Australia Capital Territory: Canberra

The Floriade Festival, Canberra.

This weekend I set off to experience Canberra: the capital city of Australia. It is set up much like Washington DC, as Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory which is distinct from the 7 states. Canberra was established in the early 1900s. It’s location close to New South Wales is also interesting as at the time Canberra was established, New South Wales felt that it was successful enough to function on its own. Location of the capital close to the state was a condition of their remaining part of the country. Although the capital city is relatively “new” it was interesting to learn more about Australian government and the history of the country.

A tribute to the surf at the Floriade Festival.

My first day in Canberra I visited the Floriade Festival. This month long annual festival consists of numerous gardens – the majority of which included tulips. The theme for this year was Aussie icons with the garden beds depicting famous Australia sites, people, past times and inventions. Some of the “icons” included: the surf, Uluru, Tim-Tams (the most delicious cookie ever), the Melbourne cricket stadium and more! Since it was the last weekend of the festival many of the tulips had already passed their prime but the gardens were beautiful none-the-less.

Floriade!

Uluru in Flowers.

In the afternoon I visited the National Museum of Australia. This museum is a relatively new addition to Canberra but was fascinating place to go. I especially enjoyed the exhibits about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It was interesting to gain a larger perspective on the indigenous history, both past and present, of Australia. I have really enjoyed learning more about this aspect of Australia during my time here and the large focus of this museum was of extra enjoyment for me.

A view from Canberra. This is of the Captain Cook Memorial Jet that shot water out of the lake. I especially like this shot because you can see a rainbow in the mist.

I spent my second day in Canberra on a walking tour, exploring all of the capital city sights. I started the day at the Parliament House which opened in 1988. Because it is such a new building, the structure is very modern. Although I’m not usually a huge fan of modern architecture, I did like the amount of light that the design allowed in. The design was also neat because you were able to go on top of the roof (the building is built into a hill so the roof is grass). From here there were great views of the city.

The Parliament House.

My next stop was the Old Parliament House. It was built as a temporary structure following World War I because Australia didn’t have the money to build the real intended building. Although I thought the building was quite nice looking (especially some of the decoration in the main areas inside), close inspection of the building reveals the temporary nature of it. Despite these short lived plans, the building was in use for 61 years, making it quite the long-used temporary structure.

Old Parliament House

A Sample of Some Aboriginal Artwork at the National Gallery of Australia.

From here I ventured on to the National Gallery of Australia. This museum has an extensive collection of Australian art; however, I focused on the Aboriginal art section as it caught my attention the most. Not only is the style and colour very interesting to look at, but the stories that go with the pictures is even more interesting. It takes what appears to be a simple piece of artwork and adds another dimension to it, making the artwork that much more meaningful.

War Memorial

My last stop of the day was at the National War Memorial. The mall leading up to memorial is lined by several memorials to the different wars that Australian soldiers have been involved in. The memorial at the end of the mall is quite impressive. It contains the tomb of an unknown Australian soldier and a memorial to all Australian soldiers who have died in combat. The “basement” of the memorial contains a museum explaining and depicting Australian involvement in the major wars. It was interesting to learn about these things from an Australian perspective but I was pressed for time at this point and didn’t get to experience the exhibits as much as I would have liked.

Memorial Wall.

The Memorial to Australia and New Zealand’s Partnership. (ANZAC)

I spent my last morning in Canberra walking around part of the lake and visiting the Old Bus Depot Markets. The markets had a lot to offer and I enjoyed seeing the many crafts – especially some of the hats made out of yarn. They were quite intricate. There was also a really amazing musician who played the didgeridoo, guitar and drums together. He was quite entertaining to watch and very good making it an enjoyment for most of the people attending the market.

The next week and a half or so will be very busy as the last day of class is quickly approaching. I can’t believe how quickly the end is approaching. As exciting as it will be to see everyone back home, I’m not quite ready to leave…good thing I still have 6 weeks .