Advertisement
Published: December 28th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Journey to the Capital
Words like 'boring'. 'dull' and 'uninteresting' had be banded around when we had asked what friends thought of Canberra, however we wanted to see what the capital city was like for ourselves. Canberra is 350km southeast of Newcastle and it took us 6 hours to drive there in Uncle Mike's car which he had kindly lent us. We underestimated how long it would take and left at 10am, hoping to arrive around 2pm so we could do some sightseeing. In reality we arrived at 4pm and by the time we had found parking, most of the attractions had closed. We had to settle for a wander around the shopping centre and a coffee instead.
We were spoiled in the YHA that we had booked - our large double room came complete with TV and tea and coffee making facilities. However we paid the price with a fire alarm at 12.45am on Friday morning!
Parliament House
We were keen to explore the city the following day and got up early so we could arrive at Parliament House for 9am when it opened. During our visit we went on a guided tour and got
View from the top of parliament
The white building is Old Parliament House and beyond is Anzac Parade and the Australian War Memorial. the chance to hear about some of the history of the building which was opened on 1st May 1988. Our tour guide took us on a journey through time from 9th May 1901 when Australia became a federation to present day. Canberra or 'meeting place' as it is known by the Aborigines was chosen as the sight for the new federal government because it lies in-between the 2 major cities, Melbourne and Sydney.
We were told that the design of the building was all to do with symbolism. Firstly it was built into a hill, known as Capital Hill so that it did not appear that the government was looking down on the population. The idea behind building it into the hill was to make it look like the population was in control of the government! It was possible to go to the top of the building and walk on the grass that lies on top which we did and enjoyed the 360 degree views from there. The length of the building was designed to represent a time line with a mosaic of Aborigines prior to European settlement at the front to the Prime Minister's suite at the back
Walking on top
Looking up at the 80m high flagpole. where future decisions are being made.
After the tour we popped into both chambers, firstly the Senate and then the House of Representatives. Unlike back home, both houses are said to have equal power although most laws are created in the House of Representatives. We were surprised by the lack of members in each chamber, there was only about 8 people in each debating on issues affecting the country!
Old Parliament House
Just down the hill from the current parliament lies Old Parliament House, a beautiful white building surrounded by rose gardens. We also went on a tour which was taken by a volunteer who was very knowledgeable and apparently used to work in the house. This building was the home of the federal government between 1927 and 1988. On our tour we saw the Prime Minister's Suite, Government Party Room, Cabinet Room that was sound proofed for private meetings, the Senate Government Party Room, plus the opposition rooms. We also saw inside both chambers, lined with comfy leather seats.
National Art Gallery
Once fed and watered in Old Parliament House, we left the parliamentary zone and walked to the National Art Gallery.
A guided tour of the highlights of the gallery provided us with a better understanding and greater appreciation of some of the art, particularly impressionism and surrealism. We also saw Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series. Our guide reminded Mike of Mary Poppins because she was a little English lady who seemed to float from one gallery to the next with great enthusiasm for the art.
Questacon
What a disaster - unless you are 12 years old or under I would not recommend it! Questacon is Australia's National Science and Technology Centre and is aimed at teaching children many scientific principles in a fun way. The whole place was crowded with school children which was annoying to start with, but we found many of the interactive exhibits to be simple and silly. The only highlights were experiencing what an earthquake felt like inside a pretend house and seeing caged lightening.
Australian War Memorial
This was brilliant and well worth a visit. Once again we went on a guided tour conducted by another volunteer who was superb. Our guide was a retired historian and was able to talk non-stop for 2 hours about both world wars.
On the tour he highlighted pivotal battles which the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) fought in and explained the successes and failures of those battles. It was especially moving walking along the roll of honour of all those Australians who had served in the Anzacs and lost their lives. The tomb of the ‘unknown soldier’ at the end of the walkway also stirred up emotions and we admired the beautiful mosaics around the tomb.
Telstra Tower
Prior to our departure, we visited the 195m tall Telstra Tower, a telecommunications tower northwest of the city. We walked around 2 outdoor viewing platforms from 66m up which gave great views of the city. It was very windy though so as soon as we had taken a handful of photos, we quickly retreated indoors.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.136s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0589s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb