Advertisement
Published: February 3rd 2007
Edit Blog Post
Coops Shot Tower
Built in 1889 and standing 50m tall, it has been preserved despite demolition of all other buildings on the block and is now enclosed in the 77m tall geometrical cone of the Melbourne Central shopping complex. Despite standing in the middle of a shopping mall, nobody seems to give this building a second glance! After busting my balls, pounding the streets of Melbourne in search of employment and emailing resumes to any and every employer and agency possible, I eventually received one job offer from a 'work agency' run by one of the hostels (for a $50 fee!). The guy at the agency was short on details, but as it was my only offer I hastily accepted.
The job was to work as a kitchen hand at a cafe in central Melbourne. I turned up early for my first day of work and my new boss filled me in on the details. The rate of pay, $10 per hour, "good money" she patronisingly assured me (roughly four pounds an hour, and bear in mind that the cost of living is about the same as the UK here)!! The hours were a nine hour day (9-6), with a fifteen minute break only!
Being desperately short of cash (as usual!, and although the offer was a complete piss-take, it was the
only offer), I felt I should at least give it a go. What a mistake! There was easily enough work for two people, manically scrubbing dishes and pots, run off my feet for the
Southern Cross Station
Formerly named Spencer Street Station, this was completely redeveloped in 2002 for the Commonwealth Games and features a rippling metal roof and these weird structures! whole shift in the filthy little kitchen of the cafe. Despite being strong and fit, and well used to being on my feet all day, I was knackered beyond belief working my arse off for nine hours straight, trying desperately to keep up with the mountains of crockery and steel to scrub! To annoy me further, the boss would routinely come in towards the end of the day for "taking such a long time"!
After a few days of this ridiculous job, I was more than ready to quit. To be honest, as long as they didn't try to stiff me on the pay for the hours I had already worked, I didn't give a shit! Licke clockwork, the boss comes in at the end of the day, and starts ranting to me about how she can't find anyone to do this job that "knows what they are doing". I coldly retorted, that "for ten dollars an hour, you are lucky you can find anybody that speaks English". She seemed slightly taken aback by this but tried to justify her slavemongering by telling me that "you can't expect to earn megabucks, you
are on holiday". (Obviously the word 'megabucks'
'Cow Up A Tree', Victoria Harbour
An eight metre tall abstract scuplture on the waterfront! must be the Australian term for 'minimum wage'!) I tried to explain that someone on a working holiday visa should actually be entitled to minimum wage and legal working hours and that the only the people that would take this job would be those desperate for cash (me!), or those with little or no understanding of English / employment laws (Asian backpackers and illegal immigrants). I concluded that the word that could be best used to describe these employment terms was 'exploitation', and that it was not only illegal, but also immoral. I received my pay in full and left her employment!
As a man of leisure again, I decided that I should wander this city looking for some interesting photographs (a cheap way of keeping myself amused!). I have gained an ever increasing interest in photography, spurred on by keeping the blog looking good, and recently I've read and digested a few good books on the subject. This has increased my technical knowledge greatly, but the very obvious limitations of my point and shoot digital camera have become more apparent. I rarely get the stunning results I would like, but at least I now understand the technical limitations
Shakespeare Window, State Library
Created in the 1860's and installed in a theatre, this was later contraversially removed to the house of the man that comissioned the window causing an argument that was resolved a year later when the theatre burned down! It now lives up inside the top of the dome at the State Library. and reasons why. Definately need to invest in a D-SLR and a couple of quality lenses when I get back to the UK!
One of the best places to photograph here for me was around the newly developed Melbourne Docklands. Surrounding Victoria Harbour is a visual cacophony of modern architecture and abstract sculpture, so many elements in one place that it is hard to work out what to include or leave out of a picture! You have the harbour with its ubiquitous bridge carrying a freeway over the water, the boats and yachts - toys for the fantastically wealthy, surrounded by modern buildings, all competing for the eye and multiplying as the development surges forward. To add to this you have the imposing Telstra Dome watching over the harbour, fronted by abstract pieces at the waters edge, the eight metre tall 'Cow Up A Tree' and a thing of metal resembling a mess of tangled wire, coupled with a variety of boardwalk, paving, pathway, road and tramlines.
I still have a few more things to do and plenty more time before leaving Melbourne, and it is nice to be relatively settled having a room in a shared house
State Library
Built 1854, the library contains over 1.5 million books and 16,000 serials, including the diaries of the city's founders, John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, as well as the folios of Captain James Cook. for a month (my first time
not in a communal dorm in what feels like forever!). It makes me realise that I've been away eleven months so far, time is nearly up, but I have a long way to go yet. March is going to be a busy, busy month for me, with time spent in New Zealand, Fiji, Los Angeles and New York before gliding back down to London Heathrow and the grim reality of home!! ;-)
On that happy note, I'll end this blog for today. More to come soon! 😊
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0299s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
pianosupernova
Lucy Hewes
Cow in a tree...
Now that is strange...that cow in a tree was at Glastonbury festival! It has to be the same one, they're too similar not to be. I can't believe it was all the way in Australia a few months ago! I have a picture of it on my blog. Classic.