Canberra

17/12/11-19/12/11

Today I had an early start as I jumped on a coach to head to Canberra – Australia’s often forgotten capital city. The journey took around 10 hours so by the time I got there most of the day had passed by. On arrival at the hostel I went for a quick look round the main shopping centre to get some dinner and grab some supplies for my stay.

The whole of my full day in Canberra was dedicated to one place – the Australian War Memorial. There is more to this place than the name first suggests – as well as having the war memorial underneath is a museum containing artefacts from all conflicts that Australian armed forces have fought in. They recommend you spend a day and a half visiting the site and this is no exaggeration, if done properly there is masses to see here. For me one of the most effective parts is the use of dioramas through the galleries, the scenes sourced from photographs really captured a moment in time especially the First World War ones.

With a coach to catch in the evening to my last destination in Australia Sydney, I had nearly another whole day to spend in Canberra. Although the weather was wet I ventured out on foot to cross the bridge across to the parliamentary zone. First I visited the Australian National Gallery to check out art work from Oz and around the world. After I climbed the hill up to the Parliament building, an impressive structure dominated by the four legged flag pole which adorns the roof. Inside I was able to visit both the houses as well as jump on the lift up to the roof to get good views over the city. Next I headed back to my hostel back paid a visit to the Canberra museum to find out how the city came to be the capital of the land down under. That evening after a short coach ride I found myself in Sydney.