Suburb #26 Greenway

I can't lie - we went to Greenway because it was on the way to Banks and we were hungry. However, after a successful food forage, we proceeded on to explore the suburb and I must say although Tuggeranong Town Centre still makes me mad - due to its amazing natural position and yet ugly design - we still had a great adventure with lots of unexpected things to see.

Greenway is named after Francis Greenway who was transported to Australia for the crime of forgery but became famous as Australia's first government architect. His face was shown on Australia's $10 note until 1993 - interesting given his original 'crime'. He died of typhoid near Newcastle in 1837. Not surprisingly the streets in Greenway are named after architects.

We first explored the area around Lake Tuggeranong which was quite pretty. Did you know Tuggeranong has a beach? Well you do now. The birds certainly like it. I am not sure about humans given winter temperatures. And clearly Canberra beaches are not for the faint-hearted...

We then wandered around the city centre which I find a bit creepy to be honest - sorry Greenway - something about the architecture and the odd pink colour scheme. But the area down near the lake is really quite beautiful.

I do just love the mountain views around this part of Canberra though...

And the area down near Pine Island Reserve is great for exploring....I am sure that I am almost fell in a wombat hole! And for demonstrating reaching????

I recommend a wander on the otherside of Tuggeranong Lake in the late afternoon as well - the water is like silver at this time of day, and the reflections are amazing.

Suburb # 25 Curtin - Strang(e)ways here we come...

It has been hard to find suburban time recently between human adventures, kitchen dramas and work, but it was worth the wait for suburb number #25 Curtin. I took so many photos and ate so much here, that this suburb is going to require a post on my food blog as well.

I was inspired to come here after listening to staff at the Archives talk about John Curtin - Australia's former Prime Minister after whom the suburb is named. A Labor wartime PM who significantly expanded social services and social security. He died in office (actually at the lodge) just six weeks before the end of the war in the Pacific.

Curtin's streets are named after state premiers (some of the best names so far). Why didn't I know we had a premier (SA) called Henry Bull Templar Strangways...I would vote for someone with that name. But I have started something I couldn't finish there...

As per usual practice, we headed to the local shops fist off - the epicentre of any Canberra suburb (well except for Aranda...)...

Unusually though we stayed here for so long we almost got a parking fine...after eating a lot...we got lost in the absolutely amazing Beyond Q bookshop. How have I been in Canberra for 13 years and not known that this existed?

For the uninitiated, this place is down a rather steep staircase effectively under the Curtin shops and it is full of literary treasures...I couldn't believe that there was a whole 2 rows of books that were just biographies, a whole bookshelf of books on Canberra and also some other unexpected categories of books...

I just love that there are lots of little spots to sit and read....

And that the shop is littered with little bits of Canberra history. Did you know there was a Canberra beer in 1980?

OK so EVENTUALLY we left the bookshop that felt like a suburb in its own right....perhaps we shouldn't have though as I almost got run over by a tractor that literally drove up behind me on the sidewalk, which was certainly unexpected...

We then chose a random street to park in (Nelson Pl) and started wandering and I think we were lucky enough to discover some the prettiest parts of the suburb.

This so wins the prettiest apparently completely unnecessary roundabout award so far...

I could live here (well if it wasn't on the southside and was walking distance from civic :p). The design here is very clever and the results are beautiful. There are lots of 'green belts' between the houses here, but unlike other places in Canberra the houses actually front on to these. As a result they have become beautiful gardens/community spaces with play equipment for kids and lots of character. There are also some gorgeous houses here and blue trees...

We also went exploring around the Yarralumla creek area - which I must admit I didn't even know existed.

I took off my very non-adventure friendly shoes (when will I ever learn!) and went exploring in the creek bed taking photos.

Meanwhile J joked about the 'instragram sunset' and why the New York Times couldn't find this creek :p

Curtin has cool mailboxes too :)

But after an epic adventure, it was time for us to go home and let the birdies get some sleep...thank you Curtin :)

A visit to the National Archives in Canberra

Just diverting from the suburb posts briefly to record some experiences from an after hours tour of the National Archives that I was lucky enough to go on recently as part of my 101 humans experience. I had been here before, but admittedly not for a long time - despite ordering copies of some family documents online from the archives in connection with some family history research I was doing when life was a little less hectic.

My fellow humans and I were lucky enough to be able to wander around the archives building after hours and then take part in two tours of different parts of the collection. I really enjoyed the visit and wish we had had more time to explore - I will definitely be going back again soon if I can.

I found it hard to choose two out of three tours available because they all sounded fascinating - but first up I decided to go on the Memory of Nation tour (so that my Whitlam and constitution obsessed partner did not disown me, though I think he still may given what I got to see!).

I am sure I saw a version of this exhibition earlier on during my stay in Canberra, but it has been re-vamped and become a really impressive collection. I really liked that there has been a real effort made to provide a diverse selection of treasures reflecting moments of Australian history we can all be proud of and others that we should not forget and will hopefully learn from so we don't repeat.

Below are just some of the things I got to see - there are many others including Harold Holt's briefcase, ASIO surveillance footage...who knows if you go you might even be able to find a photo of yourself in the wall of pictures like I understand one Canberran did recently!

But perhaps even more exciting was that we were privileged to be allowed briefly in to the  Federation Gallery - this sure felt like an honour, and not just because of the big door with the 'I am very special' lights...

In this room, Australian history/politics/legal nerds risk passing out in excitement as on display are: the original Constitution Act passed by the British Parliament (which the UK was eventually kind enough to return to us), the Royal Commission of Assent signed by Queen Vic herself, Queen Victoria's proclamation which set the date for 'Go Live' as I would call it in systems world for the Commonwealth of Australia, the Letters Patent signed by Queen Vic that established the office of the GG, and documents that recorded subsequent constitutional changes as well.

In short - very special and very delicate documents that will one day fade away despite efforts to keep them preserved. As a result, this room is generally only opened for short periods for group visits but I believe it is now open on special days for public viewing  - so worth keeping an eye out for.

And while you are there - make sure you check out the current exhibition on migrant hostels called A Place to Call Home? Migrant Hostel Memories. While this isn't a particularly large exhibition, I found it really fascinating and I thought it was very well put together. 

OK so I was probably inherently interested anyway - as my mum and her family stayed very briefly at Bonegilla and then moved to a further hostel in Western Sydney in the early 1950s. I was also lucky enough to be able to hear the lovely curator of this exhibition explain its content and her 'vision' to us. But I would still recommend it. I think the mixture of 'official images' of migration with personal stories is well thought out. I just wish I got to see more of the 22,000 images that were examined for inclusion in this exhibition. I can't wait for the bigger exhibition on migration more generally that is apparently on its way later in the year.

Also there are certainly some more lighthearted and amusing photos in the collection - including photos of kids dressing up at Bonegilla. Not my mum though :p

And I just loved the Bonegilla cook book! I could almost feel my grandmother's disgust at the food available come over me (may she rest in peace with hopefully buckets of her brilliant Russian potato salad)...how powerful food memories can be...

This exhibition also reminded me of just how thankful I am that my mum's family found a safe (although very different and no doubt at first isolating) home here in Australia. Eventually allowing me to call Sydney and now most definitely Canberra - home :)