Hi all of you wonderful Wednesdaywalkers out there, inspired and motivated to get out, get some some fresh air and sunshine for this great community created by the terrific 
***Try and get out once a week for a short walk, can be from your office, home or anywhere really and walk for a few blocks or a few minutes looking for things to get shots of.***
***Your walk does not have to be on a Wednesday I just ask if possible to share your walk photos on a Wednesday.*** an if yout oo would like to join in with the WednesdayWalk community a=to share your virtual tours with us then click this link to jump on in https://peakd.com/c/hive-155530/created
So I had a lovely walk in the 2nd and pretty much only warm day we've had since Spring started a couple of weeks ago and took my time, checking as much out as possible while I was out there, aswell as trying the fit of a few benches while I watched the world go by...
And came across a whole bunch of interesting and intriguong places, such as the Australian Hellenic Memorial which honours the Australian and Hellenic men and women who served in Greece and in the battle of Crete during World War II, and those who lost their lives in these campaigns.
Joining the allied forces on mainland Greece in 1941, the Australian Division was greatly outnumbered by enemy forces and largely fought a battle of withdrawal.
The Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation was established in 1996 to raise funds for a memorial in Kings Domain.
Many were evacuated to Crete with British, New Zealand and Greek soldiers, but here they were defeated in an ill-fated campaign.
As well as honouring the servicemen and women, the monument has been designed to embody the ideals of democracy, liberty and peace – ideals articulated and embraced by the United Nations at its establishment following World War II.
Representing an eternal image of Australia and Greece, the memorial is intended to have relevance to current and future generations.
The Hon. Bruce Scott, Minister for Veteran Affairs, and Major General Christos Tzaferos of the Hellenic Armed Forces unveiled the memorial on 2 September 2001.
The memorial comprises 12 three-metre-high granite columns; these create a rectangular space laid with basalt pavers with polished curved lines. This area houses a cast-bronze urn and a limestone and oikos on a bluestone base. In classical Greek tradition, the design is open, ordered and symmetrical, its form conveying a sense of contemplative calm. https://citycollection.melbourne.vic.gov.au/australian-hellenic-memorial/
And this, among numerous memorials and commemorative monuments, plaques, buildings and trees, is location in the Kings Domain Parklands which is a patchwork of beautiful parks and gardens, made up of nearly 123 hectares. It includes some of the city’s favourite destinations, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Shrine of Remembrance, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Government House, Alexandra Park, Alexandra Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens and the Kings Domain. https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/domain
The Domain Parkland area adjacent to St Kilda Road is a parkland landscape developed and shaped by its historic and on-going function as a rare government domain. The parkland's historic features demonstrate in particular the interests of the Victorian era, and its memorials show the on-going influence of the parkland's function as a government domain.
In 1840 the domain parklands was chosen as the site for the Victorian Government House which was once the permanent residence of Australia’s Governors’ General from 1901 – 1930 prior to the development of Canberra as Australia’s capital.http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/melbourne-domain-parkland-memorial-precinct
After sitting and enjoying life on the outside on this bench here (still in lockdown though...), I got up and continued to wander in random directions through the trees in the park and came across this unique memorial, which shows a deep and long friendship between Australia and Turkey.
The Australian Turkish Friendship Memorial (Seeds of Friendship) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on Birdwood Avenue.
The memorial also known as the Seeds of Friendship I believe is due to the story of the
Turkish troops who had felled nearby pines to fortify their trenches and only a solitary tree remained on the afternoon of 6 August 1915, when the Battle of Lone Pine began. It was to be one of the bloodiest actions of the Gallipoli campaign and one that still sits in the minds of many as significant in Australia’s history. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2011/10/lone-pine-seeds-grown-into-a-living-memorial/
Standing on a rise known as Lone Pine ridge, that remaining tree was blown to pieces as fighting intensified. But not before becoming the namesake of the battleground and a poignant symbol of the enduring Anzac spirit. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2011/10/lone-pine-seeds-grown-into-a-living-memorial/
It was built to mark Anzac Day's centennial anniversary and as a tribute to Australian-Turkish relations.
The first encounter of Turkey and Australia was on the battlefields of Çanakkale...
Allied troops from the British Empire, France and Russia landed in Gallipoli to secure passage through the Dardanelles, providing a naval route to Russia, an allied power.
The battle has created a bond of mutual respect, admiration and friendship between Turkey and Australia.
The history between the two countries constitutes a strong foundation to further strengthen and deepen their relations in every field.
The warm sentiments between Turkish and Australian nations were exemplified in the message of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, which was sent to the Australian and New Zealander mothers in 1934 and is as follows: "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace."
