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A Bendigo man with a penchant for park benches is turning the commonplace pieces of public furniture into a social media sensation.
Josh Ridge, 39, first turned his attention to outdoor seating while cycling through his adopted hometown of Melbourne.
One particular bench beside the Maribyrnong river was the first to capture his attention.
Hidden behind bushes and well away from passing pedestrians, the oddly located park bench made Mr Ridge reach for his camera.
Twenty metres further on, he spotted another bench worth documenting.
He was hooked.
Mr Ridge said he took pleasure in stopping to notice objects that other people might consider banal.
Park benches were also symbols of peace and calm, he said.
“It’s an opportunity for people to have a rest, a bit of solitary time,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to stop and smell the roses.”
Judging by the response his pictures have attracted on social media site Instagram, Mr Ridge is not the only person to take an interest in the public furniture genre.
“They (the pictures) average 117 likes, and i don’t even know 117 people,” he said.
With new benches always being built, Mr Ridge has no plans to stop hunting for new specimens.
His two-wheeled travels have turned up benches heralding from different decades and design styles.
A recent photographic expedition through Melbourne’s eastern suburbs saw Mr Ridge return home with 160 new images to share.
He has even brought his bench-seeking hobby back to Bendigo.
Homegrown public seating caught on camera by Mr Ridge includes an Epsom primary school bench made to look like it is constructed of coloured pencils.
Other benches in Queen and Hargreaves streets are also on his radar for subsequent trips up the Calder.
The look and feel of the benches also tells a story, Mr Ridge said.
“There are some that are missing some slats, they’re weathered and worn. People have sat there to make them that way.”
He has already taken his passion for bench-spotting to Adelaide and hopes he can investigate the styles of seating on show overseas.
To see more, follow @park_benches on Instagram.