Canberra: A Case of Over-Capitalisation?

When Sydney and Melbourne tossed a coin to decide where to put the capital of the new nation, it landed on its side. The two rival metropolises had to settle for a capital that was exactly halfway between both of them. This happened to be a sheep paddock.

They've done a lot with the paddock. Architect Walter Burley Griffin "planned an ideal city, a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future". For his trouble they named a lake after him and proceeded to bugger up his plans. By the time Bill Bryson arrived in the late 1990s he pronounced it "an extemely large park with a city hidden it."

I've alway had a soft spot for Canberra having gone to university in the Bush Capital. There is plenty of Bryson's parkland and once all the politicians jet home for the weekend, it's a very livable city. One thing I can never understand is why it has such a large concentration of "Nationals": the National Library, National Museum and, more recently, National Museum of Australia. All fine institutions and worth the taxpayers bucks, but why are they in a city that's mutually difficult to get to for both Sydney and Melbourne?

Bryson remarks constantly about how difficult it is to travel around the Nationals, because the public transport options are so poor. Taking a bike around the lake makes a good alternative if the weather is fine, but let's be honest it often isn't. It's a product of most pollies having a driver and car, because getting to/from the airport is usually a taxi (though it's only a short hop).

But it's not all bad in the 'berra. Once you find these Nationals they're rich treasure troves. The newest arrival is the Museum of Australian Democracy which was hustled into the old Parliament House, a federal building which was almost instantly redundant when it was built for an expanding government in the 1930s.

One of my favourite buildings is the National Library which manages to look both Modernist and classic at the same time. Its collection is huge and the Bookplate cafe is one of the best places for lakeside grazing. But my favourite landmark isn't a National at all, it's in Australia's great tradition of Big Things. The spookily named Black Mountain Tower has views across the the Brindabella Ranges and the sprawling city that can be seen without the height of the revolving restaurant. In the city that inspired troubled poet Michael Dransfield, I call the pointy object on the hill the Big Syringe.

Thanks to Carolyn Bain for the update on Old Parliament House.