National Library of Australia, Canberra
National Library of Australia, Canberra
One of the buildings we could see from our picnic lunch spot on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin was the National Library of Australia. So far I have not had the chance to visit our nation’s most important library. In another life I was a librarian in schools, so I have a particular interest in libraries. This magnificent building is a prominent feature of this part of the capital city of Australia.
Next time we visit Canberra we must plan to take in some more of the important and historic buildings of the city.
The National Library of Australia is a public research and reference library. It has more than nine million items in its collection, including books, journals, newspapers, maps, music, manuscripts, pictures, oral history, ephemera and electronic resources, including websites. Many of these items are published in Australia or are about Australia, but that is not all.
The Library also has world-class Asian and Pacific collections and many other overseas publications and rare books. The Library aims to meet the information needs of all Australians and people from overseas who are researching Australian subjects.
Link:
- The National Library of Australia website
Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
Our holiday in Canberra
September 2007
On our first day during our short stay in Canberra this year we had lunch on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. This lake is a central feature in the middle of this beautiful city, the capital of Australia. We virtually had the park to ourselves, except for about three hundred lunch-time walkers, cyclists, in-line skaters and people walking their dogs at lunch time. The many well-maintained walking/cycling tracks along the shores of the artificial lake are a great facility and obviously much appreciated by the citizens of Canberra.
The sunny, cloud-free day with a gentle breeze made it a wonderful picnic lunch.
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Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
A poor choice of accommodation
Our holiday in Canberra
September 2007
On arriving in Canberra late in the afternoon – after sunset actually – we checked into the Crestview Caravan Park where I had booked a cabin for our stay in the nation’s capital. This caravan is actually in Queanbeyan just over the border in New South Wales. It is only a ten minute drive to Canberra from there.
The caravan park and the cabin were a disaster, and I am determined never to stay there again. The park was crowded with very little room to park vehicles. The cabin was far below standard for what we paid. The facilities were well below acceptable and this detracted from our stay. Before we left I wrote a two page list of all the things wrong with our accommodation. The owners probably just screwed it up and binned it.
Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Canberra
On our first morning we spent several hours birding at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. I had heard a great deal about this great birding spot from the internet. The birding was rather slow during my visit. You get that.
See also Bush birds at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands on my Birding blog.
Purple Swamphen
A very strange bridge
Near Wollongong, New South Wales
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
From Royal National Park just south of Sydney we travelled along the coast road to Wollongong. Our son told us before leaving his place in Sydney that this was the far more picturesque route to take south, not the quicker alternative freeway. He was right. It is a wonderfully scenic route to take. It may be twisty and slow, but really beautiful.
At one point the road consists of a strange bridge built over the ocean. The original road was demolished some years ago by a landslide. The new roadway on this bridge gives a spectacular view of both the coast and the sea. Quite bizarre – but beautiful.
Click on the image to enlarge the photo.
View more photos in our family photo gallery here.
Lunch down by the beach
Wattamoola, Royal National Park, Sydney
Our holiday in New South Wales
September 2007
After our walk in the Royal National Park just south of Sydney, we drove on through the park for about half an hour. We were looking for a good spot to stop for lunch. On the map I had it showed a picnic ground at the beach at a locality called Wattamoola. We had never been there so we headed there to find a lovely spot on the headland overlooking the river estuary and the beach.
While we were having a very pleasant lunch my memory was jogged. I seemed to remember coming here after all, but a very long time ago. I seem to remember our children playing in the sand at this point. They are now adults. I must have been sometime in the mid-1970s. The memory cells are a little rusty. Somewhere I might even have an old photo or two.
Great place for a picnic. Or a swim. Or just to while away the hours on the beach.
We decided that the next time we come to Sydney we need to spend more time in this area, not just drive through it over about three hours.
Wattamoola, Royal National Park, Sydney