A GARDEN CITY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 137, 7 December 1926, Page 14

A GARDEN CITY

CANBERRA IN THE MAKING

GREEN LAWNS AND GLORIOUS

FLOWERS

THIRTY THOUSAND TULIPS IN

BLOOM.

Visitors to Canberra in the first half of October must have carried away in their memories a wondorful picturo of great stretches of smooth green lawn, broken by beds of glorious tulips—such tulips as are produced nowhere else in the Commonwealth in equal beauty and abundance, states a correspondent of the Melbourne "Argus." Purple and rose and gold and white, self-coloured and splashed and striped, they evoked the enthusiastic admiration of everyone who saw them. They are there for all to see in open unfenced spaces that border the roadway and wide garden paths outside the Hotel Canberra, for they are a part of the great plan that has been designed to make Canberra the garden city of the Commonwealth. Some thousands of bulbs were imported a few years ago, and these have multiplied exceedingly, so that it is estimated that there were this year 30,000 tulips in bloom in this great community garden. But the tulips bloom for only a few weeks, and only in a small part of the twelve square miles that represent the area of the Federal Capital City; and the aim of the Federal Capital Commission, and of the gardeners who under their direction are planting parks and gardens in every quarter throughout that area, is to make the •wholo city beautiful at every season of the year, and to provide shade and wind shields wherever they are needed. Of- all the interesting things that I saw during my stay in Canberra, and of all the evidences of forethought and vision that were manifest, this it-was that made the greatest and kindliest impression upon me. Those who live in Canberra will live in»a great garden, and for those who love the gracious shade of trees and the beauty of grass and flowers, it will be a life of continual refreshment.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

But even without its flowers and trees Canberra would have been a beautiful city. It lies in an amphitheatre of hills, a stretch of undulating country in which every public building of any importance will crown an eminence with an outlook of unusual beauty on every side. From the north of the city the view extends west, over Yarralumla— the homestead which is being converted into • a residence for the Governor-Gen-eral —and the pastoral country beyond, to Mount Stromlo, with the Federal Observatory on its summit, and the blue peaks of the Dividing Range some, twenty miles away; and overlooking Canberra on this side are those comely hills,' Mount Ainslie and Black Mountain. At the foot of Black Mountain and on the lowest slopes is site reserved for the Federal University, and the summit and higher slopes are a forest reserve. A school of forestry is also to be established, the headquarters of the Institute of Science and Industry „will be here, and, with the observatory on Mount Stromlo,-it is clear that there are possibilities of creating in Canberra a centre of University and scientific life and work that will give it a distinctive character. Canberra can hardly become, at all events for many years, a big commercial or industrial city; but it can be, and should bo, a place distinguished for its culture, where the arts and knowledge should flourish, and where men and women should concern themselves chiefly with the things that are more excellent. There is a sense of great expectation in Canberra, a feeling that one is assisting at the beginning of big things. Many of those who come there are brought by curiosity, by an interest, kindly or the reverse. But many, too, have come on business, to plan the beginnings of enterprises, social, educational, commercial, and since those who come from Sydney arrive in the middle of the night, there was always a pleasurable anticipation when one came down to, breakfast. On ono morning, for example, members of the National Board of the Young Women's Christian Association were there, bent on choosing a suitable site for the association's work. On another I was greeted by the chairman of the Institute of Science and Industry, who had come to inspect areas for the establishment of the headquarters of the institute. Every day the ears of the commission were in requisition, bearing hither and thither people bent on similar enterprise. But even more impressive than the interest and eager pleasure of the visitors is the satisfaction, and the faith, of those, who have lived at Canberra for years and have helped to build the foundations of the city. Not one of the officers whom I met had any doubt about ihe future. Some of them have put all their savings into houses or shops in the territory. All of them find it a pleasant place to live in, and were confident that it will become,more and more pleasant as it develops. The west winds may be strong and cold, but they are bracing and invigorating; the sun may be Hot on summer days, but the nights are always cool enough Ito make blankets necessary. Heat and dust and wind will all be mitigated by the wide plantations which extend along all the principal streets, and by the parks and avenues which are already appearing in every quarter of thh city. During the week that i spent there we had varied weather. Some „sf the days were like those clear, bright, sparkling days that we experience in the autumn, and occasionally in the spring. On others there were rainstorms, with pleasant pauses between them. On others a strong, cold wind blew; but its effect was never depressing, as is that of the cold, dusty north winds that blow in the winter and spring in Melbourne. In Canberra the cold winds sent me out to walk eager,for movement and exercise, and I realised that this will undoubtedly be a great place for sport. Already, though the city has hardly begun to be populated, there are two small golf links, cricket and football fields, tennis courts, a bowling green, and croquet lawns. Already the first polo match has been played. The fresh, clean, invigorating air is a constant delight to the city dweller who seeks rest and refreshment, 'for the Federal capital is 1800 feet above sea level. -

AGREEABLE LIVING CONDITIONS.

I went to Canberra with an open mind, but inclined a to be sorry for those who are being compelled to transfer their homes from Melbourne to the capital. I came away wishing that I might be one of them. The houses about which so much complaint has been made, and which look so unsatisfactory on paper, seem much better when one sees them built and occupied. All of the women whose houses I visited were quite contented. One, whose house was built on the most undesirable plan, with the sitting-room a thoroughfare to other rooms, confessed that she had been ''most disgusted" when she first saw it. "I thought that I could never bear it," she said. But when finished1 it looked quite attractive, and in practice she found the plan not inconvenient. "We use the back door more than the front room for entering, and the house is well built and not draughty." She had, as it happened, no children. Those who have would find it better to choose different types of home. Bat none, it seems,

has been compelled to accept any plans as they stand. AH of them have been submitted subject to alterations suggested by the purchasers or -future occupantß. With regard to the cost of living, I was assured by more than one housewife that food and other supplies were of excellent quality, and not, on the whole, dearer than in Melbourne. The shops did not promise quite everything that I would want, if I lived there, but what they did not supply, Goulburn or Sydney would provide. For while I was there one Sydney firm had a display of ready-made dresses in two of the hotels, and its representatives were promising to hold similar displays every fortnight or so. Life will not be quite so comfortable as in- Melbourne in some respects at first. There is no gas for cooking, but there is electric light, at a slightly higher rate than we pay in Melbourne suburbs; and there is water laid on —beautiful to drink and in abundance. Most people will have to be satisfied with smaller homes than they have in Melbourne, or to pay more for homes of the same size. But on the whole life should be much simpler. There will bo far less wear and tear on clothing and on household furnishings, because the place is so much cleaner generally. And most people will prefer walking to travelling by bus, because the air is stimulating. For purposes of pleasure there are lovely walks and drives in every direction, the roads being exceptionally good, and there are beautiful hills to be climbed. The Molonglo River winds in and out through the city, with weeping willows trailing their long strands above the water. In time, I have no doubt, boating may be possible, as the river is being cleared and snagged. , I cannot write on this subject without paying some tribute to the people who have laid the foundations^ Canberra. Its water supply and its roads evoked the admiration of every visitor. The work of the Lands officers has enormously enhanced the value of the pastoral lands in the territory. The gardeners, who have been responsible for the planting of a million and a half trees in the territory, and who have half a million more ready to be planted, are enthusiastic about their work. So successful has all the work been in the nurseries that trees 12 and 14 feet high are now being transferred to £he parks and gardens that surround Parliament House and the town hall site, and that extend along most of the streets.