I arrived in the Australian Capital Territory for a short visit on a cold and wet morning. I was intrigued to find out what I'd make of Canberra having heard very mixed stories about the place. By the time I left again I could see why opinion is divided about the place - I'm still not sure really what I make of it. Its a planned city and as such, to my mind, it feels too compartmentalised: sure it has a city centre but it feels empty with not much life to it and a lot of its attractions are spread out around the city leaving "the centre" kind of redundant. It made me think of Glenrothes - lots of different precicts with their own appeals but nothing to bind it all together into one community. (sorry all you Glenrothes-ites who I've probably just offended, but most of you know my opinion of the place already anyway!) What Canberra does have going for it is the seat of governement with a stylish parliament building, and a number of museums and galleries. The stand out attraction for me being the War Museum. I went thinking I wasn't really a War Museum type of person and not anticipating spending too long there, but ended up staying for hours and could easily go back another time with lots more to see. It was a fantastically interesting, thought provoking and informative place which could appeal to people of all ages. My visit really started as I walked up Anzac Parade - that's the main avenue leading up to the war memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and museum which are all combined in one big imposing complex. The parade is a long straight road running up from Lake Burley Griffiths, which cuts through the middle of the city, and is flanked by some wonderful statues and monuments commemorating different wars and battles which the Australian forces, and the forces of the counties they have fought alongside, have been involed in. Almost all of them are attractive pieces of art in their own right using glass, slate, marble, stone, water, pillars, obelisks and sculptures to create beautiful but yet powerfully poignant structures. A little plaque at each one explains the story behind the symbolism and details the battle or organisations being commemorated. It is very striking and effective. Inside the museum I joined a free guided tour expecting it to give a quick general overview, but in the end it lasted nearer two hours and introduced us to: the Australian war effort and major battles of the first and second world wars; the hall of valour with the stories, medals and citations of the recipients of all the top bravery awards; a collection of aircraft; the Vietnam conflict; peacekeeping rolls since 1945; the role of nursing to the military; war reporting, and so on. The volunteer guide was knowledgeable and obviously had several years military service behind him so had some interesting anecdotes too. It was fascinating even for someone not usually a fan of military history. I came away wanting more so spent more time looking round myself after the tour. I watched short film and light shows used alongside some of the exhibits powerfully conveying some of the dangers and horror of war, I had another look at some of the dioramas and summaries of the stories outlined, looked at some of the paintings and drawings - some of which I found strangely beautiful as well as illustrative and sombre, and visited sections we hadn't stopped at on our tour. One of the beauties of the museum, too, is that everything on display is original. There are no replicas or copies, and despite the vastness of the place only about a third of the available artefacts can be displayed as there's no room for everything. Another section is primarily designed for children, but seems to be enjoyed by young and old alike, and has sections of helicopter cockpit to clamber through, a segment of submarine complete with visual screenings viewable through periscopes, trench reconstructions and so on. Fraser, I thought you and Alexander would probably have great fun there! Rounding off my visit I went to the eternal flame which is in a pool flanked by walls inscribed with the names of all the fallen, and in front of a mausoleum containing the tomb of the unknown soldier. Octagonal, every wall is has lovely mosaic tiles and or stained glass windows each representing a character trait such as endurance, determination, dignity, honour and so on. Very poignant.
An altogether different place, but one I also enjoyed visiting, was the parliament building. It is very striking yet also very much part of the natural landscape with a substantial part built into the hillside and covered in lawn and just the grassy hill, a huge arch, crest and flagpole, all fronted by a large concorse, is visible from groundlevel. Inside it's equally striking but with lots of marble, polished wood, columns, paintings, tapestries, portraits and nationally historic items of furniture. I was surprised by how small the rooms were though. Even the Grand Hall wasn't that huge. In fact it didn't seem much bigger than Elgin Town Hall! The new parliament building was only completed in 1988 after a competition had been run to select a design. It has a mixture of classic design features intended to symbolise the past, the debating halls are meant to represent the present, and light and glass reflect the future - glass roofing allowing in places allowing the building to look to the skies and whats to come! There are some lovely wall-hangings, the parquet wooden floors are covered in thick clear vynil to maintain the gloss and to enable easy repairs necessary as a result of the wear and tear from modern footwear, plaster has fine marble particles in it to make it more hard-wearing, and landscaped courtyards provide a bit of green. There were also a number of water features incorporated into the design but these are largely left dry now to reduce water consumption- water shortages and usage being a huge issue all across Oz. All in all it was an impressive and likeable building. I never did get to see the Scottish Parliament before I left but it'll be something I'll look forward to when I get back and seeing how the two buildings compare and contrast given the similar controversies and debates about the design of both.
One place I visited, but was singularly unimpressed with, was the National Gallery. It was small and all the paintings were of a modernist, abstract, cubist style not to my tatse at all, and the frames were of the huge heavy ornate type which to me look too heavy for most pictures. For a national gallery I expected a range of styles, but no. I would have been happy with even one recognisable landscape or bonny watercolour but left disappointed. Ah well, just goes to show you can't please all of the people I suppose!
Before I knew it it was time for me to leave Canberra - a short but enjoyable visit. Even if I am uncoinvinced by the city itself the contents were great and attractions wide-ranging.
