The thing about being a fully functioning high-tech mobile office from the dark far flung future of twenty thirteen, is that your list of possible office locations is limited only by your imagination.
Well you’re imagination, and cellphone reception.
Also some laws… and physics.
Also we want to be able to get there on bike.
What I’m trying to [...]

Civic at the moment is looking a little more bird spattered than usual.
But particularly striking is the penchant of our avian brethren for a straight line between the Centrepoint building and David Jones.
One guesses they like the thicker cable running between those buildings and the merry go round.
Certainly our feathered friends were not in attendance [...]

[ 12 March, 2013; 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. ]

ActewAGL have sent out word that they’re putting on a do on City Walk for the exact birthday of Canberra on 12 March:

ActewAGL, Principal Partner of the Centenary of Canberra, invites Canberrans to join in raising a toast for Canberra’s birthday at a free barbecue outside the ActewAGL Assist store on City Walk in [...]

Who says camels and sheep don’t mix?
It’s all part of Canberra CBD’s Christmas Carnival in the City.
If you’ve never seen a diaper on a camel this is your chance.
(Kids seem to really like the climbing wall too)

CyberJam has sent this one in:
I shot this photo yesterday at the Allara Street crossing on the City Walk.
Despite the abundance of signage, there were no pedestrians in sight.
Thanks go out to the crew at Monty Python Constructions.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it in to images@the-riotact.com .

The newish tourism information booth on City Walk is certainly striking, if not incongruous, nestled under the trees.
But one has to admit the CanMeme guys have just about nailed it.

We mentioned yesterday that Tim Ferguson of long ago Doug Anthony All Stars fame was coming to observe the plaque honouring that band on City Walk.
Overheard has kindly sent in a picture of the event and media pack.

Canberra CBD are letting it be known that the public can peer at Tim Ferguson peering at a memorial to himself tomorrow at the intersection of City Walk and Petrie Plaza:
The plaque sits within the Civic Memory Quilt at the intersection of Petrie Plaza and City Walk, where the Doug Anthony All Stars regularly busked [...]

We dip our lids to the enterprising Tuesday nigght drunks who’ve managed to get not one but two witches hats onto the City Walk information sign.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it in to images@the-riotact.com .

Last year we were concerned that City Walk’s Centrepoint build was increasingly vacant.
Well it seems to be coming back to life. The Landmark Cafe putting a big service frontage onto City Walk has some real potential.
I particularly like the way the interior plays with relics of bygone ages like penny farthing bicycles and The Canberra [...]

Martyo came across the workers rigging the Canberra Times fountain for light last night and sent in a great set with this note:
had a chat to the guy setting up lights last night – first time every
this fountain has been lit (normally a dull orange color) – will be in-place for about 12 months
barriers come [...]

TransACT have a better than average promo (so much so I’m going to give it a plug).
To demonstrate the Acer Android Tablets they’re bundling (as the owner of an Acer Android Tablet I can report it’s made me pretty happy, the web’s still prettier with Flash) they’ve got a huge working touchscreen emulating a [...]

Simon Corbell has proudly announced the arrival of new garbage bins in Civic.
A trial of thirty-seven recycling bins in Civic will start from today, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Simon Corbell, announced today.
“The ACT Government has committed $165,000 to install the new recycling bins and bin shrouds as part of the new public place [...]

Last week we were very pleased with the new sculpture on City Walk, “Bush Pack”.
But there were some concerns about whether the art could survive the rigours of Civic’s night life.
This lunchtime it seems they’re needing more work:

UPDATE: We’re assured they’re just getting lights installed.

There’s been no word from ArtsACT, but there’s a wonderful new piece on City Walk waiting for ingenious drunks to find a way to ruin it.
Called “Bush Pack” by its creator Amanda Stuart it is a beautiful expression of both the joy and the menace of wild dogs.
For mine this is the best of what [...]

The Australian pub seems to have shut its doors and stolen away into the night.  Outdoor furniture gone, windows covered over, no more repetitious 70′s and 80′s soundtrack.  Gone forever?
The ice skating rink has really injected some welcome life and colour into the space, but as someone who’s worked here for about six years, I [...]

In March Canberra suffered a terrible blow with the vandalisation of Ainslie’s Sheep in City Walk.
Since then a great void has filled that mighty avenue.
But no longer! Vonbare this morning tipped us off that the sheep is back!
Here’s the damage from March:

And here’s a closeup of the repair work:

Will the repaired sheep be proof against [...]

Threepaws has sent in these pictures of Canberra in the 80s. Your correspondent has then spent part of this morning running around Canberra trying to match the shots. I’ve monochromed to match where appropriate. Above is the old bus interchange administration centre where one could seek guidance and assistance on buses and even buy tickets.
And [...]

Richard has sent in some fisheye lens photos he took of Civic in the sunnier yesterday of, er, yesterday.

A few weeks ago I noticed a story in the Herald Sun on moves by Melbourne City Council to bring their charity muggers, or “Chuggers”, under control. A couple of days later the Age carried a stirling defence of the chugger and the value they perform for charity.
This was interesting because back in February we [...]

On the last night of You Are Here, we held a party to coincide with FM 104.7?s Skyfire. Skyfire is a free fireworks display over Lake Burley Griffin synchronised to the sounds of a special music mix broadcast by FM 104.7.
As much as we would have loved to attend Skyfire, You Are Here decided not [...]

We’ve had the following back from ACT Policing in response to the sheep disappearance on City Walk:
ACT Policing is investigating the incident
- Police became aware of the property damage on Sunday morning (March 13) about 2.45am
- Police have obtained the CCTV footage of the incident
- Police have identified a person of interest in this matter [...]

Imagine the shock and horror of walking down City Walk to discover one of “those” much loved sheep missing?
Who on earth would take a sheep sculpture?

UPDATE: ACT Policing have made the following statement:
ACT Policing is investigating the incident
- Police became aware of the property damage on Sunday morning (March 13) about 2.45am
- Police have obtained [...]

[ 10 March, 2011 to 20 March, 2011. ] your littul heart – breaks
your littul heart – breaks

It happened that in November last year the Centenary of Canberra gave me the heads up on a proposed new initiative for March 2011, a series of arts events in shopfront spaces and found venues around Canberra’s CBD entitled You Are Here. No, I said, no. They [...]

I was wandering around Civic on Saturday doing some last minute Christmas shopping with a couple of friends. We were hungry, so one of my friends offered to buy us lunch. We walked to a restaurant in City Walk and ordered some food and coffee. While sitting down outside, drinking coffees a couple came over, [...]

[First filed: Nov 2, 2010 @ 13:44]

We don’t know how we missed the “Uninats” being held for unicycles in Canberra this year.
Fortunately YouTube brings the highlights of the one-wheeled outrages to public decency. Fortunately it doesn’t look like they’ll be breeding.

I was coming back from a lovely walk around the lake at about 1pm today when I saw that there were lots of police (atleast 20) that were standing around and had roped off a whole section of City Walk (between Akuna street and the water fountain).
I couldn’t see anything obvious …. but does anyone [...]