By: Mike Pegg

Mike Pegg — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:15:47 +0000

I wondered the same when I took this picture entering the expressway in Melbourne last year! Thanks for the post and info about the artwork!

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:12:20 +0000

woowoowoo, that’s great photo.

Michael, thanks for the explanation . . . and the local knowledge!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 03:51:06 +0000

The Cheesestick is meant to represent the Victorian Gold-Rush and the Ribcage is meant to represent the Wheat Industry of Australia. Personally, I find them exceedingly ugly and a blight on the local landscape, they are far too bright and modern. The area is typically Beautiful Victorain Cottages dating back to the late 1800 Gold-Rush era.

The Cheesestick and Ribcage were meant to create a frame for the City of Melbourne, so that drivers on the highway ‘felt like they were passing through a Gateway to the City’. Unfortunately, CityLink could not quite create the effect and as such the sticks are sort of on the side of the road and are more of a distraction to drivers than an impressive monument to Melbourne.

The Condom is also a bit pathetic, the airbrakes of trucks can still be heard for miles around (as the road is elevated and slopes downhill).

You can see a new housing development being built directly on the left of the highway (where the orange and white boxes are) which will have absolutely no protection against the road noise (unless the condom was extended).

The housing development replaces an old ‘heritage’ paper factory (visible in GoogleMaps until recently) which ‘conveniently’ burnt down. The new ‘designer european’ apartments were started almost immediately after the rubble was cleared.

By: woowoowoo

woowoowoo — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:25:13 +0000

one of my regular photo spots

By: Phillip

Phillip — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:45:27 +0000

Looks like Jeff likes the ribbed variety…

By: rob

rob — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 21:09:42 +0000

re: the condom