The photos below seem like a dream to me now: this was our garden in November….late spring.
We had some rain, which made the garden look quite green. I looked at these photos at the end of summer and I had to double-check the date on my camera to make sure it was just a few short months ago.
Despite the fairly calm conditions in Canberra in spring, the hot dry winds, the drought in much of Australia, and the early and unusual fires in other parts of Australia, were the warning signs of the terrible summer to come.
Australia’s Parliament House at midday in December. Photo AAP.
During December fires had spread across the country, and the winds blew the thick smoke through Canberra… some days the air quality was the worst of any major city in the world.
The agapanthus flowered valiantly, blue and white balls of colour through our smoky summer days.
The Gardenia flowered so gracefully on one of our hottest days…(40 degrees C) Incredible!
Our home is part of a group of suburbs not far from the Namadgi National Park, with views of the Brindabella Mountains…all mountain photos are taken from our garden or our street.
Inevitably the winds, and the searing hot temperatures spread the fires across the mountains.
Even more apocalyptic was the sight of the fires burning across the mountains at night.
During some of evenings, when our suburbs were on ”high alert” and it was hard to sleep, we shared meals and glasses of wine with neighbours…a memorable time. There was an acute sense of camaraderie and community during the fires.
Then came a sudden chance of rain, which became a freak hail storm…
Paul rushed to get the unexpected hail out of the entrance of the water tank, before the water had a chance to overflow and/or hail damaged the tanks litter strainer.
Finally some nice, steady rain came! The whole garden looked as if it was having a bad hair day!
However, in many parts of Eastern Australia there were floods and road closures …
ABC news photo
…even more trauma and heartbreak for people and particularly wildlife.
Finally, in February the cooler weather and rain enabled the ACT Emergency Services to gradually reduce the fires in the mountains.
Miraculously, everything started to look green again. Canberra, at the end of summer could do with more rain, but all normal weather patterns do not apply this year!
Cautiously at first, the birds are coming back to the garden..
The almond tree had endured hot dry winds, leaves stripped from the hail storm, and reduced water…
but it has flourished and has a bumper crop of almonds this year..who know why?
”…and he said, and she said….””
The cockatoos are back….noisily cracking almond nuts and gossiping in the trees…..life is back to normal.
During the last few months many animals have been moved out of Namadgi National Park for their safety. Amongst them, platypus, koalas, rock wallabies and even Northern Corrobboree Frogs. I hope to do a post on their return soon.
After seeing the plight of so many koalas this summer, here is a link to a video clip of an endearing young koala called Willow, and her first encounter with a butterfly.
The devastating bush fires burning across much of Australia has made this a long and sombre summer for most Australians. The extent of the bush fires, and the ferocity of those fires is unprecedented.
Today’s newspaper has a photo of an older man, former owner of a lovely home in a community he and his wife loved; he pointed to the charred rubble on the ground and said…
”life was good, and then suddenly there was nothing.”
In December and January many holiday makers go to the pretty NSW South Coast of Australia, and this year we too, intended to meet up with our family there for Christmas.
We cancelled our holiday just before Christmas, and stayed at home. Luckily we did. We had a lovely time at home, and cleaning birdbaths and watering was a daily occurrence.
In early January the fires tore across the south coast, destroying homes, and communities, and with some loss of lives.
The Brindabella Mountains during a hot summer.
Canberra too, is in a fire prone area, and, in January, as the fires continued to burn in National Parks and along the coast, we had to prepare ourselves for the possibility of leaving our homes at short notice.
What do you take when you may be leaving your home for good?
A suitcase of clothes, essential documents, water, a full tank of petrol in the car, photos, and sleeping bags (where did they go…given away years ago?) USBs, chargers, torches, batteries, candles, matches, the list goes on.
If there is no power, we are back to torches, matches and candles…. the real world!
We have lived in Canberra for over 30 years, and those of you who follow this blog know that one of the joys of living in Canberra is that almost every suburb is surrounded by bush, and the birds, the kangaroos, wallabies are part of every day living for us.
