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Published: August 13th 2012
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Looking down Anzac Parade
Looking from the War Memorial over to Capitol Hill Last weekend I was basking in the heat, surrounded by the red earth of central Australia. This weekend I was trying to stay warm in the Australian centre of power.
Apparently Canberra became the seat of government because Sydney and Melbourne both wanted to be the capital and couldn't agree where it should be, so as a compromise they came up with Canberra, somewhere in between the two. And that's pretty much what it feels like. It's a funny old town, with massive big roads suitable for a Napoleonic army, but strangely empty of people or cars. This made it very easy to get around. I was there with Mum and Dad who are currently in Australia to visit, and Canberra was new for all us. We had hired a car, easily the best decision we'd made. So we beetled around Canberra in a tiny red Barina, feeling a lot like Mr Bean. Especially when I confidently turned right on one of the main drags only to discover that BOTH lanes were heading straight for me...it was early days and I hadn't become accustomed to the massive wide roads. I wouldn't make that mistake again!
As well as being
the seat of power, Canberra is known for its museums and galleries, so there's plenty to do there. So many in fact, that Mum boldly declared that she could easily spend a month in Canberra, although was to later agree that a month would be ambitious. First up for us was the Australian War Memorial, Australia's most visited museum. It is a massive edifice overlooking the majestic Anzac Parade, looking straight towards Capitol Hill. We took the free guided tour, which was brilliant, taking you through the various conflicts Australians have been involved in since the Crimean War right through to the second World War. It was very relevant for us Kiwis as well, as obviously much of it touched on our shared Anzac history. After nearly two hours we felt like we had barely seen anything. But we had more galleries to visit....
So next up was the National Portrait Gallery on the other side of Lake Burley Griffith. Not knowing a lot about Australian History beyond convicts and Ned Kelly it was fascinating to learn more through reading the biographies of the many and varied portrait subjects. Again, there was so much to take in that an
hour felt like a whirlwind. It was a really interesting place.
Of course being in the seat of power we had to visit Parliament. Opened in 1988 after sitting in the temporary premises down the road for 62 years, it was an impressive building. Dad's observation was that it looked like it had been built by Mormons, and that's a pretty fair description of it. We joined another free tour, and again it was very worthwhile. We tried to understand a little bit more about the Australian political system, but in honesty at the end of it I was still completely baffled. They have a House of Representatives and a Senate. Both have Ministers, both have Question Times, and both need to pass a bill before it can become law. How confusing.
I'd had some recommendations from Canberra locals, and one was to visit the Kingston markets, which happen every Sunday. It was packed with everything imaginable, from antique jewellery, hand-dyed wools, fresh cheese, childrens wear, paintings, hand made goats milk soap.....it was an easy place to while away some time. Next door was the Canbera Glasworks, which we also popped our noses into.
We made the
most of the car and drove up to the Mt Ainslie lookout (846 metres) and then over to the Red Hill lookout on the other side of town. As the names suggest they gave a great view over the city. All in all we had a lovely weekend away, and it was nice to explore a new destination.
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Brigitte
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ACT Porn Capital
Its also the porn capital of Aus, did you indulge??? ;-)