Melbourne Gathering Soon?

[Joachim_I]

Botanical Gardens, Saturday 27th, is fine for me. I am looking forward to it.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Down by the darkened room,
The old lensman stands,
Setting the camera with his small bony hands
Looks out upon the cityscape with red eyes all aflame,
There's another APUG meet, yep, here we go again...

[.]
Click go the cameras,
Click! Click! Click!
Wide is their formats and their footsteps slick
Down amidst city gritty and the tumble and the spill
He looks up around for company and sees upon the hill—
Mick and Munz and Nige too, and SMBooth in wings
Joachim_I and Wotalegend, altogether rings:
Missed the thread in the daily grind then quickly caught the drift:
"Put my name down and I'll be there in short-shrift!"

[ .chorus. ]

I'm in!! But not 7-8 or 13th Feb (Mumsy's 90th).

Thanks to Shane for the bump...

 

[paul ewins]

Looks like 27th will be fine for me, too.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Saturday 27th is free for me.

 

[Wyno]

Hi Shane,
count me in for the 27th. What time at the cafe?

Gary,
are you going up by train or by car?
Mike

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Mike,
What car (in the present)!?
Bertha Big Wheels has broken her fuel pump. Carted off to Hospital at 1300 today, due back tomorrow same time. Good thing she broke down here and not hundreds of kms from home...

Want to bring my Pinhole + Brutus so maybe car? Certainly not Daisy the MTB.

What café is being referred to?

 

[Wyno]

Gary,
I think it's the cafe in the Botanical Gardens, at least that what I assumed. I could be wrong. If it's not a weekend where Jenni needs my car, I thought you might want to come up with me. I'll find out for sure and let you know.
Mike

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Very good Mike.
But... huh? A café in the gardens botanical?? :confused:
That's news to me, even as I lived in Tivoli Road South Yarra for a while years ago. Where exactly??

Sweet idea to share the chariot with you. We'll sort it out closer to that date. I'm not taking either of the bikes, nor moving around solely on foot, so car will have to be. Of course I'd be happy to reciprocate with you by making a seat available if the Miss wants the car herself!

Got any of your colour images of central Australian sortie printed? Would love to see them.

 

[SMBooth]

Cafe is in middle of park, properly surrounded by shiny bikes and middle aged men in Lycra.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Trés fab, Boots, but I'm not going to this knees-up on a shiny bike as a middle-aged man in lyrcra (I can't possibly be middle-aged when I feel 12...). I'm going in a chariot (to be determined later).

 

[w9cae]

An FYI on the park for saturday your going to have to feed parking meters. But if you change to sunday there is lots of free parking in that area. Just my 20 cents.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Parking meters!!?
Eugh and ugh.
Maybe I will have to go on a shiny bike as a middle-aged man in lycra, LOL!!!

 

[w9cae]

Sunday's isnt free parking all over CBD just some places.

 

[patricia de roeck]

Can't make it, there are no cheap (well, not cheap enough) fares that day and not able to use my gazillion FF points either - hope you all have a great day with civilized temperatures. Yes Mick, have built an exact replica of my old darkroom, I think I measured 40 times and cut once as they say! Now on Plan C trying to light-proof the door though - will start to stress when I get to Plan R I guess.
Cheers, Patricia

 

[SMBooth]

That's a pity Patricia.
Scott: use public transport, or park at nearby railway (nth Melb) and train the last bit

 

[OldBikerPete]

Saturday 27th at Botanical Gardens Cafe - Yew Bewdy!

But wot time are we talking - 6AM? 9, 10AM? 12Noon?

I can make any of those times but 9 or 10AM is my preference.

 

[Mick Fagan]

By the time that date comes around, dawn will be around 0600 hrs, so anytime after that is alright with me.

Tis a bit easier to find car spaces at that hour as well!

Mick.

 

[Molli]

According to the Garden's website, they don't open 'til 7:30am but I'm sure none of you would have any trouble filling in time if you got into the city earlier than that.
Also, are we talking about the Observatory Cafè here on Birdwood Avenue? Just checking as I don't know the area at all.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Yes, I am confused too and some clarification of which café by name and precise location would be better than poking a stick in the air.

 

[wotalegend]

I would have thought that it's the cafe inside the gardens by the lake.

And we are not seriously talking 7:30 AM are we?

 

[SMBooth]

There is only one cafe in the park, it called "The Terrace" and its 'IN' the park. I was thinking of getting there around 9.00am.

 

[w9cae]

Foggy sunrise in the park could be fun maybe a 5 am start would be better ?

Over on St Kilda Rd some of the side streets have free saturday parking & most places with meters around the CBD your good till 8 am.

 

[Oxleyroad]

I am glad I did not respond sooner with 'I'll be there.' It has been nagging me this date and could not for the life of me work out why. Better half's b'day. So I will say if I can get an hour or two, I would like to show my face. Otherwise I will have to wait it out until next gathering. Hopefully I have finished rebuilding my full plate camera, and will be able to show it off.

If I don't see anyone there trust the weather is everything it needs to be.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Wandering back after one of my trademark "Bloody Good Tour!" outings...
Hmm? What's with the mention of dawn or very early turn-out in the Botanical Gardens, one of the most heavily domesticated precincts in Melbourne with all the cars and people and visual noise? Maybe we should experience dawn in a rainforest, preferably during a downpour with the sunrays bursting through immediately afterward? Anyways, 10.30am-11.00-ish is my turn-up unless Tachihara Mike has an earlier carpool planned...

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Speaking of gatherings, who would be interested in a Labour Day long weekend (6-7-8th March) Walk-Talk-&-Gawk to Melville Caves / Kooyoora State Park?
From my base in Geelong, 'The Caves' are 209km via Ballarat, Maryborough and Dunolly. Granite boulders, tors, erratics, views and if there is any interest in an overnight walk, a strike-out to the Sunday Morning Hills, Mount Kooyoora or Mount Brenenah.

This winter I'll be returning to some favourite deep green myrtle glooms in the Great Otway National Park, plus some little chestnuts that were unfortunately missed last season. First walk in early June!