Tag:national gallery of australia
Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory and serves as the capital of Australia. It is a uniquely planned city created to function as the centre of the nation’s government, politics, and administration. Despite being Australia’s capital, Canberra is often underrated as a tourist destination. People were surprised and confused when they heard that I was planning a visit there. However, this city has a lot to offer, including a rich cultural heritage, impressive architecture, and beautiful parks, gardens and tree lined streets.
History of Canberra
January 1st, 1901, was Federation Day when the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania officially became the new Commonwealth of Australia. Both before and after the Federation, there was much public bickering about where the capital of Australia should be. Under the Constitution, Parliament had to choose a site at least one hundred miles (160km) from Sydney. Parliament, therefore, sat in Melbourne until a new parliament house was built in the new capital.
More than sixty locations were suggested as potential sites for the capital city of Australia. After much disagreement and conflict, the location of Canberra was ultimately chosen in October 1908. As a result, the government organised an international competition to design the capital, with entrants being informed that it would be the official and social hub of Australia. American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin consequently won the competition with a design that was in harmony with the site’s topography. The city was situated between three hills and an ornamental lake connected by a sequence of basins. The city was officially named Canberra in 1913, and construction began shortly after that.
Growth
Canberra witnessed significant growth during World War I, as it served as the administrative centre for the Australian military. In the following decades, from the 1920s to the 1930s, the city continued to expand as the seat of government and became the focal point of national politics and administration. The mid-20th century saw rapid growth and modernisation, with Canberra emerging as a hub for innovation, research, and cultural, educational, and scientific institutions. Subsequently, today, Canberra is a thriving city with a rich cultural heritage, a growing arts scene, iconic landmarks, beautiful parks and gardens, and a rich history.
The Best Photography Spots in Canberra
Canberra is a beautiful city with many stunning photography spots offering breathtaking views and landscapes. Some of the best photography spots in Canberra include:
Parliament House
The Australian Federal Parliament is housed in an iconic building that forms the centrepiece of the parliamentary triangle. The building’s rooftop is covered in grass and offers stunning views of the city. Designed by architect John Smith Murdoch, it was officially opened in 1988, replacing the previous Parliament House.
Sitting atop Capital Hill and surrounded by sweeping lawns and gardens, Parliament House is a grand and modern building. Made of glass, steel, and concrete, its large central dome is visible across the city. Visitors are welcome to explore the public spaces inside, including the Great Hall, Members Hall, and the House of Representatives and Senate chambers. Guided tours are also available, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about the building’s history and the workings of the Australian Government.
Parliament House is also home to many important artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and other decorative objects, reflecting Australia’s cultural heritage. Notable artworks on display include artist Frank Oakeshott’s murals and artist John Hancock’s stained-glass windows.
Photo Tip: The reflecting pool in front of the building is best at night or blue hour.
Lake Burley Griffin
The artificial lake in the heart of Canberra was named after Walter Burley Griffin, the American architect who designed the city. The lake was created as a central element of Griffin’s design for the city, and for this reason, it remains a defining feature of the Canberra landscape. In addition, the lake offers a range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, picnicking, and cycling. It is also a popular location for events and festivals throughout the year.
One of the most iconic features of Lake Burley Griffin is the Captain Cook Memorial Jet. This water jet in the lake’s centre shoots up to 147 meters into the air. The jet is particularly spectacular when viewed at night when coloured lights illuminate it. In addition to its recreational activities, Lake Burley Griffin is also an important symbol of Canberra and its history. Additionally, important cultural institutions like the National Museum of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Parliament House surround the lake, making it a vital part of the city’s cultural and political landscape.
During the Balloon Festival in March each year, the lake on the opposite side of the National Museum is a fabulous location to photograph the balloons taking off and floating across the lake.
Photo Tip: foggy mornings on Lake Burley Griffin make a great photo.
National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
The National Gallery of Australia is a modern building designed by architect James Mather. It opened in 1982 and is the largest art museum in Australia. Within its walls is a collection of over 166,000 works of art from Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
The collections include many art forms, including painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and works on paper. Some of the museum’s most notable holdings include works by prominent Australian artists such as Tom Roberts, Grace Cossington Smith, and Sidney Nolan. Also on display is Jackson Pollocks ‘Blue Poles’. In addition, significant works by international artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Claude Monet are also on display.
