Suburb #98 Kingston

So it was time to do one of the epic Canberra suburbs - Kingston  - where I spend quite a lot of my time. This was going to be difficult as I wanted to show a less well known side of this popular suburb...

Kingston, gazetted in the 1920s, is named after Charles Cameron Kingston. Kingston was the Premier of South Australia and later Minister for Trade and Customs in the first federal government. While he was premier, he passed legislation allowing women in South Australia to vote and in a world first to stand for election. He died in 1908 but apparently his body was exhumed in 2008 to determine his descendants, after apparently fathering many illegitimate children.

The streets here are named after explorers, local pioneers and Australian flora.

So I started my journey at the place I know best....part of 'old style Kingston'.. gorgeous heritage houses, majestic trees, hedges and a sort of English calmness about the place...

Then it was off past the railway station....

To explore the 'other side of the tracks'...the area known as the Causeway, where wooden cottages were built for construction workers in the 1920s. The cottages have gone but approximately 67 Government houses remain, with only three privately owned houses here, as well as the nearby Canberra Railway Museum.

 
I understand that this area is scheduled to be demolished to make way for further development, which is a bit sad given that some families have apparently lived their since Canberra was created...I must admit it does have a bit of an odd feel to it in parts.....

Its an odd mix of country, the 1970s and the 1950s in someways. At one stage, I turned the corner and found myself in the middle of the nowhere...

Or so I thought, it was actually a road to a heritage dairy cottage from the 1920s, where many causeway residents worked up until the 1950s...

Then I turned the corner again and the modern development that most people now know as Kingston appeared in the distance....

Before dealing with 'the Foreshore', I decided to explore the edge of the lake down past the Causeway where I had never been. Quite a beautiful spot....really wish I had a canoe some days...

Then it was off to the part of the suburb most people now know as Kingston...I love the food here but I really question some of the design features...surely this will look so dated and horrid in a few years...

I love the little parks that have sprung up around this part of Kingston though....

And the bird life they have brought with them...

Next stop was the old Kingston shops...the side most people would know...

And the hidden side...

This had been an epic journey already but before the day was over I needed to visit some of my favourite remaining places in Kingston....so I walked down towards Barton...

Past my favourite 'slanty flats'....

 And the Narnia style gate...

Past the 'old Kingo' and Muse....still one of the best places in Canberra to eat, drink and buy books (yes, essentially heaven)...

Past the watching eye of a new friend...

 To the old cricket ground with its birds, pine cones and feeling of calm...

 And so ended my big day out in Kingston - a suburb of many contrasts as an old friend used to say.

Suburb #89 Yarralumla

89 seems like a rather insignificant number for the awesome big day out in Yarralumla that I had recently. I don't think I quite did it justice between still being a bit sick and not coping well with the hot weather, but it was still an epic adventure.

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 in my humble opinion, not so much....

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.