Who buys novelty dog-face mugs? Perhaps the shop owner who has this displayed in their shop window realizes the impracticality of such a mug, which has such a wide lip it would be impossible to drink from. After all, there is only one in the window and it is dusty at that. In addition to all this, it is ugly! Who even believes such a thing sells? It raises the important question – who designs this stuff? Are they aesthetically disabled? What other stuff are they foisting on the world? Perhaps the manufacturers and designers of these novelty dog-face stuff ...
Archives for “Coburg”
Who buys giant tennis balls? Tennis balls in their original size work well – they can be hit by racquets without too much fuss, you can use it in place of a cricket ball for beach cricket and you can play fetch with it with your dog. Take these giant versions – are there giant racquets, or giant cricket bats? So what is the point of a giant tennis ball? Dogs like them and the giant versions are better than the normal size as dogs can’t puncture it. The Diadora website lists the giant tennis ball as an accessory (an ...
Who buys life-sized painted replicas of animals, like bears, gorillas and giraffes? All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things bright and wonderful, this shop has stocked them all. Once again we descend into the depths of décor gone mad with replicas of half of Noah’s ark on display. Animals are popular and if you can’t have the real thing then these life-sized replicas could be a poor substitute. But who wants a replica gorilla in their garden or a replica bull in their backyard? Who has the space let alone matching décor? Mark photographed this stuff in ...
A new, ‘trendy’ cafe has opened in Coburg! Does this mean we are finally getting some hip Brunswick overspill? Ummmm, maybe not. And, who cares? I first moved to Coburg in 1998, and I like it, dammit! Carpa is modern-looking, with tables inside and out, and a couch; it’s pretty comfortable. The menu isn’t vegan friendly at all (only toast available, perhaps with avocado!) but they do an ok coffee, though at $3.70 it’s not particularly cheap: Carpa is not Coburg’s only cafe, however. As well as assorted little places that probably aren’t worth a mention, there’s O’Heas Bakery, a milkbar-type place ...
Who buys figurines of Native Americans? Fans of Westerns and Cowboy/Indian shoot ‘em up movies? Not Native Americans themselves, as these figurines are trite and rather tacky. If you are ever tempted to buy one of these, step away slowly…. In 2001, the US Commission on Civil Rights declared that such mascots and logos using Native American images were offensive and denigrating to the native population. This was followed by resolutions of the American Counselling Association and the American Psychological Association calling for the end of the use of images of Native American Indians. Figurines are generally representative objects of ...
We are looking to lease a commercial property with attached residence in any of the following areas: Fitzroy Fitzroy North Carlton North Brunswick Coburg Northcote Collingwood Abbotsford Richmond Kensington East Melbourne Parkville North Melbourne Ideally we would like a shop frontage (retail) with 2 bedroom residence attached. The space is for a fashion business. On-street parking is ok. Our budget is $30,000 pa + outgoings and GST. Gem & Maryanne 0409 423 959 0431 536 806
The Broadmeadoows Care Bargain Store - located in Coburg?! - is one part op-shop, one part $2 bargain store. It's squeezed between the two Coles outlets behind Bell St in Coburg. There are some interesting pieces, despite the slightly grubby interior. I loved this 90s lace mid-drift top that was half priced on a rack outside and there was an amazing selection of gold droplet and button clip-on earrings under the glass counter at the front. The collection is limited because of the small size of the shop, it's a square space that has been partitioned off. I found myself ...
Blue stone walls witnessYet another needless deathPlease be safe at work
This small one-block pedestrian mall on Victoria Street in Coburg is a bustling micro urban environment is centre of Coburg’s shopping precinct. It is very popular, seldom deserted from dawn until dusk. Buskers have been making regular appearances in the mall and it is the location for two award winning sculptures. It makes a change from all the car parks, the major eyesores in Coburg shopping precinct. Waterfield Rd. has large car parks on both sides is nothing but an extended carpark and loading bay. Victoria St. Mall, Coburg The mall is almost completely full of tables from the cafes and their ...
So, we don't really know what there is around Brunswick(ish) that's any good for vegans looking for takeout or delivery! Any recommendations? I am especially interested in recommendations for Thai food, but anything delicious (and definitely has vegan options) would be good. Help me, internets!
This is Edgars Creek. Less pretty but more geologically significant photos can be found here.The creek runs 17km from Wollert to North Coburg, where it meets up with the Merri Creek, which itself is a tributary to the Yarra River. At the Edgars/Merri junction is a 6.5 hectare tract of open space - mostly parkland, native vegetation, and a golf driving range. Previously the land had been earmarked by VicRoads for the now-obsolete F2 Freeway project.Now obsolete?So we've got all this space and nothing to do with it?Let's have a party and invite the world!Alas no. The land is retained ...
Vote for Climate Action Moreland!Show how important local climate action is to you by voting for Climate Action Moreland at The Leader’s Vote for Melbourne’s Favourites! The Leader is gathering votes about Melbourne’s favourite businesses and community groups. Simply type ‘Climate Action Moreland’ in the drop down box and vote for us as a cultural [...]
