We ended the day’s beach odyssey with Glenelg, located on Holdfast Bay, only 20 minutes from Adelaide’s central business district. This beach is the busiest, with something for everyone. People can enjoy snorkelling, scuba, and boating. A Ferris wheel is only one of many kid-friendly spaces. Others include a splash park, pedal cars, water slides, trampolines, and climbing activities. Cinemas, restaurants, and shops line the historic streets. Established in 1836, Glenelg is the oldest European settlement on mainland South Australia.

At a recent lunch with Australian friends, we commiserated over the U.S. government shutdown (now in its 33rd day with 800,000 federal workers still unpaid). One said, “We did this once too, you know.” And he shared with us the story of Australia’s 1975 government shutdown.

The Parliament of Australia consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In October 1975, the ruling Labor party had passed appropriation bills in the House of Representatives, where they held a majority. The opposition Liberal party, which controlled the Senate, refused to pass those bills. The Liberal party objected to what they saw as expansive spending, particularly since signs indicated the country could be moving into a recession. The Liberal party wanted Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, leader of the Labor party, to call an election for the House of Representatives. Instead, Whitlam planned to call for an election in the Senate, hoping to seize control there.

Meanwhile, because Australia is a constitutional monarchy, Parliament has another element: Queen Elizabeth II is the head of State. The Queen’s representative at the time, Sir John Kerr, served as Governor-General. Kerr negotiated with both parties and recognized that neither the Labor nor the Liberal party would give in. He also knew that the supply (appropriations money) would run out on 27 November. Prime Minister Whitlam’s planned election to break the Senate stalemate wasn’t until 13 December.

Kerr sacked Whitlam on 11 November 1975 and put Liberal party leader Malcolm Fraser in his place. Fraser quickly passed the appropriations bills in the Senate. Kerr released the following statement on 19 November 1975:

The Labor party, outraged by the change of government, sought a no-confidence vote against the new prime minister. No doubt exasperated, Kerr then dissolved Parliament. An election was held the next month, which resulted in Fraser and the Liberal party controlling Parliament with a large majority.

The resulting political turmoil from Kerr’s controversial actions has lasted many years, up until the current day. It is unknown how much Queen Elizabeth II was involved with her Governor-General’s decision. While Buckingham Palace maintains she knew nothing at all, there is a pending lawsuit to make her communications with Kerr public.

There has never been a government shutdown in Australia since. Those long-lasting reverberations from the 1975 crisis have convinced Australian politicians to never again hold appropriations bills hostage. There is an unspoken agreement between the parties that appropriations bills will always be passed, and Parliament will keep the government running.

Looking at our current crisis, I find myself wondering: Where’s Queen Elizabeth II and a Governor-General when you need them?

In Sydney one weekend, I was wandering down Hickson Road in Walsh Bay when I saw a car that had been crushed by something and moved off the street to a roundabout. What on earth had happened?

As I came closer, I saw a huge boulder balancing on top of the car, apparently responsible for the damage. Had the car just been left there?

I circled the car and saw that the boulder had a face.

Odd, right?
 
This piece of urban artwork is called Still Life with Stone and Car by sculptor Jimmie Durham. Born in Arkansas and now based in Berlin, he created this piece for the 2004 Sydney Biennale. The Biennale is an international festival of contemporary art.

Still Life with Stone and Car was created onsite in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. A two-ton stone, quarried from Australia’s Central Coast, was lowered by crane onto the red 1999 Ford Festiva hatchback, which had been specially purchased for this work. Before the stone was hammered into position, Durham painted a face on it. Why? Durham said, "To my way of thinking, if the stone is simply a stone without a face, it becomes a gesture, but with the face painted on it, the work develops a strange narrative."

Strange indeed.

Durham’s work was moved to its current location in 2006. It certainly blends into the environment. I should have realized sooner that it was street art but had ignored two signs that frame the work, no matter which way you approach it on Hickson Road. These signs are by artist Richard Tipping and they read:

The name of Tipping’s piece? Artwork, naturally enough.

Clever.

We live in O’Malley, a suburb about eight miles south from the center of Canberra. Established in 1973, O’Malley is in the Woden Valley. The suburb was named after King O’Malley, a politician best known for arranging the competition  to design the new capital city of Canberra.

O’Malley is home to around 20 embassies and high commissions. All the streets include aboriginal words, such as Callemonda Rise and Timbarra Crescent.

Because of the two nature reserves here (Mount Mugga Mugga and Issacs Ridge), many trails lead into the bush. Kangaroos and cockatoos are common sights, framed against the blue sky, green grasses (this time of year), and the varied tans of the dusty trails. What I didn’t expect to see when I moved to O’Malley was orange … and a lot of it.

Wildflowers thrive at the edge of the trails.

The color orange appears in some unexpected places in nature.

Building materials match the surroundings.

For one day at least, both Milo and I were orange too, although he's really more of a light apricot.

And we can always count on shades of orange in our sunsets.