Day Three - Bundanoon to Canberra

Today was a disaster that turned into a blessing. I got a puncture because I'd wore right through my rear tire. I needed a new one. I went to a bike shop in town who admonished me for not carrying a spare. As it turns out I have quite an unusual wheel size and it was looking like I would not be able to get a new tire. I tried another bike shop: the Green Grocer bike shop. They managed to find something that they could make fit and really sorted me out. The lovely old guy there even changed it for me and gave me some handy tips from his touring days. I can't recommend these guys highly enough.

Fed up with carrying more stuff than I needed, I decided to send a bunch of crap ahead of me to Melbourne. All this took many hours and I didn't have enough time to ride to Canberra. I caught the bus instead. So today I hardly did any riding at all. I think I needed a bit of a rest after that freakin' ball-breaking Jamberoo Mountain Road.

I checked out Parliament House and loved it. I actually got to see the Senate debating the ETS bill. It was a very lively affair. It reminded me of childhood playground arguments – only these guys were 50 years older and wearing suits. It was slanderous and entertaining. The free tour of Parliament House was very informative too – did you know that to choose the green colour of the House of Representatives they picked some gum leaves from the Bathurst area?

Tonight I checked out some of Canberra's restaurants and bars with Sam and Dan. I was surprised at how much I liked Canberra. It was a Friday afternoon and the streets were packed with people enjoying a bevvy in the sun. We drove up to the lookout over Canberra too: very pretty.

The big sheep in Goulburn.

One of the great bridges leading to Parliament House.

Canberra, the grass really is greener.

Fun and games overlooking Canberra.

Myself, Sam and Dan messing around with our mobiles and time exposure.