The other day I had cause to catch a train from Gardenvale to Balaclava. It’s interesting to compare these two stations. They are both elevated over main roads. Both have shopping centres that have built up around them. Both have connecting street-based public transport. Gardenvale station opened in 1906 as an additional station on the ... [More]
Normally each month I post photos from ten years earlier. I noticed that it’s twenty years since my 1998 trip to Europe. This was the first trip I blogged in excruciating unnecessary detail – and I’m glad I did, as I’ve been rereading the posts, reliving the trip. I’ve taken the opportunity to re-scan some ... [More]
Longtime readers of this blog may recall that back in 2010 an apartment block was being advertised at Caulfield, smack bang between where the Frankston and Dandenong lines diverge. It was never built. Google Street View shows by 2014 the site was still empty, and the advertising sign was covered in graffiti. Around 2016 the ... [More]
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. This is especially so for school reunions. My eldest son is pondering whether to even go to his – the people he wants to stay in touch with, he does via Facebook. Fair enough. I however do go to my school reunions. Melbourne High School has an active ... [More]
Despite living in a sports mad city in a sports mad country, I’m not the world’s biggest sports fan. But as a public transport advocate, I embrace big sporting events, because it’s amazing the things they can help get done in transport. This is only natural. Such events are often a showcase, particularly in Melbourne, ... [More]
Some more thoughts on the Suburban Rail Loop — which in this post, I am going to cheekily call Metro 3 for short, since it’s been proposed after Metro 1 (currently under construction) and Metro 2. A week and a half on, many questions remain, but the idea still looks like an incredibly forward-thinking, positive ... [More]