Canberra and Crowds

We decided to push on to Canberra, Australia's capital city.  We drove by the Australian War Memorial and saw hundreds of white folding chairs set up.  Obviously, it was in preparation for a major event.  When we spoke to the very helpful lady at the Visitors Center, she told us that on Thursday the city would celebrate ANZAC day, in tribute to the Australia New Zealand Army Corp (roughly the equivalent to our Memorial Day service).  It was Monday afternoon.  She told us that the city would begin closing off streets Wednesday.

Canberra, Australia's Capital City

When we got back to the rig, David began calling campgrounds to find an opening.  Everything was booked.  He finally was able to secure a site for us about thirty minutes outside the Australian Capital Territorial (equivalent to our District of Columbia).

We figured we only had Monday afternoon and Tuesday to explore the capitol and decided to take in the War Memorial first.

Australia's War Memorial

The Memorial was a moving experience.  When war erupted in August of 1914, Australia and New Zealand responded.  We learned that over 60,000 of their troops lost their lives in World War I.

Memorial to John Simpson Kirkpatrick

The Memorial held countless tributes.  There was the statue to John Simpson Kirkpatrick, known for his bravery and compassion, carried the wounded by donkey to safety.  After four weeks, he was fatally wounded but embodied for Australians "the spirit of self-sacrifice in war."  A nurse, wounded by shrapnel, continued caring for the soldiers in spite of her own wounds.

Tomb to the Unknown Soldier

We visited the tomb of their unknown soldier and saw thousands of poppies adorning their list of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The Names of Thousands of Australians who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice

I saw a young girl with a handful of poppies walking among the names.  "This one doesn't have anyone to love him," she said as she placed a poppy by a man's name.  "He does now," her mother responded.

Canberra is an interesting city with beautiful architect and design.  It is also a fairly new city.  Canberra became Australia's capital in 1911.  King O'Malley launched a design competition for architects to develop an architectural plan for the entire area.  American Walter Burley Griffen and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, won the design competition.  The documentary we saw indicated the couple won because they worked with the landscape, using its best features to enhance the beauty of their design.

That evening we set up our campsite overlooking the bouncy, air-filled mounds that the kids play on in these parks.  It was more fun than a football game!

The following morning, we drove back to the visitor's center to park the rig (free of charge).  We then hiked across the bridge to visit Australia's capital buildings.

Bridge to Canberra's Capitol Buildings

We visited the old parliament building, now the museum of Australian Democracy.  One of the volunteers helped David and I understand a bit more about the Australian parliament and their form of democracy.

Australia's Old Parliament Building

Of course, we also saw signs of discontent, including an Aboriginal protest.  We were surprised to learn in the museum that the Aboriginal people did not gain citizenship until the mid 1960s.

Aboriginal protest on Capital Grounds in Canberra

The Australian Coat-of-Arms has a kangaroo and emu on it.  Our friend Mike explained that these animals hold a place of honor on the coat-of-arms because neither animal can take a step backward.

Australian Coat-of-Arms with a Kangaroo and Emu

We walked back across the bridge and drove to the national museum.  It was quite interesting to learn about the first Europeans who came to this country.  As an example, there were records and bottles of animals preserved in formaldehyde, collected by the first European scientists who tried to understand Australia's native wildlife.  As an example, when Europeans first learned about platypus, they thought it was a hoax.  When they finally agreed they were real and the Aboriginal people told them that platypus were egg-laying mammals, they didn't believe them.  One scientist dissected hundreds of platypus before he opened one female with an unlaid egg.

We also saw one of Australian's finest examples of car camping... the FJ Holden Special Sedan, Australia's first mass-produced car.

FJ Holden Special Sedan

It was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon.  All the campgrounds in the area were full.  ANZAC Day was fast approaching.  Roads would soon be blocked.  It was time for us to leave.  We decided to go to the Snowy Mountain region.  Perhaps there we would find less crowds throughout this final holiday weekend... and most importantly, wild brumbies (Australian for wild horses)!