Suburb #90 Lyneham

My epic 90th suburb was Lyneham in the inner north of Canberra. Alas my camera started having a complete hissy fit during this adventure so the photos are not really up to scratch :(

But anyway....Lyneham, which started being developed in the 50s and 60s, is named after Sir William Lyne, a premier of New South Wales prior to federation - which he strongly opposed, leading to him being passed over as first Prime Minister of Australia. Deakin described him as 'a crude, sleek, suspicious, blundering, short-sighted, backblocks politician'.

The streets here are named after artists and others associated with the development of early Canberra.

Prior to starting this project, Lyneham was one of my favourite suburbs in Canberra with its leafy streets, gorgeous gardens and somewhat hippy atmosphere so I was really looking forward to this - realising it was going to be a rather epic day out, with Lyneham more like three suburbs in one!

I started my adventures at the wetlands which have been built recently alongside Sullivan's creek. They have done such a lovely job here - creating a gorgeous spot for humans and ducks alike. I also met a few other birdie friends nearby...

Then it was off to the wonderful Lyneham local shops - a hive of activity. Amongst other things, a bookshop, the fabulous Front (where according to its website the beer is cheap and the love is free) and of course the famous Tilleys are located here.

Tilleys is named after Matilda Tilly Devine, a gangster and madame from Sydney. It was intended as a woman's space when it first opened in 1984, with men allowed entry only when accompanied by women. Apparently its now five times larger than when it opened...for me it will always bring back fond memories of watching local boys The Church play, ridiculously big breakfasts and awesome vegie burgers.

Next it was off to wander the streets and discover the 'religious' side of Lyneham...with many religions folk - from buddhists to ukrainian catholics - appearing to find sanctuary here, interestingly amongst a number of retirement villages. Not sure how lucky dice and fairies sit alongside these religious doctrines - but on the other hand, it all just seemed very appropriately Lyneham :)

At this stage I was running out of pep, so I stopped in at the fabulous Old Canberra Inn for a refreshing drink...and couldn't restrain myself from glutening myself with some pickle chips while I was there (so good!!!). So glad they have restored this pub - but kept the same comfy heritage feel to it.

Next stop was North Lyneham....a residential area of Lyneham built much later in the mid to late 80s. And boy can you tell the difference...I felt like I had wandered into a completely different suburb - potentially somewhere in Gungahlin. The streets are much wider and lack the alternative feel of the other side of Lyneham.

But Lyneham just keeps going and going....there is exhibition park, sports grounds, the racecourse....its quite frankly massive and incredibly diverse.

Like anywhere else in Canberra new ugly flats are importantly popping up everywhere, but hopefully, Lyneham will be able to keep its character.

At least I hope so, because when I inevitably don't win the lottery and buy a house in Reid, a little townhouse in Lyneham with room for lots of cats would be just fine :)

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.