Day 51: The National Museum disappointment and a Black Mountain Tower

Ok, so the other day we were collecting lighthouses, then volcanic craters. Now it feels like we are accumulating museum experiences and it is all starting to blur a bit.

National Museum garden

The National Museum was something we were all rather looking forward to, but we were disappointed by what we experienced this morning. The whole 'Nation' section has been removed and closed. This means that all that great Australian stuff (like Pharlap's heart, etc) is gone. We were left with the First Australians, KSpace and the Indigenous exhibitions and a whole lot of empty space. The general feel of the place is that it is all an impressive shell and not much substance within. It didn't take very long to get around the exhibits. The boys enjoyed KSpace, though it wasn't really educational, just had a bit of a 'cool' factor.

Callum, multiplied

Sharing lunch at the lake

During the afternoon we took a drive over to Black Mountain where the tall Telstra Tower is. It is possible to go up the tower and get a 360 degree view of Canberra, which we did. Callum did not enjoy the elevator ride up 60 metres, as he is claustrophobic, and I did not enjoy standing on the outdoor viewing platform as I don't like heights. In addition, there were large flying ants that the signs warned could sting, which added to my dislike of the open space. I wussed out and went down a level to the glassed in area. This was far more to my preference. Duncan and the boys were much braver and lingered outside for longer, taking photographs. The view was indeed spectacular.

Telstra Tower

Nasty, biting, flying ants

After this we headed back to the caravan park, having had enough of being tourists. The boys had a good jump on the jumping pillow and a bit of a swim. Being a tourist is hard work!