Behind the scenes in Canberra......

After breakfast on Saturday morning we all drove out to the Deep Space Communication Centre where we were treated to a 'behind the scenes' tour of the centre.  One of the guys had a contact there and had organized this visit.  

We spent an amazing couple of hours learning all about the satellite dishes, who they were communicating with, watched them move into position to communicate with the Mars Rover, probes on Jupiter and Uranus.  Totally fascinating.

We saw the actual dish that received the first communication from the moon Landing in 1969.  It was decommissioned and moved to its location here in Canberra some years ago and is the first dish you see when you arrive here at the centre.

Inside we were given an insight into the operations room, no cameras allowed, and in the visitors centre saw one of the space suits from the moon landing and in pride of place a display holding a small church of Moon Rock brought back from the 1969 mission by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.  It was an amazing morning and such a privilege to be granted access to this.

We said goodbye and thanks to Glen, our guide, and then all made our way back to the War Memorial.  We had lunch at Poppy's and then all moved inside to meet another guide for a tour of the War Memorial.  The lady we should have seen had not come in and a lovely young man offered to be our guide and he was just fabulous.  We spent the next hour or so learning about some of the exhibits and hearing the stories connected to them.  Nearly all of them heartbreaking.

We wandered back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes, reconvened at the bar before crossing the road for 'the big dinner'.   A lovely warm night and al fresco dining with a big group of friends made for a fun night and we all ate and drank far more than we needed to I think.  The Pork Spare Ribs were just delicious and I have to say I did manage to get through the whole lot!

It was a very merry crew that crossed the road back to the bar and an even merrier crew that retired to their rooms a couple of hours later.  A fun night was had by all though I'm sure there was a sore head or two the next morning when some of us made it to breakfast.

After breakfast we said our goodbyes and a huge thank you to Greg and Anita for organizing this wonderful weekend.  We have arranged our next event at Port Macquarie in May 2015 and will look forward to another great weekend with friends from across the country.

Bill and I returned home to the campground and spent the afternoon quietly relaxing under the awning.  Cheryl and Shane came over for dinner and we had a very simple dinner of steak and salad, such a treat after a weekend of rich food.  

On Monday morning we jumped in the car and played tourist, visiting the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain.  This is the highest point in Canberra and the view from here is excellent.  It was a lovely clear day and well worth the drive.  We came down the hill a little and spent a couple of hours wandering around The Botanic Gardens before driving over to see the Australian of the Year Walk along Lake Burley Griffith.

The Australians of the Year Walk is a permanent record of Australians selected to be Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year and Local Hero. A symbol of national aspiration and achievement, it is fitting that the Australians of the Year are recognised in this memorial in the National Capital.

Incorporated in the walk are five metal strips, forming the five stave lines of a music score. The plinths represent the notes to the music score of Advance Australia Fair, which can be read from West to East.   We returned home after our touristing activities and relaxed until it was time to head of to Deakin to have dinner with Lesley and Martin where we had a great evening and a lovely home cooked meal.  

The next day was Remembrance Day and we had decided to stay and attend the ceremony at the War Memorial.  We met Mal and Del who had stayed too and together we watched this solemn ceremony.   It was an extremely hot day but hats and sunscreen allowed us to sit in our allotted seats and watch the ceremony.  Unfortunately two of the Naval personnel on the parade ground were not so lucky and fainted on parade.  Help was at hand fairly quickly.

We returned home after the ceremony and spent a quiet afternoon preparing to leave the next morning.  We had enjoyed our time here both with 'the frogs' and on our own but it was time to say farewell and head for home again.  So the next morning it goodbye to Canberra and goodbye to you.

until next time........