By Najma Sambul
Why are there blue squares on Melbourne’s electricity poles? What makes the new solar-powered garbage bins “smart”? And how do you know if your tram has been in a prang?
YouTuber Julian O’Shea is making it his business to explain our city’s secrets, exposing little-known facts of our much-loved home to a growing number of followers on social media.
Julian O’Shea shares little-known facts about Melbourne with his growing online audience.Credit: Eddie Jim
A former international tour guide, the 38-year-old started making videos in 2020. Now a Monash University PhD researcher and lecturer, he has more than 200,000 followers.
“[Cities] are amazing places,” he says. “There is so much people don’t know about behind the scenes.”
O’Shea’s most popular video to date, which has more than 600,000 views on YouTube, is about collisions at the infamous Montague Street Bridge in South Melbourne.
“Every time a truck hits the Montague Street Bridge, I get a spike of views on that video,” he says.
O’Shea’s favourite unknown facts about Melbourne:
The blue reflective squares on electricity poles indicate to emergency services where fire hydrants are located.
Solar-powered smart bins around the city can hold six or seven times as much waste and have a built-in communication system that reports back on when they need to be emptied.
A golden elm near Punt Road, South Yarra, is the most popular tree in the City of Melbourne. Every tree was given an email address by the city council, via the Urban Forest Visual website, to help with maintenance, but people started sending love letters. This beautiful tree has received the most love.
The much-loved golden elm near Punt Road.Credit: Rebecca Hallas
An unofficial piece of artwork at the NGV fountain – a little fairy house built into the moss – went missing a few years ago, leaving the mystery of who created it unsolved.
The Southbank Boulevard Play Space looks dangerous but was intentionally built to feel risky while in fact being safe to play on. The park was designed for “risk play” to support children’s resilience and cognitive abilities.
The heritage-listed South Lawn car park at the University of Melbourne was used as a location in the original Mad Max film. It was designed by engineer Jan van der Molen and built in 1971–72.
The South Lawn car park at the University of Melbourne.Credit: Luis Ascui
Numbers on the front of trams can be used to find out their history via this website, detailing everything from the accidents a tram has been in to which ads have been painted on it.
The Southbank Rocks is a remnant of a small waterfall that was destroyed in 1883 after it flooded multiple times.
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