A young kangaroo watching us as we walk up Mount Taylor is spring. (before the drought)A very important looking Cockatoo, on his/her way to Mount Taylor..
However, this comes at a price during droughts and bush fires season.
Two young Galahs who always stay in family groups, or in pairs.
Communications during bush fire threats are much better these days, it brings a chill to all Canberrans to remember how poor the communication was during the 2003 fires.
These days we have a helpful app called “Fires Near Me” which gives daily and hourly updates on fires in our region.
During the really hot days, everything is quiet, and the smoke from the surrounding fires is thick in the air. A quality index reading above 200 is considered hazardous to health. On one particular day the reading in Canberra was 5,000, the highest level in the world for that day.
It is a great relief when a cool change comes, the smoke haze improves (for a while), and the birds come back again.
As the weather clears, the cockatoos fill the skies with their screeching as they swing confidently into the garden to check the almond tree..(miraculously full of fruit).
This gives us an endearing sense of normality.
Cockatoos feeding in a nearby garden. Paul says the cockatoos have an App called “Food Near Me”
Needless to say, they and all animals and birds are welcome to any food we can give them.
We live near Mt Taylor, home to many kangaroos, wallabies, birds, butterflies, lizards, insects, indeed, a smorgasbord of animal and insect life. Now, in the early morning and the late evening some kangaroos, one with a joey, come down our street to drink from the birdbaths, and buckets of water we leave out for them.
A group of volunteers called Water our Wildlife put stations of water in the same place daily so that the animals know where to go for predictable water supplies.
As I write there are no active fires in or very near Canberra, however, we have been in a state of alert since the beginning of January. So much has been written about the fires, and so much sadness, that I decided to just show some photos of our two most loved holiday destinations, both of which are also on high alert..
Kosciusko National Park ..(some contained fires in the higher regions)
This is an area rich in flora and fauna……
A sign near this beautiful Snow Gum (Eucalyptus trees) says “these grandfather trees are two and three hundred years old. Aboriginal tradition says that the spirit of ancestral travellers live in these warraganj (old snow gums)
During all the fires, there is the devastating loss of wildlife, flora and fauna, and loss of habitat for those who survive.
However, this little Pygmy Possum (a mouse sized marsupial) is capable of surviving for almost two weeks by bringing its body down to the low temperatures during times of extreme cold or heat. The biggest threat to this little possum is clearance of the land…another story.
Our second frequent and much loved holiday destination is:
The NSW South Coast ..also on alert..
We have spent many happy days with friends walking along these pretty beaches solving world problems .
The bird life in this part of the world is amazing, and to see the birds fly between these beautiful spotted Eucalyptus trees, with jet pilot precision, is both stunning and a privilege.
The Rainbow Lorikeets are very noisy in spring when they feed off the flowers from the Spotted Eucalyptus trees…and then reverse into the bird bath for drinks…ever cautious..
A walk through a wooded area near the sea..
I hope this young Swamp Wallaby, and others, have found safety..
Firefighters are often fighting for long days with extreme temperatures…no wonder they are sleeping on the ground.
Amongst all that is lost, and fear of what may be lost, is the absolute admiration and out pouring of gratitude for the fire-fighters.
They are the first port of call for wildlife too
this firefighter nearly missed the birth of his son.The son of fallen volunteer fire-fighter Geoffrey Keaton receives a posthumous award on his behalf, from RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. Photo NSW RFS
Some firefighters have been killed, most with young families. These families have to grow up without a father, which is a life long sentence.
There is so much more to say about the generosity and kindness of ordinary Australians, the leadership and calmness of RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, and the heartfelt worldwide response, but I will leave that for another post.
Jessica, (blog: Rusty Duck) will have seen that Kangaroo Island has suffered badly in every way from the fires, and has lost most of its Ligurian honey bees, believed to be the last remaining pure stock of bees found anywhere in the world.
