A closer look reveals a forest of exotic flowers, grasses, clovers, and insects. Here we see a giant bee polinating these South African cape-weed flowers. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to witness the Australian native bees, which are tiny and difficult to photograph.  Don't be put off by locals who may be uncomfortable with you looking so closely at their nature strip -- remember there are no guards in place to protect this reserve from flower pickers and poachers.

Next Stop: The Pantheon

Northcote's Pantheon not only boasts shrines to dozens of gods, it also mixes in a rustic market and keeps its doors open for late night worshippers.


Inside, a boy begins a ritual walk, unaided but watched.  This shrine of idealised African animals is believed to help trigger genetic memories, recalling the land of humankind's evolutionary origin.


An artist, sculpture, holyman and entrepreneur: the architect of this colourful patchwork shrine sells it piece by piece to believers and tourists alike.


No expense is spared inside or out.  Visitors leave their vehicles in an open air carpark filled with curious shrubs and flowers.


The orientation of floor tiles and pots are precise, forming a primative calendar, symbolising the movements of the heavens, and showing the advanced knowledge obtained by the Pantheon's founders.

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The three largest areas within the Pantheon are monestaries, set aside for these monks to engage in a ritualistic cleansing from material posessions.  These monks wear simple garments and take vows not to eat, drink or smoke while inside the monastery.  Here they aid in the continuous passage of material items away from their collective shelves while chanting scripted lines and listening to hymns.  The cleansing process is important for their spiritual development, and the young monks are full of hope.  One monk I spoke to revealed he was hopeful to be elsewhere during future weekends.

Guide to Primative Art in Northcote

Before the advent of a modern communications infrastructure, teenagers in Northcote would place markings to signal their arrival in a new area or their passage into manhood.  Authors of such works may eventually meet and form social groups.


The language found in this primative art is its own dialect, diverging from written English some 30 years ago and reaching its height of popularity in the 1980s. While it is a relatively young language, its has evolved fast, with each generation altering and re-enterpreting its aesthetic.


Unwritten rules exist regarding the placement of signalling markings. Those who mark a sacred area will find themselves alone.


To signal a readiness for mating, a primative artist will display his worthiness through a colourful courtship display, such as this mural.


The related textual markings of such an artist are believed to use the same written dialect as the simpler ones shown earlier, but his work is illuminated, using many coloured paints.


The advent of a public telephone communications did little to displace the need for the primative signalling. Unlike a telephone conversation, the painted signals can have a spacial existence and a non-specific audience.  As a result the two lived side by side for many years.


In modern times, the language of primative art has failed to gain acceptance in schools or churches.  With few younger children learning the written signalling language, and with mobile phone technology replacing its need, the art is quickly being replaced with a new technique which uses stencilled images instead of hand painted 'tags'.


Lacking much of the hardness and angst of their predecessors, the sophisticated stenciled signals are enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.


Using the language of imagry, the content has changed from personal to political.  These identical pieces disclose the artist's joy for the liberation of Iraq.


The modern technique is quickly building its own culture. Written in the most widespread and common local dialect, this piece encourages tourists and townsfolk to engage in communication through this new medium.  This anti-elistist attitude is encouraging a broader cross section of people to participate in the "new primative" art form.


A local store sells the many coloured paints used by primative and stencil artists. Most artists use black and primary colours, but other colours are still available for the larger courtship displays.

Venice, Northcote

Northcote is a captivating city of canals and palaces, and for many years an immense power; controlling trade routes along the Yarra River and the Tasman Sea.  Like most great powers, however, Northcote's glory was followed by a decline, and little is left of its glorious palaces. And while there may no longer be gondolas, this side-street canal is a vivid reminder of 20th Century Northcote.

Northcote Skatepark and Chessboard

Northcote's skatepark, where children learn the ways of wheeled transportation long before they are given access to motorised vehicles.


Overlooking the Pantheon, this chess board has players jump around in "L" shapes, attempting to place a ball through the hoop.

Getting to Northcote

Catch the 86 tram from Bourke Street in Melbourne City.  The ride will take 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic.