Australia City Tour

Although I spent a little over 9 weeks in Australia, I really only touched the trunk of the elephant, and thus can't describe to you the body, feet, or tail. Most of my time was spent in the state of Queensland. However, I did experience four of the major cities -- Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra -- and wish to share them with you.

My first stop was Melbourne. After 2 months in buccolic New Zealand, the large city of Melbourne sent me into shock. I had forgotten about the onslaught of sights, sounds, and smells a big city can deliver. (And this assault continues in Asian cities in a way that defies definition, but which if I ever get caught up, I'll try to tell you about.) Finally, when I accepted that I was in a city, I quickly adapted, called up my "city smarts," and went exploring. Melbourne has a wonderful tram system that enables you to get around the main part of the city fairly easily. And if you buy a pass you can jump on and off at will. I made efficient use of this transport due to limited time and the eternally-mentioned broken toe (remember this was back in April!). In Melbourne I especially enjoyed the Victoria Market, the little "arcades" that are decorated shopping alleys stuck in the midst of office buildings, visiting the state Parliament (you know what I did there, just call me Question Lady), and the buildings lit up at night. I made it to one museum for a quick visit to an exhibit about Australia's centenary -- did you know that the federation that is Australia is only 100 years old?! Once outside, I found some theater students to take a picture of me in front of the Melbourne Exhibtion Hall which I didn't visit, but I liked the pic, so here you are.

Sydney is a divine city; it just has a nice feel to it. I was there twice and very much enjoyed wandering around. The first day, I didn't get downtown until the afternoon and after a brief stroll through The Rocks, a historic district, only got as far as the infamous Opera House where there was a free dance competition outside. I loved watching it, although the urge to join in was overpowering.

The Opera House is as magnificent as you have heard or can see from this photo. I saw it on foot and from the water. Again, if you buy a one day travel pass you can ride the buses, trains, and ferries all day long. The ferry rides alone make it worth it.

And here's the much-lauded Harbour Bridge, that you can climb (that is if you don't have, errr, a broken toe). And, of course, among other sights, I also went to this state's Parliament. It wasn't as fancy as Victoria's (in Melbourne) because Melbourne built hers when she was flush with gold rush money.

This was a place in Sydney I especially loved, the Chinese Gardens. Very peaceful spot in the midst of the city.

Brisbane wasn't as interesting or as lovely as Melbourne and Sydney, but I enjoyed the art both on the street and in the museum immensely. I don't know if you can see what this fountain is -- a very large dinner table and chairs with water running over the table. In the background is the old Treasury Building, which is now -- very ironically, I thought -- a casino! Seems it was made to get your money one way or the other.

I discovered that some of my favorite Australian artists are Arthur Streeton, Russell Drysdale, Ethel Carrick, and Rupert Bunny; check them out if you ever get the chance. And I adored this Aboriginal display. These are mimis, mischievious spirits so delicate they must be careful in the wind. I knew a lot more at the time of the picture taking, but I think that information may only emerge suddenly in a game of Trivial Pursuit -- the Australian version.

Finally, at the end of my Australian tour, I made it to the capital city, Canberra. It is a planned city and a little sterile; the design is purposely spread out, so that you don't feel as if you are in a city, much less a capital city, at all. For those of you with a Washington, DC reference, imagine if Reston, Virginia was the nation's capital and there you have Canberra. I had to come here to visit the country's Parliament, of course, and was fortunate enough to see it in action, including the country's Prime Minister. But you can't imagine how different it is from the United States Congress. I attended what is called "Question Time." Technically, this is when the Opposition may pose questions to the ruling party. What it ends up being is intense partisan posturing, all designed to make lovely sound bites. The Members freely insult, attack, heckle, and interupt each other. The behavior was so juvenile I was embarassed watching, especially seeing the country's leader -- the Prime Minister -- speaking as if he were in the beginning throes of a barroom brawl. There were school kids there and I couldn't help but think that everything we tell them not to do, they were watching their country's leaders do. No question about it, Australia is an informal country.

This is Australia's relatively new capitol building. Note that you can walk up a grassy hillside onto the roof -- this is so that the people will always be above Parliament.

Outside of the Old Parliament Building, is a permanent protest called the Aboriginal Embassy. The next picture is a chilling reminder of the country's history -- much like what we Americans did to our country's native people.

Finally, I leave you with a shot taken outside of the National Museum of Art in Canberra. This is a favorite sculpture and one that feeds my newly discovered desire to take up scuplting!