The Eureka Skydeck, Melbourne

The bird's eye views from Eureka Skydeck 88 is one of the not be missed attractions of Melbourne. The Eureka tower is located in an ideal spot with ease of access by public transport (both trains and trams) and a centre location to have the views of Melbourne's key landmarks, scenes of Yarra river, parks, beach, Albert park lake, etc, etc.

A useful tip for visitors is that before visiting the Skydeck, look for discount coupons attached with brochures and handouts given in city circle trams and hotels, and don't forget to take student Id (if you have) with you for further discounts.

The Eureka tower - the tallest building of Melbourne

The East view from Eureka skydeck

The South view from Eureka skydeck

Another South view (near by)

The Docklands, Melbourne

Harbour Esplanade

Waterfront city

New Quay

Directions

Sunset near Ethihad stadium

Melbourne in night

Yarra trams, Melbourne

Tram is the most common mode of public transport in Melbourne and Yarra Trams is the sole operator. Melbourne has got the largest tram network in the world with 249 kilometres of double track. Everywhere in the city you can see web of cables powering the trams and roads shared with tram tracks.

Among the trams, the W class wooden beasts of 1950s are my favourites. A number of them are serving the tourists on the city circle loop offering free hop-on and hop-off tours around the city. I addition, three such classic trams are also operating as 'The Colonial Tramcar Restaurants' which require reservations at least one month in advance and under 5 years old babies are not allowed.

Classic W class tram offering free City Circle service

Z3 class Australian built tram

D2 class tram (made in Germany)

C1 class tram (made in France)

C2 class tram / BumbleBee (made in France)

E class tram

Web of tram power-lines

See also:

• Tour by City Circle Tram, Melbourne
• Album of "Garden City: Melbourne"

Birds of Dandenong Ranges, Australia

Grants picnic area of Sherbrooke in Dandenong Ranges is one of the best places in Australia for bird lovers, where people can closely watch and feed brilliantly coloured Australian King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas, as well as Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. In addition, Galahs and Long-billed Corella are also frequent visitors to that spot. The Lyrebird trail through lush green ferns and trees offers a wonderful trekking experience and the lucky ones get siting of Superb Lyrebirds if they walk without disturbing the serene environment.

Here are some of the shots I took during my 1/2 day visit to the park.

Australian King Parrot (male)


Crimson Rosella


Crimson Rosella (Juvenile)


Galah


Sulphur-crested Cockatoo


Long-billed Corella


Superb Lyrebird

Lyrebirds are ground-dwelling Australian native birds, and well known for their extraordinary mimicking ability of both natural and artificial sounds. Like Peacocks, male Lyrebirds perform a beautiful courtship display with their tail fanned out.

There is an interesting clip of Lyrebird from BBC wildlife hosted in youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y .

The Lyrebird trail

See also:

• Bird photography,
• Birding at Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and
• Birds of Melbourne.