Off to the Capital

From the unseasonably balmy days of our subtropical city, we are heading off to the Winter cold of our nation's capital, Canberra.  Next week's minimum temperatures there are forecast to hover around zero and the mercury is not expected to climb much higher than ten degrees so a beanie and other Winter woollies are essential!   

A warm beanie is a must!

Although it will be very chilly indeed, I am looking forward to visiting my capital city for the first time. Canberra is a one of the world's rare planned cities with its design decided in a competition held back in 1911. Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin won that competition and Canberra has evolved from their original blueprint.  

There seems to be some debate over the origins for the name of our capital. According to  Dr. David Headon, in this article in Australian Geographic, 'Canberra' came from a merging of two words over time:  Nganbra, a name meaning 'meeting place' that the indigenous Ngunnawal people used for the area, and the European word, Canberry, which can be found in documents and maps from the 1820s and 1830s.  Such a blend seems quite fitting given that Canberra is the place where our nation's parliament meets and is supposed to work for and in the best interests of all Australians.  Whether our parliament achieves that  is a whole other debate! 

While visits to places such as Old Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial will give us insights into our nation's history, and offer some indoor warmth from the cold, we are also keen to explore some of the outdoors. Located inland, with the Brindabella Ranges to its west and Mount Ainslie in the north east, Canberra is often referred to as "the bush capital".  We are keen to discover some of that natural beauty, both in the suburbs and further out. Of course, we will spend time too on the shores of Canberra's man-made centrepiece, Lake Burley Griffin.  A lake was the central feature of Burley Griffin's winning capital city design and, some 50years later, after the damming of Molonglo River, it became a reality named after him. 

While exploring my capital city, I will be away from this space for a week or so.  I will share some photos with you when I get back here and have defrosted!

Have a happy week!

Meg