Early Tuesday morning I bicycled to see the Moreland Sculpture Show 2009 at Bridges Reserve in Coburg. Although it was only 10am I was not alone in the park. Some people were walking through on the way to the shops and they stopped to look especially after walking over Kitty Owens and Mary Zbierski pavement painting ‘Magic Carpet’ (Ghost Chinese Market Garden). And, also a class of children from Coburg Primary School, from just across Bell St., were looking at the sculpture with their teacher. Kitty Owens & Mary Zbierski - "Magic Carpet (Ghost Chinese Market Garden)" At the entrance of the ...
“Come to Coburg and experience tradition” is one the lines in the Coburg Traders Assoc. tv advert on Channel 31. Coburg, Victoria is on the edge of Melbourne’s old inner 19th suburbs and the outer 20th century suburbs. A row of terrace houses on Hudson St. shows the point where cars started to influence Melbourne’s architecture; unlike the older inner city terraces, these terrace houses have been built separately to accommodate a carport. I have enjoyed living in Coburg for two decades. There is a wonderful mix of people on the street from little old Italian men in three piece suits and ...
Antonio Masini’s sculpture “Man of the Valley” is a gift from the Italian cities of Viggiano and Grumento. The sculpture is, in the words of Antonio Masini, “a tribute to the thousands of Lucanian migrants throughout the world and in Australia in particular. This monument represents the determination and courage inherent in the immigrant.” The 2+ metre tall, one-tonne cast-bronze figure has been given a spectacular location by Coburg City Council in Coburg Lake Reserve. It stands on a square concrete plinth located on top of a small granite cliff that overlooks the valley where the Merri Creek flows and the ...
Juliana’s 1 Sydney Rd Coburg Ph (03) 9386 3680 Juliana’s is a totally unpretentious cafe on the corner of Sydney and Moreland roads. It is perhaps one of the best located cafes in Coburg. Two tables in particular are perfectly located to sit at and stare out into the busy junction of roads upon which endless stream of activity unfolds. I find this particularly pleasurable on grey, rainy days. Having come to Juliana’s a few times now, generally in the morning for a relaxing coffee and read of the paper, it becomes hard to categorise the cafe. My first inclination was that Juliana’s is the ...
I have recently joined the ranks of rich people eating organic! My flatmate and I joined the Moreland Veggie Co-op and now receive a weekly box of organic fruit and veg: Big box o’ veg For $25 ($12.50 each), this week’s box contained: fancy lettuce 2 avocados 4 kiwi fruits 5 oranges 5 potatoes 3 zucchini 2 Lebanese cucumbers head of broccoli 6 baby carrots 6 beetroot (2 medium, 4 small) Although we’ll still have to buy staples like onions and garlic, and other ingredients if we want to cook specific recipes, for $25 that’s an awesome amount of fresh organic produce to have just sittin’ round the house.* Morelandia is great for cheap produce ...
Every second school kid from Year 6 to 12 in Melbourne seems to be studying street art this year. I listened in to a group of school-boys interviewing San Francisco street artist, Chor Boogie at the stencil festival for a school project. Chor Boogie was not taking any shit, a twig permanently clamped in his jaw, carefully explaining the subtle distinctions lacking in the school project’s simple views. Chor Boogie wanted to emphasis that he understood the potential in tags, even if he didn’t like them. I also got to speak briefly to A1one, who is very happy with his sales ...
Our chooks have gone off the lay for winter, and I find myself furious. When it comes to buying eggs, ‘free range’ can of course mean anything from a vast grassy pasture to an undersized concrete run. And the wholesome-sounding ‘barn laid’ claim, which the RSPCA has — to its eternal shame — endorsed for [...]
Just in case you haven’t noticed, the European Cup 2008 is on! It struck me that football is generally a very friendly affair here in Australia. We attended the match between the Socceroos and Greece at the MCG in the lead up to the World Cup and the atmosphere was unbelievable. The trip home on [...]
The campaign to save Coburg Olympic pool is still going strong. The campaign has a website here, where you can download fliers, get background information and attend action meetings. • • •
The following is from the Moreland Greens’ Mike Puleston: Moreland Council will be sponsoring a Public Meeting on the proposed East-West Freeway at Brunswick Town Hall on Sunday April 13 at 2.00. This will follow the Cyclovia, [pictured] when Sydney Rd will be closed to motor vehicles from Bell St to Brunswick Rd for the morning. The [...]
What larks to see Media Watch pick up on the Moreland Leader’s sub-editing issues. And following The Republic’s exposé on Coburg’s über-toilet scandal (see post below), the Leader ran a campaign to “stop the tanti-social behavior” in Coburg toilets. You what? Tanti-social issues are one thing (and don’t we all have ‘em?), but spelling ‘behaviour’ American-style is [...]
