Day 15: 3/4/2019: Around Canberra

Day 15

Woke to a great sunny morning.  It was a little crisp but quite warm for Canberra.  This morning we were having breakfast at "Hio Polloi" restaurant at Old Parliament house.  The trick this morning was getting everyone off for the 8.30 am breakfast and hopefully getting the group together parking outside the old building.  We did have to pay for parking (max 4 hours for $11.80).

David, Speed 25, follows Alan, 12/50, to Old Parliament House

Again, Officer, I have paid for my parking, and one can always trust an English Gentleman.

Marks parks outside Old Parliament House

We managed to get almost all the parking outside Old Parliament House.

Peter's Mustang was one of the few decent photographs I took in the bright sunlight.

 Hoi Polloi was the previously the cafe set aside for the press working at Parliament house.  I have to say that the breakfast was beautifully presented and tasted great. 

More food...Andrew explains what is on offer.

Hard to read but the sign says the courtyard (see below) is licensed to hold 500 people, it would be pretty cosy.

We followed our sumptuous breakfast with a guided tour of the lovely old building.   The tour of Old Parliament House was excellent. The guide was very informative and had researched some of the history of Alvis so he could include it in his talk. Very well done.

Sunshine floods the central courtyard.

It was  thought the building had always been white but the examination of the various paint layers proves otherwise

Looking down on the "House of Representatives" from the press gallery.

The speakers chair in the House of Representatives (at the back of the picture below) is a replica of the chair originally used in the Privy Council in London. Made of the finest timbers available in the UK at the time (1927), it was a gift to Australia by the Privy Council. The original chair in the Privy Council was destroyed during the bombings of London in World War 2 and the chair now used by the Privy Council is a replica of this chair made from the finest of Australian timbers and gifted to the Privy Council by the People of Australia.

House of Representatives with the Speakers chair in the background

Inside the Prime Minister Office decorated as it was when occupied by Bob Hawke, the Last Prime Minister to use this Office and the only Prime Minister to occupy both the Old and New Parliament Houses.

Our group gathers in Kings Hall before moving to the senate.

Statue of King George 1V being admired by Trevor and Peter

Inside the Senate

Press Gallery above House of Representatives

After our tour we were free to roam around the building bearing in mind we only had paid for 4 hrs of parking. 

Gathering outside Old Parliament House McKinnon 12/50

  David tries a slouch style hat

Next stop War Memorial. Spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the excellent displays at the War Memorial.

We passed Blundells cottage along the route.  It was built in 1860 to house Duntroon's head ploughman, William Ginn, and his family (1860-1874). It was then occupied by George Blundell, a Duntroon bullock driver and his family (1874-1933) and finally by shepherd Harry Oldfield and his wife Alice (1933-1958). When Harry died in 1942, Alice took in boarders. This included the Sainsbury family, who lived at the cottage between 1958 and 1960. 

The stone dwelling, now known as Blundells Cottage,

The afternoon was spent at the War Memorial. 

G for George, A Lancaster bomber that survived about 90 bombing runs in WW2

View from the War Memorial to Parliament House.

Excellent Monument to the Light Horse brigade in the Boer War

 Tonight we organised dinner at Agostini's restaraunt which was in walkinhg ditance from the motel.  The food was excellent and the night was enjoyed by all.

Mike decides to make the wine last longer by not removing the cap.

Dessert was a sight to behold - Maritta and Dale pay homage to the impressive spread and Liz is just not sure where to start.