Many thanks to all of you who have sent good wishes, it is lovely to have a blogging community across many worlds.
PS I will write about the gardens in New Zealand in February.
Floriade is Canberra’s biggest celebration of spring.
It takes most of the year for the ACT gardeners to prepare for Floriade, and the results are always wonderful.
In September Commonwealth Park is ablaze with over one million blooms.
There are horticultural workshops, market traders, entertainment, food and wine, and an ever expanding program of music. Most children who have been brought up in Canberra, have, at some time in their school life, played or performed in a concert at Floriade.
There is also a nightfest, which is very popular, generally, but especially for photographers; Instagram just explodes with amazing photos at this time.
Floriade Visit Canberra
Every year there is a different theme, this year is World in Bloom.
Somehow these magnificent gardeners, manage to make patterns and pictures out of the beds of flowers. The best way to look at the patterns is from the Ferris Wheel, of course.
The green parsley makes an ideal pathway through the flowers.
Considering the festival runs for one month, I am always amazed at the rounds of tulips, daffodils, poppies, pansies and many other flowers that all seem to flower…more or less on time!
These gorgeous white tulips were just too much for one contrary cockatoo….. I noticed him
walking along the brick wall, lopping the stems of the white tulips as he went.
Unfortunately I didn’t catch him on camera, as he flew away…
leaving a couple of younger cockatoos who were enthusiastically learning from the boss. They were enjoying the smaller deep purple tulips. (tulips seemed to be loved by birds and all kinds of small annoying critters world wide)
Poor tulips, blooming so beautifully one minute, and limp and dried out the next…
Now I wonder who did that?
When I checked on the problems of planting for Floriade (website ‘About Regional’) I wasn’t surprised to read that cockatoos were some of the worst offenders….coupled with hares and feral cats.
The annuals can be affected by early frosts, and need netted beds to keep away the water hens who pluck the young plants out of the ground.
The never-ending battles that face most gardeners at some time during the year.
A mural of the War Memorial (left) and Parliament House (right)
I always admire murals….. imagine how long it must take to get everything in proportion!
The Heart Foundation funds an early morning walk for anyone to join, and we did join them this year. It was sheer bliss to be able to see Floriade in the early morning, and before all the crowds arrived. All they asked was a gold coin donation.
I hope you are enjoying your spring or autumn where ever you are in the world, and are finding some time to enjoy the small simple pleasures.
Almost every year we go to Far North Queensland in the winter. We leave our coats at home and freeze all the way to the airport. Then we board the plane for a three hour flight into another world, casual clothing, hats and a pair of sunglasses…nothing can prepare you for the colours of Queensland.
As the plane circles to land in this beautiful part of the world my heart always gives a lift…..
the vast azure sea, the tropical mountains, and the long blue skies.
This year we went with friends and family, and visited three different places, Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands, and Palm Cove.
Palm Cove, a short distance from Cairns, is a pretty beach surrounded by palm trees and winding paths, and a mostly gentle sea.
We spent our time in Palm Cove with our family and lovely granddaughter, and it was interesting to see this colourful world through her eyes.
From our apartment, on the third floor, we had a great view of the lush green palms and tropical plants…
Giant Palm Lily.. growing up to 5 metres. White and cream flowers appear during the months of Feb to July. The berries ripen from yellow to red.
Birds play an important role in distribution of rainforest seeds, and we were heartened to see that Queensland has its share of cockatoos, eating and spreading seeds.
We woke every morning to the familiar sound of cockatoos screeching overhead as they flew from palm tree to palm tree. This must be an unsettling start to the day for unsuspecting overseas tourists.
Looking down from our apartment we saw a flash of iridescent blue, the Ulysses butterfly, common to this area…almost camouflaged by the rich green surroundings.
I know that many bloggers are interested in butterflies, especially Jason and Judy from https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/ so here are a few striking Queensland butterflies from the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda.
