Canberra - Australia's capital for Easter

Sat 07 Apr 2012
Having collected my friend Stephanie a number of days just before at Mascot, we had circuited South to Club Coco. Stephanie was bumped from and over-booked flight, so the expected 4 hours in Australia was now going to be 8 days! Lucky, I was there to scoop her up.

Coco was not about, but I was welcome there with friend because of his hospitality and friendship. Armed with a newly purchased surf board, I was itching to fall off it too.

None the less, Stephanie was keen to see something inland, with a failed (too far to go) drive to the Victorian border that at least had us arrive late in the night in Canberra.

The following morning was a gorgeous day in the Nationals Capital. Down at Lake Burley Griffin. An artificial lake that came about in 1963, it’s a thank goodness moment a city scape that is otherwise a bit hard to determine.

Walter Burley Griffin was the winning Architect that designed the basic lay out for the national capital… the causality of Sydney and Melbourne's ability to clearly get support to be the capital. Build the capital in the middle of the two was the decision.

I had recently viewed other entries for the design of the city that were entered in the momentous competition. One very forward thinking comp entry had an airport for air ships right in the middle of the city! What a sight that would have been for today.

Anyway, they got it tide of right in my opinion as the buildings lining the lake in front of me did look stately, with the site lines over the old Parliament house to the new are expected of a designed capital… and the lake placid before me.

On the hill side, a gallery, and the Captain Cook monument… and interesting visual history for the avid sailor. In the distance a monument, and over the back, the National Museum of Australia.

We headed over to the National Museum for a look see.

The building is very modern, and the Wiki page reminds how a hospital or similar was blown up to make way for it. The resulting explosion was watched by thousands from what was thought to be a safe distance, but someone did not do the sums and a lump of flying concrete killed a child. Very unfortunate.

Regardless the new building is a very nice piece of architecture with a very oversized helix that goes into the building… The outside is plated with braille messages, the theme I can't remember.

Indoors it was great way to show Stephanie about the history of Australia. Through out the halls were records of droving, cattle properties, wars, inventions, the motor industry indigenous culture and art, and much more.

I would recommend it to anybody as an important way to visualise Australia's history via an easy stroll.

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