Canberra

A black swan.

The Governor General's Residence as seen across the lake.

The National Museum of Australia.

The city skyline from Black Mountain Peninsula.

The Shine Dome of the Faculty of Science.

Sunday, June 12^th.

Today was another beautiful clear blue sky day. The first place I visited was the National Museum of Australia which keeps the stories of the countries social history, from Aboriginal times to the modern day. The entrance way is huge orange spiral. I wandered through reading and viewing the exhibits of the first fleet, the gold rush and the eras of settlement and immigration.

I saw a really interesting exhibit about a man who made a career driving around in a wagon pulled originally by a horse and later by a tractor, sharpening tools and anything else that people wanted sharpened. The wagon was decorated with all manner of objects that needed sharpening and served as his home as well, for 30 years, from the Great Depression to the 60's.

After that I went for a walk in the Black Mountain Peninsula Park. I watched an ongoing speed-walkers race for kids. Good to see kids getting involved in something athletic and competitive. The park is surrounded by Lake Burley Griffin and I enjoyed the weather the water birds. I hung out there for the better part of the afternoon, before taking a driving tour through the embassy area of the city.

I also drove through the grounds of the Australian University and discovered an interesting building called the Shine Dome, part of the university's science faculty.

I went for dinner and then back to the hotel for the rest of the night.