railway canal

On the weekend Perry and I did a little wander down Moonee Ponds Creek almost to Docklands to check out whether there's any material evidence left of the loading dock for coal from the Railway Canal to the Spencer St railyards. We found this. I mean, really I just don't know. It seems weird to imagine that no-one had ever taken away this jumble of stone from what seems likely to have been the site of the dock, in the century plus since it was decreed redundant. But on the other hand, did they have any reason to take it away, and did anyone really need or want this little bit of the creek bank for anything else? 

The Railway Canal was a big project of the late 19th century which doesn't really seem to have been used at all much after about 1910. It's essentially one of the few canal projects in Melbourne to aid industry/infrastructure, curious that it was implemented to assist railways which had essentially supplanted canals long before this time. But the logistics made a certain amount of sense. But clearly it was pretty quickly revealed as a folly, and contributed to the ruination of the creek. 

To reiterate - I understand this amateur urban archaeology could well be way off. Way off. 

uninteresting walk

On Boxing day (today) around 6 Perry and I walked to Kensington station and took a train to Glenbervie station. 

This used to be a retirement village at the corner of Pascoe Vale and Moreland Roads. It's been vacant forever. I know I walked around there and took photographs, maybe I blogged it, do you remember? From there, we walked haphazardly to Moonee Ponds creek and went south (in the meandering way that the creek does). You can follow the creek for a while, then you are compelled to go onto the road for a while. This was something I saw on the way. 

This block of flats which was OK I guess. 

Once we got back to the creek, Perry decided he wanted to walk in the middle of the creek. 

We went past these flats in Flemington Road which have intrigued me for a while. I see they are called Braemar. 

That's it. It was a longish walk but very little happened. 

 

explores

Been doing a few explores lately like for instance yesterday under the Tullamarine freeway bridge over the Moonee Ponds Creek. I mean I have been here before, quite a few times but not ever on this side of the creek where there is a surprise channel you have to, basically, wade across if you're a dog and find a weird bit of strange wood to hop onto if you're a person. It's manageable. Yesterday morning men were 'cleaning' the channel which seemed to mean just picking things up (like old shopping trolleys) and throwing them back down in the water, but maybe there was a grand plan. They also poked the water a bit with a pole. 
 

body found in litter trap

(written 28/12/2010) Some kids found a decomposed body in the litter trap down at the creek. I heard conversationally when I went down to have a look (creepy? I was interested) that it had no arms or legs and was perforated up the front. The Age online says it is not known whether it's male or female. Being in the litter trap suggests it may have floated downstream but who really knows. As I was leaving the crime scene (4 or 5 police vans, a few onlookers) I think I heard someone shout, 'I have evidence! Evidence!'

* Jan 2010 - the body has been identified as being of Concetta Leone, an elderly woman who went missing in September. The police say there are no suspicious circumstances, which leads me to assume the no arms and legs thing was untrue. As was the 'I have evidence!'

the actual walk

I was going to spend some time putting these in order but really is that necessary? Was it necessary to take them at all? It still happened whether I recorded it or not. 

This was the point at which the path stopped being asphalted and became, whatever you call it, a path.

This is the tributary to MPC which goes under the TV studios where Carmel and I went to see various Shawn Micallef shows. By 'various' I mean 'two'. Two different shows, twice each if I remember correctly. 

This is actually the point at which MPC hits the Yarra. You know that MPC is not really a C(reek), or at least, it is one now, but it was known for a long time as the Railway Canal and it is I think at this end a formal created canal, and further north, a stream kind of formulated from environmental behaviour (it used to be ponds, not a creek). 

Under the Tulla. 

Another view of that tributary. 

Once again, under the Tulla. 

Some bridge or other

Ron Barrassi Sr. Park 

If this barbecue could speak, what would it say? 

Which bit would it speak out of?