Canberra Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Destination's Journey

25 February 202310 February 2023

Feared and Revered

Celebrating female power through the ages, Feared and Revered examines the diversity of spiritual females from cultures across the globe. Located at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, until 27 August 2023, the exhibition has over 160 objects from the British Museum. There is also a section on Australian Indigenous female ancestral figures.

What’s on Display

With artifacts from six continents covering 5,000 years, the variety of items on display is impressive. If you like ancient history or archaeology, you will love this exhibition, because of its diversity. Not only does it cover the usual Egyptian and Greek periods, but includes China, India, South America and the Pacific.

We found the statues from the Middle East were great, with Ishtar, Sekhmet and Isis all represented. Greek and Roman culture was covered by Amphorae decorated with Persephone and statues of Hecate, Athena and Demeter. Medusa was also present in a small carving.

The statues from India and Mexico were ones we had not seen before, along with the masks from the far east and South America.

If you are in Canberra before August 2023 this is a great exhibition. We were very pleased that we went along.

Our photos are available for purchase on

For other great stories from Australia, please use the main menu above, or click on this link

Yawkyawk - Northern Territory Australia Feared and Revered — Yawkyawk – Northern Territory Australia

Kubaba Turkey 1000-800 BCE — Yawkyawk – Northern Territory Australia

23 February 202310 February 2023

Australian National Botanic Garden

Covering many of the plant types found in Australia, the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra covers 35 hectares. With paths winding through the garden, you are able to experience many of Australia’s habitats in one place.

Getting There

We drove to the Garden and parked in the carpark there. As with most Canberra attractions, this is a paid parking area, so you need to purchase a ticket at one of the machines. From here we walked to the visitor centre where we got a map before starting on our walk.

What to See

We chose to walk the Main Path track because it covers all of the major areas of the Garden. A staff member suggested that we commence at the lower rainforest boardwalk, as the misting effect was about to start. This was a great suggestion and was the highlight of our visit. As we walked through the ferns of the rainforest, a mist drifted through, cooling us off, as it was a hot day, but overall the area was impressive.

After passing through the rainforest we saw banksias in flower before taking a diversion to the Red Centre and rock garden. While walking we passed several water dragons basking in the sun. They must be used to visitors as they did not run off as quickly as others we have seen. We were lucky to get several good photos of them before they decided to hide.

For those interested in birds, a huge viewing platform, the paperbark tree house is available for use.

We found the path to be an easy walk, with no steep grades. The walk took us around 45 minutes with plenty of stops for phots and to look at the plants. A great place to visit, especially the rainforest section.

Our photos are available for purchase on

For other great stories from Australia, please use the main menu above, or click on this link

10 February 202310 February 2023

Royal Australian Mint

Situated in Deakin, Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, The Royal Australian Mint makes all of Australia’s coins as well as some for international customers.

Parking

The Mint has its own visitor carpark, so parking isn’t an issue. Well sign posted, the building is also easy to find.

What’s There

On entry, you are greeted with a display of $1 coins spilling from a bucket (inside a class box, so no free samples!). If you have any questions, an information booth with a staff member will help.

All of the main displays are on the second level. Climbing the stairs, look at the faces of each step because they are filled with five-cent coins.

At the top, look up to see replica coins hanging from the ceiling.

The coins display takes you through the history of coins in Australia, starting at colonial times, through to the present. The transition to decimal currency is particularly well covered, showing the design process and many of the designs considered before settling on the ones we know.

Walking past the displays, you can view the working area of the mint through large windows. On a work day this area is bustling with activity, but we were there on a weekend so it was quiet. At the far end, you can sit on a stack of giant coins and watch the factory floor.

Gift Shop and Café

Located on the ground floor, the gift shop has everything about coins for sale. If you like to collect or invest in coins, you can buy collections of the current coins in circulation, or a set of gold coins to invest in.

Next to the gift shop The Mint Café sells food and drinks to refuel before or after your visit.

What Did We Think?

We were not sure what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised as to how good it was. The excellent display of coins and the history of decimal currency was very interesting and easy to follow. Visiting on a working day would be better so that you see the factory working.