The Day Plan

It was a dark & stormy night. Then the sun arrived & it was time to explore more of Australia’s capital while my brother went back to work. I headed towards the Parliament Zone - an area of land shaped as a chess pawn and filled with important buildings & gardens - designed to woo foreign dignitaries & tourists. More closely, the National Gallery & Library, Portrait Gallery, Treasury Building, and Old & New Parliament House are located within this area.

My first stop was the Australians of the Year Walk, a promenade similar to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, except the chosen individuals (starting from 1960) are displayed on concrete tablets. Famous actor/comedian Paul Hogan occupies the year when I was born. There are enough tablets to last well into the 2100s.

Next came the Commonwealth Place, located at the bottom centre of the Zone. It appears as a tribute to the United Nations, with the flags of many world nations flapping happily in the clear blue sky. Black swans are present in this area, swimming and looking for a meal. They are not afraid of humans and will let you get very close, expecting to receive food.

From there, I moved up the centre towards the Old Parliament House, a large white painted structure where the federal government & opposition used to face off. Beyond it lay a mall of green grass (similar to Washington DC) leading to the new & more modern Parliament House. At this time, the mall was being transformed into a concert venue with fences surrounding the grass fields, and a stage had been constructed in front of Parliament. Four slanted metallic pillars hold an Australian flag high & proud above the government structure. A red gravel terrace stands in front of the visitor’s entrance. The four corners of Parliament are covered with freshly mowed grass, giving the impression that the structure is built into a hill. To me, modern Parliament looks like a decorated bomb shelter.

After briefly looking over the Portrait Gallery, I headed back the way I came but crossed a different bridge. Situated on a small island nearby is the National Carillon, a white tower containing bells tuned to different tones, thus allowing music to be played. When tunes are not being played, the Carillon acts as a clock tower.

While walking back to the town centre, an international women marathon was taking place, with several roadways having been closed and marked with pylons. The main area with the finish line, food stalls, and sponsors, were located in a park directly opposite the Commonwealth Monument. After looking over the female runners and photographing the distant War Memorial, I walked through the City Walk once more, stopping into a comic book store, and later buying a kebab, before heading back to my brother’s overly-secure campus residence.

To Be Continued . . .