Lake Wendouree, Ballarat
Posted in Ballarat, travel on June 29th, 2008
Lake Wendouree in Ballarat is completely dry, and has been for over two years. It’s surreal to see signs warning you not to swim when there is no water to swim in!
Archive for the 'Ballarat' category
20th century, Ballarat fine art gallery
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, art, galleries and museums, travel on June 21st, 2008The twentieth century collection at the Ballarat fine art gallery is considerable, with fine examples of the most revered Australian artists and some works I was not familiar. I’ve always been an admirer of Charles Blackman, and ‘Street Scene’, 1960 is impressive.
L’Espresso, Ballarat
Posted in Ballarat, business, customer service, drink, food, music, travel, wine on June 19th, 2008
The highlight of my recent weekend in Ballarat was dinner at L’Espresso, a compact cafe / restaurant / CD shop. By day you can buy from a diverse selection of blues and jazz and have breakfast, lunch and coffee. At night it becomes a serious restaurant that serves wonderful food.
19th century, Ballarat fine art gallery
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, art, customer service, galleries and museums, intellectual property on June 17th, 2008The Ballarat fine art gallery is an impressive institution, with well informed staff and a surprising collection. I knew that it is the largest regional gallery in the country, but I was still not prepared for the extent and quality of the works on display.
I’m going to write separate posts for the 19th century and 20th century works. The 19th century works on display were beautiful, particularly these below. Three themes of 19th century art are evident in these works: orientalism, classicism and a growing sense of realism.
Nicholas Chevalier, ‘Buddha’s renunciation’, 1884
visiting galleries and photographing art
Posted in Ballarat, Bendigo, New South Wales, Victoria, art, business, customer service, fashion, galleries and museums, intellectual property on June 15th, 2008It is curious when visiting art galleries and museums how diverse their photography policies are. The rules seem to be determined by how anal and old fashioned the institution is, rather than the preservation needs of the collection or the copyright and other issues related to the works and their histories.
In Australia the NSW Gallery has a clear policy displayed on its website and in the space on brochures – it is allowed without flash (this is very important). In contrast, the NGV in Victoria has an abstinence only policy. It says no photography at the venues but has no explanation on its website, despite having copyright and sketching policies.
Oscar’s Hotel, Ballarat
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, art, business, customer service, food, hotels, travel on June 11th, 2008
If you like art deco buildings as I do, then when looking for accommodation in Ballarat you find a restored art deco pub on the interweb, you may be drawn to try Oscar’s Hotel. It’s a deco pub converted into boutique hotel upstairs (13 rooms) and restaurant and bar downstairs.
Eclectic Tastes, Ballarat
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, art, business, customer service, drink, food, travel, wine on June 9th, 2008
I’m unashamedly an urban aesthete, and enjoy the cultural and artistic complexity and style of the inner city. I also love travelling, know that I cannot take my values with me, and when visiting other places cannot expect the people there to live the same way I do. Regional Australia has at times been a challenge for me, as the quality of the food is not always as good as what I normally enjoy. In Victoria, however, my expections have been challenged in a good way and regularly exceeded.
painting and other manly sports
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, art, galleries and museums, sex and gender, travel on June 5th, 2008
So this guy lived in Ballarat and this monument to him on the edge of Lake Wendouree tells us he liked manly sports.
Bibo cafe, Ballarat
Posted in Ballarat, Victoria, business, coffee, customer service, travel on June 3rd, 2008
I spent the weekend visiting Ballarat and Bendigo with my girlfriend, and we had a wonderfully relaxing time. I have lots of stories to post about the weekend, but I also have many Fitzroy stories queued, so for the next two weeks or so I will alternate the posts, one day Fitzroy and the next day Ballarat.