Ulysses a large swallowtail butterfly abc.net.auThe Red Lacewing Butterfly Aust. Butterfly SanctuaryCairns Birdwing butterfly Aust. Butterfly Sanctuary
The Cairns Birdwing butterfly is the largest of all Australian Butterflies
On our walk through the gardens to the beach we saw so many colourful and unusual plants and flowers…..as our granddaughter said ”Oh Wow!”
heliconia: part of the banana familyGolden Penda xanthostemon chrysanthus
Unfortunately I couldn’t find the name of this pretty pink/red flower..
The palm below is a striking entrance to a garden.
We have been coming to Palm Cove for about 25 years, and one thing is a constant, Pete’s Place. This is the shop where you can buy milk, bread, magazines, summer clothes and hats,
….and THE best best fish and chips in town. Especially the fresh Barramundi.
a pretty dusting of snow on the Brindabella Mountains.
Meanwhile, we read and heard about the changing weather, back in Canberra.
Canberra does get the occasional dusting of snow in our winter, but this year …. especially in the National Park and some parts of Canberra, the snow kept on coming !
Social media went mad with clips of kangaroos hopping around in the snow, wombats and even a platypus pushing through the snow..
The ABC and BBC news and the Washington Post had clips of kangaroos bounding around in snow. What a confusing time to be an Aussie animal…this photo says it all..
…..and how about booking us into Palm Cove next year?
I hope you are enjoying your season where ever you are in the world, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog, especially if you should be out in the garden!
By a twist of history, fate, and International competitions, Canberra, the Federal Capital city of Australia, and the Australian Parliament House have been designed by two remarkable architects.
view from Mt Ainslie photo by Great Aussie Travel
In 1912 an American (Chicagoan) Walter Burley Griffin was awarded first prize in the international design competition for the new federal capital of Australia ..Canberra. He designed a city built into the landscape, with buildings and suburbs in corridors of greenery. The Brindabella mountains provide a beautiful amphitheatre to the city.
Walter Burley Griffin in 1912Walter and Marion
Walter Burley Griffin’s wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, also from Chicago, was the first licensed female architect in the US. She did many of the design drawings for the project, and they were a true partnership in that they shared similar ideals, with an emphasis on nature, democracy and social reform.
As fate would have it, Romaldo (Aldo) Giurgola was an Italian student in Rome during the second world war, and he was fascinated by the design of Canberra, created by the Chicagoan Walter Burley Griffin.
“It remained in my mind…you can imagine when there was only war and destruction around us. It was a really wonderful thing.”
The city of Canberra today Photo by ABC
Aldo Giurgola won a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to the US, and he eventually co-founded Mitchell/Giurgola Architects in Philadelphia. He had an outstanding career teaching and practising architecture in the United States.
In 1979 he was invited to help judge the Parliament House competition in Canberra, but he preferred to compete, seeing this as an opportunity to contribute to nation building through architecture.
The firm went on to win the competition beating 328 entries from 29 countries, and Australian Parliament House was opened in May 1988.
Parliament House at dusk …photo by en.wikipedia.org
When he arrived in Canberra Aldo looked at the view from Mt Ainslie before beginning; he wanted to fit in with Burley Griffin’s plan of Canberra.
He always believed that the building should not be higher than the people, that true democracy rises from the state of things.
view of Mount Ainslie from Parliament House
His aim was that every worker has natural light…
and the corridors and courtyards are balanced and also filled with light.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison with other politicians, walk through the many corridors during sitting weeks in Parliament …photo by Inside Story
Guirgola also suggested the colour schemes, muted pinks, greens and greys, the colours of the landscape…
Romaldo Giurgola Architect of Australia’s Parliament House…..Photo by NY Times
Several Americans including Harold Guida joined him to plan, document and oversee the construction. Harold Guida and Aldo Giurgola decided to stay in Australia, and live in Canberra.
”I have lived in New York. It is a fantastic city. But it is a city for the young. In Canberra he says, it is easier to find a measure between lifestyle, natural beauty and human ambition.
