My Visual Travel Experience: Canberra

In 2011, I spent over a month traveling around Australia. I spent four days in Canberra. Canberra is a relatively small and quiet city, compared to the much larger and more vibrant Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne. My stay in Canberra was that much more special because I caught up with two old friends. First there was Akshay Mishra, with whom I stayed as a house guest. He moved to Australia many years ago, and started working there as a doctor. He and I were the best of friends as kids in the late 1970s when we lived in Thimpu. Our parents were friends too, so the friendship cut across generations. We had stayed in touch off and on after we left Thimpu. Then I caught up with my Australian friend Greg Wilde. He and I were together in junior school in Belgrade in the mid 1980s. He was a small-built little fellow back then. A quarter of a century later, he had transformed into this big, tall guy, but he still had the same warmth that he had had all those years ago. We had a great time talking about the good old days in Belgrade, our school, our common friends like Peter Vanderwal, and our childhood chess encounters.

Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a city having a population of 425,000 (2019). It lies within the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km south-west of Sydney, and 660 km north-east of Melbourne. White settlement in Canberra started in the 1820s. In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was formed following the Federation of the Colonies. A decision was taken to establish a new capital, and Canberra was founded and made the capital city in 1913. Canberra is an entirely planned city, and following an international contest, the project was given to American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.

After World War II, people were critical of Canberra, because it was not like a city and was more of a village with a group of suburbs that had been brought together. In 1964, Lake Burley Griffin was completed. This was the centre-piece of the city’s original architectural plan. Subsequently, several buildings of national importance were built around the lake, including the National Library, the High Court and the National Gallery. In 1988, a new Parliament House was built, in lieu of the much smaller Provisional Parliament House. Lake Burley Griffin divides the city in two, running in an east-west direction. The Parliament House lies to the south, and to the north, one has Anzac Parade leading up to the War Memorial.

New Parliament House opened in 1988. Until 1927, parliament meetings were held in Melbourne. Between 1927 and 1988, meetings were held in the Provisional Parliament House. The New Parliament House is huge, and has 4,700 rooms. The House of Representatives Chamber has a green colour scheme and the Senate Chamber has a red colour scheme. The foyer has a grand staircase leading to the Great Hall.

New Parliament House

House of Representatives Chamber,
New Parliament House

Senate Chamber,
New Parliament House

Old Parliament House was formerly called the Provisional Parliament House and was the seat of parliament from 1927 to 1988. It now houses the Museum of Australian Democracy. King’s Hall inside the building has a large bronze statue of King George V.

King George V Statue at King's Hall,
Old Parliament House

Portrait of John and Janette Howard,
Old Parliament House

Statue of King George V,
Old Parliament House

Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941 and is a memorial dedicated to members of the armed forces who fought in wars for the Commonwealth of Australia. Anzac Parade leads up to the Australian War Memorial.

Australian War Memorial

Interior of Dome,
Australian War Memorial

Exhibit on Soldiers from Australia and New Zealand,
Australian War Memorial

View of Anzac Parade,
Australian War Memorial 

Anzac Parade is a boulevard that is used for ceremonial occasions. The Australian War Memorial lies at one end of the boulevard. Along its length, one has several memorials, including the Vietnam War Memorial, the Army National Memorial, the Hellenic Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Kemal Ataturk Memorial.

Army National Memorial,
Anzac Parade

Hellenic Memorial,
Anzac Parade

Korean War Memorial,
Anzac Parade

Vietnam War Memorial,
Anzac Parade

Lake Burly Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra built in 1963. Many of the city’s landmark buildings lie along its shores. The lake has a length of 11 km and a width of 1.2 km at its widest point. The Captain James Cook Memorial was built in 1970. It includes a jet fountain, inspired by Geneva’s Jet d’eau.

Cruise Boat,
Lake Burley Griffin

Captain Cook Fountain,
Lake Burley Griffin

The National Carillon was set up in 1970 as a gift from the British Government to commemorate 50 years of Canberra being the capital. It stands on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The structure has a height of 50 meters. It has a total of 55 bells. The bells have a weight of between 7 kg and 6 tonnes! The bells chime every quarter-hour and play a short tune on the hour.

National Carillon

Australian National Museum is the city's largest museum. It was established in 1980 but moved to its current building only in 2001. The museum has exhibits on the country's Aboriginal history, the white settlements since 1788, navigation instruments used by Captain Cook and the Sydney Olympics in 2000, including many others.

Exhibit on the "Buffalo Catcher",
Australian War Memorial

Exhibit on a Boat used by the Aboriginals,
Australian War Memorial

Canberra Zoo and Aquarium lies to the west of Lake Burley Griffin. It is spread over an area of 47 acres. The zoo has Australian animals like kangaroos, wallabies, emus and dingos, plus a collection of animals from around the world, including lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, bears, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and monkeys.

Kangaroo, Canberra Zoo and Aquarium

Emu, Canberra Zoo and Zquarium

Lion, Canberra Zoo and Aquarium

Giraffe, Canberra Zoo and Aquarium

Cockington Green Garden is a miniature village that opened in 1979. It has miniatures of Stonehenge, Petra and other structures. It also has miniature models of people and scenes from well known movies.

The Long Man of Willmington and the White Horse of Uffington,
Cockington Green Garden

Model of the Entrance,
Cockington Green Garden

I enjoyed Canberra. Yes, it didn't have the exciting big-city vibe of Sydney or Melbourne, but there was a considerable amount to see, and the city's beautifully planned layout with Lake Burley Griffin in the centre, was a great example of urban planning and architecture.