My Week in Canberra
Feb. 14th, 2005 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ljpliceaseCanberra is the capital of Australia, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) which is the equivalent to the District of Columbia (DC) in the states. In stark contrast to Washington, the architecture in Canberra is very modern. This is appropriate for such a young country. Australia was granted self rule by an act of British Parliament and in 1901 formed a Federation of six states. Foreign policy was in fact dictated by London until after WWII, and in fact the highest court in the land was the Privy Council in London until 1976 (the year that I was born). With luck, one day Australians will vote to become a republic in name in addition to the currently effective independence. Officially Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state.
For a major capital it still has a very rural feel to it. There are black and white pictures of Old Parliament House from the 40s and 50s (which was then the Parliament House) which feature pastoral elements such as sheep and bales of hay where a man made lake now rests. There is public transport, but it mostly goes unused as people are relatively affluent and driving is not the hassle that it is in big cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. You are very close to nature here, but what passes for mountains are little more than hills to me. It is hot in the summer and relatively cold in the winter, though there is no snow and there are no snow days. Although nothing like places where it is actually cold, the houses are designed for habitation of more temperate locales such as Sydney. My dad's house is cool in the summer which offers a welcome respite, but he says it is just as cold in the winter.
The story so far (composed in mostly incomplete sentences):
Tuesday (8 February 2005)
Arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith International at 8:00am. Dad picked me up and we drove down to Canberra. I took a number of digital pictures of the sibs (my little brother Tristan 11 and little sister Lara 8). I'm trying to deal more effectively with my father and not let his idiosyncrasies irritate me so much. I was dead tired, but managed to stay awake until 7:45pm.
Wednesday
Climbed Mt. Ainsley. Took some pictures. Went to the War Memorial to see G for George (a bomber that saw action in WWII). I saw a Prius in the parking lot and said "Oh look Tyler, there's another Prius" before I remembered I wasn't in LA anymore - or that I wasn't with Tyler. I am going to fondly remember my trip to LA for a long time to come.
Thursday
Went to the Botanical Garden. Took pictures of flowers with my macro lens and flash. The gardens in Sydney are much more impressive.
Went to the National Library, where they had an exhibit of Australian photographs titled In a New Light featuring black and white and color photographs dated from 1930-2000. There were three Type R prints which I was utterly unimpressed with after seeing Ken Duncan's work. The exhibit was mostly black and white and the overall quality varied a lot, but some of the photographs which were less interesting aesthetically compensated by being interesting historically. One of the photographers was especially good. Somebody Moore. His black and whites had excellent composition, and were well printed.
Went to the National Portrait Gallery... which kind of sucked. All the portraits were photographs taken by one photographer, and I can't say that I was particularly impressed with what I saw. I can see how a series of portraits could be interesting but these were not. Richard Avedon was the master in the art of fashion and portrait photography. They change the exhibit from time to time, so it does have potential.
Went out to dinner. Had pizza.
Friday
Wished my father a happy birthday first thing in the morning. Went to Fyshwick to get my slides from the Botanical Garden expedition processed. Professional processing is expensive in Australia. Professional film too. At noon watched Lara be knighted into the order of SRC. I think this is vaguely similar to student government, although I never went to a school that had student government so I have no frame of reference.
Went to Old Parliament House to see the National Portrait Gallery there. Apparently there are two galleries with that name. This one was much better, although the artists and quality varied. My father was interested in the stories which went along with the pictures, but I was fixated on the photographs (and other media) themselves. I like a portrait which tells me something about the person even without the caption. I can't look at a photograph anymore - and especially not a black and white photograph - without critiquing it. I brought my camera, but Old Parliament House is less photogenic than I remembered and I only took one black and white. Some strange man who was vaguely affiliated with the joint accosted us in a more or less friendly manner as we departed.
I don't know what I am going to do with this black and white film. I can't process it myself and I have this aversion to giving it to anyone else for processing. Wandered around ANU campus for a while. Photographed some buildings in shades of gray. One of Dad's coworkers called me "little David". Photographed my sibs horsing around with most of the rest of the roll.