Visit of Aung San Suu Kyi at Parliament House
Aldo Giurgola remained a much loved and loyal Canberran, frequently invited to Parliament House for various events. He received an Order of Australia in 1989.
In his older age, he built a small holiday house for himself near Canberra, with views of the Great Dividing Range. The design is derived from Palladio’s villa at Vincenza, La Rotunda, and built by Andreolo Mario.
It was essentially a square room for himself, his daughter and her dog, for working, dreaming, reading and talking. A central skylight let in additional light, and at night they could look at the moon and the stars.
It seems the perfect retirement for a wonderful architect who, despite his early life in Italy and New York, was very much attuned to the Australian landscape and values. He remained an Italian citizen and became an Australian citizen….salute to Romaldo Giurgola!
The end of June and the beginning of July is mid-winter in Canberra…..no wonder the pelican looks dejected.
However, there is one place where you are sure to find colour and interest in Canberra ‘s winter months, and that is at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
I love this combination of colour and texture. The Golden Everlasting Daisy in the front, the Red Kangaroo Paw at the back, and a pretty grey shrub (no name attached) in the centre.
Kangaroo Paws come in a variety of colours including red, yellow, orange, purple and green. These plants protect themselves during extremely hot summers by letting their strap-like leaves die down, and underground rhizomes wait until autumn to send leaves up again. After a bush fire the growth of foliage on the plant become more prolific.
Golden Everlasting Daisy grow wild in every state of Australia, from the mountains to the sea. They attract many butterflies, and this one is a Painted Lady Butterfly.
Eremophila warnesii..Scrophulariaceae
This is a cream-coloured winter flowering plant. It has velvety leaves and always has a few bright purple bugle-shaped flowers.
Sturt Desert Pea
The Sturt Desert Pea is a beautiful South Australian floral emblem, and grows well in various parts of the Botanic gardens here, especially in the desert garden. Aboriginal names for this flower include ”malu” (kangaroo eyes) and ”meekyluka” (flowers of the blood).
The Dwarf Banksia is a lovely soft green bush, with almost luminous yellow flowers….they are like welcoming beacons in the winter.
Banksia flowers attract the nectar loving big birds and the smaller insect eating birds, and are an important source of food for birds in the gardens.
The tiny New Holland Honey Eater is frequently seen at the Botanic Gardens, and is very elusive, but I was lucky enough to get this photo early one morning in the gardens.
The Crimson Rosella is another frequent visitor here, amongst the soft green winter foliage.
The gardens are full of tranquil paths and green spaces, it is hard to believe there is a University and a city just a few streets away.
Of course where there are Eucalyptus trees there are almost always Sulphur Crested Cockatoos as well…and here are a few of the noisiest Cockatoos in the gardens during my visit.
Don’t be fooled by that closed beak, ‘‘butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth’‘ look from this cockatoo. He has just finished screeching to his noisy friend.
Who me?
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today, and I hope, despite the vagaries of the weather, you are able to take some time and enjoy your garden, and your part of the world, as I enjoy writing and photographing mine.
The Palace Theatre, in New Acton is our favourite place to go the movies in Canberra..
New Acton is a precinct in the city that has apartment blocks, a hotel, restaurants, bars, cafe, a cinema and an art gallery all fitted around the historic former Hotel Acton.
The movie theatre is in the Nishi building, which won the International Project of the Year in 2015 Building Awards.
The building is multi-purpose with apartments, offices and a hotel and restaurants. The apartments have an energy rating of 8 stars with the use of solar power..
In between these old and new buildings are a range of gardens, designed by landscape architects Oculus.
A dwarf Eucalyptus leucoxylon, (possibly) soft grey westringia, and New Zealand flax.Westringia and the weeping wattles (Acacia cognata) and a Japanese Maple.
On a quiet autumn morning this soft green garden is a best kept secret. Nearby office workers come for coffee, others come for tea and cake, a pizza for lunch or just a snack before the movies.
