Page 203 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

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147 m (480 ft) out of the lake intriguing, fun and an everyday the decisions of this legal
from 11am until 2pm, provided part of life. institution trickle down to all
the weather is not too windy. Visitors can freeze their Australian citizens.
The National Carillion has 55 shadow to a wall, play a harp
bronze bells and there are with no strings, experience an
regular recitals. earthquake and feel bolts of
lightning. You can also enjoy
P National Library giant slides and a roller coaster
of Australia simulator, and there are regular
Parkes Place, Parkes. Tel (02) 6262 science demonstrations and
1111. Open 10am–8pm Mon–Thu, special lectures.
10am–5pm Fri & Sat, 1:30–5pm Sun.
Closed Good Fri, 25 Dec, public hols. P High Court of Australia
7 8 - ∑ nla.gov.au Parkes Place, Parkes. Tel (02) 6270
This five-storey library, an icon 6811. Open 9:45am–4:30pm Mon–Fri,
of 1960s architecture, is the noon–4pm Sun. Closed public hols.
repository of Australia’s literary 7 - ∑ hcourt.gov.au Jan Sensbergs mural in the
and documentary heritage. British and Australian legal High Court
Containing more than 7 million traditions are embodied in this
books, as well as copies of most imposing lakeside structure, R St John the Baptist
newspapers and magazines opened in 1980 by Queen Church and Schoolhouse
published in Australia, thousands Elizabeth II. The High Court is Museum
of tapes, manuscripts, centred on a glass public Constitution Ave, Reid. Tel (02)
prints, maps and old hall, designed to instil 6248 8399. Open 10am–noon
photographs, it is respect for the Wed, 2–4pm Sat, Sun. Closed Good
the nation’s largest justice system. Fri, 25 Dec. & 7
library and leading Two murals by ∑ stjohnscanberra.org
research centre. artist Jan Built in 1844 of local bluestone
There are also Sensbergs look at and sandstone, the Anglican
historic items the Australian church of St John the Baptist
in a rotating display constitution, the role and its adjoining schoolhouse
such as Captain Cook’s of the Federation and are Canberra’s oldest surviving
original journal from his Leonard French the significance of the buildings. They served the
Endeavour voyages.our voyages.our
Endeav stained glass High Court. There are pioneer farming families of
Endeav
The building, designed by three courtrooms, and the region. Memorials on the
Sydney architect Walter Bunning chambers for the Chief Justice walls of the church
(1912–1977) and completed in and six High Court judges. commemorate many early
1968, includes some notable Sittings are open to the public. settlers, including statesmen,
works of art. Foremost are the On one side of the ramp at scientists and scholars.
modern stained-glass windows the entrance is a sculpture of a Within the schoolhouse is
by Australian architect and waterfall made out of granite. a museum containing various
artist Leonard French (1928–), It is intended to convey how 19th-century memorabilia.
made of Belgian chunk glass
and depicting the planets. Walter Burley Griffin
There are also the Australian life
tapestries by French artist In 1911, the Australian government,
Mathieu Mategot. then located in Melbourne, decided
on Canberra as the best site for a new
E Questacon – national capital. An international
The National Science and competition for a city plan was launched,
Technology Centre and the first prize was awarded to a
Cnr King Edward Terrace & Parkes 35-year-old American landscape
Place, Parkes. Tel (02) 6270 2800. architect, Walter Burley Griffin. Influenced
Open 9am–5pm daily. Closed 25 Dec. by the design of Versailles, his plan was
& 7 ∑ questacon.edu.au for a garden city, with lakes, avenues
With 200 hands-on exhibits and terraces rising to the focal point of Walter Burley Griffin
Parliament House atop Capital Hill. On
in six different galleries 12 March 1913, a foundation stone was
arranged around the 27-m- laid by Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, but bureaucratic arguments
(90-ft-) high cylindrical centre and then World War I intervened. By 1921, little of Canberra had
of the building, science need begun to be constructed, and Burley Griffin was dismissed from his
never be dull again. A must for design post. He stayed in Australia until 1935, when, reduced to
anyone visiting Canberra, municipal designs, he left for India. He died there in 1937, although
Questacon demonstrates that his original vision lives on in the ever-expanding city of Canberra.
science can be fascinating,