Ultimate Viewers' Day in Canberra
See what nine Oprah Show Ultimate Viewers did when they visited Canberra, Australia's capital city.
Parliament House
Oprah Show Ultimate Viewers' day trip to Canberra, three hours from Sydney, began with a walk through the Parliament House. Inside, a stunning marble staircase and 3,000 original artworks help create the backdrop for the House of Representatives and Senate.
On the rooftop, after giving a detailed description of why Canberra was designed as it was, the tour guide sang the Australian National Anthem and our Ultimate Viewers waved for a helicopter fly-by.
War Memorial
Within the doors of the Australian War Memorial lies the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Solder. One Ultimate Viewer, Larry Edema, was chosen to perform a ceremony at the Memorial with U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich and a military officer—a ceremony that was symbolic for Larry as his father is a veteran and that particular day was his father's 90th birthday.
After the emotional ceremony, curators took the Ultimate Viewers through the museum to explore other exhibits.
Roll of Honor at the War Museum
In the courtyard outside the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Solder is the Roll of Honor. The Roll of Honor contains the names of virtually every Australian who has died in war since 1885.
National Gallery of Australia
At the National Gallery of Australia, our Ultimate Viewers explored new Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander galleries, pausing to study the incredible works from some of the oldest and riches traditions in human history.
National Gallery of Australia: The Aboriginal Memorial
At the Gallery, our Ultimate Viewers also saw the 200 hollow log coffins of the Aboriginal Memorial, one of the most significant indigenous works of art in the Gallery's history.
U.S. Embassy
Our Ultimate Viewers were introduced to Ambassador Bleich, his wife and three children at the U.S. Embassy before taking a tour of the grounds. Following the tour, the group enjoyed a buffet lunch on the patio of the Embassy—complete with
Pavlova for dessert—and listened to Ambassador Bleich's stories of his past experience and the history of the house.
Published 01/19/2011
