It's almost 10pm before the sun begins to set behind the cluster of high-rise buildings in the La Défense business district of the French capital, splashing deep orange hues across the otherwise stormy western sky. On the opposite horizon the lone Montparnasse skyscraper rises above the 15th arrondissement like a crusty baguette peeking out of a bicycle basket.
To the south, cruise boats fully laden with wide-eyed sightseers navigate past a myriad of other drool-worthy monuments, including the distinctive facade of the 1000-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral, which, from this angle at least, hides the extensive restoration work currently being undertake as a result of the 2019 fires which destroyed the roof.
Meanwhile, almost directly beneath me, thousands of picnickers on the sprawling green lawns of the Champ de Mars are raising a glass of bubbly to the silhouette of the 330-metre-high wrought-iron lattice tower built by Gustave Eiffel as the centrepiece of the 1889 World Fair. Gustave only had permission for it to stand for 20 years. Fortuitously, city authorities, realising its telegraphy potential, decided not to tear it down and it's now one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world. More than 7 million people are expected to visit this year alone. I'm one of those, and right now peering down on the City of Light, there's nowhere else I'd rather be. Even the wailing of those all-pervading Parisian police sirens sounds melodic from the upper observation deck of the Eiffel Tower.
Eventually Mrs Yowie lures me away from my grip on the deck safety fence with the prospect of a visit to the adjoining sky-high bar, where just behind the throngs of other visitors sipping glasses of Moet to celebrate their once-in-a-lifetime sunset moment, I notice the wrap-around information panel just above head height. It points out the direction of other significant towers around the world. The first one I notice is, you guessed it, Canberra.
I mumble something to Mrs Yowie about our tower being off limits to the public. My accent grabs the attention of an American tourist quaffing his second glass of champers behind us. "Oh, I stopped for a day in Canberra on my vacation to Australia a couple of years ago, but your tower was all shut up," he hollers. "It was a more than annoying".
"It's frustrating for locals too," I lament, grasping my own plastic glass of French bubbly.
While the not-so-flattering observation about Telstra Tower and my hometown doesn't put too much of a dampener on my euphoric evening, it does make me ponder the uncertain future of our own landmark tower.
Canberra isn't the global drawcard (yet!) that Paris is, but surely gazing beyond the grandeur of our planned garden and lake city to the rugged realms of Brindabella Range would be a treasured vista for any overseas visitor.
You may recall that in March this year, Telstra announced that after slamming the doors closed on its tower in July 2021 (the revolving restaurant has been gathering cobwebs for more than a decade) they were "considering options", including a possible focus on local First Nation culture, and to relaunch it as a premier tourist destination.
I can only hope that it won't be too long before locals and international tourists can once again enjoy a glass (or two) of cool-climate wine, while watching the sunset from such a lofty location in our own backyard. However, if the excruciatingly long wait times on Telstra's customer service phone lines are a sign of how drawn-out the process will be, I'm not holding my breath.
A rare opportunity
While Telstra Tower remains off-limits for the foreseeable future, there are a surprising number of other towers in our city and surrounding region. We all know of the 50-metre-tall National Carillon, a gift from the British government to the people of Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national capital, which takes pride of place on Queen Elizabeth II Island in Lake Burley Griffin, but there are many lesser-known towers.
Next week, I'll reveal my top three towers of the region (some are really going to surprise you), but today I shine the spotlight on that windowless cream-coloured tower in Acton that many Canberrans simply refer to as "the ANU tower".
Its official name is the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), and it houses Australia's largest and most powerful ion accelerator which combines voltages of up to 15 million volts with some of the most accurate beam control and detection technology in the world.
While electron microscopes work by firing a beam of electrons at an object, this heavy-ion accelerator goes a step further by accelerating a beam of charged ions up to 10 per cent of the speed of light - or 30,000 kilometres per second. These ions have such high energies (small wavelengths) that researchers can "see" into the heart of what makes up everything in the visible universe - the atom's nucleus. Amazing.
This high-tech capability has enabled researchers to unveil ancient climate records, discover evidence of nearby supernovae, develop new medical therapies and create new elements in the periodic table. Talk about scientific grunt! It also forms an integral part of Australia's hands-on training in nuclear physics. Heck.
Can I visit? The HIAF can be toured virtually by visiting https://physics.anu.edu.au/tour/ or, if you'd like a rare peek inside, as part of National Science Week there is an open day on August 19. It's free, but best to register via https://science.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/open-day-heavy-ion-accelerator-facility
'Rough and rugged' rampart
Goulburn boasts many towers - the bell tower at St Saviour's Cathedral, the rural mansion aptly named The Towers on the outskirts of town, and the historic mill/brewery tower, to name but a few. However, the most photogenic is the Goulburn War Memorial, a 19.5-metre-high square castellation, crafted from concrete and stone conglomerate built in the mid-1920s by public subscription, as a lasting tribute to the men and women of Goulburn who served during World War I.
At the opening of the £5500 memorial by NSW governor Sir Dudley De Chair on December 15, 1925, Goulburn mayor Alderman Middlebrook said the architect-designed tower, "rough and rugged in its beauty", conformed to the surrounding hill whereon it stood, and reminded the city's residents of "the sturdy bravery of our illustrious soldiers". He went on to boldly claim "it was now generally admitted that this was the finest memorial in Australia".
Regular reader of this column, Andrew Olsen of Royalla, grew up in Goulburn and reports that "the view from the top is great" but not as invigorating as when he was a kid, when the window areas weren't closed in like they are now. Brrr.
Andrew also admits to regularly visiting the tower at night in his teenage years. "There was an urban legend that the roads of Goulburn were laid out in such a way that the streetlights would spell out the word 'Goulburn', so we would always try to see that when we were up there," he reveals. "But sadly we never really confirmed it".
Can I visit? Yes. Open 10am-4pm (along with the museum) every day except Tuesday and Thursday.
Did You Know? The Rocky Hill War Memorial which includes the tower is listed on the Register of the National Estate.
WHERE IN THE REGION?
Rating: Easy - Medium
Clue: This 4.5-storey clock tower was built in 1881 and the original clock mechanism was replaced by an electric clock motor in 1999.
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to tym@iinet.net.au. The first correct email sent after 10am, Saturday July 29 wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.
Last week: Congratulations to Frances McGee of Curtin who was first to identify last week's photo as historic mile markers at Berridale Lions Park beside Jindabyne Road in Berridale. "I know those markers well, as the nearby public toilets were a regular pit stop on the way to skiing down Antons [recently featured in this photo quiz], my favourite run at Thredbo", reports Frances who just beat June McKenzie of Fisher and John Morland of Curtin to the prize.
INTRIGUING EYRIE
University House on the ANU campus is mainly three storeys high, but if you look closely, you'll notice a small section of the eastern wing near the foyer which is 5 storeys in height.
In University House as They Experienced It: A History 1954-2004 (ANU, 2004), historian Jill Waterhouse says this tower was intriguing because "no one was ever seen to go in or out". "Rumour had it that it was the first Master's eyrie and spy tower, so that he could keep an eye on all his 'subjects'. Disappointingly it was no more than a service tower for the gravity-fed water supply, occasionally and ill-advisedly used to store suitcases and furniture."
Professor Peter Kanowski, current Master of the House, says as part of extensive repairs and renovations taking place at the campus landmark due to the 2020 hail-storm damage, it could become "something more special or useful". Oh, I like the sound of that. Watch this space.
CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, GPO Box 606, Civic, ACT, 2601
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