A Travel, Photography and Points Blog
The Old Parliament House was the home to the Australian Federal Parliament from 1927 to 1988. It has now been converted into a living museum, the Museum of Australian Democracy. For the price of a gold coin donation, the museum helps people understand Australia’s social and political history. Many key political events took place in this historic building.
On my third day during my trip to Sydney, we made the three hour drive down to Canberra for a day trip. Canberra is the capital city of Australia located in the aptly named state, Australian Capital Territory. The story goes that in the early 1900s both Sydney and Melbourne were vying to be Australia’s capital city. As a compromise, it was decided that Canberra, which is located between both cities would be the nation’s capital city. Even to this day both Sydney and Melbourne are often in friendly competition to be the best city in Australia, from sports to lifestyle.
Canberra is the only city in Australia that is an entirely planned city. This is similar to Washington D.C. in USA for example, though nowhere near as historic, grand or populated. Many people often say (complain) that Canberra is a bit of a boring city and that it’s not worth the visit. Since one of my bucketlist items is to visit the major city of each state in Australia, I decided to pay it a visit while I’m in the area. I’m glad I did. Yes it’s a quiet little city (quieter than Perth), but it’s a lovely city. I am glad I went.
A few weekends ago, I took my family to Authentic Bites Dumpling House along Newcastle Street in Northbridge. Since my dad heard about this place, he really wanted to try it out. I love dumplings and would not pass up a chance to go back. It was actually my second time at this dumpling house. Service generally isn’t the forte of most Asian restaurants and Authentic Bites was no different. The food was pretty good but it’s very much in-and-out kind of service. The dishes however are reasonably priced, which makes for a economical meal.
Finlay & Son no 917 is a hip little cafe located along Beaufort Street in Inglewood. I liked the fact that it was further up away from the hustle and bustle of Mt Lawley. It meant the crowds were thinner and there were plenty of street parking. I met up with a couple of friends on a Sunday for lunch. Given the hot Perth weather, a scorcher at 38 degrees that day, we opted to sit inside in the aircon.
After spending the afternoon on foot, we popped into the Belgium Beer Cafe in The Rocks for a break and snack. Then it was onto the evening walking tour of The Rocks. This walking tour delved deeper into the history of The Rocks, the site of Australia’s first European settlement. We walked through dark laneways. Listened to stories of the various pubs and historical buildings in the area. Our guide Ross, who is also the owner founder of IM FREE walking tours, was entertaining and gave the stories a sense of fun and intrigue. Stories included Australia’s largest bank robbery, the first hanging and the plague in Sydney.