Oz Day 3

Day 3
Slept in a dorm room last night with the 5 chicks from the bus.woke to a concert of cell phone alarms and a freezing cold room!! The heat is off and the bathroom window open cause it is supposedly summer...who cares if it is only like 4 degrees c!!! The sunrise over Lake Jindabyne was beautiful off our porch! Today we are heading to Sydney via the capital city of Australia Canberra.

Canberra is a pretty new city with a population of 250,000. The first settlers came to Aussie in 1788 and Australia was united as a nation in 1901. The 1st Parliament house is now a museum, the new and current one was finished in 1988 and designed by an American design firm who won a worldwide competition for the design. It is built into the hill and faces a long stretch out the front looking on the old Parliament and then the War Memorial on to Mt Anslie. The city is designed in a triangle with specific points and the top being the new Parliament Building.


Inside all the finishes are from around Australia. The house of Representatives is done in a green to mimic the color of Eucalyptus trees. The Senate is done in a rose, the color of the flowers of the Eucaluyptus. After our tour we grabbed lunch and headed up to Mt Anslie for a beautiful panoramic view of Canberra and Parliament.

Back on the road for another 4 hours to Sydney!! Tonight is the Mardi Gras Parade. I was confused as Mardi Gras should be over...well this is the HUGE gay and lesbian parade and festivities that occur each year in Sydney...and due to Mardi Gras we are unable to stay in Sydney..everything is booked!! Soooo we get off our bus and onto a train and head out to the Blue Mountains and the town of Katoomba. Katoomba is a small mountain town with one main street and lots of mountain activities, loads of rock climbing and hiking. We grab some Thai food and head to bed after a long day.