Canberra

Friday 2nd January
 This morning we packed for the end of our Lake Tyers holiday. I really hadn't planned to well for the pack and drive. I hadn't organised a DreamPot dinner and I hadn't done the dishes from last night. So the pack up took longer than anticipated.


It was really a shame to have to say goodbye to Zaron and Talia, we had such a great time together I look forward to our next camping adventure with them.

It was just before 11am when we left Lake Tyers and headed for Canberra. The drive was fantastic, the kids began by singing to the tunes we were playing in the car and before to long Aisha was asleep. Not long after that we had our first break for the day in Cann River. A picnic lunch at the local park and a play on the equipment and we continued our journey, a stop of around 50 minutes.
1 little side note, about 5km out of Cann River we passed a truck that was travelling incredibly slowly. It made the same turn towards Canberra as we did when we left Cann River I asked Cate when we would catch it, keeping in mind he had 50 minute head start. We caught him half an hour out of Cooma.

Cooma was the next stop. Again a play in a playground a little snack and 20-30 minutes we were off on the last leg to Canberra. The only other stop on the was was to have a photo at the ACT sign.
One very interesting part of today was that I have never been to this part of the country before. The scenery today was breath taking in parts and the roads better than I anticipated.

We found the caravan park we have booked into for the next 8 nights and I must say first impression are not favourable. I'm sitting here trying to find kind appropriate words to explain what it is like. Here we go!! At least half the people here are live in locals. Their accommodation needs desperate renovations, "trailer trash" definitely comes to mind. Just as the kids were heading to bed a couple on the locals seemed to have a competition as to whose V8 could be reved the loudest, and I swear there are more teeth in the Collingwood cheer squad than the residents and the concept of the TV show "Bogan Hunters" was possibly conceived right here in this caravan park.

That said there are a few travellers and right now, 9:35pm everything is quiet except for a late traveler who just pulled up.

When we arrived, since I had not planned dinner, we dropped the trailer at our site and went out for dinner. We found a terrific pizza and pasta restaurant in Manuka for dinner then came back for the set up, I set up while Cate showered the kids and read before bed.
Today was very warm and a good day to sit with the AC on in the car, tomorrow's forecast is for 35 degrees in Canberra so are heading to Big Splash Water Park, I look forward to another terrific day.

Saturday 3rd January

The camper got very warm very early and were up and about before 7. Big Splash Water Park slides didn't open until 10 am so we had a little time to fill in. When Cate was living in Canberra the Bearsley's didn't live too far from where we are staying. Cate was very excited to stop out the front of both houses and explain to Ethan and Aisha what she got up to at each house. She was extremely excited to visit her old trumping ground.

Last night I read about 3infun.com.au where you can purchase tickets for 3 of the places we want to see at heavily discounted family prices. We drove to the Canberra and Region Information Centre to purchase the tickets. They also had free Wifi so we logged on and uploaded some of the pictures and blogs we had from our Lake Tyers trip. Then off to the Water Park.

We arrived at the park around 10:45 and were met by a rather large line. The pool opens at 10am and there were people in there before we arrived. The temperature was rising and the line was hardly moving at all. What was it going to be like when we got in?

We got to the window to pay and you pay by height. If you read the blog about the day we went to Sea World on the Noosa trip you'll understand how disappointed Ethan was when he couldn't go the water slide there. He stood tall, he stood proud and made the height limit for all the rides by about 5cm. Boy was he excited. Ethan, Cate and I got our yellow hand bands and off we went. Aisha also wanted to stand next to the height limiter and to her amazement and disappointment she missed out by 15cm. Although she was disappointed she was excited that Ethan made it.

There was a little pool for little kids that had small water slides catering for kids Aisha's age. We went there first. Aisha wouldn't go down the slide on her own; she was very nervous. Ethan was very patient while I spent the early time with Aisha.