In addition to its collection, the National Gallery of Australia offers a range of educational programs. These include guided tours, workshops, and events, making it a valuable resource for schools and educational institutions. A visit to the sculpture garden is not to be missed. The building features spacious galleries, a library, a café, and a rooftop restaurant. It’s not hard to see why the NGA is a popular destination for art lovers and visitors of all ages.
Photo Tip: visit Fujiko’ Nakaya’s Foggy Wake In The Desert ecosphere, which operates from 12.30 – 2 pm daily
Mount Ainslie
Mount Ainslie’s summit is a well-known attraction for both visitors and residents, providing stunning views of the city and surrounding areas. As a part of the Canberra Nature Park, it’s home to diverse flora and fauna, including eucalyptus trees, native shrubs, and various bird species. The location offers walking paths, picnic areas, and observation points, making it an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts looking to hike, birdwatch, or enjoy a leisurely picnic.
Mount Ainslie offers visitors two options to reach its summit – a scenic drive or a hike through the mountain’s natural bushland. The trails leading to the top provide a picturesque view of Canberra and its surrounding landscapes, including Parliament House, Lake Burley Griffin, and the Australian Alps. The summit of Mount Ainslie offers breathtaking panoramic views of the city and its surroundings, making it a must-visit destination for anyone travelling to Canberra.
Australian War Memorial (AWM)
The memorial’s stunning architecture and location on a hill overlooking the city make it a popular spot for photographers. The Australian War Memorial was established to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the members of the Australian armed forces and to honour the sacrifices of all Australians who have served in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations throughout the country’s history.
The building, designed by the architect John Castles and completed in 1941, is considered one of the most significant war memorials in the world. It features a shrine room where visitors can pay their respects to the fallen. The museum also houses a collection of artefacts, documents, and artwork related to Australia’s military history.
The museum’s exhibitions showcase the Australian military’s experiences and the war’s impact on the country and its people. Visitors can also view weapons, uniforms, medals, personal letters, interactive displays, and multimedia presentations, which bring the history of the Australian military to life. In addition to its exhibitions, the AWM also offers a range of educational programs, guided tours, workshops, and events, which provide a valuable resource for schools and educational institutions.
Photo Tip: The reflecting pool on a still day and the wall of poppies make great images.
Old Parliament House
This historic building was the seat of the federal Government from 1927 to 1988 and was designed by the architect John Smith Murdoch. It was officially opened on May 9, 1927, by the Duke of York (later King George VI). The building was initially intended to be a temporary structure. However, it has served as the federal government’s home for over 60 years. The Old Parliament House was the site of many important political and social events. These included opening the first federal parliament and swearing-in of Australia’s first prime minister, Edmund Barton.
The Old Parliament House was replaced by the New Parliament House in 1988. However, it has been preserved and renovated as a museum known as the Museum of Australian Democracy. The museum showcases the Old Parliament House’s history and significance, offering visitors a unique insight into Australia’s political and social history. Visitors can explore the historic building and its exhibitions, including the House of Representatives and Senate chambers, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the King’s Hall.
The museum also offers a range of educational programs and activities, including guided tours, interactive exhibitions, and special events. Its beautiful gardens and architecture make it a popular spot for photography.
National Museum of Australia
Located in the heart of Canberra, the building is considered an iconic piece of architecture. Designed by the architect firm Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM), it was completed in 2001. It has received several awards and accolades for its design. The Australian landscape inspires the building’s design and reflects the country’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.
The museum’s façade is characterised by its curved roofline and the use of natural materials such as timber and stone, which blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. The central atrium provides a dramatic entrance to the museum, with its soaring glass walls and natural light creating a welcoming and spacious atmosphere. The museum’s exhibitions are housed in a series of interconnected galleries, each with its unique character and atmosphere.
Ovolo Nishi Grand Staircase
Ovolo Nishi is a luxury hotel in Canberra, Australia, known for its unique and innovative design. One of the hotel’s standout features is its Grand Stair, a large, sweeping staircase that serves as the main entrance to the building.
The Grand Stair is a stunning architectural feature that spans three floors and provides access to the hotel’s main lobby and guest rooms. The concrete stairs feature a striking, cantilevered design that appears to float in mid-air. The treads are lit from below, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that welcomes visitors to the hotel. In addition to its functional purpose, the Grand Stair also serves as an art installation in its own right.
The National Arboretum
The arboretum covers an area of over 250 hectares and is home to a diverse collection of over 94,000 trees and shrubs representing over 100 countries worldwide. Established in the aftermath of the 2003 bushfires that swept through the region, its mission is to promote the conservation and protection of Australia’s forest heritage. The National Arboretum also features several other attractions, including the forest sculpture gallery, picnic areas, walking trails, and scenic lookouts.
