Between a Rock
By Lee Atkinson
If you think Canberra is all about politics, monuments, and boring museums, it's time to think again. From haunted sites to artificial earthquakes, hot air balloons, and street machines, there's a host of quirky attractions and events in the nation's capital that will make you see Canberra in an entirely new light.
Photo Caption: The Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.
While Canberra's politicians seem to revel in raising taxes, most of Canberra's attractions are actually free. Top freebies include the Australian War Memorial, the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the National Archives of Australia, the National Capital Exhibition, the National Film and Sound Archive, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Australian Mint, and the Parliament House.
Photo Caption: The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Canberra, Australia.
The splendid art deco building that houses the National Film and Sound Archive (McCoy Circuit, Acton; tel. +61 (0) 2 6248 2000; www.nfsa.afc.gov.au) is reputedly the most haunted building in Canberra, and one of the most haunted sites in Australia. It was originally the Institute of Anatomy, and the basement was once a morgue. Over the years there have been a number of reported ghost sightings, including a lady who stands on one of the balconies and watches the action below.
It's not the only place known for its ghosts. Former Prime Minister Ben Chifley lived at the Kurrajong Hotel (8 National Circuit, Barton; tel. +61 (0)2 6234 4444; www.hotelkurrajong.com.au) and died in his room there in 1951, when he was Leader of the Opposition. His ghost is said to still haunt the hotel, materializing at his bedroom window, which points towards Old Parliament House where he ruled from 1945 to 1949. Old Parliament House itself (18 King George Terrace, Parkes; tel. +61 (0)2 6270 8222; www.moadoph.gov.au) is so haunted that many security guards refuse to work at there at night.
Photo Caption: The Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia at night.
It's not just the politicians who are full of hot air. Every March some 50 hot air balloons from across Australia and overseas take off from the lawns in front of Old Parliament House for the Canberra Festival Balloon Spectacular. During the rest of the year you can take to the skies on most mornings, weather permitting, with one of several commercial one-hour balloon flight operators. Flights leave at dawn, drifting over the slumbering city. It's a great way to get a birds-eye view of the radiating lines of Walter Burley Griffin's original city plan. Flights start at around $300 per person. Visit www.dawndrifters.com.au or www.balloonaloft.com for details.
Photo Caption: Canberra Festival Balloon Spectacular in Canberra, Australia.
Almost all the museums have special exhibits and activities geared at kids, from toddlers to teenagers. In the Discovery Zone at the War Memorial, kids can dodge sniper fire in a WWI trench, take control of an Iroquois helicopter, and peer through the periscope of a Cold War submarine; the full-motion roller-coaster simulator and artificial earthquake are usually big hits at Questacon, which has more than 200 hands-on exhibits that can keep you (and your kids) entertained for hours; and the National Museum of Australia has a special KSpace gallery just for kids. Budding astronauts will love the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex; there are kids' glass-making classes at Canberra Glassworks; older kids (over 10) can feed a tiger at the National Zoo; and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a great place to show kids kangaroos and koalas in a bushland setting.
Photo Caption: The National Science and Technology Centre in Canberra, Australia.
If you think Canberra is all about politics, monuments, and boring museums, it's time to think again. From haunted sites to artificial earthquakes, hot air balloons, and street machines, there's a host of quirky attractions and events in the nation's capital that will make you see Canberra in an entirely new light.
Photo Caption: The Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.
Photo Caption: The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Canberra, Australia.
It's not the only place known for its ghosts. Former Prime Minister Ben Chifley lived at the Kurrajong Hotel (8 National Circuit, Barton; tel. +61 (0)2 6234 4444; www.hotelkurrajong.com.au) and died in his room there in 1951, when he was Leader of the Opposition. His ghost is said to still haunt the hotel, materializing at his bedroom window, which points towards Old Parliament House where he ruled from 1945 to 1949. Old Parliament House itself (18 King George Terrace, Parkes; tel. +61 (0)2 6270 8222; www.moadoph.gov.au) is so haunted that many security guards refuse to work at there at night.
Photo Caption: The Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia at night.
Photo Caption: Canberra Festival Balloon Spectacular in Canberra, Australia.
Photo Caption: The National Science and Technology Centre in Canberra, Australia.