"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." RLS
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”
When you enter the Great Hall at Parliament House your eyes will be immediately drawn, hopefully not in the “Oh my god, what’s that” sort of way, to the massive tapestry covering most of the back wall of the Hall. Continue reading “The Great Hall Tapestry – Parliament House”
For me this is one of the most architecturally interesting and satisfying buildings not only in Australia but in the world and is certainly a major contrast to the previous building – Old Parliament House – which was only ever intended to be a temporary home for the Australian Parliament, albeit a temporary home that lasted 61 years. It would be quite unfair to compare the two buildings. Continue reading “Parliament House – Canberra”
The Canberra Centenary Trail was launched in 2013, Canberra’s centenary year. In the main it linked pre-existing walks, paths, fire trails, etc though around 20-30kms of the trail is along new paths, mainly along the Northern section. Walk it all or any part of it, you won’t be disappointed. Continue reading “Walk around Canberra – Centenary Trail”
Annually, for the two weeks prior to Canberra Day in early March, the public buildings in the Parliamentary Triangle become canvases and turn into illuminated public artworks. The National Library, Questacon (Science Museum), the National Portrait Gallery, the National Art Gallery, Old Parliament House and Parliament House are all lit up via projected images in an event called Enlighten. Even the water feature on the avenue up to the High Court bust into flames in 2014. Continue reading “Canberra becomes Enlightened”
I first came across this about in mid 2012 and despite examining it closely I had no idea what it was. All I could tell from it was that three people including King (that was his first name not his title) O’Malley and two others had laid a stone on 12 March 1913 and the whole thing had been moved to its current location on 12 March 1988 (to make way for the construction of Parliament House). I took the attached photo (the first one!) and carried on about my business. Continue reading “Foundation Stone – What is it?”
The National Archives is custodian of all significant government/public service documents in Australia. No documents are of more significance than those which created The Commonwealth of Australia (to give it its full name) – affectionately known as the country’s birth certificates. Continue reading “National Archives – Australia’s Birth Certificates”
The Rambling Wombat 