Saturday 8 June 2019

Just like the pictures

I've never thought about visiting Canberra, the capital of Australia.  Never thought I'd visit or had any inclination to do so, except in a vague sort of way when I thought how nice it would be to catch up with an old friend and boss who now lives there.  Then along comes a surprise and find myself headed there for a brief holiday to visit a long lost relative.

I flew into Sydney and caught a bus to Canberra, just a three hour drive inland. I don't know why I thought there would be something to look at.  I was wrong, it was very boring.   But worth it.  Canberra in late May was crisp and cold at night but the days, oh, the days were glorious (even on the one day when the wind was bitterly cold) with brilliant clear blue skies.  

Being shown around by a local was a real bonus.  There's no way I would have seen or done half as much if left to my own devices.  I didn't even know Australia has a National Carillon.  It's an impressive piece of architecture, 50 metres high on Aspen Island, in Lake Burley Griffin.


Despite the cold wind I enjoyed our stroll around the little island, thinking of my granddaughter, Georgia and how she would have loved those willows.


Looking across the lake at the High Court of Australia offers a much more attractive view of the building than you see from up close.  I've read of it described as a 'brutalist' building and I had no clue what that meant until I saw it.  


Further around the lake in a quiet corner we visited the Beijing Garden.  Imagine my pride that my relative played an integral part in their establishment.   They are beautifully planned with curved paths that lead to stunning statues and amazing views - under that famous Canberra blue sky.  It was a good day to visit, few people and very peaceful, a place for contemplation.  The Beijing Municipal Government made a gift of the garden to the City of Canberra.  Workers from China were brought out to do the construction.  It is a formal garden designed in the Imperial Chinese Garden Style of the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912.  (I got that from a plaque.)




In the background and to the left of the galloping horse above, you can see the flagpole on the top of the new Parliament House.  It's 81 metres tall and quite a landmark.



Parliament House


 Around the back of Parliament House

I liked the back view of Government House, too.  It's the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia and is set in 54 hectares of parkland.  


Another highlight of my visit was the time spent in the National Art Gallery.  As luck would have it, I was there on the very last day of the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition of masterpieces from the Tate in London.  Such a thrill to see Ophelia!  It wasn't near as large as I thought it would be but really, incredibly beautiful.


Painting of woman with pale skin and auburn hair lying in water surrounded by flowers, apparently dead.Photo taken from the gallery website.

That gallery is a great place for time to pass very quickly.   So many lovely paintings.  And, of course, some that were just beyond my understanding.  Like so many Australians I failed to appreciate the Jackson Pollock masterpiece which cost the Australian taxpayer $1.3 million back in 1973.  Ah well.









And this art work I found a little too confronting -


12 comments:

  1. I've never seen images of Canberra. Looks like a day or two well spent.

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  2. That last one is quite disturbing.

    You have a beautiful capital city, i would enjoy visiting if i could ever get there.

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    1. It is quite a lovely city, Messymimi, lots of trees.

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  4. That Beijing garden looks like it has a pretty good view over the water.

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    1. It has, Amy. And there are good walkways around the lake, too.

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  5. Canberra seems to be one of those odd places of which everyone knows because it is a capital city but no one knows anyone who has visited it.

    Your picture of Ophelia really made me sit up. I've been a fan of the Pre-Raphaelites since the early '60s when I saw an exhibition in Liverpool and subsequently spent many happy hours at the Tate and National Galleries in London. I don't know whether you know but Millais spent many happy days painting the scene on a riverbank (at Kingston-upon-Thames I seem to recall) without the figure. He then painted the figure in in his studio. The model had to float for hours in a bath whilst he did it. John Ruskin - whom I much admired when I was young - called the picture a lovely landscape 'haunted by sorrow'.

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    1. Graham it was really beautiful with an ethereal quality but the main impression is that of sorrow. It was definitely a thrill to see it!

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  6. I can understand the piece by Jackson Pollock better than I can that last one! Loved the Ophelia painting along with reading the comment from Graham! We have a carillon at Stone Mountain, what a lovely sound over the water!

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    1. I'm with you there, Kay. I prefer confusing to confronting!!

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  7. A great post Pauline, such a beautiful area and the exhibits must have been fascinating. Ophelia, I have seen that painting in books. Just awesome to be able to see the real work of art.

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  8. Hi Denise, I could have spent more than a day in that gallery. So many of the artworks just captivated me.

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