There were 3 different slides for those over 110cm. Ethan selected the slide to go down first and sitting on my knee we went on the adventure. He was very clingy and the pool was my chest high so we both went under. He came up laughing and wanting to go again. And again we went; walk up slide down, walk up slide down. Ethan and I then moved to another slide where we sat in a blow up double tube. Again he was massively excited. We did that several times as well.

At this point of the day it struck me that the wait for the rides was nowhere as bad as the wait to get into the place.

Ethan then wanted to share the experience with Cate, so they did all the slides while Aisha and I waited and watched. He was excited to go with mum and Aisha was excited to see them hit the water.
We had lunch and both the kids went to the little pool. They were both really enjoying the slides and the water. It was tangible the increase in both their confidence levels as the day went by.

The first slide Ethan really enjoyed, I'd describe it as the normal, traditional water slide. One time I went first and waited for Ethan to follow and pick him up. Boy was he excited to go on it by himself. The pool at the end was way over Ethan's head but he was determined to walk up the steps and ride it alone. Cate and I agreed. We waited for him to come down with no support in the water and he did struggle. Mum had to jump in and "rescue" him. A little scare but he was keen to do it again.

The final ride was called the twister and everyone had to go down alone, 2 slides side by side. I thought I'd go and check it out. The ride flew, fast and faster; great ride. I went back and told Ethan how fast it was. He really wasn't keen. He would have been keen if he could go down with me. However he was becoming more and more confident in the water and with the slides, he came up and asked if we could go on the twister. Ok off we went. With feet crossed and hands behind our head we went down together. I hit the bottom first and jumped up to make sure Ethan was ok. What I saw was the biggest smile and him yelling "THAT WAS AWESOME! LETS DO IT AGAIN" so again up we went. And again.

The slides closed at 5pm and both the kids were disappointed when that was it. I was impressed with the confidence improvement both Ethan and Aisha showed today.

We bought take away Chinese for dinner and ate it by Lake Burley Griffin. Really a perfect way to end a perfect day. The heat took it out of us today and by the time we left the park we were all a little tired yet we managed to get through the night with little fuss. A credit to us all (3 to 44) for not cracking it. Great day (understatement).

Today I took a heap of video, thank you GoPro. I haven't seen it yet but if it's as good as I hope I'll definitely post a YouTube video. Keep an eye on that page.

Sunday 4th January

Another warm morning meaning we were up early and ready for the day.

For my birthday Cate bought a voucher for an hour flight in a 737-800 simulator. Ethan got half an hour for Christmas. Today was the day Cate had booked for the flights. Ethan was going first then I was to follow. Not wanting to be late, I looked for the location of the simulator so we could leave in plenty of time. To our amazement it is literally less than 800 meters from our camp site.

I had been very excited to learn to fly a 737 since my birthday. Anthony was the pilot and he introduced Ethan to the simulator, which is a scale model of a 737 with huge screens to project the scenery and give an excellent view of up to 22,000 different airports worldwide. There is enough room behind the simulator for 3 people to watch. Ethan took off from Sydney. It was terrific to see the enthusiasm on his face as he took off and flew the plane. He was totally excited when he approached and flew through the clouds and eventually he made an excellent landing in Newcastle.

My turn. While Ethan was flying Anthony asked which airports I was interested in flying from and to. I thought New York's JFK would be great to see so we began from there. Anthony took me on some of the pre flight checks that need to be completed from cabin pressurisation to fasten seat belt signs. Then a basic run down of the controls for take off and landing and a chat about all the dials and switches for the activation of the auto pilot. Then I powered up and we took off. We flew a lap around New York and landed on the same runway. It was interesting to feel how the controls felt and handled and was surprised how forceful you need to be to get the aircraft to respond. By that I mean how far to turn or push, not how difficult it is. Interestingly I wanted to see New York from the cockpit but instead I was watching instruments and keeping the plane on track. Although the autopilot is available I wanted to fly the thing myself.

