It was a clear, still and brisk morning when we finally emerged from the Tvan. The night had been very quiet and only the noise of a vehicle woke us as it was leaving the campground at around 5:00am. We packed up after breakfast and headed off on a short walk to the nearby Gibraltar Falls – a moderate walk of one hour duration, according to the information board. It didn’t quite explain that the entire walk was going up or coming down stairs.
The walk was interrupted with frequent rest stops as we climbed ever higher to the top of a spur, which then crossed the creek that eventually cascaded down a steep rock face into the valley below. It was also a perfect place for lizards to bask in the sun and Chris spotted a striped water monitor doing just that in the bright morning light.
We returned to our campsite and set off for Canberra through undulating hills, before reconnecting with the suburbs and the Federal Highway that delivered us to the airport for the cheapest fuel around. Once refuelled we headed to the top of Mt Ainslie to find a geocache – thus completing a full set of Australian cache souvenirs, as we have now found one in every state and territory of Australia.
There was quite a lot of smoke in the air, making visibility an issue, but it was clear enough to take in the patterns of Canberra and the straight line connecting the Australian War Memorial and Parliament houses (old and new).
We descended Mt Ainslie and headed to the Information Centre car park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The car park:
was within walking distance of Civic – the centre of the city,
catered for long vehicles towing caravans and trailers, and
was free!
There were plenty of spaces available and we were soon on our way towards the centre of Canberra and a lunch appointment with an old friend. We strolled through the old plaza that leads from the Canberra Casino up to the original buildings that once formed the meagre CBD (the size of two city blocks). The tree-lined plaza looked very European, with the direct sun being filtered by the deciduous trees that were showing few signs of succumbing to the cooler autumn conditions by changing colours.
Our old friend was most accommodating as we sat down for lunch. Sammy’s Kitchen has been a favourite dining option for more years than we care to remember. It first started out as a cheap and cheerful Malaysian café that was incredibly popular with students; we quickly found out why with tasty dishes that had an authenticity that other places tend to westernise. Rich, spicy peanut sauce smothered over steamed veggies (gado gado) started the meal for us today. This was quickly followed by a plate of belachen green beans in a pungent spicy, fish paste-based sauce. Some pepper-and-salt calamari and white bait followed; it was about now that we realised we had ordered too much food. The Sammy’s Special arrived with its mix of pork, chicken and calamari in a light, mild sauce. We battled on, knowing that we had a good walk ahead of us to return to the car park beside the lake.
We checked out the shops in the newish city mall, picking up a few things we needed in the supermarket while other shoppers were stocking up as though the apocalypse was almost upon us. The weather remained warm as we walked under oak trees that were changing colours and dropping acorns.
We detoured via the Information Centre to pick up some brochures on places to visit around Canberra. We have planned visits to the War Memorial and the Portrait Gallery; if time permits we may try to fit something else in. A coffee in the café followed as we sat in the shade and looked out over the lake towards the High Court building. Young children were out sailing on the lake, in catamarans with brightly coloured sails. Calling it sailing is giving them more credit than they deserved, as they were getting pushed back by the light breeze faster than any forward motion they were able to manage.
We have set up camp in the unpowered section of a commercial caravan park to the north of the city, back in New South Wales. It is about 15 minutes to the centre of Civic and will serve well as a base while we have a look around over the next couple of days.
