I have a deep affection for the coast and after just a week at Lakes Entrance we were heading inland again, our destination - Canberra. It was a fair days drive so we thought we would break it into two legs. First day we drove the 3 hours to Bombala in NSW. It's a small country town and we picked a drive through site at the caravan park, relaxing through the afternoon. The added attraction of the park was its location behind a platypus teeming creek however come morning we slept in, missing the dawn prime time viewing period.
The next day we were off to Canberra via Cooma - another 3 hours along the very westie sounding Monaro Highway. Tomoko was in command of the rig as we entered the ACT & the navman took us through a scenic but seemingly longer route sparking a tirade of abuse from Tomoko. Eventually we made it to EPIC Park, the towns showgrounds, a short drive from the CBD.
The park is not much to look at - dry & dusty (like much of Canberra) with slightly uneven sites and sporadic placement of power & water. At $33 a night we probably expected better facilities. In the nations capital though theres not a lot of choice so this was the best we could do.
First point of call was the Australian War Memorial. On the way we drove up to the top of Mount Ainslie for a vista of the city. The lookout is in line with the War Memorial, Anzac Parade & Parliament House and gives a good scope of he city. Tomoko & Shaka then dropped me off at the memorial where I was to spend the day. A day though is totally inadequate for the experience and I think it would easily take the good part of a week to take in all the exhibits.
I tagged onto a free tour on arrival which took us through the 'Roll of Honour' (all those who have died in service are listed here) and the remarkable 'Hall of Memory', a tall domed chapel. With its mosaic tiles and stain glassed windows it looks like something you would find in the Vatican City. In the centre of the hall is the 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' which symbolises all those who have passed in service. Afterwards we toured the extensive WWI exhibit before being left to our own devices. At the end of the day it felt like I had barely scratched the surface.
After a rest day the next on the list was Parliament House. Again I took a free tour and as Parliament was sitting, later sat in on question time which was good for a bit of a laugh. To be honest it all looks very childish how they behave. Apparently there are early flights out of town on a Thursday and many of the oppostion were playing up in order to get kicked out by the Madame Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop who took great delight in sending the naughty pollies on their way. This happened to at least half a dozen homesick opposition members. I must say whatever you think of the PM he is a master sledger. The opposition leader (whoever that is) would ask him a question only to get smashed by a Tony Abbott rebuke.
With my uncle and aunty residing in Canberra it was a good opportunity to say G'day. We visited Bill and Joy's house for a catchup and some morning tea. They have a beautiful home with an extensive garden and we left with a couple of bags of fresh fruit and veges.
Canberra is an intriguing town. Many people have commented that it's lacking something and I have to admit we didn't really feel a good energy of the place. Maybe it's all the pollies...I don't know. Someone else who wasn't really feeling the love was Shaka who's urine problem has resurfaced and he's spraying blood around like Dexter. It's a bit of a worry I must say. We are hitting the coast again and hope the sea air cures his ailment again...until then...adios amigos.