As I approach the end of my four years representing the British Government in Australia, it is time for reflection. With some diplomatic postings you are counting the days for them to end. With others, you hope they never will. This one is in the latter category.
I have seen a lot of this extraordinary country, without scratching the surface. Right now, I am thinking about the town where I have been living – Canberra, the capital.
Before we came here, Australian friends seemed to either love or hate it. A bit of research showed that those who loved it were those who had lived here – a fact I was reminded of this week when Richard Roxburgh, graduate of the Australian National University and internationally-renowned actor (the Duke in Moulin Rouge, for example) spoke so warmly of the town at the Canberra International Film Festival. (The town is good at festivals, by the way. There’s a British film festival under way, too, with some fantastic movies being shown; not all of them with Sean Connery, but lots of them).
I understand both camps. As a Brit, if my only experience of London was a school trip where I had visited Parliament and the Imperial War Museum, I would have mixed views of it. That sums up most Australians’ experience of Canberra – many Australian school groups visit it briefly, without getting to know about the people who live here. Add to this the fact that it’s populated – some of the time – by politicians, not Australia’s favourite profession, and you can understand some Australians’ negative views of the place.
But what I can’t agree with is when they say that it’s a small town where nothing happens.
Firstly, it’s not that small. The population is a bit over 300,000 – more than Newcastle in the UK.
And there’s a lot going on, if you look for it.
This November and December, the town plays host to a one day international cricket match, concerts by Morrissey, The Monkees and (big news for my son) The Wiggles, a return home by former Canberra buskers The Doug Anthony Allstars (fresh from setting the Edinburgh Fringe alight after a twenty year absence), and (even bigger news, son-wise), Peppa Pig. At the higher end of culture, there will be an exhibition of the splendours of Versailles, and there is currently the extraordinary exhibition from the British Museum of A History of the World in 100 Objects at the National Museum of Australia. I went to this on the weekend, and was bowled over by the extent of the British Museum’s collection, along with the narrative thread that is drawn among the many, disparate exhibits. And on leaving the exhibition I discovered a pop-up bar in the Museum’s garden, open on Sundays through the summer, where locally distilled gin can be taken in the gorgeous Aussie sunshine. That was Sunday sorted.
Canberra was declared the capital of Australia just over 100 years ago. I have therefore lived here for about 4% of the city’s history. It has developed a lot in that time, and will continue to do so.
Yet you’re never more than five minutes from a park or nature protected area.
If you visit it with an open mind you will not be disappointed. It’s a very special place.