Had birthday cheesecake. Lara wanted to put all 53 candles on the cake. Refrained from pointing out that this would be a fire hazard. Does restraint mean that I am The Good Son, or does the fact that I even thought of it The Bad Son?
Saturday
The sibs went to art class while Dad and I went shopping. How domestic. Argued about Anthropology and the origin of modern humans on the way. Purchased Spicy Fruit Rolls which aren't spicy, but do taste good and Iced Vo-Vos which have nothing to do with Volvos... although sometimes they get called Iced Volvos. Neither of these treats can be obtained stateside, and both are produced by Arnotts. Went hiking and had a picnic on Mt. Ainsley. Eong said she didn't understand this thing about eating outside, and I told her "food tastes better outside" which is something everyone knows right? Well she gave me a dubious look. Took some macro photographs of eucalyptus tree bark. Interesting patterns. Very tired afterward. Had a nap.
At dinner dad gave me a fork and spoon to eat with again. This time I quietly went to the kitchen to get a knife. He's never going to understand or even take note of my preferences.
Went for a walk. Dad and Lara were arguing (as they often do). This time it was about the swing in the playground. There was only one, so Dad asked Lara to give Tristan a turn. Lara said something like "but I was there first" and dad said "that's not very fair not to give Tristan a turn" and Lara replied: "but you said life isn't always fair". This was hilarious because she was using his own logic against him. Dad later told me that he thought Lara would make a good politician, but that Eong had told him not to encourage her.
Got home before it started pouring. Fresh rain made everything smell nice. I said something like "I love the smell of victory in the morning; it smells like oregano" and Eong gave me an amused look, but I think the line from Quest for Glory III is actually "I love the smell of victory in the morning; it smells like quiche" (yes I know it is a reference to that war movie, with that guy who directs movies and those other people who act in movies).
Sunday
Went to the Multicultural Festival. This was vaguely similar to the National Folk Festival I went to last year, except most of the acts weren't as good. It was also somewhat political. The local government minister for multicultural affairs grudgingly acknowledged the native peoples who lived in the area of Canberra before white settlement. Then he carped about the fact that few companies and unions provided funding for the festival. I couldn't imagine someone doing something like that in America. Australians are funny like that.
Made enchiladas for dinner. Would have tasted better with green chili. Wasn't terrible though. Dad was supposed to be paying attention so that he could make them in my absence, but he wasn't. Watched some home vids of the sibs. There really isn't anything more boring than home videos.
Note that in Australia "rubber" means eraser, where as in America, "rubber" means something quite different. This is good to know if you are an American visiting in Australia or an Australian visiting in America. I don't know what it means if you are culturally schizophrenic, such as I am.
Monday (14 February 2005)
Went to new Parliament house. Took photographs. Dad gave me his usual propaganda as we looked at the portraits of all the former PMs of Australia (that's Prime Ministers). We have a former PM who was sacked by the representative of a foreign nation and another PM who went for a swim and never came back. There are all kinds of conspiracy stories on the latter. My favorites are the one where he was killed by the CIA because he was threatening to pull Australia out of Vietnam, or the one where he was a spy for the Soviets or Chinese and was picked up by a submarine out to see.
Went to the High Court. Snapped some more photographs. This is the equivalent to the Supreme Court in the United States. One thing which distinguishes it from equivalent courts in other countries is that if you don't happen to live in Canberra (the capital) then you don't have to go to Canberra, the court will come to you. This makes the court more accessible to the common man, especially in 1901 when there were no ground links between Perth on the west coast and the east coast.
The most significant case heard by the court was probably Eddie Mabo & Ors v The State of Queensland (commonly referred to in Australia as simply Mabo) which established the principal of "Native Title" that gives Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders ownership of their ancestral land if they can prove continuous habitation. This is probably a step in the right direction; however, in general, the way Australia has dealt with its native population is as problematic and unresolved as in America.
