Canberra - Old Parliament House

 

Last night as the sun was setting we decided to go for a drive up to the Telstra (Telecom) Tower on Black Mountain, we also took a drive up to Mount Ainsle. In both cases however the view was far from perfect as a light cloud had moved in making the view misty.

 

 

 

 

Today was the last day in Canberra for us on this holiday. The kids went with their grandparents whilst Sara and I went to the Old Parliament House.

 

Before we went there we dropped by the National Library as I thought I might be able to locate a medical journal containing an article on me from when I was born. Unfortunately I was not armed with enough information and the search was futile. I will have to try again some day.

Arriving at the front steps of Parliament house we found they had a parking spot for us right at the front :)

As I had never been here it was very interesting. To see the warren of rooms and to find that each room had, sometimes more that three people working in each, it's no wonder they needed to build the new one. Many of the rooms and chambers are setup exactly as they were when the staff and politicians moved house.  They had many duplicate art works on display and many historical artefacts. Of course they also had the Senate and Representative chambers.

In the afternoon we returned to camp to unwind and begin packing for the trip home tomorrow. It was a quick trip but the kids loved Canberra and i think they learned a lot.

 

Canberra - The Mint and The Parliament House

Today was another big day, just like the rest. We only have a few days here so we need to fit in as much as possible.

First up on the list was a visit to the Mint. We visited the Perth Mint when we were ore there so thought a visit to the Canberra Mint would be good too. Like many of Canberra's attractions this is free and guided tours are provided. We therefore promptly attached ourselves to a tour. We we're taken through the history of currency in Australia right through to current proof coins and medals. On display was a great range of various coins as well as many miss-stamped coins. The was also an excellent viewing area showing many of the work areas of the mint, the machines, robots and people. We enjoyed the tour so much we went around for a second go :)

Next on the list was a visit to the Parliament House. Again we were fortunate to attach ourselves to a free guided tour, which was an unscheduled tour due to the number of visitors present. The tour to us through the great hall and both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Caitlyn particularly liked this tour and stayed close to the guide through out. 

After the main attractions for the day we also paid a visit to the Canberra glassworks, which was not fully working when we arrived. It seems the weekends is the best time to visit. We also caught up with Paul and Robert and went out to ADFA where Robert is studying to have a tour of the grounds.

Our last stop for the day was a visit to the Mount Ainslie Lookout before heading back to camp for dinner.