This weekend I had a chance to get out a do a few more touristy things like walk the city, visit some museums and galleries and ride a bike around a lake. It’s all been great fun. It made me wish for less time at work or more weekends. I’m not picky, I’ll take either one. The strange thing about Canberra is that everything closes by 5 everyday, and most places close even earlier on Sunday so I had to rent a bike in order to get everywhere in time.

I visited was The National Museum of Australia. It’s a very impressive building set on the tip of a peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin and is ultra modern, inside and out. I wonder how Australians feel about it. Is this how they see themselves or is it something for the tourists. The museum is based on 3 themes: People, Land and Water.

In side there is a revolving theatre that turns to face one of three exhibits corresponding to the three themes of the museum. All three exhibits were very well done. They used a combination of synchronized video flat panel monitors, which could move up and down, projectors, colored lights, sound effects and sculptures to tell a story.

One of the things I was hoping to learn more about was the history of Australia as a penal colony but I notice any mention of it. I thought for sure this would have been the place to learn about it. There were however exhibits on the Aboriginals and their struggle to reclaim their land and their rights. I couldn’t help but think of the parallels between the struggles of the Native Americans in the United States, although the Aboriginal voice as a whole appears to be stronger and more respected here.

The most prominent example I saw of their dissatisfaction with their place in the country was on the steps to the Old Parliament house. The field in front of the building has several makeshift huts bearing messages such as “Stop Killing Our Kids” (I wish I knew what this was in response to) and “Australia Has a Black History”. There were also a few Aboriginal flags. I’ve never been to Washington D.C. but I don’t imagine there are flag burnings and signs of that nature on the steps of Congress. I know this is the Old Parliament house and not the current one but the two buildings are very close.

I’m not sure if the fact that we don’t have such public displays against the Government by the Native Americans or other groups is a knock against the government. As far as I know these types of protests are allowed (maybe not setting a bonfire or leaving a hut for long periods of time). I suppose it says more about the people… or maybe it says something about me. The truth is for all I know there are such protests and I’ve just never bothered to take part.

I decided to have lunch at the National Museum and an older couple from England joined me. They were looking for a shady spot to sit and I happen to be in the only one, so I invited them over. They were both very nice and told me about their travels around the world. Australia is their favorite place to be. The woman said to me: “We should have left the convicts in England and come live here ourselves”.

This made me think of a poem I had read at the Parliament. The gist of the poem was that both sides should come together and neither should stand in shame, neither the oppressed nor the oppressors. The poem was addressing the England-Australian relationship but it hinted at the Australian-Aboriginal relationship as well. It seems the Australians are both oppressors and oppressed at the same time and they’re trying to work things out.

Any way… the reason I thought of this was that the woman’s statement hints that what makes Australia her favorite place in the world is the land and weather, not the people and culture. I wonder if this view is popular amongst the English.

Although I won’t argue that the weather and the land here are wonderful I’ve also found Canberra to be a very culturally rich place. The museums are all very well designed and extremely informative. One of the best examples of this is The War Memorial. It’s incredibly rich in history and it’s all presented in such an aesthetically pleasing way that it really engages the visitor in the experience. All of the other museums and galleries have been equally interesting.

You get a sense of culture here by just walking through the city. There are pieces of public art everywhere from fountains to sculptures and graffiti. I’m eager to get to Sydney and experience another side of Australia. I’ve heard it’s quite stunning, although I’m told that Melbourne is the better city but either way I shouldn’t waste my time in the cities. Australia’s not know for amazing cities, it’s known for amazing beaches.

If and when I come back I plan on making that the focus of my trip.