Canberra Urban Sculpture

Canberra, Capitol of Australia

Flags leading to Parliament House. While Brad spent the day at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, I toured the Parliament House and High Court.

National Library

The Captain Cook Memorial Jet in Lake Burley Griffin

Walter Burley Griffin, an American, won an international competiton to design Canberra.

Not everyone is working...

On the road from "downtown" Canberra

Flag on the Parliament Building

Parliament Flagpole

The flagpole is 266 feet tall.

Cage for Flag Changing

The flag is changed once a month. Flag changers enter this cage in a prone position, ride the cage to the top and make the switch. The cage is located on one of the supports. The flag is 12.8 meters by 6.4 meters.

View from the top of the building, under the flagpole

The Parrlaiment House is built into the side of a mountain. The flagpole is on the grassed over building roof .

Aboriginal Mosiac

Made of over 100,000 pieces of hand guillotined granite, the mosiac was designed by Michael Tjakamarra Nelson. It depicts a gathering of men from the kangaroo, wallaby and goanna groups of ancestors.

Australian Coat of Arms

The emblems of the six States of Austria are featured on the shield between the Kangaroo and the Emu. (Despite many encouraging us to try kangaroo and emu meat, we have passed. Too many readings of "Winnie the Pooh.")

The Australian Head of State

Members Hall

Center of Parliament House, in the middle of the ground floor is the Reflective Pool, a solid slab of South Australian black granite over which water flows.

Embroidery Work

One part of a 16 metre-long embroidery a gift from the Embroidery Guilds throughout Australia. Each of the eight sections deals with a different historical period...before European colonization to modern times. Approximately 500 members of the Embroidery Guilds worked on the piece which took 12,000 hours to complete. Mom, Marta, Maren, and Mia more pictures in Art link.

Tapestry in the Great Hall

This incredible tapestry, believed to be the second largest in the world, shows a eucalyptus forest in South Wales. Woven by the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, it took a team of 13 full time weavers 2 and 1/2 years to complete. It was based on a painting by Australian artist Arthur Boyd. The painting hangs in another part of the building.

Magna Carta

One of four surviving originals of the 1297 "Inspeximus issue of Magna Carta." Susan, my pictures didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but I did see it!

Parliament House Foyer

Thre are a48 grey green, marble clad pillars designed to be reminiscent of a forest of eucalyptus. Andrew and Christian, the marble has marine fossils.

Human Rights Demonstration

"Stop the Pesecution of Falun Gong" The Parliament sent a representative to speak at the peaceful demonstration while an outspoken Australian denounced the group for using Parliament House grounds for what he called political purposes...

High Court

Water Treatment from entrance to High Court to street

Jami, many more building and water features in Sociology folder.

High Court Tapestry

This tapestry shows the Court of Arms for the six Australian States.

Courtroom

One of three courtrooms in the High Court.

National Museum of Australia in Canberra

Museum Shop

First Australians Exhibit

Musuem curators were overwhelming cooperative and allowed me to take several hundred exhibit and text photos. They are in the Sociology file.

First Australians Exhibit

"Annihiliation of the Blacks"

This sculpture was created by Fiona Foley, a Butchulla woman from Queensland. Foley was inspired by her mother’s accounts of massacres of Aboriginal people in the Maryborough and Fraser Island areas during the second half of the 19^{th century}

Romance with the Royals

Studying in the Museum

Garden of Australian Dreams

A controversal hardscape covering the interior courtyard of the museum.

Art Gallery Wall Art