27 January 2012

Australia Day fizz at Rond Terraces

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2012 location at Rond Terrace for Australia Day a big thumbs down. Apart from the fact there is insufficient parking at such a venue, throw in at least 20,000 families with pram multiple kids and bags you end up with a small area packed and not enough room to swing a cat.

By miday everyone had cleared out. In contrast holding it at Commonwealth Park is a much better idea with more room, easier access for families and much better atmosphere that can continue through the afternoon should people wish to stay.

To the organizers of this years event please stick to what works and think about your audience and amount of people who will attend.

Keep it at Commonweath Park in future!

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a lot of asian people were at teh dragon festival at national museum,, which was good, but similarly a bit disorganised.

They had anormous queues inside for food, kiddie craft and scroll painting, and a tiny area in the foyer with great asian fan dancers anddragon dancing etc, but only about 20 people at a time could see anything and the noise was deafening.

Then out side they had hundreds of people sitting on the comfy grassed steps looking down to the performance marquee, but nothing at all to look at except two dragon boats once an hour.

the noisy dragon dance could have come outside after its indoor bit and people might have actually got to see something.

I think they got more crowds than expected – the staff looked a bit shell shocked.

I was pleased enough with the location. We go every year, and I didn’t even look up details this year; just turned up as usual, so the change of location was a surprise to me, but the provision of miniature shuttles from that area was great (or at least, the kids enjoyed it, and I did recover feeling to my lower extremities after some time).

A couple of minor disadvantages, perhaps, but I also didn’t see any real advantage. Was there a problem with the recovery of the lawns? Did the visit of the funny little English lady with all the hats delay it so much that it has taken longer than usual? Or did they just like the aspect of being able to see Parly Grouse while eating a sausage?

I didn’t seem to notice many non-Anglo people about yesterday. I’d never noticed in previous years, but I just seemed to be surrounded by pink people! Now I am a pink people, but that doesn’t mean I’m used to monoracial environments. It took me by surprise; has anyone else noticed a lack of involvement at this event? I guess it is destined to be a bit of an Anglo-fest, really, with snags wrapped in square bread being the main attraction, but I just hadn’t noticed it before…

it was a good time, but agree the 20+ min wait for EB rolls was a it long.. very tightly packed so people had their kids on back necks just to get a view..

My thoughts was that they should have done it all @ Stage 88 (is that the one near the playground @ Regatta Point?) but I think they are trying to let the grass grow back after Floriade… hence Rond Terrace.

Hopefully they move it to Stage 88 as it has much better shade and room!

yip, 45 minute wait for a 3 minute face paint, 25 min wait for 5 minute bouncy castle. Surely a timed ticket a la Disneyland would have been a much better idea.

There was also pretty poor management of through traffic of walkers/joggers/bikes etc along RG Menzies Walk past Regatta Point and Rond Terraces.

People approaching along the lake from Commonwealth Ave were past the Captain Cook memorial and half way to the point before reaching the “road closed ” sign, having to back track to the cherry trees and up to the exhibition building.

Passing through Rond Terraces was nigh on impossible with the lake-side path completely blocked off and the main bike path going through the area cordoned off for VIP/citizenship participants.

The only path we didn’t try was the one closest to Parkes Way from the back of Stage 88 past the fort and along the top of Rond Terraces. But I thought it would be chockers with people coming through the underpass from Constitution Ave?

Where did the NCA expect through traffic to go until Rond Terraces was reopened at midday? I don’t think they’d thought about it at all.

Totally agree. Classic Lasek stuff up (Jeremy Lasek). 30 minutes for a sausage was terrible. Had to park at the Nat Library because there was no parking at Rond Terrace. Had to wheel a pram in a crowd.
I shudder to think what the 2013 celebrations would be like.
Probably the NCA organised Australia day with the assistance of Jeremy Lasek. This guy is very dull and is likely the reason why Canberra has the reputation that is has throughout the country.

Time for Lasek to move on.

took the family, had fun! But a wait of 45 minutes for a sausage sandwich and another of 25 minutes for a drink does not go down with the kidlets!

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