A quick tour of Australia's capital city, then back to the coast!

When we woke up, we hit the road right away. The winds had died down and it was fairly calm for the rest of the day.

We drove to the city of Canberra (pop 400,000), which is Australia's capital city. Many people would think that the capital of Australia is either Melbourne or Sydney, but they would be wrong. The same way that many people think that Toronto is the capital of Canada!

It was about 75 kms (47 miles) to get to the city.

Scenery along the way.

Not much traffic.

 We arrived during what could be considered their rush hour. So we pulled into a park and had some breakfast. Then, we drove to the Capital Hill area where the House of Parliament is located.

There is lots of pay parking in the area (and some 1 hour free zones), but we don't like to pay for parking. So we found a free parking spot at the boat launch near the Canberra Yacht Club, and we walked to Capital Hill from there.

Ruth, and the house of parliament.

This is the side view of the senate entrance.

That looks like a big fountain!

The Telstra Tower was opened to the public in 1980.

Lots of antennas!

Had we been staying longer, we probably would have paid the $7.50 to go up for the view. But, with below freezing temperatures in the overnight forecast, we were not hanging around!

This bunya bunya pine tree was planted by the Duke of York during a visit in 1927.

The front view of the house of parliament.

Just my opinion, but not the most impressive building I've seen. Built in 1988, it actually was designed by an American architectural firm. Without the stainless steel flag tower, it kind of reminded me of some of the old Soviet style buildings we have seen in Romania!

The old house of parliament is now the Museum of Democracy.

Einstein statue.

Flags of the world.

There was nobody around!

Even at the parliament buildings, it was very quiet. I guess everybody has gone north where it's warmer!

That's a long way to shoot water into the air!

Walking on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin.

The National Museum of Australia with the Telstra Tower in the background.

But, our goal was to make it to the coast, so we cut our time in Canberra fairly short. Back at the camper, we had some lunch and got back on the road.

Odd rocks in this pasture.

Back at the coast, I had found a free National Park campground near Bateman's Bay called Red Gum Campground. A bit of a rough road to get in there, but the reviews I had a read said " a two wheel drive should be able to make it"... so I knew we wouldn't have a problem.

A view looking back at Bateman's Bay.

We are the only one's here!

What a great spot!

There is no wind at all, we are totally on our own, and the temperature is a pleasant 15C (60F) at sunset. What more could anybody want?!

A bit of a long drive for us today, but we are back at the coast where it is warmer and we are just going to explore for the next three weeks between here and Sydney. We will stay longer at spots that interest us, and just relax and find some hiking trails along the way.

Wednesday's drive, 228 kms (141 miles).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Rechargeable Battery Operated Fan deal is back again. This time take 50% off using coupon code 23MIPNV7 at checkout.

And in Canada...

Check out the deals at Amazon.ca