The arboretum is still growing, and most of the trees are not yet mature. While the views are great, the trees aren’t much to look at except in autumn. The Village Centre in the Arboretum houses a cafe, gift shop, and exhibition spaces. This makes it a great place to start or finish your visit to the National Arboretum.
National Zoo and Aquarium
The zoo houses various animals worldwide. Animals include but are not limited to:
- Big Cats: lions, tigers, and Jaguars
- Primates: gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans
- Marsupials: kangaroos, wallabies, and Tasmanian devils
- Birds: parrots, owls, and various species of exotic birds
- Reptiles: snakes, lizards, and turtles
- Aquatic animals: sharks, rays, and multiple species of fish
- Other mammals: meerkats, red pandas, and ring-tailed lemurs
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Olive Cotton (1911-2003) was an Australian photographer known for her poetic and lyrical images of everyday life, landscape, and portraiture.
She was born on 11 July 1911 in Hornsby, Sydney. Her parents were Leo Cotton, a Professor of Geology at Sydney University, and Florence, a painter and pianist. Both of her parents were English immigrants. Her father, in his role as a geologist, took photographs of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to the Antarctic in 1907
Early Life
As a child, Cotton displayed a strong inclination towards art and enjoyed creating drawings and paintings. She was also captivated by the stunning natural scenery that enveloped her family’s farm, which later ignited her interest in photography. At 11 years old, her aunt bestowed upon her a Kodak No.0 Box Brownie camera, which she used to take her first black-and-white photos. Together with her father’s help, they converted their home laundry into a darkroom, where Cotton developed films and produced her earliest photographs.
Cotton attended the Methodist Ladies College in Burwood from 1921 to 1929. During her final year there, she became a member of the Photographic Society of NSW. She enrolled at Sydney University in 1930 and joined the Sydney Camera Club at around the same time. There, she received guidance and instruction from the renowned Pictorialist photographer Harold Cazneaux. While completing her Bachelor of Arts, with a focus on mathematics and English, she continued to pursue photography as an amateur. She graduated in 1934.
Marriage and Family
In mid-1934, she started working with Max Dupain, a photographer, at his studio located at 24 Bond St in Sydney. Although her official position was an “assistant,” she also focused on her own photography projects. Cotton and Dupain had been friends since childhood and used to spend their summer vacations taking pictures at Newport Beach. Their shared interest in photography cemented their friendship, and they eventually got married in 1939 and had two children. However, their marriage was short-lived and ended in separation in 1941. They officially divorced in 1944.
In 1938, Cotton joined the short-lived Contemporary Camera Group. She also tried her hand at fashion photography and worked in the commercial section of the Commemorative Salon, which was organised by the Photographic Society as part of the 150th-anniversary celebrations in Australia. It was during this period that Cotton and Dupain relocated their studio in Sydney to a more spacious one on Clarence Street.
Divorce and solo career
After her divorce in 1941, Cotton found work teaching mathematics at Frensham School, a progressive girl’s school in Mittagong, NSW. When Dupain left Australia to serve in the military from 1942 to 1945, Cotton managed his studio. Cotton received numerous commissions during this time, including creating wartime propaganda photographs for AWA, a wireless manufacturer. She also designed a mural for architect Sam Lipson’s modern house, which unfortunately was destroyed in the 1980s. The original mural measured 182.9 x 76.2 cm.
The only known print of a smaller version of the mural can be found at the National Gallery of Australia. The client had shown interest in ballet figures after seeing a mural created by Max Dupain. The brief for the mural was flexible, and it took Cotton over one hundred hours to complete. Cotton did not intend to make a Surrealist work but focused on using techniques to capture her desired image. Helen Ennis has documented the processes and techniques used by Cotton to create this piece in her entry for Heritage: The National Women’s Art Book.
Remarriage
She married Ross McInerney in 1944, and together, they relocated to Koorawatha, near Cowra. For the first three years of the marriage, they lived in a tent before buying ‘Spring Forest’ a two-room cottage. Later, they moved into the old barracks on the property.
The marriage produced two children. A daughter named Sally, born in 1946 (while they were still in the tent), and a son named Peter in 1948. Cotton quit her job as a professional photographer and returned to teaching.
From 1959 to 1963, Cotton was a mathematics teacher at Cowra High School. In 1964, she established a studio in Cowra where she specialised in professional photography services such as children’s portraits, wedding photography, and landscape photography using a Rolleiflex camera for her work.
