17 February 2025 The very oriental-looking Orient Hotel once stood on the corner of Bourke & Swanston Streets, though not for very long. Not to be confused with the Oriental Hotel in Collins Street, it was first built in 1860 in a pretty restrained style, then the top two floors were demolished and rebuilt in … Continue reading Orient Hotel, Swanston Street →

13 February 2025 Photographed in 2014; my caption was then ‘old unrestored cottage’- might be all zhoojed up by now, but no idea where it was. Also, I now notice that the verandah posts are typically Edwardian thick turned timber, while everything else is Victorian. Oh, and the fence is Edwardian wrought iron and cyclone … Continue reading Unrestored in Brunswick →

12 February 2015: Fantastic Edwardian pair in #littlelonsdale saved from #demolition for #melbournecentral in the late 1980s. Both built 1905 for different owners but same architect, J E Burke, as rather showy warehouse/showrooms. The larger more decorative one was occupied by a hardware firm, the smaller one was for Coops who ran the shot tower, … Continue reading Jaunty Edwardians →

11 February 2025 With my new found acceptance of big things everywhere, this sort of stuff becomes ok-ish. On the north side of Glenhuntly Road in Elsternwick, there’s about 7 large area tallish developments, all with 2-3 floors at street level, then a good setback then up again. They’re variously dull or slightly interesting, all … Continue reading Glenhuntly Road →

11 February 2025 91 Westbourne Grove, Northcote, in 1893 - I thought it was interesting because it shows that sometimes the cast iron lace was picked out in different colours. (Also, the fence is somehow much the same!). The shots were taken by keen amateur photographer Dr Thomas George Beckett, who lived here with his … Continue reading Northcote original →

9 February 2025 The Melbourne Cable Trams were rather extraordinary things - people sat virtually on the road on the front ‘dummy’ car, pulled along by a hidden cable under the road - it must’ve been such fun to sit up front (in nice weather anyway). Apparently they were very quiet, just a slight hiss … Continue reading Cable Trams →

7 February 2025 The 1989 St Kilda Police Station at the bottom of Chapel Street is not a likeable building, but it’s notable that it was heritage listed only about 10 years later ! In fact it was identified for listing in a 1992 St Kilda study, which unusually had a brief to look at … Continue reading St Kilda Police Pomo →

4 February 2025 Sheer frameless mirror glass was all the rage in the 80s, and this one on the corner of St Kilda Road where Toorak Road becomes Kingsway is the shiniest and sheerest of them all. Reflects its surroundings so much maybe you havnt even noticed it. Derided at the time, Im now a … Continue reading Who’s the most mirrored of them all ? →

4 February 2025 A few modernist houses in the Yarra Boulevard heritage precinct that I snapped in 2016 on the theme of ‘elevated above the carport’. It was a bit of a fight to get the precinct up, with some owners opposed, others all in favour, and very glad it happened in 2014. The precinct, … Continue reading Kew Modern, Studley Precinct →

2 February 2025 The RMIT Green Brain that I photographed in 2013; I quite like it, sort of like a huge sculpture that sits on top of the building, though normally I’d say no additions or keep them low and simple. Could do without the green cloud verandah though. It was designed by @armarchitecture, completed … Continue reading Brain fart →