Seeing those laid-back Aussies as a fighting force

Australia is often thought of as a laid-back nation whose relaxed citizens seem to be on permanent vacation. Perhaps this carefree attitude is due to the fact that more than 90 percent of the population lives within the siren call of the beach. But while much of the culture has been formed by an outlook based on surf and sand, the country has also experienced dark days and challenges throughout its history.

An excellent way to learn about this past is to visit several sites in Sydney that highlight the country's military legacy. A good place to start is the Victoria Barracks, located on 29 acres in the neighborhood of Paddington. Built in the 1840s by mostly convict labor, the colonnaded sandstone buildings are the most significant group of late-Georgian architecture in Australia and one of the finest historic barracks in the world.    

Free tours are offered on Thursdays by the Victoria Barracks Corps of Guides, retired veterans wearing khaki army slouch hats and blue blazers. Our guide, David, had been stationed at the barracks during the Vietnam War so he knew the place well. The tour starts in the Guard House with a visit to the four cells that held "drunken and outrageous persons." This being an army base with young soldiers away from home, the cells were eventually expanded into another building.

While leaving the Guard House, David pointed out a metal badge on his cap and explained the significance of the crown in the center of the Australian army symbol. The current logo contains a female crown (yes, male and female crowns are different) representing the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. He said that after "Lizzie goes" the logo will be updated to show a male crown for King Charles, or perhaps King William. Loyalty to the monarchy lives on in the Australian army.

The tour of the barracks includes the Army Museum of New South Wales. The museum traces the history of the Australian army from the early days of the colony to World War II. Pride of place is given to the famed Gallipoli Cloth, a five-foot-square fabric containing the signatures of the first soldiers who returned from the disastrous Gallipoli campaign in World War I. Most of what we knew about that battle was gleaned from the movie of the same name starring Mel Gibson. We were to learn much more a bit later in the day.