Car free zones are always welcome in the city. These spaces are sometimes used for social events and markets..
Apartments are looking over community gardens and sculptures..
Saltimanque by Tim Kyle
A very cute little bookshop beneath a rather scary sculpture..
and back to the Nishi building where we go to the movies…this is the striking hotel entrance and staircase.
the window looks out onto the gardens…both the stairs and the window are favourite subjects for Instagrammers from Canberra.
and as we leave the movies we pass two street paintings done by the nearby University students ..
When in Canberra you are never very far away from Cockatoos, and there are plenty of real ones in the nearby University grounds..
Landscape Australia article on New Acton says: ”We believe in the power of architecture to improve our lives.”
New Acton has the friendly charm and a village feel to it, and I think it is absolutely right that architecture can improve our lives…..do you?
I hope you are enjoying your home town where ever you are in the world, and that you have some green spaces around you.
The shadows of the trees are longer in the evening light, the air is cooler, and sweeter..
…autumn is on its way.
The lovely green (watered) lawns of Lennox Gardens are deceiving, after this long hot summer, the landscape of Canberra is looking very dry.
At the end of summer there is a changing of the guard with our local birds.
In autumn the tiny Silver-Eyes venture out to feed from our neighbour’s blackberry bushes. They are a welcome sight.
Perhaps as a result of so little rain this last month, more birds are flying into the garden to use our birdbaths.
This morning while we were having breakfast on the deck, it was fun to see two young Crimson Rosellas, always shy birds, having the big birdbath to themselves.
What a thrill, bathing in the water, and having a shower from the sprinkler.
As these two finished their bath, they flew up to the archway in the garden, their long tails spraying water as they flew…a lovely sight. Unfortunately I was unable to catch it with my camera, but here is a similar one, taken almost exactly a year ago!
Young Crimson Rosellas begin life with green feathers mixed in with red and blue, last year’s Rosella is still very green in colour.
Here is a mature Crimson Rosella in the Australian Botanic Gardens… just look how vivid his colours are, and how long his tail is. What a handsome bird!
Fully grown Crimson Rosella at the Australian Botanic Gardens.
In summer we have three Magpies visiting every morning. Every year there is at least one Magpie who loves water just a little bit more than the others. Often the youngest one potters around the garden by himself in autumn, a little bit like the youngest member of the family, we enjoy his company….before he too, leaves to join a new group of Magpies.
The youngest Magpie, lingering in the water..
Here is a young Magpie watching her mother, who has her head tilted listening for insects and grubs in the grass and in the ground. Another youngster, learning her survival skills.
An unwelcome guest in our neighbourhood in summer is the Eastern Koel. This bird migrates all the way from tropical New Guinea to Australia for the breeding season. In recent years the Koel has progressed further south each year.
The male Eastern KoelThe juvenile Eastern Koel
The Eastern Koel is a member of the cuckoo family. The female lays an egg in the nest of another bird, (usually a Red Wattlebird) and when the baby Koel hatches it pushes the other eggs out of the nest.
For the past three years a Koel pair have visited a neighbourhood garden, left an egg in the Red Wattle bird’s nest, and moved away.
All through the summer, a pair of Red Wattlebirds are the hosts, and the young Koel cheeps incessantly while the significantly smaller parents desperately search for food for the nagging youngster. During the summer the young Koel grows to twice their size.
The Red Wattle Bird feeding from a Bottlebrush bush.
According to Birdlife Australia, it is still uncertain as to why the Koel comes so far south to breed, perhaps because the weather is warmer, the berries and fruits are in abundance in Canberra, and also the poor unsuspecting Red Wattle birds have lived in this region for a long time, and have proved to be excellent parents.
The Red Wattle bird looking slightly annoyed, and with good reason!
Unfortunately the cheeping, beeping young Koel seems to nest near our garden every year, but finally in autumn it disappears, fully grown. (Phew!)
