Welcome to our tour of
Australia. During the month of April we are going to visit our
favourite spots in Australia. Come join us on our walkabout through the
land down under.
Today we are doing double duty linking up with the A-Z Challenge and with Melinda for the Saturday Snapshots.
Yesterday we spent the day cruising Sydney Harbour in an 1902 steam ship. Click here if you missed that post. Today we head to the Nation's Capital.
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and is located roughly half way between Sydney and Melbourne. The city is quite beautiful and has a layout that is somewhat similar to Washington DC. It has a fairly low population for a capital city and it never feels crowded. Canberra is home to Parliament House which is where the federal government meets plus there is much more to see.
What I Loved: Canberra is a relaxing place to visit as it is never crowded or busy and it has some wonderful attractions like Parliament House and the War Memorial Museum. It is a nice change to the hustle and bustle of most capital cities.
New Parliament House:
The first Parliament House was opened in 1927 and served as the home of the federal government until the New Parliament House was opened in 1988. The Old Parliament House still stands in front of the new one and now serves as a museum. New Parliament House is a beautiful building and the public are able to tour through the building and even visit the House of Representatives or Senate while they are in session. It is also likely to be the only government building where you can run around on the roof as the building is set in the hill that it sits on.
Cost: Entry to Parliament House is free.
More Info: Parliament House Website
Address: Parliament Dr, Canberra ACT (Click link for map)
ANZAC Parade with old Parliament House and the New Parliament House in the background.
The front of New Parliament House.
The foyer of New Parliament House. The greenish columns are meant to represent the eucalyptus trees that are native to Australia.
The Great Hall in Parliament House. This is where conferences and other events are held.
The House of Representatives at New Parliament House.
Australian War Memorial:
The Australian War Memorial is a wonderful museum and among the best in the world. It has a extensive collection of artifacts and well worth the visit.
Cost: Admission is free.
More Info: Australian War Memorail Website
Address: Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT (Click link for map)
The Pool of Reflection with the Hall of Memory and Tomb of the unknown soldier in the background.
The tomb of the unknown soldier.
The roll of honour which lists the names of Australian soldiers that have lost their lives at war.
Samson and the Donkey Statue. Samson was one of Australia's best known soldiers. He took his donkey into the front-lines and helped carry wounded soldiers back to safety.
There are several different areas to visit in the museum.
There are many dioramas like this one that help give you a visual of the battlefield.
Stained glass windows in the Hall of Memory.
View from the War Memorial towards Parliament House.
Getting There.
Car: Canberra is about 3 hours from Sydney by car. Air: Canberra Airport is the closest airport. (55 minute flight from Sydney) It is about a 15-20 minute drive from the airport.
Train: There are several trips daily from Sydney to Canberra. It is about a 4 hour trip.
Bus: Murray's and Greyhound offer daily service from Sydney Airport to Canberra. Trip takes about 4 hours.
Have you ever been to Canberra or another capital city? What are you blogging about today?
Awesome photos! I learned something new today...I did not know that Canberra was the capital!
ReplyDeleteI do love visiting capital cities...I once lived for several years in the capital city of my state, Sacramento. My dream is to visit Washington, D.C. someday.
Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
I also love capital cities. Sorry that we didn't go to Canberra on our trip in March!!
ReplyDeleteD.C. is one of my favourites as well.
I've lived in Canberra for 2 years and visited many times. It's a great city, with wonderful things to do. I haven't been to Parliament House for a very long time. I went to an evening function at the war memorial last year- it was fantastic. (BTW It was Simpson and his donkey, not Samson)
ReplyDeleteAdding this to our "places to visit in Australia" list, if we ever do it make it there. It looks really pretty!
ReplyDeleteThose are great pictures. There's so much to see in the Parliament House. Nice post! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat splendid architecture! Love that last photo with the frame and view.
ReplyDeletePerfect kind of post - educational with great pictures. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mini-tour! I love being able to travel through this A to Z Challenge, it's so fun and interesting :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I think it would be fun to see Canberra some time, especially with Parliament was in session.
ReplyDeletebetty
Oooh, impressive. No, I've not been to any capital cities.
ReplyDeleteinteresting post
ReplyDeleteIve been to Parliament here in New Zealand and they are interesting places :)
Ive always liked museums and yours is a good example too :)
Ive read a few books about the Simpson and his Donkey over the last few months very interesting I didnt know about him until I stumbled over him in the books I was reading
Interesting. I have never seen photos of Canberra before, nor of Australian parliament. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou made Canberra sound really interesting!!
ReplyDeleteJust joking, but as you know we love to poke fun at our big, beautiful, empty capital city!
I love the War Memorial too but the WW1 section was closed for renovation when I went last year...looks like it's open again, so I must go back when we're there in July.
And I haven't been to Parliament House since it first opened....also due for a repeat visit :-)
Looks like you've been having a lovely time back in Oz.
It looks so pretty there. I like the idea of a place that isn't so crowded, too. Interesting how modern the new parliament building is.
ReplyDeleteI've lived in Australia a couple of different times in my life, but I never made it to Canberra--will now have to add it to the list! Love the photos and the travelogue. Very entertaining read. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSounds like Canberra is my kind of place to visit--not crowded with interesting things to see. If I ever make it to Australia, it will go on my list of places to visit.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from A-Z
Love your photos of Canberra. Was there a few weeks ago and attended functions in the War Memorial and in Parliament House.
ReplyDelete