12/6/2014
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| Overlooking Tamworth |
We returned to Sydney via an inland
route which took us through the outskirts of Brisbane, overnighting in
Tenterfield, Tamworth and Dubbo, and, from there, taking Bells Line of Road
through the Blue Mountains, back to Glenhaven.
Apart from some interestingly diverse
countryside, and the colder climate, there was not a great deal to see….
Now this “Big Guitar” highlights the fact that
Tamworth considers itself the “Country and Western” capital of Australia, if
not the world!
We had a few days rest in Sydney,
doing the washing, and a quick shop for provisions, before Et & Lin dropped
us off in Parramatta, where we picked up our little red Hyundai Getz. ($26 p/d
for two weeks)
Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains was
our destination for the first 2 days, day one of which was completely clouded
over.
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| Sulphur crested cockatoos in the Holiday Park |
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| No wonder they say......Tie you kangaroo down sport!! |
We woke up to a clear day, with the mists settled down in the valleys,
making for some beautiful scenery. There
are 3 tourist “trips” which depart from Scenic World, by way of a sky train, a
cable car into the valley, and a very steep Rail car, also descending into the
valley, but not linking up with the cable car.
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| Aptly named 'Mary's Lookout" |
We had no desire to spend
a fortune, just to descend 100mts into the whiteout below, so chose, instead,
to do the 4/5km cliff walk from the campsite, via Scenic World , around to 3
Sisters, and back, which was great!
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| Three Sisters |
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| Three Sisters in the last rays of sun |
Our route down to Canberra, took us
through Goulburn……….
You guessed it! They are really big
on Merino Sheep! Yes, thats Mary standing in front of what is actually a double
story shop selling Merino wool products!
Canberra is a purpose designed and built
Capital city, started from scratch, on a site selected in 1908. It also
incorporated an international competition to design the city, which was won by
US architect, Walter Burley Griffin. The
land (ACT - Australian Capital
Territory) was bought in 1913, and after
a slow start, Parliament first convened there in 1927. It was really only after
WW2, that the Capital blossomed. Today, the ACT still only has a population of around
320 000, where the main “Industry” is bureaucracy, a slowly developing private
sector, some sheep farming, and Lonely Planet reports that it is also the porn
capital of Australia!
Apart from the architectural layout,
we also wished to visit the National Museum of Australia, as well as the
Australian War Memorial.
To be honest, we were looking forward
to the National Museum of Australia, of “where our stories are told”
reputation, but left feeling disappointed. The layout, signage, and flow were
poor and disjointed, despite the interesting Aboriginal artifacts on view.
By contrast, the Australian War
Memorial is very impressive, standing at the foot of Mt Ainslee, looking all
the way down ANZAC Parade, over Lake Burley Griffin, to the Parliamentary
buildings.
It houses a fine collection of art
works, old aircraft, and memorabilia, as well as the “Hall of Memory”, the
resting place of an unknown Australian soldier from WW1, and the Roll of Honour
of all Australians who lost their lives in global conflicts….. from the Boer
wars in South Africa , to the recent war in Iraq.
The aircraft hall showed video and sound re-enactments of battles using real footage....very impressive!
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| An artist's impression of the Battle of Tobruk where many SA and Australian POW' were captured |
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| The beautiful domed roof of the Hall of Memory |
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| The tomb of the Unknown Australian soldier WW1 |
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The Roll of Honour for Australians lost in WW1
Looking down the Anzac Parade, to the Parliament buildings, one cannot help but think that the quality of the architecture greatly exceeds the quality of parliamentary debate from within!! |
Unfortunately, that is not a uniquely
Australian tendency, as we see an equal amount of childish rubbish emanating
from South African, and even British Parliament!
