20 September 2007

In the Steps of Jack Leigh

Chapter 3: Grey Lynn, Western Springs

page 9

The dry-stone walling is wonderful around here.

A track heads back up from Motions Rd to the Zoo Car Park.

A karo (Pittosporum crassifolium) is in flower beside the footpath.

A massive concrete and stone wall hosts a network of vine which should be sprouting fresh very soon.

Here is the only-just-opened $4.6m 980m2 state-of-the-art vet centre, replacing the Zoo's former veterinary hospital. It has a public viewing gallery with camera footage (where appropriate) of operations being conducted on zoo animals.

You can find out a whole lot more about it here:

One of the things you notice along here is that the security wire seems designed to keep people out rather than animals in. Hmmm. Just who is being protected from whom?

Across the road is Western Springs College, the new face of the old Seddon Memorial Technical College in Wellesley St which my brother-in-law attended, (honing his emergent commercial skills in the running of a highly successful trade in contraceptives until he was sprung and shut down by the redoubtable C.T.J. Brooking who went on to be my first principal when I began my teaching career. Small world.)

In 1960, Seddon Tech was split into ATI (tertiary students) and Seddon High School (secondary students) with the latter relocated from Wellesley St, City, to Western Springs. Eventually, for whatever reason, Seddon's name was dropped and the school became Western Springs College.

What I do notice, however, a little further on is that the Western Springs College security fence seems designed to keep people in rather than out. Curious...

The ivy along the stone wall is lush and full of growth.

Here is the military division of Motat - the Ministry of Transport and Technology.

Still early days here. The tramway has been completed and the road through sealed, and the aircraft for the most part indoors, but much to be done.

St Kilda. That's across the ditch, isn't it? The back end of the tram says South Melbourne. Perhaps here we have the secret of the double gauge rail tracks.

We continue along the road in.

Too good for scrap...