Australians have very symbolic government buildings. Parliament House is built into a hill where the people can literally walk on the government. The High Court is built like a bridge that you can see through, symbolizing the court as the connection between the people and the government. There is a fountain nearby which flows quite low and looks a bit like a river. I wonder if that was meant to be "water under the bridge".
Tuesday
I have been here for a week and it is time to head north to Gosford and Sydney. I will be there for a few days before I am off again to Adelaide in South Australia.
Post Script
Here are some digital photographs I took of Tristan and Lara over the trip:
For a major capital it still has a very rural feel to it. There are black and white pictures of Old Parliament House from the 40s and 50s (which was then the Parliament House) which feature pastoral elements such as sheep and bales of hay where a man made lake now rests. There is public transport, but it mostly goes unused as people are relatively affluent and driving is not the hassle that it is in big cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. You are very close to nature here, but what passes for mountains are little more than hills to me. It is hot in the summer and relatively cold in the winter, though there is no snow and there are no snow days. Although nothing like places where it is actually cold, the houses are designed for habitation of more temperate locales such as Sydney. My dad's house is cool in the summer which offers a welcome respite, but he says it is just as cold in the winter.
The story so far (composed in mostly incomplete sentences):
Tuesday (8 February 2005)
Arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith International at 8:00am. Dad picked me up and we drove down to Canberra. I took a number of digital pictures of the sibs (my little brother Tristan 11 and little sister Lara 8). I'm trying to deal more effectively with my father and not let his idiosyncrasies irritate me so much. I was dead tired, but managed to stay awake until 7:45pm.
Wednesday
Climbed Mt. Ainsley. Took some pictures. Went to the War Memorial to see G for George (a bomber that saw action in WWII). I saw a Prius in the parking lot and said "Oh look Tyler, there's another Prius" before I remembered I wasn't in LA anymore - or that I wasn't with Tyler. I am going to fondly remember my trip to LA for a long time to come.
Thursday
Went to the Botanical Garden. Took pictures of flowers with my macro lens and flash. The gardens in Sydney are much more impressive.
Went to the National Library, where they had an exhibit of Australian photographs titled In a New Light featuring black and white and color photographs dated from 1930-2000. There were three Type R prints which I was utterly unimpressed with after seeing Ken Duncan's work. The exhibit was mostly black and white and the overall quality varied a lot, but some of the photographs which were less interesting aesthetically compensated by being interesting historically. One of the photographers was especially good. Somebody Moore. His black and whites had excellent composition, and were well printed.
Went to the National Portrait Gallery... which kind of sucked. All the portraits were photographs taken by one photographer, and I can't say that I was particularly impressed with what I saw. I can see how a series of portraits could be interesting but these were not. Richard Avedon was the master in the art of fashion and portrait photography. They change the exhibit from time to time, so it does have potential.
Went out to dinner. Had pizza.
Friday
Wished my father a happy birthday first thing in the morning. Went to Fyshwick to get my slides from the Botanical Garden expedition processed. Professional processing is expensive in Australia. Professional film too. At noon watched Lara be knighted into the order of SRC. I think this is vaguely similar to student government, although I never went to a school that had student government so I have no frame of reference.
Went to Old Parliament House to see the National Portrait Gallery there. Apparently there are two galleries with that name. This one was much better, although the artists and quality varied. My father was interested in the stories which went along with the pictures, but I was fixated on the photographs (and other media) themselves. I like a portrait which tells me something about the person even without the caption. I can't look at a photograph anymore - and especially not a black and white photograph - without critiquing it. I brought my camera, but Old Parliament House is less photogenic than I remembered and I only took one black and white. Some strange man who was vaguely affiliated with the joint accosted us in a more or less friendly manner as we departed.
