A trip to MONA

Coffin of Iret-Heru-Ru Egypt, Late 26th Dynasty, C. 600–525 BCEPulse Room by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (2006)Pulse Room by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (2006)bit.fall by Julius Popp (2006–7)bit.fall by Julius Popp (2006–7)Unkown person waiting and reviewing
The Memory Theatre of Giulio CamilloTumbuan (Body Mask) Middle Sepik Region, Papua New Guinea, Iatmul People, Early 20th CenturyHead by Sidney Nolan (1940)Candle Describing a Sphere by Jason Shulman (2006)Bubbles by John Kelly (2005)Danse Macabre by Stieg Persson (2006)
Mask Of The Spirit Panjurli, The Tusked Boar Tulu Nadu, South Coastal Karnataka, India, 20th CenturySkinflint by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1984)Barkcloth RoomBark cloth RoomBarkcloth: Masi Kesa Possibly Cakaudrove, Fiji, Probably 20th CenturyBarkcloth: Masi Kesa Moala, Lau, Fiji, Collected pre 1970
Barkcloth: Masi Kesa Moala, Lau, Fiji, Collected pre 1970BarkclothDoor Jamb from the Tomb of Nefer-Wenet Probably Saqqara, Egypt, Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, 2345–2181 BCEBarkclothUntitled by Jannis Kounellis (1991/2011)Hanging Man/Sleeping Man by Robert Gober (1989)

MONA 2012, a set on Flickr.

The Museum of Old and New or really a place full of crazy old stuff and even crazier new stuff.

One of my must do things whilst in Tasmania for Christmas was to go to MONA, sadly I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to on my visit to MONA but still I did see a fair bit.

It confirmed me that the detail in barkcloth is amazing, Sidney Nolan was nuts, you really can just take anything and call it art.

Such as this.
Queen (A Portrait of Madonna) by Candice Breitz (2005)

Stained Glass Shop Windows and Other Details

Having seen the Stained Glass Shop Windows that Mum has been collecting on Flickr. I took some photos of my own during the first half of my trip. On the last day coming through Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes, Tenterfield, Stanthorpe I saw plenty of good stained glass shop windows and the windows in Glen Innes were a stand out in the vast number of them still in place but I just wasn’t in the mood for walking up and down the main streets taking photos of the stained glass windows or the pressed metal ceilings or the shop fronts. Next time! I’ve included Google Street View links where I can so click on those links and have a virtual stroll.

These first two windows are on shops that are not very far apart on the main street (Marshall Street) in Goondiwindi, both a fairly standard swag pattern. The first shop also features a pretty standard pressed metal ceiling on the awning. This pattern is sold these days as Dancetti, very Art Deco in styling, this design is seen on shop awning ceilings all throughout Goondiwindi, Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah. I’m fairly certain I saw it in Tamworth as well.  The design very effective in the typical proportions of a shop awning (long rectangle) and not very detailed so I imagine it would have been one of the cheapest ceilings you could buy.

Goondiwindi Stained Glass Shop WindowGoondiwindi Stained Glass Shop Window

I don’t mind the swag styles above but when it comes to style I’m much more a fan of the geometrics of Art Deco than than the flowy, flowery Art Nouveau. The simple stylised arrow designs in these windows below are what I like, strictly speaking they are on a pub (The Victoria Hotel) so they aren’t really shop windows but still.

Goondiwindi Stained Glass feature

Now we are talking! Oh hello geometric! These windows belong to the Waynes World Discount Variety store in Moree (71 Heber St, Moree). The second photo is the front of the shop and there would have been originally a sign in the area which is now boarded off below the stained glass. I really like how the pressed metal ceiling has is geometrical like the stained glass. The design of the pressed metal is called Linfield or Labyrinth depending in you you buy it from these days.

Moree Stained Glass Shop WindowMoree  Stained Glass Shop Window

 

The final window of the this post comes from Mum’s new home town of Narrabri. These windows are on the building that now hosts Max’s Spares (85 Maitland Street) are so over the top and magnificent and just so right. I would have loved to have seen these windows back in the day and to know what was in the oval space. It may have always been plain glass but I imagine it would have had some form of advertising on it. I think that Max’s Spares should put signs in them with words like radiators, fan belts, gaskets and the like.

Narrabri Stained Glass Shop Window

Finally sneaking into this post is this a photo of a vent in the bricks at the Narrabri Railway Station. This part of the station was built in 1098 (click to read the NSW Heritage database for the station) and I would be interested to know if other NSW railway stations built in that period had the same vents. Just look at those circles and waves.

Vent detail at the Narrabri Train Station

 

So there we have it. A sampling of stained glass shop windows, a peak into pressed metal ceilings and lovely geometric brick vent to finish off with.

Signs to here, there and everywhere.

Uni started back last week, the painter has returned to the house and I’m trying to get back into the routine of work, study, play, eat, sleep again after the uni holidays!