The hour flight allows for 2 takeoffs and landings so for the second one I flew from Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong to Kai Tak also in Hong Kong. Kai Tak is no longer in operation and was widely known as the most difficult for pilots to fly into. It was very busy and difficult on the flight deck and I must say Anthony is a great coach and I made it without him touching the flight controls.
Since that flight is so short I managed to fit another flight in, this time the reverse of the Hong Kong airports.

It was truly amazing to be in the cockpit of a plane and take the controls, an experience I will definitely never forget.

As it was only 11:30 we came back to the camper for a bite to eat then we headed off to find the old merry go round in the city. It took us a while to locate it and we ended up parking at the Canberra Central shopping center. The kids were very excited to go on the ride, as was Cate. We then spent a little time having an ice cream and wandering the shopping center. While we were there it bucketed with rain and we weren't really sure if we had put the windows up in the trailer!

We then made the trip to Capital Hill and a visit to Parliament House, arriving just after 3pm. I was surprised to see a heavily armed police officer at the entrance with a fully automatic assault rifle at the ready. I later found out that those officers had been there since September when the Parliament in Canada was the subject of a gunman. After going through the metal detectors we found out that a free tour was beginning at 3:30 so off we went.

The tour guide was Kevin (no not Rudd) and he gave us a history of Canberra, the old and the new Parliament Houses. He took us to the public gallery of the House of Representatives and the Senate explaining how many members and the procedures etc. He was a very knowledgeable tour guide and the 50 minute tour seemed like only 15 minutes. Ethan and Aisha were both brilliant sitting and listening while the explanations were happening.

After the tour we went onto the roof and had a look around. The scenery really was magic. We left the roof and had a little wander around inside before it closed at 5pm.

We ate out at a Chinese restaurant then headed for the camper and bed.

It really has been a wonderful and busy day. I'm glad we decided to come here for the week and I feel we have packed so much in already and we still have 6 days to go.

On Friday night I made some comments about the park we are staying in. Although accurate at the time I found out today the the SummerNats have been in Canberra this weekend. That explains all the V8 noise and some of the people staying in the park. The facilities could still be better but I am enjoying staying here.

Monday 5th January

Today was the first of our 3infun days and we decided to head to the AIS. Another perfect day greeted us with blue skies and wonderful warm weather.

Arriving at the AIS we got our tickets for the guided tour then I went and bought a hat; I only packed my big beach hat and I really need a cap.

The names of the 2 athletes alludes me right now but the male is a wrestler and the female is a netballer. The tour started with a hands on exhibition. Ethan and Aisha had a great time trying all the different sports and I was amazed reading all the memorabilia on the walls.

The next hour was spent touring the many facilities the athletes have at their disposal. We toured the main arena, the gymnastics training facility, the volleyball training facility, the weights and conditioning facility and the swimming pool. There were some facilities I remember from my time at the AIS and the tour was great.

Last night Aisha, Cate and I had a bad sleep. Aisha woke around 3am and from then Cate and I slept poorly. By the time we left the AIS we needed to drive for a while so Aisha could have a sleep. Cotter Dam was the choice; at least a 30 minute drive.

A perfect choice it was. Cate and Aisha had a sleep in the car while Ethan and I explored the park. After a little while it was the boys and the girls exploring the Cotter Dam Reserve. Ethan got into his bathers and went walking and swimming in the creek and I followed.

The time we spent at the Cotter Dam Reserve was very relaxing and I thought I could have really seen a platypus, such was the clarity of the stream. We spent a considerable amount of time watching the river flow past, throwing rocks and exploring the bank of the stream and playing in the playgroun; a perfect couple of relaxed hours.

When we got back to camp Cate bathed the kids while I went and bought sausages and steak for dinner. We could see some black clouds approaching and I went to the camp kitchen to cook dinner. The rain that came was torrential. Cate and the kids got soaked getting back to the camper, while the sausages were poached because of the water on the BBQ. I had to cook them again when I got back to the camper. Although the rain was heavy and everything outside was soaking wet the inside of our camper is brilliant. I really could not be happier with the quality of the canvas. I certainly did not predict tropical storms in Canberra.

