|
|
|
|
Hand Written Notes by Einstein and Martin Luther King
Corryong -> Canberra, 18th to 21st January 2002
For the drive from Mansfield to Canberra we were advised to take the
scenic route through "Kosciuszko National Park" instead of sticking
to the highway. And the tip really paid off, we got some great
views. Highways are pretty much the same everywhere and although
they make for efficient journeys, they are quite boring.
After the quiet night in Corryong, we made an early start on the
final stretch to Canberra. With the van fully loaded and the window
sprayer water tank now fully functioning we drove off. (Super glue
is fantastic)
 The
drive was pretty uneventful, we ascended Mount Kosciuszko as high as
we could by car and got some fantastic views of the National Park.
On the way through we made a quick stop at a town called Thredbo for
lunch. Although it's another winter town, a few places were still
open. We grabbed a quick Chinese meal and puzzled over some fortune
cookies.
Back on the road we soon reached Canberra. The general vibe we'd got
from Australians we'd met was that Canberra is very unpopular with
Ozzies. But as we drove into the city on the fantastic sunny day,
I'm afraid we must disagree. It's a beautiful city!
As we drove around we saw the city in all its glory. It's a very
spread out city, lots of greenery and open spaces. It must be one of
the least densely populated capitals in the world! The sun shining
down glinted off the clean buildings and streets. Although busy, the
cars were quiet and went about the business peacefully. Canberra is
actually split into two by a beautiful shimmering blue lake that we
passed over countless times.
We managed to find our hostel without too much trouble, a lovely
little B&B Lodge, a bit steep at A$22 per night (about 7 pounds) but
hey ho, it's the capital city. We spent the next couple of days
looking at all the (free or cheap) things Canberra had to offer.
The first place we visited was the National War Memorial. It's
amazing and has loads of really interesting information about the
wars that Australia has been involved in. There are photos, videos,
items models and mini-dioramas of famous battles. It was really good
and my favourite section had a huge collection of full size (and I
think real) tanks, vehicles and planes. Immense! I highly recommend
this place, it's the best museum I've been to! We learnt loads of
new stuff. Did you know that Darwin (North Australia) suffered over
40 bombing air-raids in World War 2? Did you also know that Sydney
was attacked by submarine in WW2?
We also went to the National Gallery and the National museum. They
were pretty good, but nothing to rave about. I must be getting an
old-hand at art galleries, I'm starting to recognise some artists &
paintings, something I used to have no clue about!
One really fun part of the museum was a section called K-Space. In
it, they take a digital photo of your face then you get to create
your own futuristic vehicle or building. They then attach your photo
to it and you get to watch your creation on a big 3-D cinema screen.
Great fun, meant for kids, but we liked it! ;o)
We also visited the site of the New Parliament on Capital Hill. It's
in an amazing building that's designed to blend with the
environment, so it's got grass covered slopes leading to a grass
covered roof. We took a walk to the top and were rewarded with some
amazing, panoramic views of Canberra. Just as we headed back down,
some Japanese tourists got the security guards to pose in a photo
for them! He he!
Nat & I also drove up to the Buddhist temple. The guide said it was
really amazing, but when we got there, it looked like some major
building works were going on & there were only a couple of statues.
Never mind, we'll see some fantastic ones when we're in Asia.
We had fantastic weather when we were in Canberra so we spent one
afternoon lazing in the Botanic Gardens in the sun. The girls hid in
the shade so they wouldn't burn, while Stinge and I lay in the sun.
By the time we left, I was covered in a thick layer of sweat! Yum!
Luckily the cafe supplies free water, but I hear your question, no
free deodorant! Plus, my tan is coming on well!
Nat & I popped along to the National Library because we saw some
interesting posters. There was a large collection on display and
when we got more info about it, our jaws dropped. We tried to get
in, but even though it's free, only a limited number of people are
allowed through in any one day, and all of the days places had gone.
So we made a point of getting up nice and early today so we could
definitely get in.
The next morning, after grabbing our last fantastic free breakfast
at this hostel (unlimited cereal, toast, peaches, yoghurt, tea &
coffee) we all headed straight to the library. When we got there,
there was already a queue (it had been open for about half-an-hour).
We got our tickets and were told to come back at about 2 o'clock
when it would be our turn.
We spent the rest of the morning wandering in town and drinking
(coffee & frappachinos) in Starbucks, then headed back to the
library.
After a half-hour wait, we were allowed in to see the fascinating
collection of books and scripts that influenced our world. On
display were some incredible things. They were all ORIGINAL copies
and included: Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream Speech' written
by him; Einstein's hand written papers on relativity; Mozart's
hand-written Requiem; Darwin's hand-written papers on evolution;
Shakespeare's original works; Jane Austen's hand written
'Persuasion' and more! Find the complete exhibit on-line by
clicking here. Go on, check it out, it's amazing!
After touring the exhibit, we headed out and with no more hesitation
and started our journey to SYDNEY!
Next Diary Entry >>
|
|
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back
|
|
|
|
|