Additionally, she ventured into uncharted territory by exploring alternative photographic techniques. These included photograms and camera-less photography, enabling her to craft dreamlike and unconventional visuals.
Later Life
Unfortunately, while at home, Cotton suffered a fall that resulted in a broken leg. She was hospitalized in Orange and later moved to a nursing home. In 2003, Cotton passed away at Cowra Hospital, aged 92, with her husband of 60 years, Ross McInerney, by her side.
Cotton’s photographic works are renowned for their meticulous attention to detail, use of natural light and sensitivity towards her subjects. One of her notable works is “Teacup Ballet,” which has become an iconic representation of Australian photography. The image was featured on the 1991 Australian postage stamp honouring the 150th anniversary of photography in Australia.
Olive Cotton’s work has been recognised through various retrospectives in Australia and globally. The Art Gallery of New South Wales hosted a significant exhibition in 2018 called “Olive Cotton,” displaying over 130 of her photographs. The exhibit featured a diverse range of Cotton’s career, including her experimental works, portraits, still lifes, and surreal images. Many of these works were rare and had never been seen before.
Posthumous Fame
The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra curated an exhibit in 2021 titled “Olive Cotton: A Life in Photography,” showcasing over 100 of her photographs. These delved into the themes of nature, domesticity, and the female perspective in her artistic vision. The exhibit also presented archival materials such as letters, notebooks, and personal photographs, offering a glimpse into Cotton’s life and creative process. In 1995, the National Library of Australia published a book chronicling her life and artistic oeuvre. Many of her works can be viewed at the Art Gallery of NSW
Cotton’s photography has gained global recognition through exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the International Center of Photography in New York and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. These retrospectives have solidified Cotton’s position in the esteemed group of Australian photographers and introduced her work to a new wave of enthusiasts and academics.
Peter Dombrovskis, an acclaimed photographer of Australian landscapes, became well-known for his ability to capture the rugged and unspoiled terrains of Tasmania. His work played a vital part in the movement to protect the Tasmanian wilderness, and his artistic vision helped raise awareness about the significance of preserving Australia’s natural heritage. Sadly, he passed away in 1996 while photographing the remote Southwest National Park.
Early Years
Dombrovskis was born Pieter Herberts Dombrovski on 2nd March 1945 in a displaced persons camp in Wiesbaden, Germany, to Latvian parents. When Pieter was five, he and his widowed mother were resettled in Australia. Firstly at the Bonegilla migrant reception and training centre, Victoria, followed by Wollongong, New South Wales, before moving to Hobart, Tasmania. In Hobart, they settled into the suburb of Fern Tree on the slopes of Mount Wellington.
His mother worked various jobs in a factory, a hospital, and a domestic. Peter, as he was by now known, attended South Hobart Primary and Hobart High Schools. He and his mother shared a mutual love of bushwalking on Mount Wellington. On these walks, he would record what he saw with the 35 mm Zeiss camera his mother had given him at age six. After leaving high school, he studied botany and zoology at the University of Tasmania. However, he left without completing a degree and never formally studied photography. In November 1963, he and his mother became naturalised Australian citizens.
When he was seventeen, Dombrovskis attended an adventure camp led by Olegas Truchanas, a Lithuanian-Australian photographer and conservationist. Truchanas took a particular interest in the fatherless boy from a neighbouring Baltic country. He became his mentor and taught him bush survival skills, encouraging him to consider photography as a career and not merely as a hobby.
The fight for Lake Pedder
In 1967 the Tasmanian government revoked the status of Lake Pedder National Park. Despite strong local and international opposition to the flooding of Lake Pedder, it was all in vain. In 1971, just before the planned inundation, over two thousand people travelled to Pedder to see the lake before it was gone forever. One particular weekend in March 1971, so many visited it became known as the Pedder Pilgrimage. The concerns over the dam’s construction revolved around the loss of the irreplaceable pink quartzite beach of the Lake Pedder, coupled with an increased awareness of the unique wilderness area of the southwest of Tasmania.
Truchanas’ fight to save Lake Pedder from flooding for hydroelectric power generation inspired Dombrovskis. In 1972, Truchanas tragically drowned, aged forty-nine, while canoeing the Gordon River, and sadly, it was Dombrovskis who found his body. From then on, he vowed to continue his mentor’s conservationist role by creating powerful images of Tasmania’s landscape and flora. His first publication, a calendar of photographs for 1973, sold out on release.
