The boys at the Big Merino in Goulburn.
On September 28, we left Narrandera and headed to Canberra, which is the capital city of Australia. You would think that Sydney or Melbourne would be the capital city because of their large populations and the fact that they are well known international metropolis'. Canberra was, in fact, a PLANNED capital city. Both Sydney and Melbourne wanted to be the capital but they compromised and created Canberra about midway between the two. Canberra was designed and constructed with the sole purpose of Government and public service. If you look at a map, you will see 
a series of rings around the
centre, working outward toward the edge of the city.
Our transportation to Canberra was Tom Dawson's school bus. Tom is Priscilla's father and he graciously offered to take us on a road trip to see the countryside. School buses in Australia are nothing like school buses in North America. For one thing, they are NOT yellow - they are white and for another they are luxurious compared to our school transport. Some are like Greyhounds - all are air conditioned - a necessity here. Tom's bus is a 15 seater with adjustable seats and seat belts. It's like riding in a minivan but bigger. He folded the back row to accommodate our luggage and then we were all set. We all had lots of room and it was nice to relax and jut enjoy the ride. Dad chatted with Tom in the copilot's chair and the rest of us just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. We went through small towns along the way and visited the Licorice factory in Junee, saw the Big Merino in Goulburn and lots o
f beautiful landscape. 
In front of the War Memorial and the view to the Parliament House.
In Canberra, we toured the War Memorial which is an incredible record of Australia's Armed Force's contributions through history. It is incredibly moving and engaging in its displays. We felt like we had front row seats to battles through multimedia performances of dogfights in WWI and WWII. It really hit home the bravery and contributions of those who fought. The artifacts and equipment used in battle were right before us and they even had an area where kids could wear gear and encounter underground bunkers, a helicopter and a submarine. The boys really enjoyed that. We probably could have spent days exploring here - I know that after nearly 3 hours, we still had many areas to visit but hunger and Jack's attention had worn us down so we decided to move on.
After boosting our energy with some lunch, we went to Questacon. This is a giant science centre with themed rooms about transportation, carnival science, water and earth science and so much more! The boys had a ball exploring and experimenting with hovercrafts, air targets and even a roller coaster simulator which Jack and I tested out (Sam and Jake were too chicken). It was packed due to rain but there was still plenty to do and I think we may have to make a return visit to Canberra to do more. What's great about Canberra is that there is tons to do and a lot of it is free which makes it awesome for a family! We had a great time and could have stayed longer but we had to move on to Sydney where we would say goodbye and thanks so much to Tom. We had a plane to catch ... to Cairns!
a series of rings around the
centre, working outward toward the edge of the city. Our transportation to Canberra was Tom Dawson's school bus. Tom is Priscilla's father and he graciously offered to take us on a road trip to see the countryside. School buses in Australia are nothing like school buses in North America. For one thing, they are NOT yellow - they are white and for another they are luxurious compared to our school transport. Some are like Greyhounds - all are air conditioned - a necessity here. Tom's bus is a 15 seater with adjustable seats and seat belts. It's like riding in a minivan but bigger. He folded the back row to accommodate our luggage and then we were all set. We all had lots of room and it was nice to relax and jut enjoy the ride. Dad chatted with Tom in the copilot's chair and the rest of us just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. We went through small towns along the way and visited the Licorice factory in Junee, saw the Big Merino in Goulburn and lots o
f beautiful landscape. 
In front of the War Memorial and the view to the Parliament House.
In Canberra, we toured the War Memorial which is an incredible record of Australia's Armed Force's contributions through history. It is incredibly moving and engaging in its displays. We felt like we had front row seats to battles through multimedia performances of dogfights in WWI and WWII. It really hit home the bravery and contributions of those who fought. The artifacts and equipment used in battle were right before us and they even had an area where kids could wear gear and encounter underground bunkers, a helicopter and a submarine. The boys really enjoyed that. We probably could have spent days exploring here - I know that after nearly 3 hours, we still had many areas to visit but hunger and Jack's attention had worn us down so we decided to move on.
After boosting our energy with some lunch, we went to Questacon. This is a giant science centre with themed rooms about transportation, carnival science, water and earth science and so much more! The boys had a ball exploring and experimenting with hovercrafts, air targets and even a roller coaster simulator which Jack and I tested out (Sam and Jake were too chicken). It was packed due to rain but there was still plenty to do and I think we may have to make a return visit to Canberra to do more. What's great about Canberra is that there is tons to do and a lot of it is free which makes it awesome for a family! We had a great time and could have stayed longer but we had to move on to Sydney where we would say goodbye and thanks so much to Tom. We had a plane to catch ... to Cairns!
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