However, one of the most welcome bird calls in autumn is the Eastern Spinebill.
Yesterday this tiny delicate bird arrived on the deck, and with a powerful call, it settled into feeding from the fuchsia. Autumn has truly arrived!
The Eastern Spinebill favours the flowers from the Peppermint Sage, but, this year, either he is early or the flowers are late, so I have used a photo from last year.
The Eastern Spinebill feeding from the flowers of the Peppermint Sage.
Canberra also has its birthday in March, so there are lots of concerts, picnics, hot air balloons, and general outdoor gatherings. It is a wonderful time to catch up with family and friends.
I hope you are enjoying your changing seasons, where ever you are in the world.
The best birthday present for Canberra’s autumn would be good soaking rain for a sustained period of time. Crossing fingers for that.
The very pleasant part of living in Canberra is that the city is designed within a landscape, and even the heart of the city is surrounded by space and bush land.
National Library of Australia in winter
Today we are off to the National Library of Australia, my favourite building in Canberra, surrounded by trees, greenery and the beautiful Lake Burley Griffin.
Developers are eyeing off other parts of the lake for a hotel and blocks of apartments, so what better time to appreciate what we do have and can never be changed.
To add to the mix, we are taking our old car for a drive into the city. It has been neglected lately and we know our 25 year old car needs regular drives to keep it going…(it has been largely replaced by our newer car…but not a word to Bessie).
So here goes, may this be the first of weekly drives, in our dear old Magna, and perhaps inspiration for a few blog posts as well.
In 1927 the National Library was moved from Melbourne to Canberra with the relocation of Parliament.
Canberra, as a new, planned city, was not entirely welcomed by the bigger established cities in Australia, until Robert Menzies became Prime Minister in 1939. He gave Canberra his complete support, and also took a great interest in the building of the National Library of Australia.
Planning for the building of the library began in 1961, and there were many differences of opinion: position, finances, compromises…
Harold White, the first National Librarian threatened to ‘‘throw in the towel” if a purpose built National Library was not built.
Finally, an Act of Parliament in 1960 formally separated the National Library from the Parliamentary Library and a new building for the National Library’s growing collections and services was opened on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in 1968.
An emotional Harold White said at the opening of the National Library ‘‘after 40 years in thewilderness, the Library had finally reached ”The Promised Land”
Oh such passion for a building!
Would we have this today?
Robert Menzies Prime Minister of Australia (1939-41) (1949-66)
The National Library of Australia was designed by the architecture firm, Bunning and Madden, with associate Tom O’Mahony. Noel Potter was appointed as the Library architect by Robert Menzies.
The principal architect Walter Bunning considered the library to be his most important project (his ashes would be scattered in the sight of the Library in Lake Burley Griffin following his death in 1977.)
He described the building as being ”a contemporary building in the spirit of classical design.”
There is something very calm and welcoming about the Library, perhaps it is the cool marble floors in the foyer, the space, the quiet environment.
In a previous blog post I have used a quote by Minnie Aumonier about a garden, but perhaps if I could change garden to the National Library
”when the world wearies, and society does not satisfy, there is always the National Library.”
The foyer has a lovely bookshop on the left, and a cosy popular cafe called Bookplate on the right. Each of these has the stunning multicoloured stained glass Leonard French windows.
Although we arrived early, it is late summer, and the sun is streaming through the building and across the stained glass windows. Lovely to look at, but hard to photograph..
Our family, over many years, have enjoyed the National Library’s many tours, exhibitions, book launches, discussions. My daughter reminded me that she and friends studied here while at University. Paul is a regular visitor here while doing his PhD, and we often meet friends and family there for coffee/lunch and walks.
Getting ready for a walk around the lake before coffee!
No wonder the writer Marian Halligan said she could never leave Canberra because she could never leave the National Library!
Not far from the National Library along the water’s edge, is a long row of mature Manchurian Pears, a master stroke of landscape planning. They provide shade in summer, colour in autumn and spring, and beauty all year round.
