So the second leg of the flight was again perfect, 3 seats to myself meant some more spells of sleep were possible. As expected though the last couple of hours felt long, flying over Australia with Sydney right at the far eastern end. The flight was mostly in darkness so there was little to see, though dawn broke as we landed in Sydney and I was welcomed by a rich red sky and chilly temperatures. I had to wait around a bit for my bus to Canberra, which again ran like clockwork. The 3 hours between Sydney and Canberra isn’t all staggering but there are some vast areas of eucalyptus forest, hills and gorges that I passed. Finally, after some 36 hours on the road I arrived to the less than overwhelming Canberra bus station. It wasn’t all over there however, as I couldn’t check in to my apartment until 2pm, so it was time for my first, somewhat fatigued walkabout.

I’m in a suburb called Kingston, which is just south of Parliament and very middle class with a slight bohemian vibe. By now it was pleasant with the sun beating down and numerous bigwigs and people that do lunch were doing lunch in the many eateries and cafes of Kingston. I was pleased to see it’s not all Thai noodles and skinny lattes with the inclusion of a quality pie shop and bakery. Kingston seems really nice – relaxed but with a slight edge. I can easily imagine sitting at one of those cafes supping a latte when it gets warmer.

From Kingston I walked on through Telopea Park to the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. From here there were pleasing views of distant hills and the closer lump of Mount Ainslie. Everything looks a bit wintry at the moment, but you sense in a month or so the trees and parks will be bursting to life. The shores of the lake were breezy and I still had time to kill so, like a beacon calling me, I walked to Parliament House. It is a stunning building and the area delightfully manicured. All the angles have been perfectly calculated to make an impression on the viewer. The view from Parliament House is also astounding, looking down the perfectly straight 2 miles or so past Old Parliament House to the war memorial, framed by Mount Ainslie. There are so many hills in Canberra, and these are not allowed to be built on so the city is tucked away around these. Look out for future news of hills I have climbed!

Now Canberra was a planned city and yes, the car is king. Not that you can’t get around as a pedestrian (and it’s great for cycling) but sometimes you can easily lose your sense of direction. One of the first things I did in Kingston was buy a map but even that couldn’t prevent me from taking half an hour to walk from Parliament House to Manuka in a zig-zagged fashion. Manuka is just like Kingston with maybe a few more shops and a supermarket. This is where being away from home starts to bite – I WANT TESCO!!! The supermarket seemed to stock most things but I don’t know where everything is. I am stressing that I will not be able to find a decent natural yogurt (this is very important to my start of the day!). Why no wholemeal pasta??? Why are those apples sooooo shiny??? Also, it’s not really cheaper than the UK despite rumours you might hear. One plus though is that the cheese seems to be comparable to the quality in the UK. Anyway, it’s only one supermarket…I’m sure I’ve got many more to test. BUT NOWHERE WILL EVER MATCH TESCO!!!

So exploring the supermarket easily ate up the remaining time I needed to kill and I checked into my apartment. It’s very nice and spacious for me, though doesn’t seem to get much sunlight and only has a heater in one room. I checked for spiders and it seems to be clear. What it does have is a big double bed which was much needed. I didn’t pass out straight away and woke after a couple of hours, forcing myself up to eat some dinner and watch Aussie TV. I lasted out until about 8:30pm and with the exception of 15 minutes slept through until 3am. But 3am was it. I think I got up a couple of times, made a hot drink, read a little but by 6am my mind was buzzing with all things I need to do so I got up.


Hopefully pictures to follow soon!!!