could spring have landed?

(tt)  I went for a great walk today in a circle that took in Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Collingwood then finished in a small trek up Rathdowne St.
Spring is evident everywhere and the scarf I forgot turned out to be unnecessary.
Up until the end of the forties Melbourne was considered to be one of the finest Victorian cites left in the world. Of course the deco fever hit and carved its niche into the architecture but all in all the city and environs were almost intact in terms of 19th century buildings interpreted in a local way.  I have tried to capture this in the stroll I took.
Park St was situated on a  once a railway line. I think the station is now a home or two...or torn down.
Here are a few treasures from this stretch.

For you, Sheldon

Now exclusive apartments

Still Park St looking back the way I came. really garden proud in this stretch.

The aboriginal flag

This youg lady is called Bee. she was drying her recently coloured hair and meditating on the heaven bound journey of a possum she'd just buried. It had drowned in her backyard. She was a delight.

Emerged in Alfred Crescent, a once exclusive street that wraps aroung Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy.

Cop this beauty

  And these

A grass parrot ,metres away from busy Queens Parade.

Now I'm in Collingwood. Smith St which is home to a loat of fashion outlets. I said farewell to my busted Barcelona belt here and  am now girdled in fresh leather. "What happened to the old one?"

So glad this is still here!

Went up a side street because these caught my eye

This was some sort of philanthropic organisation

A double header

Establsihed in 1881 this was one of two grocery shops that became an empire across Victoria

When  I was rehearsing "Scrooge" in the 90's we rehearsed in a section of this old warehouse.

The old Sir Robert Peel public house

All the old department stores of Melbourne have gone with the exception of Myers. Foys or Foy and Gibson had its warehouse here in Collingwood.

Smith St again 

 In the mid seventies an entrepreneur called John Pinder

 opened a theatre restaurant called "The Last Laugh". It was a riot of colour both inside and out with mobiles and circus dummies hung from the ceiling. Some of us from the Pram Factory wrote a piece called "Back to Bourke St" and it had a season here. It was a  tribute to the Australian popular song from the 1900's to the 40's and was really a celebration of the mediocre!

This drab building is still a club and drab

Now we are in Gertrude St

This is Rose Chong's costume hire. Windy Hills (played by tt) in the now unfamous "Hills Family Show" wore a green velvet suit for his lounge act. It ended up here and is probably moth fodder. Sheldon and I hired our "Come and play with us" frocks for a halloween when we were in The Producers.

This was a vibrant and eccentric cafe with a lovely little cabaret room upstairs. All gone

Still on Gertrude

Once the two roughest pubs in Fitzroy

I will "do" Brunswick St at  a later date.

No not Paris  Fitzroy. The locals in 1975 would have popped their eyes

Once a pub

 Now

Kidneys are still being flushed out!

This bluestone has to be an original 

This is a tram depot on the corner of Gertrude  and Nicholson

The simply classic Royal Terrace

The Exhibition Buildings

This fountain was being renovated in the 70's.

Two friends and I walked past at twilight and the cement renderers had made sure that the little cherubs were remarkably  well equipped for their age. The next day all was back to normal

Caught a bus up Rathdowne St and had a coffee in this row

 All the rest are Rathdowne to home

Not a shop anymore but the signs are still there

A Miss Haversham

Another  little walkway of stores. Once there would have been a butcher, maybe a tailor or dress shop.

 This general store would have sold stuff on tick (credit)  

A uniquely Aussie gargoyle

That's your lot