Tuesday 6th January

Today the plan was to head to Cockington Green Gardens. We chose today because there was less chance of rain. Again up early due to the temperature in the morning and greeted with a beautiful day.

We arrived at the gardens around 10:30 and headed inside. Cockington Green Gardens is a miniature world where they have created building and scenes anywhere from 1/12 scale to 1/50 scale. The grounds are divided into 2 main sections. The first original section of display from Great Britain and the second section The International and Australian display. The slogan for the place is "where the little things matter" and they say don't miss the little things. We walked around the gardens looking a number of times throughout the day. There is an enormous amount of detail in the displays and every time you look at it you see something new and different. It was great to see the sense of humour the people who created the displays had and I can imagine some of the discussions they had when planning the creations.

There is a small train to ride on and we went on that once then the kids played in the playground for a while. Ethan particularly enjoyed pressing the button to work the miniature train that went around the international section of the displays.

When we left the gardens we headed to the Telstra Tower. Aisha was particularly keen to go to the tower since we arrived in Canberra, mainly because it can be seen from any location. Ironically she was the one to get "bored" after being there for a short time. I think the kids were more excited to walk into the tower and get the the highest point then they wanted to leave. I think they are a little young to appreciate the views from there.

Earlier in the day Cate and I saw the National Carillon and thought it would be a great place to have dinner by Lake Burley Griffin. We went into Canberra CBD. I wanted to get a GoPro pole at Teds, and we found a supermarket and chicken shop to buy dinner. We didn't make it to Carillon as everyone was hungry so we ate dinner in the CBD then headed there.

A perfect evening to be walking around the island where the Carillon is located. Just as we arrived the bells chimed and again a short time later.

On the back to the camper we drove past The Lodge. I am very surprised the main entrance is on a freeway. We will drive past it again and find the other entrance but this afternoon we were running out of time.

We were back just in time for a bath, books and bed. Another brilliant day.

Wednesday 7th January

Yet again a glorious day greeted us this morning. Breaky done and we are all ready by 9:00am then off to Questacon, the science and technology centre. Questacon is located very close to the old Parliament House and is a relatively new building; very modern, open and well designed. It is very bright in the foyer area and there are 8 different rooms with different themes and several show type exhibits throughout the day.

There is a room dedicated for children up to the age of 6 called the Little Q and due to the school holidays they had 45 minute sessions with a limited number of people entering the room at any one time.

We were in the 10am session so we had half an hour in the first room before Little Q. The first room was mainly about optical and auditory illusions. The expression on Ethan's and Aisha's faces was terrific when they finally got the illusions, some however did go over their heads.

Little Q was awesome for the kids. Water play and mini everything. We could have stayed there for longer but the time limit kicked in and we were out. Probably for the best so we could fit everything in.

There was so much in every room and Cate and I really let the kids dictate when to move to the next room. The highlights were a gravity display where balls were rolled and they kept going round and round and round. Ethan sat and watched for a while and then in the same room, an earth and universe. There was lightning in a cage and an earthquake room both very exciting.

There were three shows we went to today. The first was a dinosaur puppet show; the second was a reptile quiz and information show. The third was a physics show about flight. The first show was terrific and Ethan really got into it. Aisha was interested in the dinosaur show but was hesitant to get to close and sat on Cate's knee for the duration of the show but did do the actions. Aisha was so cute walking up to the puppet and giving it a pat after all the other kids at the show had their turn. After the dinosaur show the reptile show began in the next room.

