My house is better than your house, said the GG to the PM

After visiting The Lodge I decided we should also take the opportunity to tick off Government House, home of the Governor-General, from the 'things to do in Canberra' list.  Compared with the PM, Quentin Bryce definitely has the better job, at least in terms of appearances on Masterchef, and definitely has the better house.



Government House is beautiful, with amazing gardens and great views out over Lake Burley Griffin.  I learnt two things:

1. ER, the initials used by Queen Elizabeth, stand for Elizabeth Regina, where Regina means Queen in Latin.
2. Dieu Et Mon Droit on the royal coat of arms means "God and my right".  It is in French, which I thought was fairly strange for the English monarch, but apparently is like that because French was the language of the Royal Court after the rule of William the Conqueror.

Quentin was wandering around the house talking to the great unwashed masses, which was nice.  Sadly no photos allowed inside here either.  The dining room (oval shaped room on the ground floor in the picture) is very impressive, and has a fantastic view out over the lake.