Australian Capital Territory - Canberra

We rode the Hop On - Hop Off Bus for a quick tour of Canberra, the Australian capital.  Once again, it was a beautiful day, sunny and warm.  Both Sydney and Melbourne aspired to be the capital city of  an independent Australia.  A compromise was reached when the Australian Capital Territory was created and Canberra was selected as the location for the national government (much like Washington being located in the District of Columbia rather than in one of the 50 states).  Like Washington, D.C., Canberra was laid out as a planned city in 1908.  Most of the government buildings are very modern compared to those of other national capitals.  The Parliament House was completed as recently as 1988.  The Old Parliament House which dates back to 1927 now houses Australia's National Portrait Gallery.  Our drive also took us through the embassy area which was interesting with its very modern buildings serving as embassies.  The Parliamentary Triangle and immediate surroundings function much like the Washington, D.C. Mall which links the principal governmental buildings with green space, monuments and museums.  We drove to Sydney for the night.

Parliament House

Aboriginal Embassy (Native Australians)

Australian Army Memorial

White Cockatoos

The Big Marino