Yarralumla is named in a survey of the area conducted in 1834 apparently after the indigenous people's term for the area - so yes trivia buffs, one for you to remember in terms of Canberra suburbs not named after people. Parts of the suburb were, however, named Westridge from the 1920s until the 1950s when Yarralumla was expanded to include an area called Westlake (where Stirling Park now is), formerly part of Acton.
The streets here are named after Australian governors and botanists (and I finally got the telstra tower in a sign photo :p).
Yarralumla, gazetted in 1928, has gone on to become one of Canberra's most expensive suburbs - with its gorgeous location alongside Lake Burley Griffin. More than half the suburb is open space or non-residential development - with a large proportion of its population Embassy staff.
Our adventure started in Weston Park because I have been desperate to try the new mini golf course for ages - I might grow up one day...well probably not sorry mum :( It was awesome fun. It was also somewhat cathartic to put my foot on parliament house :p
Behind the mini golf place is a great picnic area with a fun jump in fountain for kids (and some adults)...perfect on a hot Canberra day...
From here you can walk down to Lake Burley Griffin and along the lakeside...
You don't have to go far for a beautiful view of the Governor General's house - life would be incredibly tough living here *sighs*.
From here you can either drive down to the point where there is a 'beach' for those prepared to brave the murky waters of Lake BG and a very moving memorial....or its back the other way, to our next stop - Yarralumla nursery and the Oaks Brasserie. I had intended to stop for a drink here - I love sitting our in the garden here (great for brunch too or for lunch if you are riding around the lake on a bike), but it was busy so we decided to head to the shops instead.
Yarralumla shops is a great example of thriving local shops - which always makes me happy :)
There are several choices of eating establishments here including the famous kebab shop. We opted for brunch at Farmer's Daughter and were not disappointed! Wouldn't mind trying Bees and Co. out the back soon - the location is lovely :)
Full to the absolute brim with Farmers Daughter Shakshuka, we headed off to check out the Brickworks, closed in 1976, that everybody talks a lot about but I have never seen....unfortunately I discovered there was not much to see as they are all locked up behind some serious fences and blackberry bushes...Such a pity it would be such a great idea if they turned the area into an eating/dining/brewery area..instead of the proposed residential development.
Oh well....it was off to explore the suburb 'proper' .....I could have taken many many photos....but lets just say Yarralumla is filled with lots of BIG houses. Some tasteful...
Some from another age....like Westridge House where the chief office of the CSIRO lives apparently...again...such a tough life...
So depressed at the houses I can't afford...to cheer myself up, we then headed down to one of my favourite places in Canberra out the back of the Yarralumla yacht club. Hands down the best place for fish and chips in Canberra....maybe the only place? And now I know that its open from 8 to 8pm weekdays my weight may suffer.
Apparently if you wander over the ridge from here you can stumble across what is officially left of Westlake....alas I was not aware so that will have to be an adventure for another day....our next stop was a drive around the Embassy district...which for the third time in this project I think I risked arrest by the AFP for suspicious activity. I don't think being in a black car with a guy with a large beard helped this time either :p
Next was another of my favourite places in Canberra - Lennox Gardens which includes the Canberra Nara Peace Park (love Nara *sighs*). This is gorgeous Japanese garden where they hold the Nara Candle Festival each year. They have recently added a Chinese garden to the area...less my style but still pretty impressive.
There was so much more we could have done - but flagging in the heat, we just made a final stop at the elegant Hyatt before calling it a day. This is the place many head for fancy high tea...but its just a lovely place to wander through.
And that was the end of our big day out in Yarralumla....so much more to see....but visiting the zoo this weekend for an evening tour as part of Enlighten so that will have to wait...and to do the rest properly I really need to buy a bike!!! So you may see this post updated at a later stage.
In the meantime, slightly cheating, I leave you with one of my favourite photos that I have ever taken of Canberra which was taken in Yarralumla but a number of years ago.
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