Historic Cities

April 7, 2002-Cowra
(photo:Canberra)

The only remnant of the POW camp in Cowra is at the tourist information center. There is a nine minute long holograph narrated by a teeny tiny holographic young woman. She told the story of the Italian, Indonesian, & Japanese POWs who were interned there during WWII. Since it was wartime, there was a shortage of men in the area. The Aussies really liked the Italians & permitted them to work the farms. There were even rumors that some of the women had “flings” & some of the Italians wanted to stay after the war. The Japanese soldiers were humiliated by their capture. In August of 1944, they chose death over shame & organized an escape. Our miniscule narrator said it was the “most tragic event of WWII to take place on Australian soil.”

The Japanese did bomb Darwin in 1942 with a loss of 243 lives. A lot of the dead were sailors on the USS Perry. To commemorate the dead in Cowra, a cemetery has been established as well as a war memorial, Japanese garden, & an avenue of cherry trees. No mention was made of the Indonesians. David thought that some of what was missing from Australian history was battles. Luckily for them, there are no battlefields to visit here. That’s why there’s a sameness to tourist attractions. Here you can see prisons, restored settlements, & indigenous flora, fauna, & aborigines. In the U.S. we have the battles of the War of 1812, the French-Indian War, the Revolutionary War, & the Civil War. We have the Alamo to remember our war with Mexico & the often forgotten Spanish American War. We have innumerable battles with Indians/Native Americans & slave rebellions to memorialize. If being in an obscure part of the world has protected Australians all these centuries, the motto of this country should be “Shhh! No one knows we’re here & let’s not tell them.”

The kangaroo count rose today. The tally of roo vs. auto on a 200 mile stretch of road is now roos=0, cars=6. Even though I was diligently keeping track of road kill, I wasn’t distracted from my principle role as reader & interpreter of unusual signs. To add to my list of “poo” for sale signs (I have previously mentioned moo poo & chickie poo), I would like to submit today’s treasure. It read, “Aged Sheep Manure.” I couldn’t decide if it was manure from elderly sheep or mature manure that had been aged in something other than oak barrels.

I will not tell you how I happen to have more information on McDonald’s today lest you think our taste buds have gone numb, but a McOz burger (with beetroot) does exist. They also offer a grilled ham, cheese, & tomato sandwich, but I have no idea how that one tastes.

Canberra

We arrived in Canberra early in the afternoon. The approach road wasn’t at all like Washington, D.C. even taking into consideration it was a Sunday. Traffic was very light, which gave us a chance to find our way around the wide tree lined avenues, circles, crescents, circuits, & ovals. It allowed us to lose ourselves on the causeways, around the lake crowded with sailboats, & in the parks that make this a most lovely city.

In 1901, the Australian states were united in a federation & a need for a central capital arose. Many similarities to D.C. exist. A compromise for a location between Sydney & Melbourne was sought & the Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.) was formed. An inland area surrounded by mountain ranges was selected for added security. It was a totally planned city designed by Chicago architect & associate of Frank Lloyd Wright, Burley Griffin, for whom the lake is named. Controversy has followed the city as it grew. From the pronunciation of the name to the design of the new Parliament House, opinions differ. The prime minister refuses to live in the official residence here & travels four hours from Sydney when necessary. Some find it to be an idyllic place to live.

As we drove through Embassy Row & some of the neighborhoods, it reminded us of an upscale American suburb. People were out raking leaves & walking dogs. The attempt to build an urban utopia may have missed the mark, but not for lack of trying. It’s a bit sterile. There are no billboards or bright colors in the buildings. The city closes early. They even turn off the fountain in the lake by 5 PM. But the view from the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain in the Brindabella Range was as promised. Known as the Australian Alps, they join up with the Snowy Mountains in Victoria.

We had time to go into the Museum of Australian Film & Sound. One of the documentaries, “Kokoda, The Front Line,” won an Oscar in 1942. It told how the natives of New Guinea helped transport wounded Australian soldiers to safety. The Aussies thought so highly of them that they said, “The black skinned boys were really white.” Among the TV shows of the past was what I called “Opie Down Under.” It was actually called “Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo.” I hope that Skippy met a better fate than his mates on the road to Canberra did.

Toby