A few signs from the road trip.

I came across North Star in an address at work a couple of months ago and when I looked on the map to see where it was I decided that I would be stopping in on the way to visit Mum. North Star, isn’t it just the delightful name for a town? I do think the town sign should say “Star of the Golden Triangle” instead of “Heart of the Golden Triangle”.

Welcome to North StarWelcome to North Star

If you’re on Facebook with me you may have seen this little ditty I penned about the Newell Highway. If you’re not, here it is.

Southward bound on the Newell,
Said goodbye to the Gore,
Cotton, the white jewell,
Covers the verge, it’s no bore.

South on the Newell

I love signs like this 🙂 I was sort of tempted to drive to Darwin but didn’t know I would make it there and back in the five days I had.

Which way from Goodniwindi?Which way from Goodniwindi?

This drive fatigue sign is part of a three part series. This one though about country drivers getting tired too made me giggle.

Those country drivers!

That is a few signs from the trip. I’ve got oodles of photos of buildings and op shop finds to post yet. Ornamental brickwork! Pressed tin ceilings! Gorgeous  Art Deco and Modernist shops, hotels, town halls and more.

Country Bakery Slices

After leaving Millmerran it was onto Goondiwindi where I had my first country bakery slice of the trip. The best thing about country bakery slices? The price. $2.50 in Goondiwindi, $2.20 in Narrabri, $2.30 in Gunnedah, $2.70 in Glen Innes. You’re hard pressed getting change from $5 if you want slice in Brisbane regardless if it is from an old school bakery or a cafe. The next best thing about country bakery slices? The variety! and the interpations of classic slices that leave your head spinning in a good way from the sugar overload. Oh I spent some time pondering the choices!

My go to slice is caramel slice. Some people judge a bakery by the quality of the vanilla slice. I judge it by the caramel slice. I’ve had a lot of caramel slice over the years and the two key criteria for a caramel slice is a base with some crunch and flavour in it (desiccated coconut is good here) and the caramel needs to be just the right colour and taste. Not cooked enough and it tastes like sugar and nothing else on the other end of the caramel scale if the caramel is burnt then it just tastes darn awful. In saying all that I don’t recall ever making caramel slice, probably because I know very well that if I was to make caramel slice, it wouldn’t last very long in the container as it would be down my gob pretty quickly.

In Goodniwindi I was tempted by the caramel slice, I was also tempted by the apple slice but then I saw the holy grail. Peppermint slice! Oh sweet peppermint essence. I don’t see many peppermint slices round the bakery traps any  more and I would much rather see peppermint slices than cherry ripe slices.

This was the peppermint slice in Gundy. Just look at it! It’s on a mud cake base!!! The peppermint filling is tinted green!! All up a pretty good slice as I felt sick and overloaded on peppermint at the end of the slice.

Goondiwindi Slice

The next two slices came from Watson’s Kitchen in Narrabri. I thought this slice was a lemon meringue slice (how good would that be?), it was actually an egg custard slice with a cream icing. I wasn’t sold on this slice but for $2.20 I wasn’t complaining.

Narrabri Slice

The next slice to come from Watson’s was the beauty below. Oh hello caramel slice! On the caramel slice score ladder this was given an 8.6/10. It had a good thick layer of chocolate. The caramel was just right in flavour but the caramel should have been thicker. The base was a pretty good base but could have done with more coconut in it. On the score ladder if the caramel was 5mm thicker it would have jumped to a 9.5/

Narrabri Slice

 

The next slice was in Gunnedah. I didn’t take a photo. The caramel slice  in Gunnedah didn’t deserve a photo.  The caramel was very burnt, so much so that I thought it might have meant to be a burnt treacle caramel slice. It received a 2/10. It was only redeemed by the nice base it had – nice and crunchy. I was tempted to get another slice from a different bakery on main street in Gunnedah but decided not to increase the sugar levels too much.

The last slice of the trip was in Glen Innes at Smeatons Bakery.  I didn’t like the look of the caramel slice and was in a bit of a dilemma over getting peppermint slice again or getting their Mars bar slice.  As you can see from below I got the peppermint slice and it was pure traditional peppermint slice – yum, yum, yum. I would have liked the base a little thinner and a bit more peppermint filling but it was still yum, yum, yum. Now, let me tell you about their Mars bar slice. I kid you not the slice measured at least 8cm tall! It was a Mars bar slice on steroids, it wasn’t the usual Mars bar slice, it had a  chocolate cake base!!! Yes, it was a chocolate mud cake base, topped with Mars bar rice bubble goodness and topped with a layer of chocolate. Next time I’m going through Glen Innes I’ll be trying the Mars bar slice.

Glen Innes Slice

Five days, five slices, four photos, a whole lot of sugar.

