A Close Call ... then Canberra

Sunday, June 10- Amy and I planned to work out but we were deterred by a catastrophe.  Amy’s host mom opened the gate for us to back out of the car.  Suddenly, the dog, Tex, ran out into the street and got hit by a car.  It was all very sudden and traumatic.  I actually saw it all happen right next to me.  He was hit by a speedy 4Runner.  After the initial impact, he rolled under the car, hitting his hip and head.  All the neighbors heard the thud and screeching breaks and came running outside.  Amy’s host mom ran over, crying. While she got the car, I held the baby and talked soft words to Tex.  A little boy from across the street brought a towel and we held it on the open wound.  Tex was oddly calm, but the incision on his hip was gaping.  Amy and her host mom rushed to the emergency vet.  Tex had to get over 40 stitches and stayed overnight. Luckily, he looks like he's going to be fine.  What a close call!  I'm glad he's okay. 

After all of that, Amy and I ate dinner with my family and then spent the night at my place. 

Monday, June 11- CANBERRA

Our Day off - Amy and I decided if it was raining on the weekends in Sydney, we would just drive somewhere it wasn’t raining.  We wanted to start crossing things off our to-do list.  So- Road trip to the capital city of Australia, Canberra!

We took off at10:00am and drove for 3 ½ hrs.  It was a nice scenic drive.  Our first stop: The Canberra Wartime Museum. 

In a nutshell, I learned about:

Australia in WWI, camels, ANZAC/Gallipoli, diggers, Australia in WWII, the bombing of Darwin.

To expand on my short hand:

Australia’s involvement in the World Wars is not often discussed in U.S. schools, so I had some learning to do.  In terms of human loss, the First World War was the most costly conflict for Australia.  Out of a population of 5 million, an army of 417,000 soldiers was raised.  58,132 of those soldiers were killed. Due to its removed geographic location, I had assumed Australia would have been a peaceful oasis, safe from the Great War.  However, because Australia was still a British colony in 1914, it was under the orders of the “Mother Country” who had just declared war against Germany. 

Australia responded to the declaration of war and need for troops with enthusiasm. A majority of the Australian volunteers were sent to Egypt first, not Europe, to meet the Ottoman Empire, Turkey.  Australia fought for British interests in the Middle East and the Suez Canal.

Fighting ensued in barren regions such as Palestine against the Ottoman Empire.  The soldiers were under extreme conditions. So, both the Commonwealth and Turkish forces acquired unique wartime modes of transportation. Unlike trench warfare in Europe, the fighting in the Middle East was more fluid and mobile. The Australian Light Horse was one example of successful mounted troops. However, what I find intriguing is their use of camels as an essential form of mounted units. Camels were mainly used to transport equipment and supplies.  But they also formed the Camel Corps, used to transport fighting soldiers. 

The Australian Camel Corps

Although their stubborn dispositions were difficult at times, the camels were useful and well built for the task. The Australian Camel Corps were involved in some of the more aggressive fighting, however, when the fighting moved out of the desert area the units were no longer needed. 


Trench Warfare

Enough camel talk.  On to other important facts.  It was Apirl 25^th, 1915.  Members of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) successfully landed on Anzac cove in Gallipoli, the European part of Turkey, along with troops from Britain, New Zealand, and France. This sparked a campaign that ended with the evacuation of troops in December 1915. Following Gallipoli, Australian forces fought on the Western Front and in the Middle East. April 25^th is now known as Anzac Day in remembrance of those who fought and died that day.

The fighting continued through 1916 and 1917, with fewer military gains and more casualties and deaths.  However, Australia took part in many decisive advances in August 1918 until finally on November 11th Germany surrendered.

Diggers, pronounced "diggas" 

ANZAC troops were particularly good at digging tunnels between trenches.  This proved beneficial in battle.  These tunnels were difficult to dig, but militarily beneficial when creating pathways to enemy trenches. When both sides' diggers met in the tunnels, fighting would then ensue. ANZACs believed that it was a compliment to be deemed “diggers”, because it implied that you were good at a very difficult job.

Australian Wartime Museum and Memorial

To commemorate the sacrifices of Aussie soldiers

In the years leading up to the WWII, Australia stood side by side with Britain's policy towards Nazi Germany, by supporting its pacification of Hitler and then its fight for Polish independence. Britain threatened Germany to withdraw from Poland but Germany refused.  Thus, Britain declared war on Germany.  Australia then joined WWII in September 1939.  Due to the Great depression in the 20s and 30s, Australia was not nearly as prepared for war as they in 1914.  However, by the end of the war, almost 1 Million Australians served in the Armed Forces.  They fought in Europe, North Africa and the South West Pacific. 

The Parliament House is directly across the Wartime Memorial
You can see the Parliament House behind us

Point A is Darwin, where Australia was bombed for the first time in history

Australia was directly attacked for the first time in history on Feb 19, 1942 in Darwin. When this occurred, Australia then joined forces with the United States and Britain to fight against Japan.  So essentially, Australia fought two wars between 1939 and 1945- one against Germany as apart of the Commonwealth and another against the Japanese in the Pacific. From 1942 until early 1944, Australian forces played a vital role in the Pacific War.  Australia contributed significantly to the Allies in the South West Pacific until the war ended.

After the Wartime Memorial and Museum, we went to the Bontanic Gardens.  We walked through the lush Rainforest Gully and enjoyed the Rock Garden.  It was peaceful.  On the ride to our next stop, we saw kangaroos hopping in the field!  It was epic to see them in the wild.  They were so fast we didn’t even get a picture of them.  Oh Australia and your wildlife. 

Parliament House

Next up, the History Museum and Parliament House. The history museum was about to close, so we had to rush through it.  But we saw models of the Opera House, stuffed Echidnas and Platypus, documentaries on Aborignials, sheep, Kangaroos, farming, clothing, styles and animal life in Australia.  The Parliament House was very contemporary.  

The sun was setting which was exquisite.  When the Parliament House was originally built, it was the most expensive building in the world, $1.1 billion.  It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on May 9, 1988.  It is a place of meeting for the Parliament of Australia, appropriately located in Canberra, the capital of Australia.  Like Washington, DC in the States, Canberra is in the Australian Capitol Territory (ACT).  Just like the District of Columbia (DC), the ACT is a territory delegated for the capitol of the country, separate from the states.  So I guess to mimic America, you could say, Canberra, ACT like Washington, DC.  Maybe not…

After the sunset at the Parliament House, we ate dinner at a cute Italian place.  It was quaint and authentic, with outdoor seating under a covering and space heaters.  We split a delectable risotto with spinach and pumpkin and savored our glasses of wine.  Then we stopped by a local hot spot, an Irish Pub in town.  We had some flavored champagne and enjoyed our own “nook” by the fireplace.  It was simply idyllic.

Our "nook" at the Irish Pub