Room 7 was one of the kids favourite rooms. Aisha was intrigued with a series of pressure tubes that shot fluorescent silk scarves out from various spots in the room. There was a series of tubes that had compressors blowing air to take the scarves. There is a 6 meter free fall display where you can go, hang from a pole and free fall for a little while then slide to a stop. The minimum height limit is 110cm as with the water park several days ago and Ethan being 113cm could go on the ride. He has been a trooper this week going on the water slide rides and I thought he would back out on the drop when he got up there but he didn't. I couldn't take a camera with me and could see his reflection in the glass when he was hanging there it was priceless. As much as he enjoyed the drop he wasn't keen to do it again.

There were air pressure water jets for the kids to set fly in the outdoor area. They were about the size of a 1.25l bottle with a hose connection on the bottom. Half filled with water they were clicked into the launcher then pumped up with a large bike pump to 80 psi. Once launched they sprayed the water out the back and took off, quite high really. Today was warm so getting wet was part of the fun. The location was terrific as well; the grass area about 100 below the old Parliament House looking at the War Memorial in the distance. From there we went back to room 7.

There was also a thermal imaging camera in room 7 and that was really interesting. I could see the temperature of my breath when I breathed through my nose. There was another show to catch and that was about the physics of plane flight. It was an interesting and interactive show and both Ethan and Aisha got an opportunity to get on stage. Ethan played an air molecule, stinky methane, and Aisha held then let a balloon go to demonstrate thrust.

We got chicken and other grocery items for dinner and again we went and sat by Lake Burley Griffin. We went to the playground near there, an awesome park with everything imaginable. Ethan and Aisha had a ball but it was getting close to bed time and we had to leave.

PJ's and a quick wash then bed. Today was the last day on the 3infun pass and tomorrow we are going to the zoo.

I have been on many trips in our wonderful country and this trip to our capital Canberra has been brilliant so far. Up early and doing the tourist thing has been terrific. Cate and I have been wondering if the time we intend to spend here is long enough and by Friday I think we'll know. Tomorrow is another adventure.

Thursday 8th January

The National Zoo and Aquarium here in Canberra is the largest privately owned zoo in Australia I believe and today we went. It also has the largest collection of big cats in the country and I was very much looking forward to going.

After getting geologically challenged on the way, and yes I will blame the GPS, we arrived at a very picturesque location. Ethan was desperate to go to the aquarium so we headed there first. We had a quick look around because there was a talk about the lions and the zoo is the only one in the country with white lions. The talk was interesting but by the time it finished the temperature was pushing into the high 20's by noon it was over 30. The zoo is beautifully lined with trees which means there is little wind to keep cool. Cate and the kids were struggling a little with the heat and by 1pm we had walked the entire zoo and seen everything. We had promised Ethan another trip to the aquarium; inside it wasn't air conditioned. We sat in the shade and had lunch then decided to head to Manuka outdoor pool.

Cate swam there when she lived here. It turned out to be a perfect decision for the remainder of the day. The kids pool was the perfect depth for both the kids. There is a play ground next to the pool which was in the shade and Ethan and Aisha being the great mates they are played with each other in the pool and in the play ground then back to the pool. There is no doubt the simple things in life are free and the best. It is truly delightful watching them play together there is rarely a moment when they are not getting along. I'm not joking.

Just after 5:30 we left and went to the pizza restaurant in Manuka we went to on the first night in Canberra. Dinner was great again and the kids were terrific as usual.

Friday 9th January

Another picture perfect morning, warm and cloudless which was a little surprising considering it rained for most of the night. We were off to the War Memorial this morning with a way stop at the Molongolo river, a site I skied at back in the day. Some of the site looked familiar such as the judges tower but 22 years can really change a site with tree development etc.




We arrived at the War Memorial around opening time of 10:00. The biggest catastrophe of the week happened this morning when I left the battery for the camera at the camper still charging from over night. Ethan was bitterly disappointed because I had given him the title of official photographer for the day.

