Walter Burley Griffin planned for a Civic Centre to be built, as well a a Market Centre in Russell, that never occurred....and so we were left with just Civic.
The streets here are named after Aboriginal words, pioneers and capital cities.
I started my wanderings in one of my favourite places Glebe Park - ok so it has its down sides...last time we had a picnic here we had to watch someone being resuscitated and then we got harassed by a crazy rastafarian man...but I still love it. It has helped me find peace when I really needed it, and the Gandhi statue always reminds me of wandering around London with my dad....
Then it was off towards the heart of capitalism in Canberra...
The Canberra Centre..Australia's first three-storey full enclosed and air-conditioned shopping centre, when it opened in 1963 as the Monaro Mall.
It does get bonus points for selling some of the best GF cakes in the world :)
Then it was time to wander past the many memory spirals of civic..
The old poster poles that speak to me of a past life ...but make me happy as evidence of 'life' in the old city centre...
The sculptures that I have tried to make sense of after a few too many cocktails...some tasteful...
Some less so...*shakes head at sheep sculpture for the thousandth time*
Down along Bunda street - which changes so much and yet stays the same...except for that 'shared zone' business that seems to just confuse everyone...
The back lanes filled with superheroes, street art that bigger cities would be proud of and memories of wine festivals now past..
The bus interchange - a whole other world late on a Saturday night...
Particularly if you enter the land of the Phoenix...you may well be re-born, I am just not sure as what!
Back down along City Walk with its 2nd hand treasures to rummage in....
The merry go around - or as I usually refer to it as, the thing that goes around....which symbolises for me a friendship, forged in drunken shenanigans and gemini understanding, that I hope will stand the test of time...
Regardless, there is certainly always somebody watching out for you on City Walk :p
Its actually a little bit creepy...but not as creepy as walking past the below (locals will no what I mean)...
Turning to the right, I wander past what was once the Akuna Club (so many memories) and then later became Digress (way too may stories and lack of memories :p)...and now is somewhere cool that I am sure I am not welcome. I am glad the statues are still there though :)
Then past the Transit Bar... one of Canberra's few live music venues - a place where my friends and I tried to pretend it was still the 80s or 90s, swooned to Jeff Martin, farewelled David Bowie and learnt life lessons the hard way...
Just around the corner and I pass the more official bits of Civic, which surround Civic Square
[hint: the fountains are great on a hot summer day, you know you want to, just do it!]
I then decided it was time to make my way up to City Hill. I hadn't been up here for a long time. Past the time capsule from the centenary celebrations...
To one of my favourite places to sit and think...with a view of my beautiful city.
But wait there is more! These days Civic doesn't stop there....with new Acton hiding within its boundaries - as opposed to in Acton which would be sensible. The land of 70s hotels (some re-born), hipsters, cocktail bars and of course the now famous Hotel Hotel [should it be of concern that we have a hotel called Hotel Hotel in a suburb called City..mmm]
Following a rather painful visit to the cinema (I digress but who gave A Quiet Passion good reviews?????), it was time to complete my civic loop - accompanied by a new bunny friend :)
What an epic day out! Its funny thinking back on this now, but when I first moved to Canberra, I told my parents that I was going to live 'as close to the centre of this hell hole' as possible - so I did...basically moving between Braddon and Campbell for almost two decades.
As a result, I have spent a lot of time in Civic over the years - watching it change and mature, as I also fell in love with my hell hole.
I find it odd that many Canberra people never come here...perhaps the photos above will encourage them to visit again. Its certainly a pretty special atmosphere when they do - as below during the recent Chilli festival :)
Perhaps a new chapter for Civic awaits when the light rail opens. I can't wait to keep watching :)
