We left Pebbly Beach and went into Canberra. We were looking forward to spending some time with my cousins Ben and Tracy and their girls Keianne, Sienna and Zara.
We had lunch in Canberra and went straight to Questacon. It is the national science museum. It has loads of different displays and is very interactive. It's a much bigger version of Scitech for all the Perth people. The kids had a ball playing with so many different machines and experiments. It was very stimulating. Charlotte & Ed enjoyed going on the Freefall (Olivia and Thomas piked out at the last minute!) and the Earthquake House and the Lightening bolts were a big highlights.
Charlotte in orange overalls doing the free fall
I had forgotten how much water was in Canberra. We went down to the foreshore from Questacon where Thomas had a funny photo taken. Gota love water features!
We went for a drive around Canberra including The Lodge (Prime Minister's home), Government House at Yarralumla (Governor General's Home), both Parliament Houses before finishing at The Royal Mint. The kids, especially Charlotte, were fascinated to see where our money was made. The had some interesting displays of our original currency as well as examples of when the coin presses go wrong.
Thomas in front of Titan the robot at the Mint.
We had filled up the afternoon so we followed Luna (GPS) and made our way to Ben & Tracy's house. It was so good to see them and the girls. They have recently done a beautiful renovation of their home which backs onto a National Park. Ben & Tracy kindly opened up their home to the campers from the west and fitted us into their already busy lives. The hot shower and comfy bed were great! Keianne is 14years old, Sienna was 8 and Zara was 6. Charlotte and Sienna shared a room and Zara and Olivia shared. Games of schools and Barbies were played after school with the girls. It was great to see them playing together. Thomas, whilst slightly disappointed that they didn't have boys, recovered to play with both Sienna & Zara.
The following day was jam packed. Ed took off early to drop off the car & trailer for a service. They gave us a car for the day which was great. Our first stop was Old Parliament House where they gave the kids worksheets to complete all about Australian government and democracy in general. It was great to see both houses and the press rooms. Olivia said that this was her favourite place in Canberra.
In front of old Parliament House
As we were all hungry after spending most of the morning there we moved onto New Parliament House up the road for lunch. We then explored parliament at a leisurely pace. The kids loved that it was built into a hill and that you could walk on the roof and grass down the sides of the building. All the portraits of past Prime Ministers in both old and new Parliament Houses were good to see as was the victorian desk where Queen Victoria signed the papers to allow Australia to become a self governing nation in 1901. We also went into the Great Hall where they hold receptions and concerts which houses a giant tapestry of an Arthur Boyd painting. There are also 4 tapestries there which were completed by children with disabilities in art classes taught by my good friend Louise's mum Lola. It was great for the kids especially to see where our laws are debated and made and to gain an understanding of how our system of government works. Charlotte had sent an email to Julia Gillard's office wanting to meet her, however she was very busy meeting all the Premiers and business leaders and was unable to meet her!
In front of Parliament House
The flag pole on top of Parliament House
On the roof of Parliament House with old Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial behind us.
Having fun on the roof!
One of Lola's school children's tapestries
As if we hadn't done enough for the day we moved onto the Australian War Memorial. It was a very special place to be and to help the kids understand some of our history since Federation in 1901. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier was very special as was finding my Great Grandfathers name on the wall of Remembrance. A.J.R. Taylor died towards to the end on WW1. My grandmother was only a little girl and she didn't remember much about her father as she was quite young when he died. I especially enjoyed the exhibition on Nurses through the Wars.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (a friend of mine played the bugle in France when they collected the remains to be buried here)
We placed a poppy next to his name - it was very emotional.
The kids had a chance to play dress-ups at the memorial. The girls dressed up as WW1 nurses and Thomas got to wear a slouch hat, webbing and a winter coat like a WW1 soldier.
It was a busy day but a good one. We left the War Memorial and picked up the car and headed back to Ben & Tracy's house to enjoy dinner and wine and a catch up with them.
The next day we stayed at home for a while to do some school work before heading out to Black Mountain to get a good view of the whole of Canberra. It was a great view.
A view of the tower before we climbed up it.
Outside the tower with Canberra behind us.
We then headed to the Australian Museum which was close by and enjoyed the different exhibits showing the history of Australia. It was an interesting building with what sort of looked like a giant red scorpions tail entrance. There was a wonderful exhibition of aboriginal history and a discovery section in which the girls completed a worksheet.
We then went picked up Sienna and Zara from school and the girls all enjoyed an afternoon play together. Tracy had organised for Keianne and a friend of hers to babysit so that Ed, Ben, Tracy and I could have a meal out. It was lovely to spend some with them.
The next day (Saturday) we left Canberra. We enjoyed our time with Ben & Tracy & their girls and look forward to seeing them when they come over to Perth.
Charlotte & Sienna
Olivia & Zara
All the younger kids!
Thanks Ben & Tracy for welcoming us!
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