I’d spot it and wonder “what the hell is that?”.
August 13th, 2007 at 12:03pm
Maybe it’s a giant picture frame. They just haven’t found a giant picture
August 13th, 2007 at 12:54pm
I can heartily recommend the Pixar exhibit to you and yours Daniel - it’s great if you already have an appreciation of how hard it is to manufacture a movie. You’ll need many, many hours ‘tho. And $15/head.
August 13th, 2007 at 4:54pm
The giant square is there to remind people about squares.
August 13th, 2007 at 7:24pm
Josh:
“You’ll need many, many hours ‘tho.”
To manufacture a movie or get through the exhibit?
Who says Melbournians are starved The Yartz?
August 14th, 2007 at 6:35pm
If it was an oblong, I’d have said it was something to do with the National Geographic.
Maybe it’s just to make the building look higher for marketing purposes or an empty support for a billboard. Re this, would it be easier to get approval if the supporting structure is already there?
August 14th, 2007 at 7:51pm
This part of Melbourne has been totally ‘remodelled’ since I left so I had quick look at it on the Melways and found something which is old news to you but to me is a fresh new example of Merchant Bankery - the toll on Batman Ave. Amazing. Also, Daniel, why did they route the tram along the side of the rail lines behind Melbourne Park instead of just straight down Batman and Swan? Any idea?
August 15th, 2007 at 7:25am
Batman Avenue actually is no more. (See an old map for comparison.) Replaced by parkland. The toll is on the (new) Exhibition Street extension.
I’m not sure why they didn’t leave the tram on Swan Street; it would have better served Olympic Park. Maybe the road engineers wanted it out of the way of the cars…
August 16th, 2007 at 8:53am
Daniel, it’s quite obvious that the big white frame thing is a dimensional gateway similar to the Bajoran Wormhole through which hoards of evil aliens will pour, or perhaps something like the temple at the top of the building in “Ghostbusters”. Run for your lives!
August 17th, 2007 at 4:19pm
I have also noticed the emergency location signage in various other parks - around Albert Park lake for example.
August 26th, 2007 at 12:23pm
Many a time I have pointed out the thing on top of the Mercer building to friends, and then had to defend my suggestion that it looks like a big computer screen (more effective in the dark). Next to it is a flat keyboard. I can’t remember who first brought it to my attention, but that is what is definitely looks like! As to why it is there… good question!