For many Canberrans these trees mark the changing of seasons every year..
Instagrammers love this part of the lake..
In his speech at the opening of the National Library, PM Robert Menzies said
“despite the beauty of the building, the grandeur and classical dimensions, the true quality and international stature (of this building) lies in the collections contained within the building. These are the ‘‘great interpreters of the past to the present, the present to the present, and the present to the future”
Many thanks to the former Prime Minister Robert Menzies, to the architects, and to Harold White, and most of all to Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion, without whom Canberra would not be the garden city we have today.
Hope springs eternal that communal land will remain for everyone.
Thanks for visiting Canberra’s Green Spaces, and we hope to have many more (slow) drives around Canberra this year.
Canberra is known as the Bush Capital of Australia, as it is a city interspersed by bushland, and surrounded by forests and national parks.
However, the devastating bushfires of 2003 not only destroyed over five hundred homes in Canberra, but also burnt through forests around Canberra.
As a result the ACT government decided to develop the National Arboretum in Canberra, as a centenary gift to the city.
48 000 trees have been planted in 94 forests on a 250 hectare site.
View of Lake Burley Griffin, and surrounding mountains from the National Arboretum of Canberra
Amongst the developing forests of the National Arboretum is a wonderful regional botanic garden called STEP (Southern Tablelands Ecosystem Park).
I took this photo of STEP four years ago…and still flourishing today
We recently visited STEP early one spring morning…..
The Sulphur Crested Cockatoos have a dawn gathering at the small dam near STEP….
and feed on the grasses nearby. As usual, they are very noisy, but it is lovely to see them in their natural environment…
At STEP an enthusiastic group of volunteers have gradually designed and developed an area to represent the native plants and trees typical of the Southern Highlands.
Built into the landscape is a rock amphitheatre. It is used as a gathering place for educational groups and others visiting STEP. On this cool morning, the smooth rocks ringed by the Eucalyptus trees make this a very peaceful place to visit..
The Eucalyptus trees are characteristic of those found in the region’s hills, slopes and valleys, and as it is spring it is wonderful to see some flowering Eucalyptus in the gardens ..
A wasp feeding off the flowers.
After a long dry winter, the spring blossoms have arrived, and not just on eucalyptus trees…the colours of the bush change from muted greens and greys to yellows, fuchsia, purples and whites..
Hardenbergia violacea
I took a photo of this wonderfully coloured shrub, (Mirbelia xylobioides) on Sunday morning, and by the following Thursday it had finished flowering ….you have to be quick..
Shrub Mirbelia xylobioides
Solanum linearifolium (Kangaroo Apple)
Pelargonium australe
Ammobium alatum
Leucochrysum albicans
When I arrived on Thursday for a second visit, the day after much needed rain, everything looked fresh and green and shiny..
Carex appressa
Some shrubs have finished flowering and others have just begun..
Wahlenbergia stricta
Podolepis hieracioides
In recent years, through blogging, and travelling, I have read about and seen grasses being used in design and landscapes all over the world. Now I have a new appreciation of grasses in Australia.
Carex tereticaulis
Cullen microcephalarm
One of the volunteers called me over to look at and feel these young grasses, Poa Induta. They are soft to feel with long silky stems and delicate seed heads.. my absolute favourite for the day…
Poa induta
The gardens have some impressive metal sign posts to mark various areas around STEP. Here you can see the flowers of the She-oaks (Casuarina) sculptured into the metal.
Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to take a photo of the friendly and very knowledgeable volunteers sharing morning tea under the shade of some of the bigger trees.
However, here is a photo from my visit a few years ago, the shady trees have grown and are still a welcoming spot for morning tea.
The volunteers come to STEP every Thursday, rain, hail or shine and work tirelessly to keep this wonderful regional botanic garden growing and developing.
STEP has a very interesting newsletter for Members, and it is very easy to become a member and/or a volunteer.
