After learning about the legend of Senbaruzu in Japan, Elyx was ready to go down under and visit Australia with its beautiful landscapes, exotic animals and interesting culture.
Arriving in the capital of Canberra, Elyx was welcomed by UN staff in the city. Even though Australia is a very big country, there are only two UN offices present, namely the UNIC of Canberra and the UNHCR Regional Office. However, the UNIC of Canberra also covers other countries in the Pacific area, such as New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu. To learn more about UNIC click here: http://un.org.au/un-in-our-region/.
Elyx visits the Parliament House in Canberra. (Photo: UNIC Canberra/Julie Dean)
The UN staff was really happy to show the digital ambassador around and the first stop of the tour was the Parliament, which is a great building, whose peculiar design recalls the shape of two boomerangs. Elyx was so surprised to discover that the Australian Parliament hosts one of the four surviving originals copies of the 1297 Magna Carta, the most significant document in the history of democracy.
After a crash course in Australian history and arts at the Parliament House, Elyx needed a small nap and found a beautiful spot by Lake Burley Griffin. The lake is actually artificial and is located in the city centre, surrounded by numerous important institutions, such as the National Gallery, National Museum and the Australia National University.
Elyx takes a nap on a hammock in front of Lake Burley Griffin.(Photo: UNIC Canberra/Julie Dean)
Back on tour with the UN staff Elyx learnt that Australia hosts 12 UNESCO world heritage sites. The first to be declared a world heritage site was the Kakadu National Park in 1981, the second largest national park in the world. Later in the same year, the UNESCO also included the Great Barrier Reef and Elyx was sad to discover that the natural beauty of this area is threatened by climate change.
As Elyx’s time in Australia came to an end there was still one thing left to do: admire the view of this unique city from Mount Ainslie. What better way to leave Australia than with impressive architecture and beautiful landscapes still on your mind?
More Photos of Elyx in Australia (Full Flickr Gallery)
Learn more about Australia at the United Nations
UNIC Canberra
UNHCR in Australia
World Bank Pacific Islands Unit in Australia
UNESCO and Australia
Permanent Mission to the UN
More Photos from Elyx’s 70 Day Journey (Full Flickr Gallery)