We went to the greeting center and bought a guide and map; we also found out where and when there were things for the kids to do. We had a little wander in the WW1 section then downstairs to an interactive story for the kids. Cate stayed with the kids while I looked around. I was totally surprised at the size of the Memorial. I'm not actually sure I had any conception as to its design and national importance. I had heard of the Roll of Honour and that was about all. I went to the Roll of Honour while the others were at the story. There was an art and craft session an hour after the story so Cate went there with Ethan and Aisha and again I took more in.

Next to the art and craft room was a discovery room designed for hands on stuff for kids. Ethan and Aisha had a ball playing in there. There was a life size helicopter for them to sit in and "drive", a life size submarine replica to play in, army dress ups and a trench for everyone to walk through including an interactive display of trench foot that both the kids thought was hilarious. They were happy to stay there with Cate.

There are 2 things I want to put in this blog. The first is the Roll of Honour. As far as I know I don't have any relative on the wall or that even went to war, yet I felt a sense of genuine loss when I walked up the stairs and saw how high the names went, possibly 3 metres, how long the wall is, 50 metres, and how small the names are, 15mm, then there were as many on the opposite wall. I went up there twice; the first time I was the only person up there and it was surreal. The second time with Cate, Ethan and Aisha and there were a few people up there. The atmosphere was awesome; many people in a space and it being quiet is eerie yet intense. The most amazing thing is over the speakers there are school children saying the name, in 15 second intervals, of all 62,000 diggers who made the ultimate sacrifice during WW1.

The second thing to mention is the display of the current Afghanistan soldier story. Video and commentary from those who were there and members of their families was touching and intense. I will never forget Elvi Wood describing when and how she was received the news her husband, Sergeant Brett Wood, had been killed in acting in Afghanistan during his 2011 deployment. I certainly can't do justice to her words here but the tone and detail of her recollection was truly emotional.

There were several returned soldiers describing their return to Australia after their deployment and trying to put into words the PTSD they experience and the importance of their respective families and the mates in their units. It's a must see.

Ethan and Aisha and Cate were amazing at the Memorial. There were few complaints in the 5 and a half hours we were there and really you could spend 2 days there and still not see everything. It's definitely on my list for the next trip to Canberra.

We left the War Memorial to drive past several of the land marks in Canberra. We went to The Lodge for a look and a photo and went to find as many Embassies as we could. We found the embassies of: Sri Lanka, USA, Indonesia, France, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Belgium, Egypt, The European Commission, Germany, India and The British High Commission. I've possibly miss some but the drive was terrific. We noticed that most of the European embassies had their flags at half mast; then found that flowers were laid at the front of the French embassy. This was the first indication we had that something had happened in France. We soon learned of the horrific terrorist attack there.

We wanted to visit a caravan park in the area to have a look for our next trip here so plugged it into the GPS and started towards it. The journey took us past the old Parliament House so we stopped to have a very quick look. Once again I was totally surprised at what we were confronted with. I knew it was a museum but didn't know it's the Museum of Democracy. About 80% is open to the public and again too much to mention here and it closed at 5:00. We got there at 4:00.

To be able to walk through both Houses of Parliament and the Prime Ministers office, the cabinet room etc. was quite interesting. I could spent another day there really, so much to read and see about Australian Politics.

We finally made it to the caravan park we wanted to see and had a great dinner at their restaurant. Then back to the camper and bed. There are not enough hours in the day.

Tonight is our last night here in Canberra and I feel I need to reflect on the week. I think we could spend more time here. There are so many things we missed; the national museum, the recording and movie museum and more time at some of the attractions we went to. The weather was tropical, hard to believe I know. We had hot weather every day and rain nearly every night. The traffic is non existent. It seems to be a big country town and everything closes at 6pm (ok, except restaurants and bars). I was expecting cold and we had hot weather. I thought a week was way too long it wasn't long enough. I am extremely glad we came here this week; a memory forever. Cate is obviously attached to here and we are staying close to where she lived. I feel we will definitely return in the future, possible when Aisha is over 110cm tall. I will be sad to leave, yet excited to drive to Pambula tomorrow for what I'm sure will be an awesome week.