Very early (I woke at 3:45!) this morning, we boarded this train, bound for the Australian capital city of Canberra.
The train was clean and comfy, which was good because the trip was 4.5 hours in length. Adam read 4 newspapers, while I watched Australia go by out the window:
The first half of the trip was all cows, and the second half sheep (as the above show). The landscape – aside from the Great Dividing Range – was exactly as you see above. I only saw one Kangaroo, not too far from Canberra.
Our first stop was the Royal Australian Mint, where all Aussie coins are made. A charming lass led a 45 minute tour, and we spent some time perusing the displays and shop. It was fascinating stuff, with such things as ‘Kookaburra pennies’ and $300k + rare coins from the 1930s. Worth a visit if you’re ever here.
Afterwards we headed to the seat of Australian government, known as Parliament House:
Opened in 1988, this is a massive and impressive building that I was surprised to discover is almost completely open to the public. Here’s where the politicians do their jobs, for instance:
Here’s one example of the many striking artworks in the building:
And here’s a majestic portrait of the great Paul Keating, my favorite Australian prime minister:
We took the chance to stroll from Parliament House to our hotel, a walk that took us over Lake Burley Griffon on a bridge. It was mid afternoon and the heat had picked up quite a bit.
By the time we got to the hotel (which is swanky), we were both ruined and retired early. Being old has its disadvantages 🙁