Darebin Council give themselves 120 days to respond to a fine appeal. I moved house in that time…read moreframe - too bad, they were able to find my new address via VIC Roads & summon me to count. When I question why they didn't find my new address to send reminders to, they demand you tell them why you didn't advise them you had moved - because telling a council who you appealed a fine to, months ago, that you had moved - is high on your priority list? So amongst the responses they sent to the wrong address, one removed the penalty reminder fee. But once they found me, they quickly slapped on the extra fee, plus a multitude of other fees - court costs fees & Vic Road fees. On the phone call to "customer service" (lol) they went around in circles unable to explain why they had doubled the fine - until later I got told these are the court costs. I literally got told that the reason they quickly drag you to court once they have the correct address - is that this otherwise they will run out of time to take you to court! When I laid a complaint, they tried to get A who tried to drag me to court to ring me. I said I don't want to be rung up & have a situation that I am actually complaining about "explained" to me. So they got someone called Y to ring me to pretend he was coming up with a solution. He dragged out a very long buildup, just to force down my throat the very explanation, and the very same "solution" - pay the fine and all the court costs and fees & charges - but he pretended this was brand-new information and a wonderful solution, when this was part of exactly what I was complaining about. Y scapegoated & severely criticised a young man in their council called H for telling me that they drag people to court once they find your new address so that they don't run out of time - but then he turned around & said the exact same thing! He then became cold & hard & said he couldn't remove the court costs - but they did in the end, only to reapply penalty reminder costs that they had already removed - and Vic Road fees. Still, I saved about $125 that they probably are out of pocket for doing this kind of stuff. Y had boasted proudly that they had taken thousands of people to court. CEO tried to get him to ring Y again to "remind" me to pay (in other words, strong arm me). This is how little emotional intelligence there is, obviously I was distressed by the man - so why get him to call me. So they tried to get his supervisor V to call me. I suggested we text. She did the same stonewalling, deflecting and threatening court instead of explaining why the raft of new fees were reapplied to the fine - that they had removed. She ignored my question and said "go to court". This is the interesting part - They have many elected councillors who sympathised and who told me to fight it. One told me that she had been fined for BFing her newborn baby outside her own house, that this parking fine business was absolute rubbish and an extreme reaction to Greens not wanting people to use their car. I said "look you can fine, but dragging people to court the minute you find their address is just rubbish". I barely use my car, but punitive and extreme measures are not going to encourage public transport use, they're just going to encourage resentment. The councillors and the mayor are powerless, don't think you are paying for the council, they are puppets and the operational people are unelected and run an autocracy. "Must drag as many citizens to court as possible and make their days as painful and difficult as possible and intimidate them as much as we can" Not "we had your wrong address, how do we resolve this in a win-win situation". Which is still a loss given how high the fines are & how little parking is available in Melbourne"

The Darebin Council City Hall is a pretty cool building. It is quite old and although it looks…read moredated it only adds to the character of the place. It looks very majestic next to the dirty shops on High Street. I went there recently for an arts performance put on by Roarhouse. It was held in the main function room directly in front of the main doors when you first walk in. The room was fantastic in terms of acoustics with a big high ceiling and wooden floors. The room itself has a seating capacity of around 600 people and is complete with a stage. The hall regularly plays host to all sorts of community organisations and I noticed a flyer on the community noticeboard in the foyer advertising free classes. These included things like yoga, which is pretty cool Darebin City Council - thanks! The toilets are open to the public and are inside off the foyer. They were pretty grotty and clearly aren't maintained very well. Otherwise the building would be a great place for a gig or meeting or to participate in some free or very cheap classes.

So I worked on this piece of writing recently whereby I interviewed a bunch of people from…read moreAbbotsford Convent about their ghost stories from the place. There are plenty. The main kind of repeated story (four people told me independently of a similar experience) is of a sudden rush of anxiety when climbing the eastern stair well in the main convent building. The anxiety builds to a kind of terror as the people enter the nuns quarters and has forced people to avoid this part of the building altogether. I can't say I experienced this myself, but there are certainly some spooky nooks and corridors in this complex. The convent conduct a walking tour of the place on weekends and though they won't highlight the 'haunted' spots, the place has such an amazing history (from Indigenous meeting place, through the convent and girls-home years, and into its existence today as a buzzing arts and social hub) that it's well worth the few dollars. Alternatively, you can pick up a brochure from the office and take yourself to the south eastern breezeway that cuts through the former laundries of the girls home. Stay after dark... I dare ya.

If you are in need of a weekend away but can't manage it then may I suggest a visit to Abbotsford…read moreConvent? The Convent feels world away from Melbourne despite its proximity to the CBD. There is something about the spacious grounds, historical buildings and range of eateries that promotes relaxation and escape. Maybe it's just after the battle to find a parking spot in nearby streets anything feels serene in comparison. When exploring the various buildings and grounds of the Convent you feel as though you are discovering something new. Whether it be a new favourite dish, a new piece of art in the gallery spaces or a new view of the Yarra. This space is very hospitable. It hosts markets, conferences, tours and you can also book various area's of the Convent for functions. On my last visit a wedding was underway and the happy couple appeared to be in love with the location, and hopefully each other. Grab a table at the Bakery or a spot on the lawn and write me a postcard!