With her sixtieth birthday approaching, my mother was adamant that she would keep it low-key (mostly). There would be no grand celebrations or fanfare. Instead, she had a simple wish of driving down to Canberra and taking a look at the capital city of our fair nation: Australia. Of course, we had been there a few times in the past – mostly as a stopover on our trips down to the Snowy Mountains. But, we had never given the city a proper once-over.

No longer. This time, we were going to give the nation’s capital a proper evaluation as a destination holiday destination.

Taking a few days leave, I was ready to drive and accompany my mother and grandmother down to Canberra. On the drive down, we stopped at Goulburn for brunch. Getting a recommendation from one of my mother’s friends, we headed to Roses Cafe and Co. right next to the Goulburn courthouse. As was my wont, I went for an ‘Eggs Benedict’ while my mother struggled to choose between a wrap and ‘Smashed Avo.’ In fact, she even stopped to ask me what it contained as she pondered if it would also be a good fit for my grandmother (who usually dislikes Western style food and is forever biased for Chinese and more Chinese). After translating the Australian slang, my mother opted for the ‘Smashed Avo,’ never knowing that it was what prevented Millennials such as myself to purchase property.

Once we were stuffed to the brim, we returned to the car. This time, I took the wheel – driving the remaining hour or so to Canberra. Our first stop? The National Gallery of Australia. Now, I’ve never been one for art, but as my mother was excited for one of the special exhibits: Botticelli to van Gogh, I tagged along. After all, I would not be paying much of anything during this trip. To my surprise, all of the pieces were from the National Gallery in London. Instantly, I was transported back to 2013 when I had tagged along as a third wheel to my friend’s trip to Europe. At the time, she was dating a person from London. And because I live vicariously through others (and also because I really, really, really wanted to go to London because I’m a bit of a history buff and Sherlockian) I somehow convinced them to let me tag along.

So, it came as no surprise that I recognised a few of the pieces when I had been wandering through the National Gallery in London. Of course, in the much larger building, whole floors had been dedicated to the artists from various centuries. And while most of it was a blur, I remembered distinctly that many of the classical artists had an eye for religious iconography.

The only pieces that my mother could name from just a glance were the Sunflowers by van Gogh and Monet’s Water Lily Pond. An art appreciator, however, my mother is not and she failed to identify Rembrandt in the self-portrait that had also been painstakingly shipped to Australia for display.

Once we had our fill of the National Gallery of Australia, including those from notable Australian and Indigenous artists, we thought it best to set our bags down at the hotel apartments where we would be staying for a two days. The place she had booked was amenable to our needs though it was not as luxurious as I had hoped. Still, it had a bed, a working shower and also a small kitchenette so that my grandmother and mother could have their instant noodles breakfast.

It was not long before someone came to pick us up. Once a young man travelling across China to get back home, he had enjoyed the hospitality of my mother and stepfather and was now eager to return the favour since settling in Canberra. 

Taking us to a local Ugyhur restaurant in Belconnen, we headed to Mount Aislie to witness the rare lunar eclipse. Freezing cold, we watched as the moon slowly began to fade from view. An hour or so later, we took photos of the total lunar eclipse. Dismayed by the poor quality from our phones, we took advantage of the kindness of a stranger who sported a telescope. With his much better equipment, the photos he had managed to take were a sight to behold.

Of course, we took advantage of his hospitality and took photos of HIS photos instead because they looked much more impressive and he was not charging for them.

They don’t call it a Blood Moon for nothing.

It was quite late when we finally returned to the hotel. Exhausted, I endured a restless slumber.

The next day, our Canberra guide came to pick us up. Knowing that we were in the city, he had also taken a few days off and was keen to drive us around. Our first stop was to Gooda Creek Mushrooms. Though usually closed to the public, since our guide had worked there previously, he knew the owners and had arranged for us to take a look around. There, we were greeted by alpacas and llamas both. There were even deer on the property! Alas, they were too far for a proper look and there was a fence between us and them. At the very least I was able to appreciate their great antlers from a distance.

Once my mother had her fill of alpacas, we returned back to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). On the recommendation of my mother’s friend, we headed to Cockington Green Gardens. Here, we enjoyed a myriad of small miniature recreations of famous sites all across the globe: from Petra to a distinctly colourful set of streets in Argentina, as well as Roman ruins in Syria. There were also a variety of buildings that could commonly be found in the United Kingdom such as stadiums, an ivy house and many other faithful recreations.

After lunch, we also took a walk around Queen Elizabeth Terrace and saw the outside of Questacon, the National Library of Australia and the High Court. As I took a look around, I promised myself that I would take some time out to revisit Questacon – maybe with a few friends in tow or my own future children (whether that actually happens remains a mystery but one can dream).

Nearing 2.30PM, we headed to a wharf out on Lake Burley Griffin. Our guide, knowing of a trip, had taken the liberties of hiring an electric boat for us to take out. Though it was a cold chill May day, we enjoyed our time out on the water and taking in the sights. Since it was an electric picnic boat, there was no need for a boating licence and we had a grand old time of going at snail’s pace around the vast lake that split Canberra in two.

Returning shortly to shore, we retired for an early night – but not without taking a trip up to the Telstra Tower at Black Mountain and a drive through the campus of Australian National University (ANU). We also stopped by the zoo because it was my mother’s sincerest hope that we would be able to holiday at Jamala Lodge, where we would be able to enjoy the company of a lion or a bear as dining companions. 

Given that I had a few spare hours before bedtime, I managed to sneak in an hour or two of New Pokemon Snap. After a day of taking photos of real things out in the real world, I was eager to snap shots of fictitious creatures in a 3D rendered imagining of the Pokemon universe. 

Our last day in Canberra started off a little later than I would have liked. Still, we were able to make good time and reached the top of Mount Ainslie to take in the sights of Canberra in the daylight. Once we were sufficiently chilled by the mountain air, we descended once again to explore the National Museum of Australia.  

Within, we were able to take a gander at the interactive exhibits and learn a little more about Australia’s history and the significant events that led it to becoming the nation that we now call home. Much of it was about white colonists and there was even acknowledgements for the sins of the past. It was clear a lot went into this memorial of the past and I, for one, was glad to read about the steps that had been taken to celebrate the unique Indigenous cultures and its evolution to a postmodern civilisation.

Unfortunately, with time bearing down on us, we didn’t stay very long. I would have preferred being able to fully appreciate each exhibit and read more on the snippets they provided, but there is always next time. Hopefully, without family with me, I can take my time as I wind my way through and note down all the facts and figures that helped build up the nation now known as Australia.

As it is, I came away with a little more understanding about the importance of belonging to a place – one that I never gave much thought to as I struggled to navigate the two very different cultures that made up my identity as an Asian Australian.

But yes, the museums do need another go. And now that I’ve heard that the Australian Museum in Sydney has been renovated, I might actually take the time out to revisit it.

Time will tell, of course. 

And isn’t it strange that it’s always so hard to set time out to explore one’s own backyard than it is to jet off to another country and explore every nook and cranny there?