Re: Federation Tramway (Canberra)

["David Bennetts" <davibenn@pcug.org.au>]

David McLoughlin wrote in message <379578F0.6879@REMOVEiprolink.co.nz>...
>David Bromage wrote:
>
>> Anyway, if Canberra wants to build a tourist attraction, why argue with
>> them?
>
>Name one tourist from any place in Australia or on this Earth who has
>ever come to Canberra for tourism purposes.  <g>  Just one.
>
>People visit Canberra to lobby politicians, not to see its boring
>scenery. I doubt anyone bar a few tram nuts like us would go to Canberra
>to ride a fraudulent "heritage tram."
>
>At least the capital of New Zealand has trolleybuses and electric
>trains. And lots of other industries besides politics.
>
>David McLoughlin
>Auckland New Zealand



Come on, David

I think you've lost the plot on this one.  Normally your postings to
aus.rail are quite sensible.  New Zealand has a very successful tourist
tramway in Christchurch, are you just cheesed off because the upstarts on
the South Island did something innovative and successful.  About the only
thing Auckland has recently done is to copycat Sydney's Centrepoint tower.
OK Canberra never had trams, but they were part of the Burley Griffin Plan.
If the Federation Tramway gets up,  it will be a showpiece of Australian
tramway history for visitors as well as a useful link between the National
Museum, Screensound Australia (formerly National Film and Sound Archive, the
city centre and the War Memorial.  The memorial attracts around a million
visitors a year, Canberra itself has a population of 300,000 - so we're
getting tourists from somewhere!

As for Canberra having boring scenery - what a load of hogwash!  There's
beautiful mountains both inside and near to Canberra, with prolific native
flora and fauna.  You don't even have native animals in NZ, except for a
solitary type of reptile.

I moved to Canberra from Sydney about 15 years ago, no way I'd go back there
to live.


Regards

David Bennetts