Canberra - Australia's capital

Most capital cities are large but that's not the case with Australia's capital Canberra. This difference is historical as when the States of Australia agreed to form a Federation in 1901 neither NSW or Victoria (who were the largest cities at the time) would agree on the other city being chosen. So Canberra was selected due to its proximity to both Melbourne and Sydney.

Canberra was originally the home of the Ngunnawal people who occupied the land for 21,000 years as evidenced by rock paintings at Namadgi National Park and Birrigai Rock Shelter at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

A competition to design the capital was won by American Architect Walter Burley Griffin.     Influenced by both the City Beautiful and Garden City movements of the time; Burley Griffin designed a city with a large man made lake at the centre, green areas, wide boulevards and formal parks with water features.

Lake Burley Griffin

The original Parliament House was opened in 1927 and served Parliament until 1988 when a new and modern Parliament House replaced it. Today old Parliament House is a tourist attraction featuring a museum  dedicated to telling the story of Australian democracy.

Old Parliament House

On the land opposite old Parliament House is the site of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy which was established in 1972 as a protest to the Government's refusal to recognise Aboriginal Land rights.  

Site of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy

New Parliament House, built on the top of a hill, dominates the skyline and can be seen from many surrounding locations. 

Visit Parliament House when Parliament is in session and you can see our Politicians at work. Parliament House also has an amazing collection of art and  is a venue for many functions.

New Parliament House

Heritage listed Government House is the home of the Queen's representative in Australia the Governor General. Surrounded by 54 hectares of grounds the House is used for many official occasions including receptions, dinners for visiting Royalty and functions for community and special needs groups.

Government House

As the location of the Commonwealth Government Canberra tends to be a city that many people commute which makes many people think Canberra is a boring place to visit. I don't agree there is so much to see. 

National Gallery of Australia

On the cultural side visit the National Gallery of Australia with more than 100,000 works of art including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Australian art and international art.

View of the road between the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery of Australia

At the National Portrait Gallery you can view portraits of more than 400 people who have shaped Australia's history, diversity and culture.

The Australian War Memorial commemorates the sacrifice of the men and women who served Australia in war. There is an enormous amount of history to explore and the Hall of Memory with the tomb of the unknown soldier evokes a sadness and respect for what the memorial represents.

High Court of Australia

Questacon is Australia's National Science and Technology Centre and a fantastic place to visit if you are holidaying with children. There are regular exhibits, displays and lots of hands on activities that provide a fun learning experience. 

There are many other interesting buildings in Canberra including a range of Embassies many designed to visually represent their home nation.

The Eagle

Memorials are also a regular sight like the Australian-American Memorial symbolises the strong relationship between these 2 countries. Its located on the forecourt of the Defence Offices.

From a nature and the outdoors perspective I like the Australian National Botanical Gardens which include a range of beautiful plants. Various garden designs represent a Rainforest Gully, Rock Garden, Eucalypt Lawn and Mallee Shrub lands. 

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve provides a great spot for a picnic or BBQ lunch.  You may also see a range of wildlife including kangaroos, koalas, possums and the endangered Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby.  Tidbinbilla also is the location of the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex which was a real surprise as it features  a number of "big dish" antennas that receive data from and transmit commands to a wide variety of spacecraft.

Burbury Hotel 

I stay at the Burbury Hotel located in the Realm precinct. The Realm Hotel located across the road is also a great option. 

Eat in Kingston or Manuka.

Great shopping at the Fyshwick Markets or DFO also located in Fyshwick. 

For more information see Canberra Tourism

Grampians National Park

The Grampians are a rugged and ancient mountain range that appear to rise out of the surrounding plains. Also known as Gariwerd  the area is steeped in Aboriginal history. With a wide range of wildlife and a stunning array of wildflowers, particularly in the spring, the area is very popular with holiday makers.

You can travel to the Grampians from Melbourne via Halls Gap or Dunkeld  both of which are around 3 hours travel time.  Halls Gap is the larger town and provides the most direct access to the Grampians. It also has an extensive range of accommodation, restaurants and a range of other attractions. Dunkeld has become popular in recent years due to the Royal Mail Hotel's reputation for amazing food and accommodation. Approaching the Grampians from this direction also provides some stunning views of the mountains.

Grampians from  the  Dunkeld Grampians Road

You get a sense of how ancient the mountains are as you gaze out across the area from a number of lookouts and see the region laid out before you as if its nature's own magnificent canvas.  I particularly love visiting during the winter months and waking up in Halls Gap to see the mountains rising out of the early morning fog .