I don't know what I am going to do with this black and white film. I can't process it myself and I have this aversion to giving it to anyone else for processing. Wandered around ANU campus for a while. Photographed some buildings in shades of gray. One of Dad's coworkers called me "little David". Photographed my sibs horsing around with most of the rest of the roll.
 |
Saturday
The sibs went to art class while Dad and I went shopping. How domestic. Argued about Anthropology and the origin of modern humans on the way. Purchased Spicy Fruit Rolls which aren't spicy, but do taste good and Iced Vo-Vos which have nothing to do with Volvos... although sometimes they get called Iced Volvos. Neither of these treats can be obtained stateside, and both are produced by Arnotts. Went hiking and had a picnic on Mt. Ainsley. Eong said she didn't understand this thing about eating outside, and I told her "food tastes better outside" which is something everyone knows right? Well she gave me a dubious look. Took some macro photographs of eucalyptus tree bark. Interesting patterns. Very tired afterward. Had a nap.
At dinner dad gave me a fork and spoon to eat with again. This time I quietly went to the kitchen to get a knife. He's never going to understand or even take note of my preferences.
Went for a walk. Dad and Lara were arguing (as they often do). This time it was about the swing in the playground. There was only one, so Dad asked Lara to give Tristan a turn. Lara said something like "but I was there first" and dad said "that's not very fair not to give Tristan a turn" and Lara replied: "but you said life isn't always fair". This was hilarious because she was using his own logic against him. Dad later told me that he thought Lara would make a good politician, but that Eong had told him not to encourage her.
Got home before it started pouring. Fresh rain made everything smell nice. I said something like "I love the smell of victory in the morning; it smells like oregano" and Eong gave me an amused look, but I think the line from Quest for Glory III is actually "I love the smell of victory in the morning; it smells like quiche" (yes I know it is a reference to that war movie, with that guy who directs movies and those other people who act in movies).
Sunday
Went to the Multicultural Festival. This was vaguely similar to the National Folk Festival I went to last year, except most of the acts weren't as good. It was also somewhat political. The local government minister for multicultural affairs grudgingly acknowledged the native peoples who lived in the area of Canberra before white settlement. Then he carped about the fact that few companies and unions provided funding for the festival. I couldn't imagine someone doing something like that in America. Australians are funny like that.
Made enchiladas for dinner. Would have tasted better with green chili. Wasn't terrible though. Dad was supposed to be paying attention so that he could make them in my absence, but he wasn't. Watched some home vids of the sibs. There really isn't anything more boring than home videos.
Note that in Australia "rubber" means eraser, where as in America, "rubber" means something quite different. This is good to know if you are an American visiting in Australia or an Australian visiting in America. I don't know what it means if you are culturally schizophrenic, such as I am.
Monday (14 February 2005)
Went to new Parliament house. Took photographs. Dad gave me his usual propaganda as we looked at the portraits of all the former PMs of Australia (that's Prime Ministers). We have a former PM who was sacked by the representative of a foreign nation and another PM who went for a swim and never came back. There are all kinds of conspiracy stories on the latter. My favorites are the one where he was killed by the CIA because he was threatening to pull Australia out of Vietnam, or the one where he was a spy for the Soviets or Chinese and was picked up by a submarine out to see.
Went to the High Court. Snapped some more photographs. This is the equivalent to the Supreme Court in the United States. One thing which distinguishes it from equivalent courts in other countries is that if you don't happen to live in Canberra (the capital) then you don't have to go to Canberra, the court will come to you. This makes the court more accessible to the common man, especially in 1901 when there were no ground links between Perth on the west coast and the east coast.
The most significant case heard by the court was probably Eddie Mabo & Ors v The State of Queensland (commonly referred to in Australia as simply Mabo) which established the principal of "Native Title" that gives Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders ownership of their ancestral land if they can prove continuous habitation. This is probably a step in the right direction; however, in general, the way Australia has dealt with its native population is as problematic and unresolved as in America.
Australians have very symbolic government buildings. Parliament House is built into a hill where the people can literally walk on the government. The High Court is built like a bridge that you can see through, symbolizing the court as the connection between the people and the government. There is a fountain nearby which flows quite low and looks a bit like a river. I wonder if that was meant to be "water under the bridge".
Tuesday
I have been here for a week and it is time to head north to Gosford and Sydney. I will be there for a few days before I am off again to Adelaide in South Australia.
Post Script
Here are some digital photographs I took of Tristan and Lara over the trip:
