We originally planned to ride the open top city sightseeing tour bus, but it took us over an hour to find where to get on, and once we did they did not take credit cards, cash only. (Traveler’s note: Go on-line and purchase the tickets ahead of time. They are good for one year from the date of purchase. That’s what we will do next time.) The Australian Museum wasn’t too far away, so we were off to explore. We found it interesting that the trains we took in the touristy area were very clean. Normally, not so much. Here’s another place you just can’t miss, especially to discover what Australia’s natural history. The ground floor contained more stuffed animals (like the ones from the zoo), skeletons of just about any creature you could think of, and Indigenous Australians. It was here where we met an aboriginal artist, Richard Campbell. We had no idea that the man who graciously approached the kids with coloring pages and crayons was the man behind most of the paintings we had just seen. He was in the process of painting his next piece. He is known for working with both contemporary and traditional mediums and symbols, combining aboriginal art and culture with Christianity. He was just recently recognized as the official aboriginal artist for World Youth Day (huge, very huge over here – starts in 17 days when the Pope arrives), and he’s excited to have the Pope come to view his work. It was a pleasure and honor to meet him. The first floor contained all sorts of minerals which we enjoyed watching Morgan pick out every pink one she could find. Level 2 housed birds, insects, and the grand finale of it all – Dinosaurs. Afterwards we walked to Hyde Park for a quick snack before heading home.
No comments:
Post a Comment