Canberra's jugglers and acrobats, and their fine old house

If you're a political junkie you need to visit Canberra now and again. That's where the action supposedly is. Or at least, that's where most of the political juggling and acrobatics happens.

I did New Parliament House last year, so this time it was Old Parliament House's turn. For over half a century they juggled to their heart's content there. Even made a few important decisions.

You can learn all about it as you wander around the place. It's part democracy museum, and part warm and cosy, fine and comfortable old building. There were very few other visitors when I was there. I paid my $2, and I was free to roam the corridors, the two chambers, the Prime Minister's and Speaker's offices and suites, whatever I liked. There's a nice cafe and an upmarket restaurant too, or you can hire bits of it for special events even.

Downstairs there's a nice little display of some of the year's best political cartoons, entitled 'Jugglers and Acrobats'.

Malcolm didn't show quite enough skill, it turned out!

Sydney's biggest ever climate march

Estimates of precise numbers varied, as ever, with published figures ranging from 3000 to 60,000! I was there, and I'd put it somewhere in the middle. It was definitely big though, and it was colourful, and very uplifting.

There were groups from churches, political parties, local action groups, solar power aficionados, and health professionals. There was even a small pro-nuclear group, and two (brave?) chaps whose banners just read < coal / >.  (I've no idea what that means exactly, or whether they were pro or anti coal. Note to placard writers: don't get too cryptic!)

There was music, there were speeches from some very worthy personages, and there were giant and horribly realistic versions of Tony 'King Coal' Abbott and Malcolm 'Innovate' Turnbull to scare the children.

We eventually marched from the Domain rallying place down to the Opera House, where the giant polystyrene politicians could scare the tourists too.

We'd been asked to colour code ourselves by dress choice, and march in our coloured blocks. I chose white, which was the designated colour for medicos and scientists. Several of my fellow marchers carried giant cardboard mosquitoes, signifying presumably malaria and suchlike diseases we can look forward to in a warmer Australia. 

Extreme postcodes: 2027

This is Sydney's (and Australia's) wealthiest postcode. It covers Edgecliffe, Darling Point, Point Piper, and Double Bay.

It's a bit hard to map wealth itself - it's too easy to hide it. But various analyses, using declared taxable incomes, for what they're worth, have come up with this one. And it's home to several of Australia's best known billionaires (and it houses the office of an almost-billionaire would-be Prime Minister, I noticed).

 I also noticed lots of fine water views (mostly blocked to the public by the mansions hugging the shoreline), well maintained streets with fine old trees, and lots of tradies carrying out 'Finest Plumbing' bathroom renovations. Come to think of it, I saw few other people about than the tradies. There was a 'lavender scented nappy washing service' doing its deliveries too. There are a few boats too, of course. But the tone of the suburb was nicely lowered by the spectacularly graffitied furniture removal van on New South Head Road.