Grin Reaper

Scooby-Doo Gets A New Leash Of Life

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

So there I was, spending my lunch hour wandering around the 2009 Moomba fairground on the banks of the Yarra. Sunny afternoon. Huge crowd. Water-skiers on the Yarra. Music on the PA system. It seems as if the Alexandra Gardens are the focal point of Melbourne.

That's when I spot a familiar goofy smile. High above one of the stalls that is a haven for a game of skill is one of the ultimate prizes - a lifesize Scooby-Doo. I get a couple of tight shots of Scooby and a couple of his clones.

I am about to walk away when I realise that with a little manoeuvring and some tight composition, I can get a shot of Scooby wearing his purple hoodie - with one of Melbourne's most famous modern landmarks in the background.

The skyscraper is Eureka Tower, the highest residential apartment building in the southern hemisphere. The only reason I was able to compose such a tight frame was that I had opted to use my 70-300mm lens that afternoon.

It's hard to tell who was more animated - Scooby-Doo or the photographer.


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Beau And Arrow

Humour Was My Target Today

Canvas stall border at Moomba festivities, Monday March 9, 2009.

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Lunar Tick

Getting Ready To Moon You

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes images hit you right between the eyes because they are so obvious. But on other occasions, you need to switch on what I call your "camera-brain" to pick out the scenes that are more subtle.

I have to say this is not the best space-theme shot I've ever taken. While we're on the subject, you might like to check out my quirky photograph of a NASA astronaut while he stood on a suburban Melbourne street - clad in his moon gear. You can view the shot at Apollo 11 - A Giant Leap For Us All.

Back to the photograph above - it was really a chance shot, an opportunity I would not have seen unless I had my "I Am Extremely Observant" cap on. A couple of years ago I was walking through the Alexandra Gardens here in Melbourne. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and crews were clearing up the festive gear that had been used during the week-long festival that we call Moomba.

A giant slippery slide was being dismantled. Fairground booths were being taken to the next location. Various rides of terrifying proportions were being taken apart piece by piece and loaded onto trucks. I got some interesting shots before I suddenly spotted this lifesize two-dimensional figure of an astronaut.

It had been taken down from one of the showground attractions and had been placed at random in this area. Because several zones were cordoned off to keep park users away from heavy equipment, this was the best angle I could get on the shot.

You know what they say at NASA – there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Er, free launch.

Visit TNChick's Photo Hunt. Today's theme: "Space".

Roll Up, Roll Up For A Unique Festival

Melbourne's Moomba Celebrates Our Autumn

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

With this week's Photo Hunt theme being "different", I had the perfect opportunity to show you something unique, so I shot these photographs late yesterday. This is Moomba weekend here in Melbourne - and I can assure you that Moomba is something unique. It is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning "let's get together and have fun" although there is one alternative school of thought that says it means "bottom"!

Whatever, the bottom line is that it is a great big four-day carnival on the banks of the Yarra River. The Moomba water-skiing competition has not yet got under way, with Canadian maestro Jaret Llewellyn, an twenty-time winner of the Moomba Masters title, expected to be among the top contenders once again.

Moomba is always held on the first weekend in the Australian autumn, so while the rest of the world celebrates the arrival of spring, our days are starting to get shorter and the trees are taking on a beautiful palette of russet hues.

The bravest customers go for a ride (above) called The Slingshot - which produces G-forces similar to landing on an aircraft carrier (so I'm told). Let me just say that I am not a frequent patron. Am I a patron at all? Well, that is privileged information.


And on this ride (above) not only is there a height restriction, there is also a reminder that you need to remove all valuables before you climb aboard. No, there is no need to complete a will, but I'm not one to take chances.


Will I be going on this ride (above) which looks for all the world like a supersonic bumblebee? Er, no. Not negotiable.

The artwork here is very vibrant and I actually asked one of the construction crew if the artwork was ever changed or renewed. Yes, he told me with pride, in most cases the rides are newly painted each year. Obviously, there is no limit here.


Tickets must be purchased for all amusements, and this is one of the many booths that dot the area, to ensure that queues are always at a minimum. Didn't they have something like that in the Wild West - wasn't it called Booth Hill?


I shot this final image on my way out. As you can see, Moomba is on the south bank of the Yarra, with the central business district on the other side of the river. I lined up this shot very carefully to include the palm fronds and the high-rise office building several hundred metres away, in the city proper. The purpose of the neon sign? I guess it's to keep us on the straight and arrow!

Omission Control

Houston, We Have A Straggler

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

This was just such an unusual image that I had to capture it. The abandoned figure of the NASA astronaut was just one of the many scenes I shot during the big clear-up after Moomba, the week-long Melbourne festival that welcomes autumn. There was something forlorn about this figure, propped against a portable generator before being loaded onto a truck. I grew up in the Apollo era, when astronauts represented courage and the essence of adventure. It's always struck me as highly appropriate that Andy, the child ``hero'' of the movie `Toy Story' had two favourite toys, Woody and Buzz. A cowboy. And an astronaut. There could be no better embodiment of the American pioneering spirit.