..."There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93Turkey_relations
Then I came across this marble bust of Nurse Edith Cavell on granite pedestal by Margaret Baskerville Born in Melbourne in 1861, who studied painting at Melbourne’s National Gallery School and Victorian Academy and later undertook private lessons with Charles Douglas Richardson.
Between 1904 and 1906 she studied sculpture with Edouard Lanteri at the Royal College of Art, London. On her return to Australia, she quickly became the country’s most acclaimed woman sculptor and was responsible for a number of major civic memorials in Melbourne and in rural towns, One such piece is her marble bust of the English nurse Edith Cavell.
This work commemorates a woman whose beneficence delivered her a tragic end, which is depicted on the cast-bronze relief panels on the bust’s pedestal. Edith Cavell trained as nurse in the late 1890s. In 1907, she was posted in Brussels to assist in establishing a modern nursing system at the Berkendael Medical Institute.
At the outbreak of World War One she was left in charge of the hospital and what is now known as the Red Cross. During that time she assisted more than 200 Belgian, British and French soldiers who had been separated from their armies, or who had escaped German detention.
In 1915, she was accused of conspiring to help prisoners escape, and was tried by a military court in Brussels. She was convicted and sentenced to death, along with four others.
Cavell was executed by firing squad on 12 October 1915; she was still wearing her nurse’s uniform. Her last words feature on one of the memorial’s plaques: ‘I know now that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred and no bitterness towards anyone.’ https://citycollection.melbourne.vic.gov.au/nurse-edith-cavell-memorial/
And up there on the hill in the distance is the the Shrine of Remembrance which I wrote about in detail a few days ago in the post in the #architecture and design community here if you would like to know more about this austere memorial here..@chocolatescorpi/my-time-with-the-monumental-and-moving-shrine-of-remembrance-in-marvelous-melbourne
And as I walked around the perimeter of the Shrine, I took note of all of the other monuments constructed over the years such as this bench seat.
Where I sat for a while to watch the humans and the dog frolicking in the fresh air and only 2nd warm day of Spring
Then as I kept walking around the perimeter of the Shrine, I came across this poignant monument called the Legacy Garden which symbolises the loss felt by families when their loved ones did not return home.
The central focus of the Legacy Garden is the beautiful bronze statue of a mother and her children. The sculptor is Louis Laumen. The mother is a widow and her son is holding a wreath to lay at the Shrine of Remembrance.
The garden around the statue has red poppies planted each year for Remembrance Day. The rest of the year the garden has red salvia plants. The flower beds are surrounded by a rosemary hedge, symbolic of remembrance.
‘Legacy’ is an organisation that supports the families of deceased servicemen and women. It was founded in 1923 and one of its early leaders, Colonel Sir Alfred Kemsley, was also a Shrine Chairman from 1978-1983. https://www.shrine.org.au/legacy-garden-appreciation
And then eventually as the sun set to the West and the lights of Melbourne came on, I slowly dawdled home, taking in these colourful sights...
With the Spire from the Arts centre lighting up to guide me home
And the body builder to remind me how slack/old/unfit I am and to give me some motivation/inspiration but mainly jealousy..lol..
And walked past to admire the floral clock in Queen Victoria Gardens which is positioned opposite the National Gallery of Victoria, containing over 7,000 flowering plants which are changed twice yearly. The clock was donated in 1966 to the City of Melbourne by a group of Swiss watchmakers. Behind the clock stands a bronze equestrian statue, a memorial to Queen Victoria's successor, King Edward VII. The statue, by Melbourne born sculptor Bertram Mackennal, was unveiled on 21 July 1920. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria_Gardens
And then I spied the Spire shining through the budding tree branches
And as I cross the road from Queen Victoria Gardens to the NGV: The National Gallery of Victoria, I meet these digital #featheredfriends
And almost mistake the NGV for being a colourful cabaret club instead of an art gallery
And end my walk as I round the corner to see the unique design of the Southbank Theatre, ofwhich I will go into a much greater amount of detail about in a later post in the Architecture and design community.
And as the temperature drops dramatically, I reach my doorstep after a wonderful Wednesday Walk through some of Melbourne prettiest and most iconic and historically significant parks and gardens.
Thank you so much for reading my post, I really hope that you enjoyed my vrtual tour and it made you smile like #makemesmile 
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And unless otherwise stated- ALL photographs, all media, material and writings, are all my originals taken by me sometime in the past few decades or so somewhere in my travels and as such, ofcourse they are subject to all international IP and copyright laws and I may have already used them for my own commercial purposes here https://www.redbubble.com/people/CHOCOLATESCORPI/shop And here https://fineartamerica.com/art/chocolatescorpi, So please ask first if you want to use any of them as we wouldn't want you getting into trouble. Thank you 😊
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