Not-so-marvellous Melbourne
It's hardly a secret that I love Melbourne. I generally consider it a well-planned city. It's certainly a town planning success compared to my former homes; planning often seems pretty much non-existent on the Gold Coast, Brisbane is hardly a shining light either, and Wellington is infamous for its narrow one-way streets. But like every city, Melbourne has its unpleasant side and its failures. Recently, one of these has caught my attention: the Moonee Ponds Creek. After all, the Moonee Ponds Creek railway bridge just north of North Melbourne station is an awesome photography location. It also flows near where I live, and I must admit that when I first moved to Brunswick West and explored the place, I didn't even realise that it was a river rather than a nasty open stormwater drain. It is an absolute disaster of water planning; cities are of course going to significantly impact upon rivers, but this is a travesty. The riparian zone has been raped pretty much to death, and the riverbed is fucking concrete. I understand the river was concreted to control its flow and stop periodical flooding. Because, you know, how dare nature do what nature does. Instead of building sensible flood protection, let's just pave the damn thing so that we don't have to deal with the natural processes of the world we live in!
Anyway, enough ranting from me. Here's my pictures so you can see this for yourself.
Top left: taken in mid-April looking south towards the railway bridges north of North Melbourne. Yes, that is the Tullamarine Freeway overhead. The roadway is built directly above the river. I bet pylons by and even in the river really help the maintenance of a healthy riparian zone.
Top right: taken Wednesday last week from Flemington Road, with the Tullamarine Freeway at left. Yes, this unpleasant, muddy puddle with silly pointy things is actually the Moonee Ponds Creek.
Bottom left: taken Thursday last week from the footbridge at the end of Hope Street in Brunswick West, looking south down the sound barrier between the Tullamarine Freeway at right and the Moonee Ponds Stormwater Drain at left.
Bottom right: looking north from the footbridge this time, with the Creek curving to pass underneath the Tullamarine Freeway.
Anyway, enough ranting from me. Here's my pictures so you can see this for yourself.
Top left: taken in mid-April looking south towards the railway bridges north of North Melbourne. Yes, that is the Tullamarine Freeway overhead. The roadway is built directly above the river. I bet pylons by and even in the river really help the maintenance of a healthy riparian zone.
Top right: taken Wednesday last week from Flemington Road, with the Tullamarine Freeway at left. Yes, this unpleasant, muddy puddle with silly pointy things is actually the Moonee Ponds Creek.
Bottom left: taken Thursday last week from the footbridge at the end of Hope Street in Brunswick West, looking south down the sound barrier between the Tullamarine Freeway at right and the Moonee Ponds Stormwater Drain at left.
Bottom right: looking north from the footbridge this time, with the Creek curving to pass underneath the Tullamarine Freeway.