And here’s a video from the same event.
Make sure to watch with sound—I put some effort into this one!
There are a few technical hiccups in the filming, but oh well, what’s done is done.
Still, I reckon it turned out pretty well—if I may say so myself. 😉
А вот это видео с того же мероприятия. Смотреть со звуком - я старался!
And now, as the Monty Pythons used to say – something completely different!
These photos aren’t in my usual style. They’re my impressions from the Freedom Rally in Melbourne—a protest against forced vaccinations, lockdowns, and especially against our state government and Premier Dan Andrews.
For those who don’t know: Melbourne went through the longest hard lockdown of any city in the world. Police were arresting people over Facebook posts and even firing rubber bullets at protesters. Safe to say, people here have had enough—with a capital “E”.
But the protest wasn’t angry or violent. The vibe was peaceful and upbeat, with lots of families and kids. People were singing, dancing, chanting. Everyone was incredibly friendly and respectful.
Sure, Dan Andrews was the main target of criticism—but there were no threats, just loud, creative ways of saying “we’re over this.”
The crowd was massive—the whole area around Parliament was packed. Easily as big as last week’s rally, which some estimated at 350 to 500 thousand people—nearly 10% of Melbourne’s population.
And yes, these protests are now happening every week, not just in Melbourne but across all major cities in Australia.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/AN3074
By the way—I filmed some video at the protest too. Just finishing up the edit now, and honestly, I think it’s going to be even more powerful than the photos.
Chucked together a few random snaps.
First up – a garden and a plant shop. Bit of a flower fest, really.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/30uw18
Next one’s a glassblowing workshop. Couldn’t take pics in the gallery, sadly. The stuff in there was stunning – and pricey as! How about a vase for four grand?
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/XHi47h
And this one’s from the local market. Wandered around snapping stalls. Weirdly, it’s mostly booze...
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/128R4s
And yep, a flea market this time. I mean, how many ocean shots can you really take, right?
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/4ZZJ65
Да, блошиный рынок. Ну сколько можно фотографировать океан, правда?
No one knows how to enjoy a good sleep like our Koss does:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/tEdn3A
A forest full of birds and a sunrise sky the next day. Well, yeah... not exactly a forest anymore.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/79h95p
And you can’t go without the ocean, of course! I dusted off the old skills and made a little video. The colours turned out absolutely terrible, so I switched it to black and white and pretended it was some sort of high art.
I didn’t even bother publishing it on YouTube – the only way to see it is here, through this direct link:
https://youtu.be/wycxgiIo9h0
Никто не умеет наслаждаться сном как наш Коссь:
I get it – everyone’s probably sick of my ocean pics by now. Once this whole lockdown thing's over, I’ll get out and shoot something different.
But for now…
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/mh8pU5
Я понимаю, что всем уже надоел со своими картинками океана. Ну, вот карантин закончится, буду ездить и снимать что-нибудь еще.
And here’s a bush trip – including the famous Redwood Forest. Back in the ’30s, they ran an experiment here planting California redwoods. Turns out, the trees are still going strong. The rangers collect fallen branches and build these huge “dragon’s nests” – pretty wild stuff.
The river in the shots? That’s the upper Yarra during flood season.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/5g41C7
Поездка в лес, включая знаменитый Redwood forest. В 30х годах в Австралии проводились эксперименты по посадке калифорнийских деревьев. Деревья продолжают в этом экспериментальном лесу расти. Лесники собирают ветки, и выкладывают в огромные "драконьи гнезда".