There are a number of 4WD track or you can experience the area close up by bushwalking the extensive network of walking tracks throughout the National Park. Walks range from short to multi day walks and from easy to difficult. 

The Balconies

The area is also popular for rock climbing particularly Mt Arapiles which is said to have some of Victoria's best climbs. If you're not experienced at rock climbing you can learn to climb, join a group or hire a guide.  Arapiles Climbing Guide

View across the Grampians from Barokalookout

The remains of Heatherlie Quarry are an interesting look back on the European History of the area. Many of Melbourne's great buildings including Parliment House have been built with sandstone from the Heatherlie Quarry which is listed as a site of historical significance by the National Trust.

At the Quarry you can explore wokers cottages, old equipment, railway sidings and see some of the partly quarried rock walls. 

There are a number of waterfalls in the Grampians National Park including Silverband Falls which is located a short drive from Halls Gap.  Leaving your car at the car park you can access the falls themselves via an easy walk of approx 20 minutes. The area around the falls suffered significant damage during floods in early 2011 and hopefully natural regrowth will  ensure it is returned to its former glory shortly.

Silverband Falls

MacKenzie Falls is a lovely waterfall that can be seen from a viewing platform located a short walk from the car park. You can also normally walk to the base of the falls, where this photograph was taken, via a steep staircase but access is currenlty closed due to the infrastructure suffering extensive flood damage. 

Mackenzie Falls

At the Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre you will find the Gariwerd dreaming theatre and be able to watch a film depicting the Gariwerd Creation Story. You can also explore the interpretive displays, participate in workshops or book a tour with a Cultural Ranger .

There is also a cafe that serves bush tucker and a range of other snacks and a shop that sells a wide selction of gifts, maps, bush tucker and books. 

Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre

To the Jardwadjali and Djab wurrung people Gariwerd (the Grampians) are central to their creation stories. Recent investigations have revealed Aboriginals have inhabited the region for up to 32,000 years.

Aboriginal Rock Art

Tourism Victoria

It is also said that up to 70% of Indigenous rock art in Victoria is in this region with well over 100 sites identified. Only a few are accessible to visitors.

Aboriginal Rock Art

Southern Grampians Shire

The park has an extensive range of wildlife. One of the most popular are kanagroos and wallabies  who greet most people in the mornings as they graze in the camping grounds and areas surrounding and within the towns.  

Kangaroos in the area surrounding Brambuk

A surprise sighting of deer in the Grampians

2 day private tour of the Grampians

3 day private tour of the Great Ocean Road and Grampians

4 day private tour from Melbourne to Adelaide 

4 day oceans, forests, mountains private tour

Mungo National Park

Mungo National Park is part of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage area. Located 110 kilometres from Mildura or 316 kilometres from Broken Hill.  Travelling by car from Mildura you will need to travel approx 90 kilometres on dirt although its a well maintained road and not everyone was driving a 4WD.

The landscape is amazing with the centre piece being the Walls of China which are dramatic sand and clay structures sculptured by erosion.

Walls of China

Access to this area has now been restricted not only because its fragile but because of its significant to the Paakantji, Ngyiampaa and Mutthi Mutthi people who call the area home.  

Walls of China (lunette)

These walls formed the edge of what was once a great lake where Aboriginals are recognised as having roamed for 50,000 years. This makes it one of the most important Aboriginal sites in Australia and many important relics have been discovered in the area. Mungo Lady was found in the 1960's by a young geologist Jim Bowler and Mungo Man was found in 1974 by a slightly older Jim.

Mungo Man and Mungo Lady have been estimated to be 40,000 and up to 42,000 years old.  For more information on Mungo Man and Mungo Lady

Remarkable human footprints approx 20,000 years old were discovered in 2003 and many other interesting discoveries have been made over the years.

Aboriginal Discovery Tour

The Paakantji and Ngyiampaa are involved in the care and management of the park together with the NSW National Park and Wildlife Service. They conduct Aboriginal Discovery Tours to share their heritage with visitors. You can only gain access to the Walls of China (lunette) area with a licensed tour operator, traditional owner or Parks Ranger.  Cost is $10 per person for a 2.5 hour tag along tour to the Wall of China area. Tours commence at the Visitor Centre.  Its an amazing experience and fantastic value.

Red Top Tank

You can explore the area via a 70 kilometre one way track that takes you across the lake floor around the Walls of China and through dune and mallie country. There are information signs at points of interest along the way that explain the geological formation of the area, aboriginal history and pastoral settlement of the area.  If you don't have enough time to do this drive a shorter 10 kilometre Zanci Pastoral loop is an option.

