Unbeknownst to most Canberrans the surrounds of Parliament House are at least as interesting as the interior. On a clear autumn’s afternoon you can easily spent a rewarding hour or so circumnavigating the building and taking in the curiousities.
It’s been something I’ve been meaning to record for posterity for ages. But lacking a digital camera it was all a little difficult. In the end I dragooned my ex-girlfriend into the cause because she’s got a newish camera she was mad keen to put to good use. The following is an effort to tell a story (of walking around Parliament House) with the pictures she took.
All these pictures were taken from public areas, outside of the security screen. Any of you can wander along any time you like. Although you can’t play on the tennis courts.
We started in the forecourt where a large team was frantically at work repairing the infamous leaky pond.
Front of House (North)
The view over the leaky pond and Lake Burley Griffin to Telstra-Yama is spectacular.
As we went west towards the Senate side the stark beauty of the interim fences was irresistable.
Senate Side (West)
The North West parapet features a sundial donated by the Country Womens Association. We thought the parched earth surrounding it was a marked contrast to the leaking forecourt pond. But perhaps the CWA appreciated the solidarity.
The circumnavigation is not without its dangers. Thankfully, of a weekend, there seem to be few of the little buggies zooming around. Indeed my photographer wandered onto the main road (Parliament Drive) in search of a good shot without meeting calamity.
The walking paths are blessed with numerous drinking fountains of unusual (and beautiful) design. When I tried to use one there was a lengthy delay before water started flowing which I at first took to be a sign of neglect.
The source of the delay with turning on the fountains became clear when we found one with it’s documentation intact.
This little glade is possibly the very best picnic spot in all of Canberra.
As one wanders the paths there are, periodically, great gashes aimed at the flagpole.
As we traversed the haunted paths we did encounter another human being, this one on a bike.
And so we came to the first of the many double tennis courts which ring Parliament House.
The geometric brutallity of the Senate Entrance is particularly evident from the wonderfull Senate Oval. The photographer was particularly taken by the “twig effect” which overtook the Parliamentary flagpole. The Senate Oval is (in my view) most notable for the frolicing sniffer dogs when they’ve been particularly good and get taken down there for a play.
There are serious people who write in the Sydney Morning Herald and on Crikey who believe that it is the isolation of the parkland around Parliament House, and the further surrounding roads, which drive Parliamentary staffers to drugs, debauchery, and decadence. This is that road of damnation, complete with demonically red utility. Personally I reckon they (the staffers) were prone to drugs, debauchery, and decadence before they got here.
A bit further on we came across one of the gashes leading down to “The Road of Evil” and an appropriate background of Telstra-yama.
Over on the Senate side there are a lot of pieces of excercise equipment. This one is set up for “Dips”
In strategic positions overlooking the gashes one finds little walls serving little apparent purpose. We couldn’t help wonder if they’d make damn fine machine gun nests as they appear to have magnificent fields of fire.
At the second set of tennis courts we recorded the Parliament’s unique and admirable solution to public liability issues.
From the South Western parapet (which happens to also have a commanding field of fire) you can also see the white walls of the Lodge (the Prime Minister’s residence)
If you turn 180 degrees from that barren view, the lush expanse of the slopes of Parliament House is remarkable. The white plastic barriers are in the process of being replaced by the more subtle low concrete wall which is responsible for most of the works around the building.
Ministerial Side (South)
Down on the South West side is a perfectly functional golf-driving practice net. There’s nothing to suggest the public aren’t free to use it. In my daily walks around the building I have, once, seen it in use.
Even the grotesque construction works around the new wall (bottom left) can’t detract from the beauty of autumn leaves.
Strange and mysterious grottos abound.
The pig-ugly entrance to the underground Ministerial car park is framed by a beautiful stand of trees in full autumn finery.
Under the Ministerial Entrance Steps there are a cascading series of road signs. You’ll have to believe me there was actually a fourth sign hiding behind this series.
Leading up to the entrance the juxtaposition of brutality and beauty grow more striking.
The actual entrance to the Ministerial wing is quite pretty.
And the forest surrounding it, equally so.
Amongst the natives, and the gorgeous desidous trees, this one gnarled and lonely pine outside the Ministerial entrance stands out. Sadly it’s within the secured zone so we couldn’t search for an explanatory plaque
We thought this landscape was adorably interrupted by the orange plastic prongs.
Reps Side (East)
The long, straight, line of the parched Parliament Drive, past the House of Representatives entrance, highlights the ugliness of current works and water resatrictions with the colours of autumn trees.
Hidden in the bushes, but visible from Parliament Drive, is the mighty air-conditioning plant for the building. It looks a lot like a Blake’s 7 bunker and throbs and howls on high load days. Protective Services turned up around now and inquired politely why we were taking pictures of weirdo stuff like this. We asked them what we couldn’t take pictures of, and they suggested we stay away from the loading dock and the security cameras. We aquiesced to their desires.
Having been so chastised my photographer was gun-shy about taking more shots of the tennis courts. But this was our third encounter with the breed. Yes they’re all double tennis courts.
And so we came to what I like to think of as “The Pool Room”. It occupies the equivalent space of the Senate’s magnificent oval. It’s a tiered and subdivided garden in which gift sculpture that aren’t wanted (for whatever reason) inside the Parliament are placed. The only object on the tiers is this manorah which the Israeli Knesset (parliament) gave to our own. We’ll be showing off the other items in this peculiar place further along.
The Central Garden in the Pool Room is very beautiful.
This bench was a gift from the War Widows Association. Behind it is a bed of roses which my horticulturally minded photographer informed me were of the variety “peace”. There’s symbollism in horticulture
Here we have a closeup of one of the peace roses.
All around Parliament there are many magpies who know no fear.
We’re not sure exactly what the pattern is meant to represent, but our rorshach perverted eyes thought the letters K and Y were over-represented in the pattern.
The Pool Room features a beautiful singing fountain.
In the Southern alcove of the Pool Room is a striking, but unnatributed sculpture of disturbingly yonic design.
The northern alcove is just a curious plinth covered by an engraved metal plaque.
In this case, closer examination explains all. I suppose I can see why they want it out in the public area.
There’s a pair of Chinese Lions which appear to be unsure if they’re guarding the entrance of the Pool Room or the House of Reps entrance. As a result they’re facing each other when they should be facing the world. They’re a gift of the Chinese Government to the Parliament. While the plaque gives little detail as to their provenance the amount of wear leads this amateur art historian to believe they are a very old and storied pair of lions.
The Nuremburg-like nature of the architecture is particularly evident when viewing the House of Representatives from the Pool Room.
It might be a shame that the Pool Room is mostly deserted, but it does mean the effort put into arranging the gravel is preserved.
On the right side of the Pool Room are the empty tiers awaiting tricky gifts from foreign parts.
Facing towards the Reps entrance we have the flagpole and a twiggy symetry to add interest.
Moving right along we came to the fourth and last set of double tennis courts which ring the building.
Finishing up the Reps side is the RSL water fountain. Donated by the RSL and very considerate for those of us who walk around the building and need a bit more water. The inscription reads “Look around you – these are the things they believed in”. We thought there was a certain Ozymandias touch to the construction works lying all around.
Back to the Front
So here we are where we began.
The forecourt collonade has interesting shadows and an endless stream of chinese tourists.
Walking down the steps to the carpark presents an interesting perspective shot.
This would appear to be the point at which the budget for marble cladding ran out in the car park. (And who is casting that mysterious shadow?)
And that’s it! Hope you enjoyed the tour.
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