Bill in Australia - CANBERRA

Canberra is virtually the unknown capital of Australia, as most outsiders would probably guess Sydney or Melbourne. In fact, the choice of Canberra as the capital was a compromise choice over the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

The layout of the city plan was by Walter Burley Griffin, who was a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright. On paper, the idealistic plan is uniquely organized and is laden with symbolism. However, the reality of the plan is that driving can be a confusing loopfest for the uninitiated. Unless you are familiar with the exits and intersections, you could spend much unwanted time circling about on various cloverleafs and roundabouts. The City of Canberra is surrounded by satellite cities (or suburbs, if you will) such as Acton, Ainslie, Campbell, Parkes, and Capital Hill.

To me, Canberra feels more like a big suburb than a big city, featuring a semi-transient population of political types (derisively labeled as "pollies" by some). Even so, Canberra has a noted dining scene besides its interesting assortment of national landmarks and museums.

Some of the beautiful images of Canberra are courtesy of my travel buddy Richard Newell from our trip in 2001.

Quick Tips:

Like Washington DC, Canberra features about a million "national" institutions. You can go to Nationals like the Library, Gallery, Museum, Royal Mint, Botanic Garden. There is even a National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is public bus transportation, but we wound up walking or driving during our stay in Canberra. The distances between various sights are fairly extensive, so perhaps taking the buses may be a good bet for you.

The Rydges Canberra Hotel (formerly Rydges Lakeside) is a 15-story convention style hotel with 205 rooms located on the London Circuit of the City of Canberra. It is easily spotted on the horizon, but maddening to get to because of the convoluted design of the roadways. My room on the fifth floor (I asked for a higher floor but was told that the hotel was nearly full due to a convention) was decent enough, but my friend commented on the lack of width of the beds (they were twin size, not double size). The decor was a bit dated, but I did enjoy stepping outside on the concrete balcony. My friend did make use of the self-serve laundry room down the hall, which took his mind off of his narrow bed.

The breakfast buffet, held in the space known as Bobby McGee's Restaurant in the evening, was included in our room rate. This buffet was extensive and it did provide us with the opportunity to taste some local foods. Vegemite, a popular spread in Australia that has been immortalized in a song by the band Men At Work, is served in little packets. I tried a small dab on my roll, and the unusual flavor overwhelmed the poor innocent roll. Very strong and undeniably distinctive! There was also a plate of candied rhubarb, a curious flavor to this palate at nine in the morning. For the more conservative breakfast consumer, the buffet includes mainstays such as cereal, fruit, sausage, eggs, various breads and jams, etc.

The Rydges lobby is casually comfortable, like thousands of lobbies found in convention hotels around the world. The elevators were old and a little slow (I confess to be spoiled by high-tech elevators in modern high-rises). The Burley Griffin Restaurant resides on the top floor, with stunning panoramic views of the city, including the man-made Lake Burley Griffin. Sneak a peek if you get a chance. The souvenir store was run by a friendly gentleman who was rather chatty. My friend and I had stopped in the store at different times and it seemed like he used the same repertoire of stories (about soccer in Australia, the Afghanistan crisis, etc.) upon both of us! Free parking is available to guests at the hotel. It is also noted that Rydges has an indoor pool as well as a shuttle bus with limited service to its two sister hotels in the area, although we did not encounter either during our stay.

I have this little tradition since 1994 where I have Thanksgiving dinner in a foreign country:

1994-Berlin 1995-Parati, Brazil 1996-Nimes, France 1997-Rome 1998-Beijing 1999-Kyoto 2000-San Jose, Coata Rica 2001-Canberra

My 2001 Thanksgiving dinner was at Rincon Latino, a little Peruvian/Latin American restaurant tucked away in the City area of Canberra. I had a tender and tasty pork roast with vegetables. My dessert was a serving that resembled some sort of prune jelly, apparently a Peruvian specialty although I had not encountered it in any restaurants in Peru. It was slightly sweet and was served with cream, good but not earthshaking.

Our outdoor cafe seats were great for relaxing and people-watching after a long all-day drive from Phillip Island. Our waiter was attentive and was helpful in explaining the various dishes to us. It has been said that Canberra has one of the best dining scenes in Australia. Rincon Latino may not be the most memorable restaurant in the city, but it is a good choice if you want something that is uncommon in Australia.

The Parliament House is far and away the one "must-see" sight in Canberra. The modern new Parliament, the home of Australia's Federal Parliament body, is the replacement for the old whitewashed building just north of Capital Hill. This building, designed by Romaldo Giurgola of the architectural firm Mitchell Guirgola and Thorp Architects, was the result of a prestigious design competition in 1978. Giurgola designed the new Parliament to act as the physical and symbolic focal point of Canberra and the nation. It was officially christened by Queen Elizabeth II on May 9, 1988.

The most striking element is the central flagmast towering 81 meters over Parliament. The flagmast looks like a gigantic four-pronged tripod (quadpod?). The design of Parliament includes a bermed grass hill over the roof of the building. People have access to this area, from which you can walk around the flagmast and look over all of Canberra. This signifies that the politicians are working for and "under" the citizens of Australia. The natural elements are also emphasized by indigenous trees and flowers in the gardens surrounding Parliament.

Upon entering the building, you enter the Foyer consisting of a "forest" of wood and marble columns. The architects emphasized the patriotic use of products and materials grown and manufactured in Australia. While the high ceiling and fine materials do signify the importance of the space, it struck me as stylistically similar to a shopping center atrium. There are tours of the building starting from the Foyer every 30 minutes; they average 45 minutes in length. You can also conduct a self-guided tour of the vast complex. You can take a peek in the Chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives. If Parliament is in session, you can get tickets to attend and even participating in grilling MP's during "Question Time". The Member's Hall is located directly beneath the flagmast.

There are educational exhibits related to the historic events in Australia, the development of the nation's government, and so forth. There is a portrait gallery of Australian Prime Ministers. Documents on display include a precious copy of the Magna Carta (1 of only 4 originals from 1297) and the original Commonwealth of Australia Constitition Act of 1900. There is a documentary called "Open House" in the Viewing Room that depicts the design and construction processes surrounding the new Parliament. It was interesting to see the proud artists and their respective designs for the variety of paintings, mosaics, tapestries, sculptural reliefs.

The Queens Terrace Cafe, on the second floor, features Australian comfort foods like meat pies. It is adjacent to the Queen's Terrace, an outdoor patio with outstanding panoramic views of Canberra. There is a noble statue of Queen Elizabeth II standing regally in the terrace. The Parliament Shop has loads of interesting souvenirs, again with a strong emphasis on Australian-made products. If you have some postcards or letters, you can even get them postmarked at the Parliament's very own Australian Post.

Peoplescape is the spectacular art project that covers most of the lawns of the New Parliament and the Federation Mall, in honor of the Centenary of the Federation of Australia. An army of thousands of two-dimensional figures celebrates the accomplishments of nominated Australian heroes, some famous, some somewhat famous, some regular folk. It is fun to walk around these six-foot-tall figures and try to recognize celebrities depicted, usually in colorfully abstract collage form.

This temporary exhibit was free and did an excellent job of illustrating the collective spirit of Australia. There was even a national TV special in Australia celebrating some of the people depicted by the colorful Peoplescape. This impressive art project seemed to be the talk of the nation at the time of our visit, other than the ultimately unsuccessful bid of the "Socceroos" to qualify for the men's World Cup soccer tournament versus Uruguay.