Melbourne: Fitzroy Gardens
Mostly, this highlights photos from Captain Cook's cottage. James Cook was the first European to discover the East coast of Australia. The cottage (built in the 1700s) was brought over from England to Melbourne. http://www.fitzroygardens.com/Cook_Index_Page.htm
Shady avenue of elms.
Is this a magpie? Charming little bird.
At Captain Cook's cottage, this ran behind it; it was labelled 'toilet'. I think originally, a stream ran through here; at least Melbourne has a mild enough climate that it wouldn't be too brutal to come outside at night to use it.
Dining room.
Bed and bed-warmer.
Cook's card table in his bedroom.
I love the texture of the [mud-brick?] walls.
And I envy the Cooks' cottage garden! Okay, this wasn't really theirs, since this house was moved here centuries after they died. But it's planted in an appropriate style, and might have looked something like this.
Hah! The color difference is jarring. What would Mrs. Cook have thought of me?
Beautiful design, no? Someday my garden will fill out enough to look like this...
Poppies!
I can't identify this flower, but it's great.
Elsewhere in Fitzroy Gardens, there's a Model Tudor village, sadly behind a fence. I so wanted to stomp about like Godzilla...
Oh, the kids would have loved Ola Cohn's Fairy Tree. A stump, gorgeously decorated. http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=10173
My favorite bit is the cobweb detail, but the various Australian animals are also charming.
"'I have carved in a tree in the Fitzroy Gardens for you, and the fairies, but mostly for the fairies and those who believe in them, for they will understand how necessary it is to have a fairy sanctuary - a place that is sacred and safe as a home should be to all living creatures.'"
"The carvings were done years after the death of the tree and so the problem of the trunk's preservation presented a problem. In 1977, the trunk was extracted from the ground for chemical treatment and the removal of rotted wood, and during the process, a mummified brush tail possum over 40 years old was found perfectly preserved within the trunk. The tree was remounted on a concrete base to prolong its life."
One of the ponds had a variety of metal sea creature sculpture.
Don't know what this bird is either. Help?
I do like it when Karina dresses in blue and green. :-)
