2013... Three days were hardly enough to fully enjoy Australia's capital. Sunshine, pink and white spring blossom and masses of golden wattle decked the boulevards, lakeside and parks. We enjoyed the national Gallery of Art, National Portrait Gallery, the War Museum and both Old and New Parliament House.

Old Parliament House is now the Museum of Australian Democracy and also had a special exhibition of Arthur Boyd's life and art work. There is also the old press gallery, as it was, on display: a fascinating history. New Parliament House had a special exhibition of "25 Treasures" - a selection of art by notable Australian artists.

The Australian War Museum had closed its First World War rooms for renovation, to be ready for the centenary in 2014. The other extensive displays were excellent. More on my blog.

2017 ... Last minute notice of a family funeral to be held in Canberra was a reason for driving there and staying for two nights. It is always a delight to see our Australian capital although this time very little sight-seeing. The gathering of Canberra relatives, together with others who had travelled there to celebrate a long life well lived, was a pleasure.

Although a beautiful setting for the city, on the Monaro Plains and almost halfway between Melbourne and Sydney, it has no direct train service and is always either a VERY long drive or a short flight. Too late to book a reasonable flight, we drove and made a safe stop-over on the way, at Holbrook, NSW, and on the journey home at Violet Town, Victoria.