It’s too easy to catch the train to Fremantle from Perth. Emerge from the station to choose: the heritage heart of Fremantle, signposted the ‘cappuccino strip’, or the Port? The Port wins, of course. The heavy duty work of the Port of Fremantle takes place further down and on the other …
Motor Car Montague
Montague, now a precinct of Fishermans Bend, used to be known for the legendary strength of some of its waterside workers. Daniel Monagle who died in 1962 worked as a coal lumper until he was 85 - one of the 'tough breed' . Montague was also known for the number of children living in each of its …
Jane’s Walk in Montague
The streets of Montague were the setting for exploring Open House Melbourne's 2017 question: 'What would Jane (Jacobs) do?' The thematic question arose from widespread concern and perplexity about the intensity and rapidity of Melbourne's urban change. Jane Jacobs was a meticulous observer and …
Battle for our Buildings
Some reflections on this Open House Melbourne discussion on heritage Emma Telfer (Open House Melbourne) with panelists Stuart Macintyre AO (Chair of the Heritage Council), Chris Johnston (Context) and Marcus Westbury (Collingwood Arts Precinct) The session left a slightly dissatisfied and …
Mangroves
In about 1986, Mark Adams planted 15,000 white mangroves in the mud at Stony Creek under the Westgate Bridge. Fifteen thousand! Spelling out that number, not just because it's so huge, but because planting into the slipperiness of mud is about as difficult as planting conditions can …
Gasworks Arts Park
Gasworks. Shorthand for a place that means so much to so many people (and their dogs) - a focal point for the surrounding community. It was almost thirty years after gas production ceased at Gasworks in 1957 that Gasworks Arts Park came into being. Following a long period of dereliction, the …