An educational tour - learn Australian history and politcs on a cold weekend in Canberra

A rainy weekend in Canberra

It was an unusually cold, wet and windy spring weekend. Poor visibility shrouded the land axis from Parliament House to Mount Ainslie.

Parliament House

Canberra is the aboriginal word for "meeting place", a compromise sought to break the stalemate over whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the capital city.

The marble depicted the early European migrants - white from Italy, pink from Portugal, black from Belgium

The Senate (pink) and House of Representatives (grey).

The priceless Magna Carta written during the 13th century in England.

War Memorial

Serious historians and weapons buffs could practically spend a whole day exploring the artefacts. What lessons can be learnt from the tour? Of war and peace, alliances, patriotism, bravery, folly, flawed strategies, loneliness, life and death.

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Moon Festival in Sydney southwest - multicultural Cabramatta

The wait was probably worthwhile, detours and negotiating through narrow lanes to get into the congested public parking areas. Cabramatta celebrated the moon festival, also known as the mid-autumn festival. The fifteenth day of the eighth month is marked by the Chinese and other Asians on the lunar calendar. The most repeated mythology was about the empress who swallowed the elixr pills and saved the people from tyrannical emperor from gaining immortality. However, the empress Chang Er drifted to the moon and remained there eternally.

Two Australian artists were putting on the finishing touches to the sand sculpture of the lanterns and mooncakes to depict the happy occasion.

Cabramatta is perpetually crowded even on a normal weekday. The strong winds did not deter local residents and visitors from all over Sydney to turn up and join in the fun and festivities.

Cake decoration courses from basic to advanced. Various styles showcased were a fusion of Vietnamese, French/European and Thai food decoration.

These are fruit and vegetable carvings of beautiful pink roses!

The longest queues could be seen at the BBQ jerky and Thai food stalls. My favourite stalls are the vegetarian noodles and cake stalls.

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Best tasting mooncakes

The autumn festival (spring in Australia) is approaching, two weeks to be exact, according to the lunar calendar - 15th day of the eighth month.

I am biased towards cakes and pastries made in Macau where the best Chinese and Portugese cake making skills fuse to superb delicacies.

The most popular are the traditional lotus seed paste filling with single yolk. This is sweet but not coy. I've recently acquired a taste for savoury and sweet mooncakes with century egg with lotus paste which are freshly made by some Hongkong confectionaries.

Comparing fish and chips in Sydney

Fish and chips are the next most popular foods to burgers and fast foods. It must have been the legacy of the early British and Irish settlers followed by the Greek migrants after World War II.



Manly - "W xx" street fish and chips is an icon in the area that residents and visitors frequent. Takeaway is good for families who have already reserved tables and chairs in a shady spot. Though the ala carte costs more, there are many options to choose from. The above is beer battered whiting with chips and salad.

A friend who has tried and tested all the fish and chips all over Sydney believes that the perpetually busy fish and chips in Windsor is the best. We tried the crumbed seafood basket (picture below). One serve is enough to feed a family of two or three adults. The high turnover ensures that the fish is always fresh and cooked to order. Be prepared for long wait especially during weekends.

Once in a blue moon, we like to pamper ourselves to a more leisurely meal. Many cafe restaurants in the rural north in Dural, formerly the fruit bowl of Sydney, could do crispy and light tempura or herb flavoured beer battered fish and chips too. Of course the price tag would be higher for visual appeal and enjoyment of the ambience in a lazy Saturday afternoon.

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Australian Italian alfresco lunch on Father's Day

Here's dad's treat for mum on Father's Day for being helping him to be a great dad.

This vongole fettucini dish is light and tasty though the menu description said it's cooked in white wine cream sauce. The infused chilli oil must have jazzed up the otherwise plain looking dish. I'm surprised that Greek parsley and roast garlic blend very well with the seafood. A sprinkling of cracked pepper and parmesan cheese completes the seasoning. Time to tuck in.


What makes one marinara pasta superior over another is the freshness of the seafood especially the green mussels and prawns. The calamari was small and tender, unlike most of the huge tough bites offered by many restaurants. The spicy tomato pasta sauce was refreshing.

The desserts and coffee are to die for. Leave some space for the sweets.

The venue is a liquor licensed cafe restaurant that starts with the letter L (a hint : a fruit and musical instrument) in the northern districts of Sydney metro area. The prices are reasonable for the quality of food, service and pleasant setting. A good alternative to travelling downtown to CBD, Leichardt or Parramatta for good Italian food.

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