NSW and the ACT Part II- Canberra and the SE Coast

HRH QE II

Canberra, the national capital awaited us. Like Washington, DC, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was carved out in a space between two powerful states, in this case New South Wales and Victoria. And like DC, it was laid out in a circle with spokes out from Capital Hill. Opened in 1988, the Parliament House appears to be a giant 81 meter-high flagpole without a dome. The roof is grass-covered.

The interior is well worth a visit with beautiful wood and many mosaics, tapestries, paintings and other decorative arts. You can take an elevator to the roof for views over the city.
Much of our time was spent in the museums, like the National Gallery of Australia with its large display of contemporary and historic Australian arts, both Aboriginal and other.
The National Museum of Australia is worth seeing for the architecture alone,

National Museum of Australia across the lake (Telestra Tower behind)

Museum interior

but also houses  a myriad of important displays of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artifacts. I hoped to see the champion racehorse Phar Lap's heart (he was born in Timaru, NZ), but alas it was deemed too fragile for public display at this time. The best I could do was a photo of this postcard.

Legendary bushranger Ned Kelly's armour was on loan from Melbourne for a special Irish in Australia exhibit.

Reconciliation Place commemorates and honors those that have struggled for indigenous rights.

For fun, we took in the panorama

from Telestra Tower on Black Mountain,

Telestra Tower

walked through the rain forest gully in the National Botanic Garden, and watched clips from old Aussie movies and TV at the National Film and Sound Archive. The weather wasn't the greatest during our ACT visit, but we got a good overview of the city in 2 1/2 days.

With only a few days left before returning to Sydney, we drove to the coast, alighting in Batemans Bay. A cozy beach town and fishing port, it felt a lot like Fort Bragg and home. The beaches to the south and north are unspoiled and a favorite spot for surfers

 and waterfowl.

 We drove around Jervis Bay, then inland a bit to the idyllic Kangaroo Valley

Kangaroo Valley

with the oldest suspension bridge in the country.
Down Under, you are warned to watch out for some unusual things.

Watch Out for Koalas

..and Wombats

The tiny town of Berry is chock-a-block with good restaurants and shops, Mendocino-like. One last night in the bustling town of Wollongong (pop. 280,000), then a 90 minute drive back to Sydney to return the rental car and board the Sun Princess for the 17 days and the next phase of our travels.

Coastal Lookout