Left Sydney on the way to get the motorcycle and stay with my first bunk a biker of Australia. It was rainy and cold but otherwise an uneventful drive to the bunker house. In Canberra, I had the pleasure of staying with Terry. He was very helpful and chatty and answered more than his fair share of questions about the area and suggested many places to visit in my short time in Canberra. He has a very friendly kitty called Layla and she is an absolute dream! She loves attention and sticking her tongue out.
After a great meal that evening, I was chomping at the bit to get my motorcycle so upon waking, off to the motorcycle shop I went. I haven’t named her yet, but it is bike number 24.
Once I picked her up, I rushed back to my bunk a biker’s house to put on a taller windscreen and a seat pad for the long miles. After the chores were done, Terry dropped us off at the new parliament building and Floriade. Get ready for a flower picture dump.
The new Parliament building is quite stunning. It has massive amounts of marble, granite, petrified wood, and guess who found fossils in the granite? This girl!!!! Meet Shawn the Prawn!
Along with the prawn there were crinoids, bivalves, and some shells I couldn’t identify, but I am going to show the marble and petrified wood. The construction was amazing!
The trip inside the new Parliament building was quick because there was much to see and not enough time. It was on to the Floriade, Australia’s biggest celebration of Spring. There are tulips by the thousands!! The moment you walk through the gates, BAM, there they are. Here is a sample of the beautiful flowers.
So after a quick tour of Floriade, I was excited for the next stop. The Canberra War Memorial. In this memorial, there is a collection of history from every war Australia has been in, including the frontier wars. Unfortunately, we got to the steps just as the doors were closing. However, we were able to partake in a nightly ceremony that honors a fallen soldier whose name marks the wall in bronze. Every night, for about fifteen minutes, the memorial honors a fallen hero. It is broadcast on YouTube for all to view. It is a sobering moment. The council invites members of the fallen’s family, if there are any available, and wreaths are laid at the reflection pool in his or her honor. A very touching memory that America would benefit from. I was hesitant to video the process but I did take a picture before the ceremony started. If you notice, in the photo, you can see all the wars that Australia has been a part of.
At the end of the ceremony, Terry, our fantastic host picked us up and whisked us back to his home where we got several history lessons about the founding of the country, the sports played here, along with a clip from the movie “The Light Horse” which demonstrated the last charge of the Australian Calvery in WW1, in Basheba. It was the last charge anywhere. As a bonus, Terry’s wife works at Uluru, and we received a ton of information about the indigenous people and the magnificent rock itself. What a treat!
The day came to a close and after a soak in the hot tub, we crashed. Hard.
Upon awaking the final morning in Terry and Janelle’s home, we took a photo with our fantastic host and had the pleasure of a brisk morning ride with Terry to our starting point towards our next adventure.
Thank you, Terry and Janelle, for opening up your home to two Americans that are a long way from home.
