By Anushka Vineet in collaboration with Madeleine Crabtree, Roland Wall and Dylan Voyles.
On a bright sunny day, one bright-eyed fourth-year Reporter and three seasoned first-year Reporters took on ANU Community Day, braving the icy weather and the intense flocks to hike their way across the entire ANU Acton Campus.
With the ANU celebrating its 80th Birthday on 15 August, the University community and the wider community came out in force. Maddie, one said seasoned reporter, noted that she “did not realise this was going to be as large of an event as it was”.
Both Roland and Dylan exclaimed that they were so excited to celebrate such a big milestone for their university!
The day started with a visit to Lowitja O’Donoghue Centre, where we were blown away by the technological initiatives on display. Having witnessed displays from the ANU College of Systems and Society, we made our way outside, where we were greeted by the ANU Solar Racing Team. Glistening in the sun, the prized possession of their team simply blew Maddie, Roland, and Dylan away.
Maddie was flabbergasted that a “car would be able to travel all the way from Darwin to Adelaide simply powered by the sun”. She acknowledged that “[there] are clearly some seriously impressive people behind the scenes at ANU Solar Racing”.
Roland, Dylan, and Maddie Pictured with the Solar Racing Car
Roland appreciated the scientific feat and the innovation of the team as he “wondered about the exciting applications of this technology to preserve the natural environment and prevent global warming”.
Next, we traversed down University Avenue, where we were blessed by the angelic sounds of the winning Griffin BNO band playing to a sold-out crowd at the amphitheatre.
Here we met the number one celebrity of the ANU: Owlfred the famed ANU sport owl. Owlfred was “very excited about the 80th anniversary. It’s going to be a Hoot Hoot day!”
Roland expressed, “the two main reasons I chose to come to ANU were that our mascot is an owl and that we get a rubber duck upon graduation. I was so glad to finally meet one of them – the other is sadly several years away”.
Dylan, Maddie and Roland Pictured With Owlfred
After trying to visit the Alice in Wonderland-themed Escape Room (it was closed) and trying to pick up Pickleball (it was closed), we cut our losses and decided to visit our Observer colleague, Pia, at Bruce Hall.
Here we learned that the ANU’s 80th Anniversary also coincided with the birthday of the University’s oldest Residential Hall!
Pia informed Observer that “Bruce Hall is celebrating their 65th birthday, so we’re getting submissions for a time capsule that we will open in 20 years to reflect on how Bruce has grown and changed throughout time”.
“We’re also doing a mural to replace the famous Ouroboros painting that was in our JCR [Junior Common Room] that got destroyed during the renovations.”
Dylan reluctantly admitted that although he is “a resident of neighbouring rival Wright Hall (The better one), Bruce had a great exhibition on and it was exciting to see the history of the oldest undergraduate hall!”
Roland, Dylan and Maddie Pictured with The Bruce Hall Banner
After a thrilling trip to the ANU archives, we finally got to visit the pièce de résistance of the ANU and the hottest topic of 2026: University House.
We were taken back in time to simpler times when we visited the newly refurbished
University House. As we slowly made our way through the different rooms, we stumbled upon the Great Hall, where we were in for a shock!
We were all mesmerised by the mural titled “Regeneration”, which is the feature of the Hall. Dylan was “amazed by the artwork and [the] interior”.
Roland was “mesmerised” by the Great Hall at University House.
“As I walked down the central aisle, I experienced firsthand the rich culture stewarded by the ANU community. The Great Hall’s contribution to this culture is incredibly profound, second only to that of Daily Mart.”
For Maddie, University House holds a special place within her family. “[It was] so wonderful to see this beautiful space finally reopened – and to visit the place where my grandparents were married over fifty years ago!”
Roland, Dylan and Maddie Pictured in the Great Hall
After very sneakily joining a tour to see the new hotel rooms, which included behind-the-scenes access to the maintenance tunnels within University House, we visited one of the last stops for the day.
The Mongolian Ger, which is now an annual addition by the ANU Mongolia Institute, sits outside the ANU Chancelry. As “a favourite feature of the annual Immersia festival”, we were all taken away by the artistry and the architectural feat. Dylan expressed thanks to the Mongolian Guide who “was very informative and taught us interesting bits of history and tradition”.
Maddie was positively shocked to learn “that it typically only takes half an hour for a nomadic family to build one [a Ger] in Mongolia!” She expressed how “lovely [it was] to talk to representatives from the ANU Mongolia Institute and learn more about the beautiful culture of the Mongol diaspora”.
Roland noted the philosophy behind the Ger and that it was “fascinating to learn about the traditional Mongolian belief that humans are a temporary part of the permanent natural world.”
Maddie, Roland, and Dylan Pictured with the Mongolian Ger
ANU Community was a beautiful day and Dylan “had an amazing time on Saturday exploring what ANU had to offer on its 80th birthday!” For Maddie, it was “so nice to take a few hours to see all our university has to offer” and Roland applauded “the live music from talented musicians all over campus only added to the upbeat mood throughout the day”.
With an 80th celebration for the ages, one question remains: what is in store for the ANU’s 100th birthday?
Graphics by Nur Aisyah
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