WHAT is it with Australia and its boring place names? Take the famous Uluru, which rises like a giant’s ochre-flavoured bread loaf from the flat, shimmering plains of central Australia. So what did the white man name this awe-bending rock? Ayers…Rock.
Similarly, the territory in which our nation’s capital sits? Freelandia? Eureka? Bunyips’ Dreaming? No. “Australian Capital Territory.”
Well, Canberra, the capital of ACT, and/or Australia, isn’t much more exciting than its name. The galleries are really good, and….
The nation's capital probably has never or will never feature in one of those "Cities to visit next year" lists that begin appearing every November.
Most Australians get dragged there on a school trip and never go back. But the Women's T20 World Cup was on, so I went up to support Thailand. And I never went there on a school trip.
There's the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Parliament House, old Parliament house, some other stuff....a lake?
There are some nice forested parks, bushland and waterways as well. This is part of the garden of the National Gallery.
Both the National and the Portrait galleries are really good, and free. This piece is in the entrance to NG, and 200 hollow wooden coffins from Arnhem Land, one for every year from 1788 to 1988, are for the memory of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who died during white rule.
Amongst the permanent exhibitions is an Asian art section, with works from our neighbours, like this one from India.
This whacked out number is from the Philippines and represents man....I dunno, but it is very eye catching.
One of the most extensive and important exhibits is the Aboriginal art, which includes old, new, traditional, historical, Namatjiras' works and more.
This huge fish basket hangs above the reception. You could catch a croc' in that.
Albert Namatjira was one of Australia's most loved artists, and many of his family members were also successful painters. This piece shows Albert and his ute. (Artist unknown....by me)
One of the pieces from the portrait gallery.
A very old and large painting on bark.
A traditional mask from Thursday Island, in the Torres Strait, between Queensland and PNG.
Thailand enjoyed some early success against England, with two wickets in the first two overs, which justified my trip to Canberra.