Melbourne opens its doors once again with Open House 2013

I look forward to this calendar event every year as I like being a tourist in my own town. How often do you actually go exploring your own city, looking up at details of architecture, taking lots and lots and lots of photos? Well-actually, I do that all the time, but sometimes I see tourists get so excited about our city and yet others just walk along not noticing anything as we 'live' in it and take it for granted. Open House Melbourne is a great excuse to stop, look up and appreciate our wondrous city with fresh eyes and perhaps learn a little of its history along the way.

Winter solstice, longer days and new beginnings

A calendar year has dates that etch time and give reason to pause or celebrate. June marks for me two of them, the 1st being my birthday which is almost like a mini New Year half way through to stop and think how the year is panning out. Then followed on the 21st of June with the Winter Solstice- the shortest day of the year, but the one that is rich with hope of what lies ahead as we crawl towards longer days willing those Spring buds to take shape as we remove our heavy literal and philosophical Winter layers.

Melbourne opens its doors and welcomes everyone in

Last weekend Melbourne opened its doors over two days to allow the general public a chance to sticky beak into buildings generally deemed off limits-for free. Open House is part of a global family initiative which includes countries such as England, USA, Ireland, Finland, Spain, Italy and Portugal who all participate by allowing the public a chance to explore the architecture and forbidden areas. Melbourne Open House 2012 is in its fifth year and has increased in the number of buildings available starting with just 8 in 2008, to 100 this year. It is a great opportunity to appreciate your city's architecture, history and take pride in your surroundings by understanding the architectural work that has gone into building our city. For an architectural nerd like me, it is a highlight in my calender year, and the most photographed weekend by far. The only time I see that many photographers is in a room full of bloggers at a fashion event! But there is a great spirit of inquisitive minded people who appreciate and respect architecture, students, children, elderly, something for young and old, and a great place to meet people and chat in the long cues. You need a few survival items to get through the day which starts from 10am-4pm. First and foremost is comfortable shoes, as you will be standing and walking for the entire day. (My pedometer went through the roof those two days!)Next, your program guide and a plan on which buildings you wish to see- and a plan B when you see the cues will be too long, and of course a camera to document it all-because there is plenty! Then you need to practise patience while you wait to enter the building, but the wait is always worth it, once you see the smiles on the faces of the group that just finished the tour. You knew you were in for something good. I thought I would share with you some of my highlights- granted this will have to take place over two posts as there is just too many. Melbourne also put on one of its famous weather shows this weekend with heavy rain, sunshine and even a rainbow was thrown in, so in some photos you see rain on the windows, followed by blue sky and sunshine. That's Melbourne! I hope you enjoy the scenic views as much as I did- of course nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes, but hope you enjoy looking at it through mine! Enjoy!

The views below are from the 33rd Floor of the building 50 Lonsdale Street Melbourne

The views below are from the Council House 2 Building- CH2 

Look out- I can see the light- finally!

Last Sunday morning I was a little grumpy when I realised that the time was actually an hour later, which meant I really had overslept! Daylight savings had begun! And what a relief- apart from the realisation that I own too many clocks that need changing. But after a good cup of coffee, I felt reborn by the light that was streaming through, and continued to do so for hours. There was a definite shift in the air, and over the coming days you could see people enjoying lounging at outdoor bars and going for a run or walk through the parks. It was as if the winter layers had lifted, and we could all see the light and a positive road ahead. Summer!!