ACT – Travelling reflections

A common thread between Canberra and the places we pass through / finish in today is again war memorials. Remembrance Days the world over, and the poignant signs, resound with “we will remember them”. I wonder why we don’t honour them by working harder at living in peace? The ones who returned still have their own, often untold, stories and pain. Worth repeating one story, my Dad’s framed by an extract of Eric Bogle’s song. https://gldbt.blog/jimmy-1918-1988/

Ah young Willie McBride, I can’t help wonder why
Do those that lie here know why did they die?
And did they believe when they answered the cause
Did they really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and dying, were all done in vain
For young Willie McBride, it all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again

I was chewing on this as we make our privileged way through our cycling day. Which we enjoyed!

Canberra didn’t take too long to get out of. Rush hour was on a small scale. On some excellent cycle ways, skirting the satellite town of Queanbeyan. A bit like the Scottish New Towns such as the one which I grew up in East Kilbride – post WW11 and 12 miles from Glasgow. Except ours sucked the life out of the old city for a while whilst Canberra’s circle of towns seem more like what Cambridge wants to do.

For a part the route becomes lined with large estates – probably Canberra’s gentry escapes. Then into more rural areas – a touch greener than before with hairy merino and cattle chewing the cud. Lots of heavy goods wagons in places to/from a quarry – all being careful as they thunder by.

Goulburn, 24000 folks, is a fine place (that’s a quick superficial judgement of course based on good coffee, fine old buildings, the rail history etc.). Sadly we’re on the outskirts so no major explore.

Tomorrow continue towards Sydney and maybe the first proper rain for a while. Yay!

A six day cycling block so ready to have a recovery day.

Canberra is a planned city after a stand-off then compromise between Melbourne and Sydney over who should be capitol: create a new one. 1913 saw the start with the major expansion in the 1950s. Today it approaches 500000 population and became a Australia Capitlal Territory (an add on to the States) in 1988.

Today it starts to sprawl with other satellite cities (more like towns ) growing up around it, though with green belt. Quenbeyan and Tuggeranong amongst them. Commuter towns and we passed through the latter 13 miles out yesterday. I remember thinking a) how much further? b) interesting name – sounds like something you can get arrested for.

Along the [today] quiet broad streets, the car dominates, vs public transport. Which is a problem if you want to “green’.

Geoff – who we’d met on a previous trip – kindly took us to interesting places. Mount Ainslie afforded a great view of the planned layout, and the new 1988 Parliament Building. The New Parliament Building is excellent inside too: a celebration of tasteful design which feels lasting and solid. The old Parliament has been repurposed. A pity we can’t get on with our own Parliaments modernisation.

Sumptious Embassies must be hard for the poor foreign office workers have to endure. Other State buildings (Library, Gallery) reflect the Capitol status. Sadly we didn’t have time to go into the vast Australian War Memorial.