Canberra: Australian Capital Territory

15 March - 17 March
Canberra

The Adventure Tours Australia (Oz bus) was a scheduled 4-day trip of the same group from Melbourne to Sydney. The beauty of the bus, though, as i mentioned in my second posting is that you as a rider are allowed to hop off the bus at any major stop along the route and stay for a longer period of time. You just need to complete the whole trip within 6 months.

So i followed with the group until Canberra an then i hopped off. I was second guessing because the group was so great. It was 10 English people and me (as well as the two tour guides/drivers). They were just a fantastic bunch. I bet they got back into Sydney and all went out that night to a bar and had yet another great event as i was getting drenched in the downpours of Canberra and sitting in a theater watching "The Constant Gardener" because i was too worn out to do anything else.

Canberra, for those unaware, is the national capital of Australia. It is located in the state of New South Wales and has been there for a mere 93 years. National affairs prior to this were carriered out in Melbourne (in the state of Victoria) as it acted as the capital. Canberra, therefore, is an extremely young city. The city plan was designed by an American architect, whose name i don't recall at the moment. He planned the city in a radial-type pattern around Lake Burley Griffin. This type of city plan was made famous in Paris and then Washington, D.C. was based on that also.


Parliament













This is a new Parliament building that was completed in 1988. The Old Parliament is located in front closer to the water and is currently being used for other functions. The Parliament building is located to the south of the lake and there is a WWI/WWII memorial and mall reminiscent of the D.C. National Mall to the north of Lake Burley Griffin. These align on an axis with the mountain peak beyond (see War Memorial photo below). Grass slopes up from the ground floor to on top of the roof of Parliament. This was done to make it representative that the government is accessible to all people. Access to along the slope to the roof has since been fenced off since 9/11.


World War I / World War II Memorial Building









This is at the waterfront looking south toward the Parliament Building. If you look close enough, you can see the flag pole in the bright spot under the footbridge at the center of the photo.

This is built-up earth with a building below and a void at the center to create a forced perspective and reiterate the access between the Parliament building and the War Memorial across the lake. I must say that i'm a damn good photographer too!



I have a ton of other photos from Canberra but i don't want to bore everyone. These are a good overview. The other really awesome building is the Australian National Museum. Here is a photo of it that does not do much justice at all. You really need to be there and walk around and through the building. If you are into
tradional buildings, this one will surely make you a bit unsteady. The amazing thing i found is that most of these museums in Canberra are free to get into. How cool!



The walkwalk leads north from the ANM and then begins to crinkle and curls up on itself. I had to get some sort of shot here.