Australia's Finest: The ANU

The Australian National University is quite a large campus as university campuses go. At 160 hectares (400 acres) it takes nearly ½ hour to walk across it along its widest dimension. As you might expect, ANU is the pride of Australia's universities. King O'Malley, after whom a well-known pub in civic centre is now named, set aside land in the first decade of the 20^th century, but the university itself is not the oldest one in Australia. It is however the first to be founded primarily for research and post-graduate education. It was founded in 1946 with the passage by the Australian Parliament of  Australian National University Act. The school opened to coursework students in 1960. My school was founded in 1994.

At any one time, 2500 graduate level students follow their research endeavors or coursework load. The ANU ranked 17^th in the world across all disciplines in the 2009 Times World survey, just below Stanford University and just above McGill University. It ranks 42 in Engineering schools.

One finds the campus map divided into eight "precincts", each of a different color, for ease of identification. Precinct signage and building identifications follow the color scheme, so visitors can find their way about campus easily. Precinct names commemorate individuals who played a significant role in the founding of the university: Kingsley, Daley, Baldessin, Liversidge, Garran, Ellery, Banks and Dickinson. The main road through each precinct carries the precinct name.

Dickinson and Liversidge are filled mostly with residential halls; Garran with Astronomy, Astro-physics, Nuclear Physics, and Medical Research; Ellery with the School of Law, Social Sciences, the Old Administration Buildings and the Chancelry; Baldessin with the Schools of Art, Arts, and Music; Kingsley with Union Court, the Library, eateries, the School of Mathematics, Economics, Business, and Asian Studies; Daley with the Engineering, Information Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, and Geology, the Sports Centre, and Toad Hall (I put that there because it sounds so British); and finally Banks with the Biological Sciences, Botany, Biology, Zoology, Geography, Earth and Marine Sciences.

There are 11 libraries scattered about campus, 20 large lecture halls, four childcare facilities, and 9 named Research Schools. They are the John Curtin School of Medical Research, and the Research Schools of Astronomy and Astrophysics, of the Biological Sciences, of Chemistry, of Earth Sciences, of Information Sciences and Engineering (my school), of Pacific and Asian Studies, of Physical Sciences and Engineering, and of Social Sciences.

Sullivans Creek passes directly through the campus, cutting it in half north to south. It acts as catchment for water flowing from the reservoirs in the northern part of the city into Lake Burley Griffin and catches runoff during winter storms. Here is a shot of the creek just before a rain, and the morning after. It looks almost flood stage. The campus is crisscrossed with walking trails, since foot seems to be the best choice, and the student choice, as means of transportation. There are a few bikes, but not many; perhaps it is still too cold. The weather has been chilly this last week and a half, almost 0 degrees Celsius at night (freezing) and near 10 to 13 degrees (50+ degrees F) during the day.

The campus sits at the foot of Black Mountain, atop which sits the Telstra Tower, which can be seen from everywhere in Canberra. It is the mark that lets everyone know where City Centre lurks from where they presently stand. A restaurant rotates half-way up on the tower.

Most trees around campus are still bare, but Spring is around the corner and some cherry trees have begun their bloom. The trees in Phillip just outside the house are beginning to bud also. They reckon Spring from the first of September.

 Quite a bit of construction is underway, primarily on housing in Dickson Precinct and on the new School of Sciences in Banks Precinct. The student union is like any other, but there are at least beer pubs inside and near the union. The one inside is quite fancy with pool tables. A sign says that they cannot serve students less than 18. Across the plaza is a tent, which houses an outdoor pub, which serves beer and wine. Vivaldi's, a fancy restaurant opens evenings, particularly to theater-goers who attend theatre next door.

One of the University's finest buildings in the old University House and Centre, built as a central residence for visiting scholars and international PhD students. Securing a room is very difficult and the waiting list is long, but the rooms are coveted. The Graduate Student Lounge is in the centre; it has a fine bar and eatery and is the scene of some very good parties and activities for graduate students.

You can see more pictures at my website.