Canberra for the weekend anyone?

Canberra has many of Australia's best museums and art galleries. We chose to visit the War Memorial and Museum during this trip which is situated at the top of ANZAC Parade.

There are also the following museums and Art galleries with Canberra:

1. National Museum of Australia at Lennox Crossing, Acton
2. The National Gallery of Australia at Parkes Place, Parkes
3. The Old Parliament House and Portrait Gallery, at King George Terrace, Parkes
4. Canberra Railway Museum at Geijera Pl, Kingston
5. National Dinosaur Museum at Gold Creek Road, Nicholls.

We took a self guided tour of Capital Hill, the centre of the world for Australian Politics
We went a RAAF Show at the Fairbrain RAAF Station, just out from Canberra's International Airport, where we got to see through the planes that transport the Prime Minister Worldwide and in Australia.
There is also Fyshwick where all the naughty sex shops are and adult video shops - good for a laugh.
We also went to a couple of lookouts where you could view the entire city and countryside. The lookouts we went to are the Black Mountain Nature Reserve Lookout and the Mount Ainsilie Nature Reserve Lookout.

Quick Tips:

Don't eat in the city center if you can help it - it's expensive.

We found a cheap place to have breakfast at was the Central Cafe in Queanbeyan. For .00(Aussie), you could order bacon, sauages and eggs, which comes with chips and the plate is piled to overflowing and we couldn't eat it all. We noticed on the menu that the Main Meals had next to them that the they were "A Challenge for the Biggest Eater" so next time we'll have dinner there too.

Another good place to eat is the O'Malleys Bar located within the center of Canberra near Garema Place - although not as cheap, the foods very good. Dale ordered a steak and he said it was fantastic. This is also a good place to have a couple of drinks and meet some of the locals.

The motel we stayed at was great and reasonably priced, cheaper than the youth hostels. It was called the "Aussie Settler Motel" and cost (Aussie) per night for a double. It's located at 5 High Street, Queanbeyan. Phone Number (02) 62974711.

Most of the museums and Capital Hill are free admission and museums ask for a donation.

Best Way To Get Around:

We traveled around by car while we were there and found that Canberra was easy to find your way around, if you have a street directory.

While we were there we did notice a lot of people biking and there are places to hire pushbikes if you wish to get a bit of exercise.

There are also plenty of tracks for horses to use and there is probably a place where you can visit that will do horse riding ventures.

The hotel has two stories and the a couple of the rooms downstairs are set up foe wheelchair and handicapped people.

A double room came complete with a bed, an ensuite, a TV, a table and chairs, a chest of drawers, and a wardrobe. Some had a single bed and the motel did charge extra if there were additional people in the room.

There was also a fridge in the room, tea and coffee making facilities, a toaster, and a menu from which you could order breakfast in the morning if you desired.

There is also a small outside pool for the hot days. The Motel is situated across the road from a ten pin bowling alley and adjacent a gym.

Not far down the road you will find a McDonalds, Burger King etc. and further down you will be in the main street of Queanbeyan.

The center of Canberra is approximately a 10 to 15 minute drive by car. Not too bad.

If you like everything military and the history associated with the military then you'll enjoy this museum. There's tanks, army vehicles, helicoptors, aircrafts, and a submarine which was sunk in Sydney Harbour.

There are displays from all the wars on display at various location throughout the museum. There's an area set aside for the First World War, the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Peace keeping efforts in East Timor and other areas. There are even displays from earlier wars. The displays contain photos, diaries, equipment used, uniforms worn, and scaled down layouts of battles and battlefields.

The external courtyard is the Memorial for all the Australian Soldiers that have been killed during the wars or have by servicemen. In the center is the pool of rememberance where the eternal flame burns.

Just beyond the pool of rememberance is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with it's beautifully decorated dome ceiling and stained glass windows, which illustrate the different servicemen and women.

Parliament House is where the Australian elected politicians go to rant and rave and decide on the way this country will run, whether we agree or not.

The Interior is of the highest quality, everything from the marble entry hall and staircases to the plush interiors of the great hall, set aside for balls and the such, and the two debating chambers. Lining the walls are the portraits of the past Prime Ministers as well as the reigning Prime Minister and the Queen who is the head of the Commonwealth. Also on the walls you will find beautifully crafted weaving depicting Australian native animals, plants, and people. There are also various displays which show railings and parts from the original Parliament House and gifts from other nations.

Externally you can climb up the grassy slopes which house the building and get a terrific view of the suburbs surrounding the area.

There is no entry fee and it's well worth going for a look around.

O'Malleys is an Irish Bar situated in the centre of Canberra. We went there for dinner and a quiet drink as we'd been rushing around all day visiting the sites and going to the RAAF base.

The food was fantastic and there were no complaints. Dale had a steak with mussles, a side salad, and chips. I had Garden Salad. The others at our table had ordered a seafood basket, a plate of wedges, and a couple of other steak dishes.

The price of the food wasn't the cheapest in town, but on the same note it wasn't expensive either. The Steak with mussles cost $24(Aussie) and the Garden Salad cost $10(Aussie). O'Malleys has a wide selection of drinks to choose from including cocktails and a number of beers and Guiness (if you like it). There's a great, friendly atmosphere here and the staff were happy and helpful. If you're in Canberra and want a place to relax and meet the locals, this is it.