The Maribynong Blenny

Sculpture of a Seychelles Blenny located at the entrance to the Canning Reserve in Avondale Heights.

When the 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne a series of sculptures of fish and other marine creatures were commissioned to be carried on barges down the Yarra River.

After the games many were given to local councils, and while the current locations of some of the sculptures is known, the fate others is a mystery. I have a fancy it might be fun to try to track them down and visit as many as I can find.

More information about the sculptures is available on the website Melbourne Playgrounds.

NOTE: If you compare the photo of the Seychelles Blenny on the Melbourne Playgrounds website to the one I took today you’ll see that over the past 20 years the Blenny has shed a couple of its fins.

Some Creature That I Used to Know

Jacob Elordi from the 2025 film version of “Frankenstein”, Gotye from the 2011 film clip for the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” (images from YouTube, collages by the author)

This weekend I watched the 2025 version of Frankenstein directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Was the makeup for Jacob Elordi’s creature inspired the film clip for the song “Somebody that I Used to Know” by Melbourne singer-songwriter Gotye? They do look strikingly similar.

It is also a song that has been played to death (but will not die).

Shandygaff

I popped into the KFL Asian Supermarket in Newmarket yesterday and came across cans of Anglia “The Real Shandy” (less than 1% alcohol).

Drinking shandies, a mix of beer and lemonade, was once common in Australia, but it is decades since I last heard someone order one. These days people looking for low alcohol alternatives have a range of low-, mid- and alcohol–free beers to choose from.

Unfortunately, the canned Anglia shandy is not much good — not enough beer. Try making your own at home instead: a ratio of two-thirds beer to one-third lemonade should be about right, but tweak the recipe to suit your own taste.