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Canberra Red: Stories from the bush capital
'Canberra is not simply a city. It is a chosen city.' - Marion Halligan
Dragged from the big metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne in the 1920s, a first generation of federal government workers settled into humble red brick Canberra 'govvies' on the brown paddocks of the Limestone Plains. They complained about the cold and the lack of pubs. But over time, like the first pioneers a century earlier, they embraced their new home. They grew fond of the peaceful tree-lined streets of their garden city in the bush, proud of what had been created around the muddy Molonglo River.
Canberra Red takes us beyond the elected reps and national landmarks, beyond the neat maps and ubiquitous aerial photographs that are the public face of the planned, political city. Some of Canberra's best known writers reveal what it is that makes their special city tick, and what has become of the grand vision of Walter Burley Griffin and his extraordinary partner, Marion.
Including chapters from Marion Halligan, Frank Moorhouse and Andrew Sayers, lyrics from the unforgettable P. Harness, and newly 'discovered' postcards from Walter Burley Griffin himself, Canberra Red is a thoughtful and warm evocation of a city that has come of age.
Dragged from the big metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne in the 1920s, a first generation of federal government workers settled into humble red brick Canberra 'govvies' on the brown paddocks of the Limestone Plains. They complained about the cold and the lack of pubs. But over time, like the first pioneers a century earlier, they embraced their new home. They grew fond of the peaceful tree-lined streets of their garden city in the bush, proud of what had been created around the muddy Molonglo River.
Canberra Red takes us beyond the elected reps and national landmarks, beyond the neat maps and ubiquitous aerial photographs that are the public face of the planned, political city. Some of Canberra's best known writers reveal what it is that makes their special city tick, and what has become of the grand vision of Walter Burley Griffin and his extraordinary partner, Marion.
Including chapters from Marion Halligan, Frank Moorhouse and Andrew Sayers, lyrics from the unforgettable P. Harness, and newly 'discovered' postcards from Walter Burley Griffin himself, Canberra Red is a thoughtful and warm evocation of a city that has come of age.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 8, 2026
Here’s the blurb from the back cover:
'Canberra is not simply a city. It is a chosen city.' - Marion Halligan
‘Dragged from the big metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne in the 1920s, a first generation of federal government workers settled into humble red brick Canberra 'govvies' on the brown paddocks of the Limestone Plains. They complained about the cold and the lack of pubs. But over time, like the first pioneers a century earlier, they embraced their new home. They grew fond of the peaceful tree-lined streets of their garden city in the bush, proud of what had been created around the muddy Molonglo River.
Canberra Red takes us beyond the elected reps and national landmarks, beyond the neat maps and ubiquitous aerial photographs that are the public face of the planned, political city. Some of Canberra's best known writers reveal what it is that makes their special city tick, and what has become of the grand vision of Walter Burley Griffin and his extraordinary partner, Marion.
Including chapters from Marion Halligan, Frank Moorhouse and Andrew Sayers, lyrics from the unforgettable P. Harness, and newly 'discovered' postcards from Walter Burley Griffin himself, Canberra Red is a thoughtful and warm evocation of a city that has come of age.’
This book was published thirteen years ago, and I found it interesting to read and to think about the changes I have observed in Canberra in the fifty-two years I have lived here. While occasionally I dream of returning to my state of origin (Tasmania), I am now a Canberran at heart. Canberra is a mixture of national capital full of national institutions and an increasing suburban nightmare difficult to navigate without private transport. Its saving grace is the bushland and trees which are never too far away. While I preferred the orderly days before self-government was foist upon the ACT in 1989, I accept that some form of self-government was inevitable. It’s a challenge given the dual nature of Canberra means that national responsibilities rest with the Commonwealth Government and ‘local’ issues are the responsibility of the ACT Assembly. It’s also a challenge given that ‘Canberra’ is often a derogatory shorthand for the Commonwealth Government. Sigh.
As I read the chapters in this book, I was reminded of the history of Canberra and of some of the visionaries responsible for the shape of the city. I was particularly interested in Jack Lydiard’s ‘Decompacting the City’ which envisions Canberra in 2113.
I found the book interesting.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
'Canberra is not simply a city. It is a chosen city.' - Marion Halligan
‘Dragged from the big metropolises of Sydney and Melbourne in the 1920s, a first generation of federal government workers settled into humble red brick Canberra 'govvies' on the brown paddocks of the Limestone Plains. They complained about the cold and the lack of pubs. But over time, like the first pioneers a century earlier, they embraced their new home. They grew fond of the peaceful tree-lined streets of their garden city in the bush, proud of what had been created around the muddy Molonglo River.
Canberra Red takes us beyond the elected reps and national landmarks, beyond the neat maps and ubiquitous aerial photographs that are the public face of the planned, political city. Some of Canberra's best known writers reveal what it is that makes their special city tick, and what has become of the grand vision of Walter Burley Griffin and his extraordinary partner, Marion.
Including chapters from Marion Halligan, Frank Moorhouse and Andrew Sayers, lyrics from the unforgettable P. Harness, and newly 'discovered' postcards from Walter Burley Griffin himself, Canberra Red is a thoughtful and warm evocation of a city that has come of age.’
This book was published thirteen years ago, and I found it interesting to read and to think about the changes I have observed in Canberra in the fifty-two years I have lived here. While occasionally I dream of returning to my state of origin (Tasmania), I am now a Canberran at heart. Canberra is a mixture of national capital full of national institutions and an increasing suburban nightmare difficult to navigate without private transport. Its saving grace is the bushland and trees which are never too far away. While I preferred the orderly days before self-government was foist upon the ACT in 1989, I accept that some form of self-government was inevitable. It’s a challenge given the dual nature of Canberra means that national responsibilities rest with the Commonwealth Government and ‘local’ issues are the responsibility of the ACT Assembly. It’s also a challenge given that ‘Canberra’ is often a derogatory shorthand for the Commonwealth Government. Sigh.
As I read the chapters in this book, I was reminded of the history of Canberra and of some of the visionaries responsible for the shape of the city. I was particularly interested in Jack Lydiard’s ‘Decompacting the City’ which envisions Canberra in 2113.
I found the book interesting.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 7, 2013
I didn't finish this book. I found the writing style to be quite tedious, even though it is written by various authors. I ended up picking a few stories randomly that sounded as though they would be interesting - one by one of my favourite authors - but I still couldn't get into it. I hope this book doesn't confirm the view of many outsiders that Canberra is a boring city, because it isn't!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews