Canberra is the capital of Australia, a planned city, with many parks, bush trails, green spaces and lakes. However as with many capital cities, Canberra is often seen as short hand for federal government rather than a landscape where people live. One quote I’ve read is “”Canberra has too many politicians, too many roundabouts and too much cold weather!”
When I retired from teaching in 2013, I decided to write a blog about Canberra, the beauty of the mountains and the lakes, and also the every day life of people living in Canberra.
Many of the photos of Canberra in this post were taken between 2014 and 2017, when I began blogging, and regular readers may recognise some of the photos…
Canberra in autumn is usually sunny, warm and pleasant, the best season of the year for planning gardens, going for walks, runs and rides, and taking photos!
Spring in Canberra can be windy and chilly, but the beautiful Manchurian Pears are out in bloom, which lifts the spirits. The National Library of Australia is one of my favourite buildings, often seen in my blog, I know! The small rather quaint tourist boat has, for many years, taken tourists who prefer a gentle slow tour of the lake.
In our early days of retirement, I was so keen to take photos that I dragged Paul out before dawn to walk around Lake Burley Griffin…. always worth it.
Canberra is full of early morning rowers, riders and walkers.
We often walk around the Parliamentary Triangle, and I love this Federal Government building…amongst others.
All along the paths the trees are changing, and the birds are in attendance.
During summer and autumn we eat breakfast on our deck, overlooking our garden.
At the risk of getting indigestion we often have an interrupted breakfast to chase big and little birds out of the veggie patch..
Thank you for taking the time to read my post today, and may your autumn or spring gardens be full of colour and joy.
Copyright Geraldine Mackey: All Rights Reserved.
I’ve only been to Canberra once, but would love to go back. I think I mentioned that my husband was there for a month at ANU and I got the chance to visit then.
Yes, I remember you mentioning your husband at ANU, so you would both be familar with the Cockatoos as they are everywhere at ANU! Yes, you would enjoy Canberra, and there are more interesting choices of food now too, but maybe not up to Wellington standard.
I won’t have an opportunity to visit so I love your posts about your beautiful city and country. I think your forefathers did a pretty good job of planning a beautiful environment for future generations to enjoy. The birds, well, you know I love your colorful birds so thanks for including them.
Thanks Judy, and Canberra’s planning was all done by a married couple of enlightened architects from Chicago! (Marion and Walter Burley Griffin)..we owe them plenty!
Yes, the birds in autumn in Canberra are everywhere, I always think of you when I put a few of the colourful characters in the blog post.
I’m with Judy. I won’t have the chance visit, but how I love seeing this beautiful city through your eyes. Before I started following your blog, I knew almost nothing about Canberra. Thanks to you, I know a whole lot more. If by some unlikely chance I were ever to visit Australia, Canberra would be at the top of the list. Many, many thanks for the introducing me to this wonderful city.
Thanks Laurie, I’m pleased to think Canberra is known for more than cold weather and politicians!
Thank you for the tour. I had no view of what Canberra was like before visiting your blog.
I’m pleased to be able to showcase a bit of Canberra, it is easier to live in than big cities.
I love to see your photographs of Canberra through the seasons and the plants and birds that catch your attention. It is so good to see a planned city that has grown and matured through the years but has not lost lost its charm and continues to be a showcase for all the visitors it has from around the world.
Many thanks Clare, and I’m glad you could see the beauty in Canberra. Unfortunately more recent suburbs are not following the planned city model, however, at least the ‘bones’ of the planned city are already there.
You sure show the beauty of Canberra, such a beautiful place. I did enjoy these photos and always love seeing the birds.xxx
Thanks Dina, and I’m sure the Aussie birds, wild or tame, would be love to visit your garden, they always seem to know where they can get some extra food and water!
Canberra looks like such a beautiful city, Gerrie. I’m sure he people who live there really appre4ciate how lucky they are. I love the colourful birds you see around you. I would find it really novel to have cockatoos in the wild. 🙂
Thanks Sylvia, yes, I think people who live here do appreciate how lucky we are, and I often see tourists taking photos of all our colourful birds, especially the cockatoos, they have such character (and can be a menace sometimes!)