Inaugurated in April 1970 (with the accompanying globe referred to below) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate the bicentenary of Captain James Cook’s discovery of the east coast of Australia this fountain/jet sits in Lake Burley Griffin in front of the National Capital Exhibition at Regatta Point. Continue reading “Captain Cook Memorial Fountain and Globe”
The title of this review may be a bit misleading – I actually mean a walk around the central basin – a circular walk of 5kms crossing the lake via Commonwealth and King’s bridges (bridge to bridge). This is an easy walk along flat (apart from going up and down onto the bridges to cross the lake – steps or ramp) sealed paths and is a favourite of locals and tourists alike. Please look at my separate review on cycling around the whole lake – some 29 kms though shorter options are also mentioned there. Off course there is nothing stopping you walking the lot. Continue reading “Walk Around The Lake – Lake Burley Griffin”
Running between the National Library and the High Court/National Gallery of Australia is an area of parkland given over to a series of artworks drawing on Aboriginal culture and history. Reconciliation Place, as the area is called, aims at reaffirming Australia’s shared history, from an Aboriginal perspective, and the nation’s commitment to reconciliation between Aboriginals and later settlers in Australia. Continue reading “The Path to Reconciliation”
Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology centre, is one of Canberra’s top attractions, much loved by children in particular though it offers plenty to stimulate the curiosity and interest of people of all ages. Continue reading “Questacon – Science In Action”
For good reason there are very strict rules as to what development and what retail activity is permitted on the shoreline of Lake Burley Griffin. This has resulted in very little development and, in the main, a totally unspoilt shoreline. All good.
Continue reading “Dom’s Coffee Bar: “Coffee by the Lake – Southside””
Enlighten is one thing I look forward to every year in Canberra and while the same buildings are lit up every year, beautifully I might add, the event has grown to be much more than this over the many years it has now been taking place. Leaving aside the fact that I live in Canberra, I think Enlighten is streets ahead of the much newer equivalent event in Sydney, Vivid. Don’t get me wrong I love Sydney’s offering too, particularly the way the Opera House is lit up (see my Sydney Vivid review for more detail on that event) but the compactness of the Canberra show makes it a winner for me. Continue reading “Enlighten – 2016”
There are two ways to enjoy hot air balloons in Canberra – one – take a ride in one, and two – stand or sit and watch them.
Every year in March/April Canberra hosts a ‘balloon spectacular’ lasting a couple of weeks. Continue reading “Balloon Spectacular – 2016”
There are not many statues of Queen Elizabeth II around the world. If Wikipedia is to be believed (2015) – nine, and two of these are in Australia. One is in Brisbane and is rather unique in that it is the only statue in the world of the Queen holding a handbag. The other one is here in Parliament House or rather on a Terrace outside the main building (accessed from within the building). Continue reading “The Queen in Parliament – Well a Sort Of!”
The most notable document you will find in Parliament House is from a time when Australia was unknown to the rest of the world. It is one of four surviving originals of the 1297 Inspeximus issue of Magna Carta. The other surviving originals can be found in the National Archives, London, in the Guild Hall of the City of London and in the National Archives in Washington DC. Continue reading “See the Magna Carta in Parliament House”
The State of Victoria’s Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 included the earliest legislation authorising the removal of children from Aboriginal parents. Other states and territories soon followed suit.
These rather odd, by today’s standards, Acts were motivated by various things including a desire to protect children from neglect and abuse, a belief that Aboriginal people would die out given a significant decline in their numbers post contact with white people and the belief that full-blooded Aboriginal people resented miscegenation and the mixed-race children fathered and abandoned by white men. Continue reading “‘Sorry’ – A Parliamentary Apology”
The Rambling Wombat 