Wednesday 13 August 2003

Four Views of Canberra

The good folks of ACTEW-AGL have put up a webcam showing 4 views of Canberra, the place that I live in. Of course, you've got to remember the time zone shift, so if it's daylight where you are, it's probably night here. But you can see any picture in the last 24 hours.

If you're interested in the joint - it's Australia's equivalent of Washington DC, go take a look at the Canberra Tourism site. Some of the Desktop images are truly breathtaking - though not as good as the real thing.

Another view of course is that Canberra is "A good sheep station, spoilt".

The most complete review of the place is the one at LonelyPlanet. There are only a few things that it doesn't mention, that only a native knows.

1) At Dawn and Dusk you can watch the Roos and Wallabies cross the road and carpark near the Campbell Park Defence complex. In 20 years, we've only had Roos jumping around our front lawn twice.

2) There are Platypi (as in "Duck-Billed") in Cotter Dam.

3) A mate of mine who's of Ngunawal ancestry tells me that the translation of "Kumburra" as "Meeting Place" isn't quite right. "Arena" or "Battleground" is closer; it's where the local tribes met when they had to "settle their differences" , by engaging in open warfare.

No comments: