How could I have forgotten one of the most interesting visits of the day? I think I was feeling guilty about the amount of time between blogs, so I hastily wrote the Canberra blog this afternoon, and posted it without proper editing.
I left out our fantastically interesting visit to the High Court today. We kept getting tantalising glimpses of the High Court building on our bus rides, but never a complete view, so on our bike ride today, we cycled around the building, ending up riding up a gentle slope to the entrance, beside a gently bubbling WA speckled granite water feature which runs the full length of the entry ramp. You may remember the film "The Castle" in which the family ended up at the High Court defending their home against a land grab (if you haven't, then get it on DVD as soon as possible).
It's such an imposing building; 40 metres tall and constructed mainly of concrete and glass, with the Great Hall 7 stories high. Construction began in 1975 and was completed in 1980, at a total cost of $46.5 million. The imposing courtrooms are lined with different Australian woods, grooved to improve the acoustics. It's so hard to convey the beauty of the building, especially inside, with its warm woods, beautiful tapestries and etchings. Some of the timbers used in the 3 courtrooms are red tulip oak, jarrah, blackwood and coachwood. The flooring is either Aurisina marble, concrete or carpet. The public hall features a mural by Jan Senbergs, doors designed by Les Kossatz and George Baldessin and a wax mural by B. Maddock, all worth the visit.
We cycled to the entrance, but with no bike locks, Ray opted to stay outside while I went in and had a look. There was a Court Guide inside who was keen to show me around, but when I explained about the bike situation he arranged for the security guard at the entrance to keep an eye on them, so Ray joined me for a personal and very interesting talk about the High Court, the Constitution and our judicial system. Our Guide, Cedric, a gentle and intelligent man, made the whole system come alive for us both, and when I dropped back to thank him, after having also visited the upstairs courts, he presented me with his personal (pocket) copy of the Constitution. It was a generous and thoughtful gesture and really made our visit memorable.
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Everybody needs to get away and simply let go at some stage in their lives. For us the time has arrived and this trip, otherwise known as the Turning Left trip is our letting go. We turned left out of our gate and each day we decide where to go next. If it's of any interest, you can follow our meanderings and please feel free to comment.
As good as the palace / temple in Abu Dhabi?
ReplyDeleteOnly you could have the security guard personally mind your bikes for you!!
Not quite as opulent as the Grand Mosque, but very impressive. Cedric was a fantastic Guide and really made the place come alive for us. It helped that he arrangd for the security guard to watch our bikes as well. Shows you how few people visit the High Court!
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