Brrrrr

July 1 – Tuesday

An early start today as we had to take the car to a Mitsubishi dealer in the northern part of Canberra. Shortly after we left Tasmania, a letter was received saying the car had to have an upgrade to its software for some technical reason. The Mitsubishi hotline lady advised we have it done in Canberra and all the arrangements were made and upgrades are now working, hopefully.

Ai, ai, ai, it is cold today!!! It is absolutely FREEZING – very windy and wet. Certainly a day for thermals, woollen jumper, down jacket, woolly hat and gloves. I’m sure we wouldn’t have to drive far to reach snow. We had a little drive around in the rain after having the car fixed and drove around the Defence Forces Headquarters and ASIO (lots and lots of security and electric fences here) before heading for the lake. A quick jump out of the car for a photo and then on to the Australian Institute of Sport.

Apart from the $1 entry fee to Old Parliament House, this was the first time we have had to pay an admission fee ($10), but it was well worth it. The most exciting exhibit in the entry foyer would have to be the jumper worn by Adam Goodes in the 2005 Grand Final, plus his two Brownlow Medals and Premiership Medal. A young lady who is training to become a soccer referee showed us around – we saw the gymnastics hall, the arena, watched some athletes working out in the gym and looked through the glass walls at swimmers being coached. We weren’t allowed in the pool building because of the technical equipment installed there. A highlight for the children on the tour – and the big kids as well – was the time spent in the Sportex room. In here, we were able to rock climb, throw a basketball, ski down a mountain, hurtle headfirst down a luge on a skeleton, score a soccer goal if we were good enough, test our reflexes and flexibility and other cool stuff.

The weather is so cold it is time to head north!