Wall Two 80 Cafe's new paint job.

Recently the #WallTwo80 café in #Balaclava / #EastStKilda had a little makeover. Gone is that mural artwork on the external brick wall facing Nelson Street. This is what it looks like now.

Are we fans?

The Wall cafe's new paint job on the outside wall.

"Fresh is Best" for #FruitAndVegetables?

Supporting local businesses and buying fresh #fruit and #vegetables are always high on the agenda, but this concerned my friends and I while walking along #CarlisleStreet, #Balaclava the other night.

 

This long standing Green Grocer is a family business with competitive prices, and the staff are always really friendly. But it is a bit of a worry that they leave their stock outside in the little arcade over night (See photo below).

 

This arcade, that is a walk-through between Carlisle Street and the #Coles car park, is locked at night at both ends and has a roof to protect from rain.  However, the metal gates that close each end of the arcade only stop people from getting in. 

 

Surely the uncovered fruit and vegetables are still exposed to wind, dust, traffic pollutants, as well as the strong possibility of bugs and small animals, and cannot be good for the "freshness" of the produce. 

 

Yes, the weather is cooler at the moment due to Winter, but this questionable practice is not very appealing for consumers. Our own experience of buying a bag of Navel oranges was disappointing after having to throw away many of them because they were rotten on the inside, and we weren't able to determine this until cutting each one in half for juicing.  At the time we just assumed it was bad luck that we got a bad bag, but after seeing the same table of oranges left outside overnight, we now have doubts.

 

We took the night photo on a Saturday night and the day time photo was taken on the following Monday. It seems that the tables of produce that normally are on display out front on the Carlisle Street footpath were merely just wheeled into the arcade so they could be locked up. 

 

It is such a shame that they did this because unfortunately my friends and I will now shop elsewhere for our produce for the time being.  It's also ironic that their little signs have headings saying, "Fresh is Best".  Sadly, that has now come into question. 

 

Fruit and Vegetables left outside in arcade overnight.

During a normal trading day, the arcade is open.

 

#StKildaTownHall Lights Up at Night

If you have gone past the St Kilda Town Hall at night in the past week or so, you would have noticed that it is colourfully lit up and displaying large banner photos of different women on its exterior, as part of an exhibition called "The Furies".

 

According to the City Of Port Phillip's Magazine, "Divercity", these depict 12 local women who are survivors of violence and you will be able to see these for the whole month of June!

 

St Kilda Town Hall is on the corner of Carlisle Street and Brighton Rd, St Kilda.



St Kilda Town Hall lights up at night to display "The Furies".

#BikeShare #StKilda Locations

#Melbourne Bike Share is becoming more and more popular with #tourists and residents, with bike stations popping up all over the city. In St Kilda there are now three locations where you can pick up or drop off a bike. One location is right in front of #LunaPark.  See the map below for the other locations.

 

Wearing a bike helmets is law in #Australia and even though some of these blue #bikes come with courtesy helmets that are passed on by previous users, so if you get a bike that comes with a helmet, then you just leave this helmet with the bike for the next user to use.  Alternatively, you can buy your own blue helmet from selected 7-11 and various retail stores across Melbourne for only $5! For tourists, these are fantastic souvenirs as well!

 

These are such a great way to see the city as well as being a cheap mode of transport.  For more information, check out their website http://www.melbournebikeshare.com.au/

Happy #ChineseNewYear

A Happy Chinese New Year to all friends and family that celebrate this.

This year is the Year of the Goat (or some call it the Year of the Sheep). It is apparently a Yin year which symbolizes peace and harmony.

 

Even though we don't have any specific celebrations going in #StKilda (maybe something the City of Port Phillip can consider for next year and beyond?), there are plenty of things happening around Melbourne.  The main festival takes place in Chinatown in Melbourne's CBD along Little Bourke Street and Russell Street this coming Sunday 22 February from 10am to 10pm.

 

There will be a second event at Federation Square the following week on Sunday 1 March 2015 from 12pm to 4pm.

For more information you can check out the website:

http://www.chinesenewyear.com.au/mel_locations.html

 

Photo: Dragon Parade along Little Bourke Street last year, 2014.

Photo courtesy of Allpict.in (http://allpicts.in/)

It's #StKildaFestival Today!

Hope you're all ready for it! It's going to be a fun day.

Sand Bags on St Kilda Beach

What appeared to be bags of rubbish on #StKildaBeach this evening actually were sand bags from today's #SLAM #BeachVolleyball event. 

Well done to the team that packed up everything very quickly and efficiently! You would never know there was a major event there today. Impressive.

Photo: Sand bags on St Kilda Beach

Mad #Melbourne #Weather

This morning it was 37°C and by lunch time it was 38°C. Then at around 3pm, the clouds rolled in and the #sky went grey. Then the downpour of #rain began. It lasted just under an hour and according to the news it was 20mm worth. It seemed to stop as quickly as it started and it wasn't long before the sun came out again and the temperature gauge hovered back to 35°C.

 

This spectacular #cloud formation appeared over the Bay at dusk and resembled something from a SciFi movie. Was an alien finally coming to visit St Kilda? Or was it God? Or was it a portal to another dimension that the plane was flying directly into?

 

Enjoy your warm Summer evening, folks! :)

Photo: Cloud formation at dusk at the beach.

World Aids Day

December 1st is #WorldAidsDay.

This post comes a little late in the day, but still wanted to acknowledge it and take a moment to think about all those people living with #HIV and remembering those who have died.

Photo: Princes Bridge displays the very prominent sign for World Aids Day 2014

Don't Forget to Vote Today!

It's #ElectionDay for the #VictorianStateElection today (29 Nov 2014) so don't forget to #VOTE!

 

To look up your nearest voting centre, CLICK HERE and enter your address.

Photo courtesy Victorian Electoral Commission

Rainy Days and Mondays

From such a beautiful red #sunset last night to a grey and rainy #Monday today.  That's #Melbourne for you! Karen Carpenter sang about "Rainy Days and Mondays" always getting her down, but don't let the weather get YOU down. Have a good week, everybody!

 

Photo: Grey and cloudy sky for Monday 24 November 2014

 

A Sunny Friday

Hot Hot Hot!!! What a beautiful warm & sunny Friday to end the week. It's 36°C in Melbourne today!! It finally feels like Summer is coming! Have a great weekend, folks!

Melbourne Weather

Welcome to St Kilda Life

There are many facets to life in St Kilda.  Living in this neighbourhood means to live amongst an agglomeration of people, food, sights and sounds. There’s a lot more going on than what is advertised on a tourist website. Perhaps people want to know all about the public events and activities that occur, and perhaps they want to know about some of the other things that make up this wonderful suburb that aren’t listed on any website. Each is a wonderful story. This blog aims to share these with you from the perspective of a local who has called St Kilda home for more than twenty years.

Away from the tourist spotlight

There are many things going on away from the tourist spotlight that would also be interesting to share with people, whether they are fellow residents or people from other suburbs or countries. It’s always good to know where you can take your dog for a walk without a leash, which places have free Wi-Fi, where public toilets are, and which bar makes a superb Espresso Martini! But it is important to share some of the things about this neighbourhood that are perhaps, not always viewed as being glamorous and exciting, but for some people, they may be worthwhile knowing about. These day to day things also make up life in St Kilda and you probably will only hear about them from someone who lives there and would experience it firsthand.

Let’s share!

This St Kilda Life blog is about sharing. There is a story in every little pocket of St Kilda: from Acland Street near St Kilda Beach, to Fitzroy Street in the west, to Carlisle Street in the east, there is a story waiting to be told and shared.  Each one is an important part of the St Kilda mosaic. Whether it is the bright lights and sparkle of Luna Park, or what old films are playing at the historical Astor Theatre, there are funny stories, serious stories, and some downright weird stories. But all of these are what make St Kilda an amazing and wonderful place to visit. They are also what make it an incredible place to live because it is never boring.  By sharing these stories with you, it is hoped that you will find them entertaining, interesting and possibly even useful when you next find yourself visiting, or living a St Kilda life.

Why write this Blog?

Home for over 20 years.

Having called St Kilda home for more than twenty years, this beachside suburb in Melbourne’s southeast never ceases to amaze me, inspire me, surprise me, and comfort me. It is home to a diverse and vibrant culture that continues to be interesting no matter what time of year, whether it be during the forty degree heat of summer, or an icy cold winter. There is always something to see and experience here. This blog is one way for me to share my love of St Kilda with you all.  

 

What I love about St Kilda.

What I love about St Kilda is its diversity. There is actually a local free publication called “Divercity” that is distributed by our local council, the City of Port Phillip. I love all the things that tourists adore such as the beach, the theatres, the festivals, the variety of cafes, restaurants and groovy bars where many of the arty-farty types hang out, but I also love the things that aren’t always listed on tourist and visitors websites, such as where to go for a good Chinese lunch special forunder $10, or a Laundrette that is also a solarium! I guess that during the cold rainy days of a Melbourne winter, one can maintain one’s summer tan while waiting for your whites to tumble dry.

 

Why I want to share

Since I travel a lot with my work, it is comforting to come home to such an energetic atmosphere where the people are just as dynamic as the weather. I enjoy the quirky aspects of this neighbourhood and enjoy sharing all of these fantastic things with other people. I am very passionate about St Kilda and that’s why I have lived here for so long.  When I travel, I sometimes wish there was a similar type of blog or website that has been written by a local that would give me insight into the area from a perspective of somebody who actually lives there. Having insider information is valuable and this is what I aim to do. The overall purpose of wanting to write this blog is to share all the things that I love about my neighbourhood and by doing so, maybe I can help people get around, find where things are, or just help them to fall in love with all things that make up life in St Kilda.

 

 

Luna Park for the last few days of School Holidays!

The School Holidays are drawing to a close and it will be back to school for Term 4 as of next Monday.  If you're in St Kilda, there's still some fun things to do with the kids right through until Sunday.  #LunaPark is always great fun for the whole family and during the school holidays it is open from 11am to 11pm.  Sunday they close at 8pm though, and that's probably because it's a school night!  So there's still plenty of time to enjoy this iconic St Kilda venue.

 

For more information you can check out their website: http://lunapark.com.au/