Canberra

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To make the journey from Moruya to Canberra more interesting, Dean programmed the “shortest” (as opposed to the “fastest”) route into the GPS. 50km of gravel road later, we were back on tarmac – our bones still rattling from the drive!:-)

Canberra really is a nice city. If you like modern cities, definitely pay it a visit. Although it’s relatively new, it has an interesting history. When Australia’s colonies were federated in 1901, a decision to build a national capital was included in the constitution. At the time, parliament met in Melbourne but by 1908 this site (diplomatically situated between rivals Sydney and Melbourne!) was chosen as the location of the new capital. American architect Walter Burley Griffin won the competition to design the city. Walter certainly liked symmetry and geometric shapes, as is reflected in the road systems (think big urban crop circles) and the straight lines that run all over the city (eg the War Memorial, the Old Parliament and Parliament House are all built on the same axis that runs through Parliament House). They name many of their central city roads “Circuits” which we hadn’t come across before. There are also a lot of green and leafy areas which adds a lovely vibe.

In 1913, it was decided to call the capital Canberra, a name which is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning “meeting place”. We were lucky enough to be here during the Canberra Festival, an extended birthday party to celebrate the city’s 99th birthday. As part of the festival they have the Balloon Spectacular. So we got up at 5.45am to watch dozens of hot air balloons take off in front of the Old Parliament House. It was really cool watching the crews set everything up and spot novelty balloon shapes such as a kangaroo and a beaver.

The city is arranged around Lake Burley Griffin which has a sort of cloud shape and an overall perimeter of 28km. We had fun clocking up 19km of those on our bikes (at one point the cycle track stopped abruptly but that didn’t stop us).

Talking cycling, Canberra is incredibly cycle friendly with bike lanes all almost all roads. We were surprised, and a little daunted, by the bike lanes along 80kph dual carriageways. Not surprisingly, you see A LOT of cyclists in Canberra. And runners. And outdoor boot camps. Canberrans are certainly very fitness conscious and apparently a recent survey showed that 77% of the city’s population participate in some kind of sport, making that the country’s highest percentage.

We visited the National War Memorial, which is a massive museum housing everything you can imagine from the two world wars as well as the tomb of the “Unknown Australian Soldier” whose remains were returned from a WWI battlefield in 1993 and who represents all Australians that fell in the war. You could easily spend several full days in the museum and it’s as interesting as it is somber. I had to get outside after a few hours and felt incredibly fortunate to be able to safely walk out in the sunshine without any threat or fear. We take so many things wonderful things for granted.

We also visited the Gallery and the Old and New Parliament Houses. The Old Parliament House was in use from 1927 until 1988 and is now a heritage museum dedicated to the Australian Democracy. We saw the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister’s suite and various other chambers. I spent ages checking out a fascinating exhibition featuring every Australian Prime Minister and what they stood for, how they came into office, their family life etc. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I haven’t paid that much attention to Australian politics but this bit was really interesting.

The New Parliament House, which was opened in 1988 after a $1.1 construction project, is very different in comparison. Its architecture is packed with symbolism – from the Aboriginal mosaic and water feature in the forecourt which represent the island continent and its inhabitation prior to European settlement, to the use of European timbers and marble (complete with "Sean the prawn" fossil) which represent Australia's place within the Commonwealth, to the glass corners of the House or Representatives and the Senate which represent transparency within the government. Both chambers are totally colour coded (including the exit signs and the jackets of the attendants that service the chambers). Interestingly, the shades were quite different from those in the Old Parliament House. Instead of deep green, the House of Reps was a pale green to represent the colour of Australian gumtrees. And instead of dark red, the Senate was a subdued maroon to represent the colour of Australia’s outback. We paid both chambers a fleeting visit and sadly our opinion on how the majority of politicians operate was confirmed in the House of Reps… we witnessed what was basically a slagging-off match between opposing members of parliament about regarding taxes for small businesses. Why can’t politicians focus on what they are doing instead of spending their time pointing out what other parties are doing badly?!

To finish, we headed up to the roof of Parliament House to get some fresh air and admire the views of the city. It was funny being so close to the four-legged flag mast, complete with double-decker-bus-sized flag, at the top of the building. It’s visible from almost everywhere in the city; so much that we joked about it following us around.

The politics and rigid lines in which the city is built aside, Canberra is a nice gentle place with plenty of outdoor space, culture and art (as well as several galleries, there are abstract art sculptures EVERYWHERE). And the weather was fantastic! We couldn’t have asked for more that constant sunshine and temperatures in the upper 20s.

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