Melbourne is a city of layers, with the bestkept secrets veiled beneath ever-changing skies
and polite façades. International events like the
F1 Grand Prix and the Australian Open tennis
tournament greet visitors with exuberance,
but the real Melbourne, like its inhabitants,is
less overt and reveals itself reluctantly.
From its founding around 1835, Melbourne’s
past can be traced in a fraying tapestry of
historic buildings, from the Victorian boom time
of the mid- to late 19th century, through the
Federation era, during which the first unique
Australian style was established, to the prosperous domestic idyll of the 1950s. Fragments
of that modernist ideal can still be found,
mostly in the sprawling suburbs, which have
now joined former satellite towns to form one
vast, flat mass of housing surrounding Port
Phillip Bay.
Without the spectacular topography of Sydney or the sunny climes of Perth or Brisbane,
this southern city has had to create its own
character and, in doing so, has developed a
healthy self-confidence. In the last decade,
Melbourne has thrived, fostering a burgeoning
creative force, which has radically changed
the urban and cultural landscape. Architectural patrons, both civil and civic, have become
increasingly adventurous, propelling the surge
in cutting-edge buildings. The contemporary
art scene is dynamic and innumerable festivals
fill the calendar. In every alley, basement, and
attic, enterprising spirits are creating holein-the-wall bars, multimedia galleries, collaborative design studios, and experimental dining
experiences. They are neither obvious nor attention-seeking, but they bubble away beneath
the surface of a prospering culture.
Capturing all of this manic energy on film gives
photographer Peter Bennetts a virtual all-access pass to the city. The widely published,
quietly spoken Bennetts shared his local favorites with Habitat.
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