Canberra-The nation's capital.

Dominating the centre of Canberra is the Parliament building, which sits a couple of hundred feet above the city and is visible from almost all of it. A very modern building, completed in 1988, the design is of five seperate parts connected by glass corridors, and with a roof mainly covered by well manicured grass. Above the centre of the building is a structure supporting a flagpole which is 250ft high, adding to the magnificence of the whole design.

Each building has a seperate purpose, one contains the house of Representatives, with 150 MPs who sit for about 72 days a year, another containing the senate, the equivalent of our House Of Lords, but all 76 of them are elected for six years at a time.

The Australian democratic institutions are modelled very much on the British Parliament, with a speaker in each house, a despatch box, even calling their records Hansard as we do. We had a great guide who was able to answer all our questions, we found the building and its processes fascinating.

We were able to go up on the roof, from where we had great views of the city, most of the institutions such as the museums and the government buildings are just a short distance away, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard's residence.

The Federal Capital  is where it is because it is fairly high up and enjoys a more moderate climate than many of the state capitals on the coast. In 1903 when the decision was made to join the six colonies together it was thought that there was less chance of disease at this altitude. But it still gets very hot in the height of summer, and the parliament building, the second one to be constructed here, was built with that in mind.

From the front of the building is a long avenue which leads up another hill directly to the War Memorial, an imposing building which not only remembers the Australian dead of many wars fought in the last two centuries, but houses one of the finest war museums in the world.

We spent a good three hours in the various halls, viewing the many dioramas which reconstructed the battles that the Anzacs had taken part in, from the Boer War to the Vietnam war. I could have spent much longer- there were a number of film presentations which were extremely well done in the larger halls, using lighting to show the aircraft and weapons used in the many wars.

We are here for three days- there is so much more to see in this marvelous city- and more to report. Watch this space.....