Wild Wind Press
In 1974 Dombrovskis married Gabrielle Joan Teakle, a nurse. Together they had five children before the marriage broke down. With encouragement from his wife, he left his job as a draftsman at the federal Department Of Works to concentrate on publishing his photography full-time. To this end, he founded West Wind Press, publishing his first wilderness diary (1976). This was followed by a calendar and a book, The Quiet Land (1977), with poems by Ellen Miller.
‘I took photographs … because the discipline of photography increased my awareness of Tasmania’s beauty and made me appreciate more clearly the value of the wilderness.’
Peter Dombrovskis
Equipment
In 1976 Dombrovskis began using a large format Linhof Master Technika flatbed camera with three lenses. A 90mm Nikkor F4.5, a 150mm Schneider Symar-S (standard lens), a 300mm Nikkor MF9 and sometimes, a polarising filter.
The large camera required a sturdy tripod. However, the downside was the camera and tripod were cumbersome, particularly in mountainous terrain. On the other hand, its considerable depth of field allowed him to achieve crystal-clear images in full resolution from foreground to far distance. Furthermore, Dombrovskis favoured low light and misty air to intensify colours and developed a unique photographic style that captured the spiritual essence of the wilderness.
He perfected long exposures, whereby the flowing water became milky streams. Dombrovskis would also frequently focus on the detail of a single plant, evoking the concept of the wilderness as a pristine landscape.
Saving the Franklin River
Dombrovskis was happy spending weeks at a time, several times a year, alone in remote parts of Tasmania. In the late 70s and early 80s, he rafted down the Gordon and Franklin Rivers in the gorge country, recording images at the request of Bob Brown, director of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society. His photographs were a compelling statement on the unique beauty of these endangered rivers threatened by the program to build dams for hydroelectric power.
Brown selected Dombrovskis’s photograph Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River, Southwest Tasmania, showing the heavily wooded banks of the Newland Cascades as the face of their campaign. While its isolation meant it was a location that few would ever visit, in March 1983, the image appeared as a full-page colour advertisement in newspapers with the slogan ‘Could you vote for a party that will destroy this?’
The message proved extraordinarily effective and prompted a groundswell of support. Additionally, the image was pivotal to the ‘No Dams’ campaign to halt the dam’s construction, being reproduced a million times. The Tasmanian government wanted the dam. Bob Hawkes’s labour party opposed it. In 1983 the High Court of Australia brought down a ruling that the Commonwealth Government was entitled to prevent the dam’s construction. Many believe that Hawkes’s support for the campaign played a large part in Hawkes’s party winning the federal election in 1983.
Second Marriage
Apart from Tasmania, Dombrovskis would also make photographic trips to other parts of Australia. These trips took him to the Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, the Daintree rainforest and Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland. Internationally he visited Fiji and Borneo.
In 1989 he married Elizabeth Grace Cairns Coombe, whom he had known since childhood. Coombe was also an active partner in West Wind Press. Despite being diagnosed with a heart operation in the early 1990s, he continued travelling to remote locations for photography. While his wife or a fellow photographer sometimes accompanied him, he was alone in 1996 when he died of a heart attack, aged fifty-one, near Mount Hayes in the Western Arthur Range.
He was survived by the two daughters and three sons of his first marriage, his wife, and his stepdaughter and stepson. The memorial service was held on the slopes of Mount Wellington.
In 2003 Dombrovskis was posthumously inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. Significantly, he became the first Australian to receive the honour. Also, in 2003, Scott Millwood made a documentary film, Wildness, tracing the legacy of Dombrovskis and Truchanas. In addition, the National Library of Australia (NLA) acquired his archive of over three thousand colour transparencies. In 2017, the NLA mounted an exhibition of seventy prints titled Journeys Into The Wild.
Canberra – The National Capital was not a place that was on my radar to visit. A boring political city, I thought. Not a ‘real’ city that evolved organically, I thought. One that was planned and built just for governing Australia (I thought). I was wrong.
Encouraged by the allure of the Canberra Balloon Spectacular, visit I did. And fell in love with a beautiful city of wide avenues and stunning buildings. Filled with friendly people, a bustling modern city of dining and shops. Canberra – the national capital, is indeed not only worthy of a visit, but I actually plan on returning.
The history stuff…
Following Federation in 1901, the hunt was on for a national capital. Melbourne and Sydney both vied for the honour with fierce rivalry pushing both their cases forward. To solve this dilemma between the two cities, a compromise was written into the Australian Consitution. According to Section 125 of the Australian Constitution, the National Capital had to be no less than 160km (100 miles) from Sydney, but not in Sydney.
