Australia 2009/10
All images copyright Keblawben 2009/10
We move on from the seaside to the capital of Australia.
 A final farewell to Murrumamrang Bay |  ..and our unit |
 Our first priority was to have the puncture repaired |  ....and then a cup of tea, in historic Braidwood, on the way to Canberra...Oh and a cream scone! |
 Braidwood is a real colonial town |  |
 |  We hadn't expected the drive across to Canberra to be very interesting, but it was very green and extremely scenic |
 We found Canberra a very strange city. Totally planned as a new capital in 1913 , but lacking any character. The architecture was full of symbolism which may have been fine on paper, but living the reality seemed to be a soulless existence. It reminded us of the film ' The Truman Show'. |  For a capital city it was always quiet. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was carved out of the Limestone Plains, a region of NSW 280km southwest of Sydney and 150km inland from the coast. Its weathered ranges, quintessential bushland and untamed landscape are a perfect partner to the tidy city it cradles. Canberra, the Australian capital, is a geometrically designed urban centre, housing the symbols and machinery of a nation�s aspirations |
 Commonwealth Avenue Bridge |  Oh dear! Laurie has a fountain coming out of his head! |
 Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet A six-tonne column of water 147m high. Built in 1970 for the bicentenary of Capt Cooks landfall |  The King George V Memorial |
 As it says, this is the old Parliament House which was the seat of government from 1933 - 1988 |  |
 The new Parliament House is linked to the old one by a grass avenue 'Federation Mall' |  The Parliament House has a grass roof. It was opened in 1988. The flagpole is 81m high |
 The main axis of Parliament House runs northeast-southwest in a direct line with Old Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial and Mt Ainslie, Burley Griffin's original 'land axis'. Two high, granite-faced walls curve out from the axis to the corners of the building; the House of Representatives (east of the walls) and the Senate (to the west) are linked to the centre by covered walkways. |  |
 The view from Parliament House lines up all the way across Lake Burley Griffin to the Australian War Memorial 2.5km away |  90,000-piece forecourt mosaic by Michael Nelson Tjakamarra - the theme of which is 'a meeting place', representing possum and wallaby Dreaming |
 Entrance to the Parliament is freely available with minor security checks |  In the foyer, the grey-green marble columns symbolise a forest, and marquetry wall panels are inlaid with designs of Australian flora |
 We managed to get on the roof to see the grass and admire the views |  Gene's taking in the rays |
 |  The flag on the top of the building is the size of two double-decker buses |
 |  The inside is very modern. |
 We we were able to go into both assemblies and watch the debates. In the Great Hall there is a 20m-long tapestry which was inspired by this Arthur Boyd painting of eucalypt forest |  |
 |  Commonwealth Place |
 Walking back to the lake |  |
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 cycle racks |  Lake Burley Griffin |
 Our feet are on their last legs by now, even Gene takes a rest in a metal cushion! |  Quote of the day from Laurie 'Well it's not the sort of place you're going to find an Irish Bar!' .......Here we are drinking in King O'Malley's Bar ! ...even 'Indiana' can be wrong! |
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Tuesday 18th Canberra
Another day in 'The Truman Show'
 The city is full of sculptures and features, but very quiet. |  |
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There is an arch on either side of the road 'Mau fena Kiwai o te kete maku fenei' - Each of us at a handle of the basket. |  The sculpture was given by the New Zealand people to 'express the shared effort needed to achieve common goals in both peace and war and to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of the servicemen and women who fought shoulder to shoulder on foreign soil'. At the centre of the paving on each side is buried soil from Gallipoli the birthplace of the ANZAC tradition (25 April 1915) |
 Looking towards the new Parliament House |  Looking the opposite way to the Australian War Memorial |
All the way along Anzac Parade there are large memorials to various battles and campaigns that Australia have fought. The Rats of Tobruk Memorial. |  Vietnam |
 Australian Royal Air Force |  This impressive glass memorial is to the Australian Service Nurses |
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 Navy | At the top of the Anzac Parade is the War Memorial. It houses the Australia War Museum which we had been advised was one of the best museums in the World. It truly deserves the accolade and we found ourselves spending the whole day viewing the many spectacular galleries and displays, all excellently presented |
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 This memorial is for 'Simpson' who ferried the injured from the battlefield to the field hospital on a donkey. |  |
 The tomb of the unknown soldier |  |
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 The walls record every Australian who has died in war |  |
 One of the very impressive displays depicting a helicopter assault in the Vietnam War. |  With very tired legs (after over 6 hours in the museum) we walk back down the Anzac Parade to view the memorials on the opposite side. Borneo |
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 | An excellent day. Although we found Canberra soulless and something of a vast concrete plain, we had enjoyed immensely the two days spent there. The Parliament Building and the War Memorial Museum had far exceeded our expectations. |
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