A weekend in Canberra

After our last family filled weekend I had a very quiet week with Bill away so I was looking forward to catching that plane on Friday for our weekend in Canberra.  I had the whole day off so did the usual boring things before I left for the airport.  Housework and washing took care of most of the morning then I even managed to fit a little clothes shopping in as well - that bit was not boring.

The flight to Canberra left a little late but the pilot must have come straight from the Airshow I think as we sped towards our destination at speeds I can only imagine.  Once in the air on a plane I never really 'feel the speed' but this flight felt incredibly fast the entire way.  And the landing - Oh My God - he sped in getting lower and lower and then we hit the ground with a bump still at high speed and I just wonder how the plane didn't stand on it's nose when he applied the brakes.  Perhaps he was late for dinner! 

Bill was out on Friday night at a function and Lesley met me at the airport and took me to the National Press Club for a much needed glass of bubbles.  It was great to see her again and we had lots to catch up on.  We stayed there for dinner and enjoyed our evening together.  She then drove me to my home for the weekend and left me to wait for Bill and consult the tourist guides to plan our weekend.  The Mecure was an old hotel that has had a makeover and now has lovely modern rooms and very comfy beds.  Bill arrived home soon after and it wasn't long before we were both in the land of nod resting up for the next day's adventures.

Saturday morning was bright and sunny but a little chilly and our first stop was The Walk to find a cafe for breakfast.  We wandered along the very quiet streets watching Canberra's city centre come to life and admired the street art along the way.

Once our breakfast was finished we drove up to the Mount Ainslie lookout to see the view over Canberra.  It was a lovely clear autumn day and we were able to see Lake Burley Griffin, many of Canberra's national attractions and the mountain ranges surrounding the city. You can great views of the Australian War Memorial, Anzac Parade and Parliament House from this viewpoint.  As it was autumn it was easy to see how Red Hill got it's name with the beautiful red leaves on the trees in the distance.

Leaving here our next stop was the National War Memorial where we spent the next few hours wandering through the many rooms, displays and stories of Australians at war.  With only 3 hours there we have not done it justice and it will definitely be a place we return too.  We spent most of our time in  whole rooms dedicated to the First World War and the Second World War before taking a quicker look at the more recent Vietnam War.  There are many life size exhibits you can walk through showing life in the trenches, life on board submarines and helicopter flights.  The flight simulator of the bomber is an amazing experience and you can only imagine how awful it must have been in those days. 

We saw the wonderful photographic exhibition, Remember Me - The Lost Diggers of Vignacourt.  Taken by Louis and Antoinette Thuillier they were found some years ago in an attic of a dilapidated farm house located in the small French Village and donated to Australia by a niece.  These were later bought by Kerry Stokes and donated to the War Memorial.  There are some wonderful pictures and I believe many of the soldiers have been identified though some still remain anonymous.

Dragging ourselves away from the War Memorial we drove across to the National Museum where we met Leslie for an afternoon exploring the Glorious Days exhibition.  It was fun looking at how things were done in the early 1900's and Lesley and I are still wondering how one plays tennis in a long white dress, petticoats, corsets and a hat!   We called in at Lesley's place before going out for dinner at the Hellenic Club where we had a lovely dinner and lots of catching up before heading home to our respective beds.  It had been a wonderful day.

The next morning we started at the War Memorial again but this time only looked at the monuments in the gardens outside.  Our next stop was Parliament House where we spent a couple of hours exploring   this wonderful building.  It certainly is a spectacular sight both inside and outside.  The Tapestry inside the great Hall is an amazing work of art based on Arthur Boyd's painting Shoalhaven Landscape.  A little further along we found the original painting hanging in the hall and they are both beautiful to see in this spectacular setting.  Other artwork in the building was lovely to and it was great to see the Tom Roberts painting called the Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia by H R H the Duke of Cornwall and York.  (phew, what a title).  Now it is mostly known as the Big Picture.

We had a look at The Senate and The House of Representatives before heading up to the rooftop balconies and taking in the view from under the iconic flagpole.

From here we could see our next stop, Old Parliament House, and after a coffee we drove down the hill to see that famous porch where Gough Whitlam uttered his famous words - God Save the Queen because no-one can save the Governor General.  This building was only ever meant to be a temporary home for the Government but lasted 64 years.  Bob Hawke was the Prime Minister when they moved his suite has been left just as he walked out.

The Senate and The House of Representatives while the same shape here look so very different and one of the guides spent some time with us telling some fabulous stories of his time there.  The old building while still lovely is so different to the 'new' building up the hill.  While here we went downstairs to the Museum of Australian democracy and had a look at 2012 Behind the Lines.  This is an exhibition of the Best political cartoons from the previous year.  A lot were already familiar from the daily news but there were so many other very clever pieces that we had not seen before.  Well worth the time to take a look.

Our next stop was the National Portrait Gallery where we met Leslie again for a quick lunch and a very quick look at some of the wonderful photos on display before saying our goodbyes and returning to the airport for our flight home.  We had had a wonderful weekend in this very interesting city and look forward to visiting another time to continue our exploration.  It was lovely to see Lesley again and thank you again for making time to pick me up from the airport.

Arriving home at Melbourne airport to a cold wet night made us appreciate the lovely autumn weather we had experienced all weekend.  But it wasn't long before the sun shone again and we got ready for our next adventure.  We were off to St Leonards.

until next time...........