A Very Modern City

It was only in the 50s that Prime Minister Robert Menzies encouraged the city fathers to improve the infrastructure and amenities in the city, and he came up against quite a bit of opposition. However his doggedness resulted in a dam on the Lake Burley Griffin, to make it the grand water it is today.(See Location Below)
Nestling between the Central Business District and the Parliamentary and Embassy areas, the lake is a mecca for walkers, cyclists and boaters alike, an oasis in the centre of a busy metropolis. The views across the lake include the Parliament Buildings, the National Library and Museum, an international flag display,as well as Mount Ainslie and the Black Mountain.

We took a walk along the lake, 5k in total, from the Captain James Cook memorial, to the National Carillon.

The Cook Memorial is a Water Jet and a globe, to commemorate the bicentennary of his landing on the East coast in 1770, and was officially opened by the Queen.
The water jet, in the middle of the lake, reaches a height of 147 mtrs, displacing six tons of water each minute of operation.

Dodging the bikes, and the many runners on the wide pathway, we took in the sights along the way, the Commonwealth Park, Gallipoli Reach, HMAS Canberra memorial, which is one of the ship's anchors, and Blundell's Cottage, one of the few buildings that predate the 100 year old capital. Eventually we arrived at the Carillon, a gift from the people of Great Britain in the 60s, to commemorate the golden jubillee of the founding of the city. An imposing tower, the Westminster chimes ring out the quarters and the hours, but the carillon itself is only played on Sundays and special occasions, so we missed it.

Further along the lake is the National Museum of Australia, an ultra modern building which sits on a peninsula reaching out into the lake. With galleries such as 'Landmarks', which explores Australian history since European Settlement, and 'First Australians' which traces the experiences of the Aboriginal peoples, the museum took us most of the day to explore. Also containing an excellent temporary exhibition 'Travelling the Silk Road', the displays took us back 1000 years to experience the sights and stories of one of the greatest trading routes in history.

Tomorrow we move on again- north, we haven't yet decided where to!