Thus the hunt for a location began. Canberra was chosen in 1909, legislated in 1911, and named as the capital of Australia on 12 March 1913.
An international design competition was launched and received 137 entries. Chicago born Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin’s entry was chosen as the winner. Their plans featured an artificial lake at the heart of the city with a parliamentary triangle. Perched on a hill, atop of parliament house, the huge flagpole bearing the Australian flag can be seen from just about anywhere in the city.
Accommodation
We were in Canberra for 5 nights, staying at Alivio Tourist Park.
The accommodation was clean and comfortable. Alivio was also very handy to everything (it seems like everything in Canberra is only 10-15 mins point to point). We booked the two-bedroom Grevillia cabin, and it came with linen supplied. We had, however, no electric blankets on the beds, and the heating never really warmed the cabin on the cool evenings. As Canberra gets very cold in winter, it’s definitely not a place I would stay at during the colder months.
We had arrived armed with a list of photographic locations we wanted to cover and started ticking them off on our first day. Starting with balloons for sunrise at Lake Burley Griffin, then time out for breakfast in the cafe at the National Library. From the library, we took a drive over to the National Museum and Old Parliament House (now the Democracy Museum)
Architecture
Canberra is full of impressive, stunning buildings. While it’s definitely modern, it also a classical, stately feel to it, with impressive staircases and columns and an abundance of fountains and sculptures.
High on our list of places to shoot was the Ovolo Nishi, with its famous entrance. Playing it smart timewise, we combined this with lunch in their restaurant.
After lunch, we scouted out our locations for the next day. We had to be at Questacon for our balloon ride by 5.45 am the next morning. Looking for it in the dark was not our idea of fun. So we located it and planned our parking for the morning. We then followed this up with some shopping. Weary and footsore, we then headed back to the cabin for some downtime.
Balloons Aloft
Day Two was our balloon flight which I covered the Balloon Spectacular post. Suffice to say, if you have never taken a hot air balloon flight, do so. Stat. It’s a fantastic experience.
Following our balloon flight and breakfast, we visited the National Gallery of Australia. The drawcard for me was Fujiko Nakaya’s Foggy wake in a desert – an ecosphere that operates 12.30 – 2pm daily in the outside sculpture garden.
National Gallery Of Australia
As it was almost lunchtime, so we headed for the National Gallery Cafe. The food was fabulous and very reasonably priced. In fact, we enjoyed it so much and found it such good value; we took lunch here for the remainder of our time in Canberra. After lunch, we went upstairs and visited the Picasso and Matisse Exhibition. It needs to be said that that’s an hour of my life I won’t get back. If you have the opportunity to see it, don’t. Run, don’t walk in the other direction. Yes, the paintings are worth a fortune. Yes, most of them look like a group of 4yr old kindergarten kids did it at the kitchen table. I guess I am more of a classical girl.
Before leaving, we checked out Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Spirits Of The Pumpkins Descended Into The Heavens’. This is a bright yellow room, completely covered with black dots. A mirrored box with steps is the highlight of the room, camouflaged by the room around it. And despite my classical leanings, I loved it.
Mount the steps, pop your head in the hole and immerse yourself in a space that is infinite, yet claustrophobic. With the clever use of mirrors the ‘pumpkins’ stretch to infinity.
Australian War Memorial
The last stop of the day was the Australian War Memorial. Built to commemorate the 102,000 Australian men and women who died serving their country, it also honours those who served overseas and at home.
The Pool of Reflection and Flame of Remembrance leads to the towering Hall of Memory and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Stunning stained glass windows flank the tomb, which lies under a high dome mosaic of six million pieces.
Cloisters line each side of the Reflection Pool with a roll of honour of more than 60,000 names.
Our time in Canberra was definitely enjoyable. Not the stuffy, staid city I was expecting. Canberra is also surprisingly affordable. All galleries and buildings we visited are free to enter. Except for the Picasso exhibition, but that’s a memory I would like to forget. The parking is cheap, and on weekends at the galleries and museums, it’s free, unlike Melbourne and Sydney that still charge through the nose for parking at major venues.
The weather was fabulous for most of the time, with sunny blue skies and T-shirt weather. Only one day was wet and windy, but it cleared up again the next day. No sunrises or sunsets, though. I seem to have a sunrise, sunset jinx on me 🙁
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