 

Heading west from the Toowoomba range to Millmerran, Queensland

This weekend just gone I took a five day weekend and headed south of the border. Well really more south west but it was definitely across the border. I put on a number of caps for the trip, I was an interstate removalist,  a fruit wholesaler, a handy person, a providore,  a general hand, a driver and countless other caps.

Yep, I packed up the car and went to visit Mum. I left Brisbane on Wednesday night and after a taco dinner (south of the border … ) with some dear friends I headed to Millmerran for the night. I penned typed this little rhyme after getting to my accommodation for the night. It pretty much summed that leg of the trip up.

Drove on the Gore,
It’s a bit of a bore.
Catching shut-eye in a donga,
Going to read about Beluga.

Of course, I didn’t actually read about Beluga but it was the only word that I could think of that was even close to rhyming with donga.

If you need a place to stay in Millmerran, I recommend the Millmerrran Village Caravan Park. Clean, tidy and very helpful staff.

My donga in Millmerran ticked all the boxes for somewhere to crash for the night and I had the best shower there I’ve had in some time, oh the water pressure!

Arty shot of autumnal plant in the caravan park.

Breakfast shot. The contents of that PET bottle? Orange juice squeezed by me (well perhaps the Kitchenaid), good hit of Vitamin C.

Cacatua galerita! Lots of them. These birdies were part of my first mass bird sighting of the trip. There would be many more. The size of this flock would be chicken feed to what I would see south of the border. Still, I do love a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. They are just such personable birds.

Bye-bye Millmerran.

From Millmerran I headed onwards to Goondiwindi or Gundy if you speak the speak. My stopover in Gundy will be another post, ahh sweet Gundy. Gundy was where the op shop deities started to shine on me. Oh sweet Gundy.

Props to you if you picked the source of the post title. According to last.fm, I’ve played this song nine times, I’ve actually played it whole lot more than that, the OCMS CD had a period of very high rotation in the car.

That sums up the first leg of my road trip. What I’ve not told you about is the fact that I managed to get lost take a creative detour both going into and out of Forest Lake on my way to dinner (all those darn changes to those roads) or that the cloud was so thick heading up the range and through Toowoomba on Wednesday night that I barely got above 20km/hr for that stretch …

Modernteering across Brisbane

Last Sunday, I joined in the company of about 40 people in a Modernteering adventure (a word to describe an “orienteering” adventure where the control points are examples of modernist architecture) across Brisbane.

The starting point was a house in Aspley. When I heard the adventure was starting in Aspley I knew it would be a good day. There are so many nice houses in Aspley and every time I drive through Aspley I go down another street looking for those perfect modernist houses or design elements that are scattered over Aspley. This house was one of them and and the owners have spent the last couple of years working on the inside and are about to start working on the exterior. My favourite feature of this house was of course the balustrade but I did love the soaring sloped ceilings and the delightful lounge area below the corner window.

The next house was in Ashgrove and was an example of a  extension/conversion of a classic Ashgrovian post war timber house with a slightly modernist bent. The wall storage system was just gorgeous. 

Next up was Tarragindi to a house that I would cross the river for. Yep, I would become a southsider for this house. It is a house that was perfectly designed for the site it sits on. Perfectly sub-tropical and modern and Brisbane. It had lines,  more lines and more lines so much so that I  just kept getting lost in my admiration of the lines of the house. I would stand outside the house or in a corner of the room just absorbing all those lines.

The house was designed by an architect as his family home and was built in two stages as money allowed completion of the build. The current owners bought it from the architect about a year ago and one of the best things about the house tour was that the architect was actually there to talk about the house, the design and anything else you wanted to ask. I spent a lot of time pouring over the plans trying to soak up as much of the house as I could.

The last house of the tour was in Carina for a house designed by Donald Spencer and the current occupants are the third to own it, the house is quite “Palm Springs Modern” in style and when you look at the other houses in the street it would have been something really quite out there and I’m sure that the residents of the street at that time would have looked through their net curtains and wondered what that house was. I can almost here them whispering “It has now dining room!”, “The kitchen is just two tiny strips of bench behind a three quarter height wall that backs onto the living room”, “They have to eat outside!”

It really is a house and a half and it seems quite fitting that one of the current owners is a Tiki Carver! I adored, all the glass walls which brought so much light into the house and the way in which the house just flowed from one room to the other and from outdoors to indoors.

The last point was lunch, where we enjoyed delightfully kitsch sandwiches with fillings such as chicken and pecan, salmon (tinned of course) and two others that I can’t remember now. All on white bread of course!

The tour was run by Chris at Australian Modern and it was a fantastic morning out not only to explore delights of Brisbane but also the chance to catch up with other Brisbane bloggers (Brismod and Carmel of the now hibernated Make Mine Mid-Century) and to meet a whole bunch of new people who all have a place in their heart for Modernist architecture and design in many forms.

I’m very much looking forward to the next MAD (Modernist Architecture + Design) house tour when ever it happens 🙂