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Published: December 8th 2009
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Inland City
Goulburn is quite a pretty town Although Dave and I had finished our big road trip, I wanted to do one more little trip. Back to Canberra!
Now Canberra is one of those cities that people love to hate (Ottawa anyone?) but I really don't think it's that bad.
Last time I made fun of Canberra's many round-abouts, as it's impossible not to drive in circles. I also have to point out that some of their merging lanes are practically non-existent. You see, Canberra's a bit of an urban planning oddity, in that it is not one city but rather five town centers joined under the name of the ACT. Hence the funny street layouts. Maybe. Or they might just like going in circles.
Its nightlife is also spread across five town centres, with practically nothing in the Civic centre where the visitors tend to stay, which is perhaps why it gets such a bad rap. But there is plenty of potential and young people living there...maybe it's only a matter of time?
Anyways. I wanted to go back, to see at least one museum I didn't visit the last time, and to meet up with my friend Anth and his family. So we did
Detail
I love the little details on the federation houses a little trip to visit Dave's cousins, stopping along the way in small town Marulan to see the horses (and Dave's sister of course), and in Goulburn to see the Big Merino. Much to Dave's chagrin, I insisted that we properly visit Goulburn, Australia's first inland city. I thought it was quite lovely, and after wandering around the town and in and out of the old churches, we stopped for pies and coffee across the street from the namesake supplier of wool. Out of all the big things we've seen on our east coast wanderings, I think the Merino was the most impressive one.
And then onto our original destination: Canberra. We stayed with Dave's cousin and enjoyed great food and company over the weekend. We visited the Old Bus Depot markets in Kingston, and lost ourselves in the War Memorial. I had heard very good things about the war memorial, and I have to say I agree. The memorial is very impressive and one could spend days in there absorbing all of the information presented within the museum walls. It is a beautiful history museum as well as a solemn reminder that peace can be elusive.
I
Stone Church
One of the pretty churches in Goulburn also got to meet up with Anth. We quickly lost several hours chatting away. Being around old friends as well as Dave's family did wonders for my mood, and I highly enjoyed every moment of our Canberra weekend.
The rest of my Aussie visit included doing a coastal walk along Sydney's beaches, going on a whale-watching cruise (and having to borrow a card from the on-board photographer), taking a three-hour photography class in Hyde Park, and shopping in Sydney. I didn't like Sydney much the first time I visited, but after having spent several weeks in and out of the city, I discovered many new places and have grown more fond of Sydney. I still find that it is rather unfriendly towards pedestrians, but there are lots of little gems, such as Wendy's Secret Garden in Lavender Bay, the Paddington Markets (not to be confused with Paddy's Markets), and the cafés and shops of Newtown and Glebe.
Of course we also spent more time in Jamberoo, going to the pub, eating pies from the bakery, helping feed the calves on the farm down the road, planting gardens and playing barefoot lawn bowls and watching the local footy championships. As
Post Picture
Even the post office is pretty in Goulburn one does in small country towns!
Soon enough, my Aussie trip comes to an end...until next time, g'day!
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