Canberra

18th November

Arrived in Canberra yesterday, by early train from Sydney. Staying in 'Little Drifter Hostel' - its quite a nice one , as they go, at least everything is new and modern, I have a bottom bunk (in Sydney they were top - which is OK, but bottom is so much easier) and there are some older people here too!

But the temperature is definitely colder down here.......12 degrees on arrival and I was extremely chilly in my shorts!!

Some scenery from the train:

watched 'American Psycho' on Netfix.......nice bedtime film, then next morning it still felt cold, but it warmed up later in full sunshine!

Caught a bus to Parliament house - Canberra is a very 'spread out city'. Apparently its the capital because there was a fight between Sydney and Melbourne so they decided on Canberra to settle the fight! Very Ozzy.

This is where they hold the parliamentary sessions

The view from the roof was really cool

It's the War Memorial museum in the distance, not City hall as I say in the video

Walked back towards the city passing the Old Parliament building

Loved that you could see the layers in the rock here along the roadside:

Some history about a former & influential prime minister Gordon Menzies

The Captain Cook monument was really interesting as it showed his journeys & the history. I didn't realise Australia was first named New Holland. 

Ate my sandwich in the park, joined by some interesting & colourful birds

Canberra is such an unusual place. 

and these birds.....I think magpies sound insane!

I made it to the war memorial which was also a museum.

It was very interesting, as Australia's involvement in the world wars was a little different.

In world war one, the 'Anzacs' - Australian & New Zealand Army Corps - were fighting the Turks in Gallipoli, as well as the Germans

The Anzacs:

The Turks:

Some of the Anzacs being sent to Egypt & the Sinai to defend the Suez Canal.

Germans living in Australia faced increasing hostility as explained in the text below. 

The jacket says, 'God punish England' :

There was quite a recruitment crisis in Australia leading to a referendum on whether to bring in Conscription. The vote was split with some voting against due to not wanting to lose their pride in their volunteer status

And also opposition & the forming of the Women's Peace Army

Then in world war two they were under threat from the Janpenese. 

Here the remains of an engine from the first aircraft - an Australian Hudson - to be shotdown in the war against Japan

There were multiple attacks on Darwin and also troops were sent to Papua - a strategic place, being a close entry point to Australia, with the Japanese trying to keep control of these islands

Here, Australian and Japanese troops fought along the Kokoda trail - a 97 km track through a range of mountains from Owen's corner to Kokoda - which was extremely difficult terrain, and also often plagued with bad weather and extremely muddy. It was known as a hellish place, here described by a soldier:

Many battles were fought along this track, with a high number of casualties and it has become a place of pilgrimage today - with servicemen & others taking on the trail in remembrance.

There was a lot of harrowing stuff about the poor treatment by the Janpenese of their prisoners of war, some leading to war crime charges & convictions. And then of course.....

There were a lot of exhibits and information, including the Australian involvement in Afghanistan

This, a moving sculpture representing the soldiers killed there.......mostly men in their 20's.......waste 

It's a reminder of how terrible we can be to each other, and the devastating acts continue still today......

There was a very ornate memorial building and a tomb of the unknown soldier

It was very moving......'Lest we forget'

People can remember & learn but until our fate is in our own hands and not in the hands of dictators and mad men, as it still is today, things will never change.......