Central Beaded Dragon

Wildlife and birdlife are prolific in the park. We observed kangaroos, goannas, emus and a range of birdlife.  We also saw a range of plant life including grasses, saltbush, white cypress pines, belah/rosewood, mallie and acacias.

Kangaroos

In the 1850s the Gol Gol Station was established and the Mungo woolshed was built around 1869. This building still stands and is near the Visitor Centre. The remains of the Zanci homestead, shearing shed and yards can be found along the self drive tour. This was originally part of the Gol Gol Station and was carved off after World War 1. The remains include a dugout where they used to keep their food. Going down into the dugout the temprature drops a number of degrees which makes you understand how effective this structure was.

Zanci yards near the shearing sheds

There are 2 camps in the Park. We stayed at Main Camp as it was close to the Visitor Centre and enabled us to do the Aboriginal Discovery Tour in the evening before heading off to drive the loop the next morning.  The campground includes toilets but showers are only available at the Visitor Centre.

Camp fires are allowed in fire boxes which are provided except during summer (December to March). You are not allowed to pick up wood in the park as it provides a natural habitat for wildlife but you can obtain some for a small fee.

Apostlebirds

The second campground is Belah Camp located half way around the loop. No camp fires are allowed in this campground. Toilets are available at this site. Camping fees are via an honour system and paid via cash left in envelopes at the Visitor Centre.

Sunset at Main Camp

If you don't want to camp accomodation is available in the Shearers Quarters for a reasonable price. These include a communial kitchen and dining room with full access to utensils, crockery, fridges and stoves.  Shearers Quarters are located next to the Visitor Centre.

The Visitor Centre also includes a large display providing a range of insights into the Park its certainly worth spending some time at the Centre.

Flinders Ranges

The Flinders Ranges are world renowed for their geological history and you can also see evidence of Aboriginal habitation and European settlement. The traditional owners, the Adnyamathanha, lived in the Flinders Ranges for tens of thousands of years and the area holds deep cultural significance to them.

Heading into the Flinders Ranges

The Adnyamathanha people describe the formation of the land and their spiritual belifes through their Yura Muda stories.  Over tens of thousands of years the Yura Muda stories have passed from generation to generation interpreting the cave paintings and sacred sites found in the Flinders Ranges. Mythological tracks and songlines explain the formation of the land, plants and animals.

Hot air ballooning Rawnsley Bluff

SA Tourism

Sandstone walls with ancient Aboriginal rock engravings can be found in the Sacred Canyon a short walk along a dry creek bed lined with majestic river red gums. The age of the engravings is unknown and the Adnyamathanha people believe that the engravings were created by ancestral beings during the creation time.

You can learn more about the traditional stories of the Nepabunna and Iga Warta Aboriginal communities by driving the Aboriginal Dreaming Trail.

Wilpena Pound

SA Tourism

Wilpena Pound is a natural ampitheatre and is steeped in local legend. It looks like a comet crater, but in reality the formation of the Flinders Ranges began 800 million years ago when the earth's crust was stretched and thinned creating a deep hollow. Following this the sea flooded in and during the next period huge amounts of rock and debris were deposited. Over time the land changed and gorges and valleys were formed.   You can stay at the Wilpena Pound Resort or a range of camping grounds.

Camping in the Flinders Ranges

SA Tourism

There are 3 National Parks in the Flinders Ranges covering 95,000 hectares:

• Mount Remarkable National Park
• Flinders Ranges National Park
• Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park

In the mid 1800's Wilpena, Arkaba and Aroona were established as sheep stations and the pastoral industry flourished when the Government built a rail line to service mining that had also been established in the area.  Remains of early settlement can still be found in the Ranges.

Yellow footed Rock-wallaby

The Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby can be found in Brachina and Wilkawillina gorges. These agile and shy animals were once close to extinction but have been saved by conservation programs. They live in rock crevices and caves and their colours blend into their surroundings so you'll need to be patient and have a keen eye to spot them amongst the rocks.

The Park has abundant wildlife  and more than 100 bird species have been identified.

There are a range of activities you can enjoy in the Flinders Ranges including hot air ballooning, cycling, 4 wheel driving and camping. 

Bunyeroo Valley

SA Tourism

Find out more about the Flinders Ranges from Tourism Australia

13 Day Outback Tour Melbourne to Alice Springs

13 Day Outback Tour Alice Springs to Melbourne