The first week of May, 1927, was miserable. Even 90 years ago, the old line about the turn of weather after Anzac Day was in play. It was cold, a chill was sweeping down from the Brindabellas, there wasn't much to divert it, there wasn't much to Canberra.
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But there was a building to be opened. Parliament House. The new seat of federal government, in the nation's new capital. The opening was days away.
And they were cutting things fine. The Duke and Duchess of York were already in town, staying over at Yarralumla with the Governor General John Baird. Prime Minister Stanley Bruce and his wife Ethel, great supporters of the new capital, had just moved into the Lodge. Dignitaries from far and wide were checking into their rooms at the Hotel Canberra (which later became the Hyatt) and the Hotel Kurrajong. May 9 was just around the corner. The pressure was on.
Construction had commenced in 1923. The Commonwealth's chief architect John Smith Murdoch believed the building was a waste of time and money. It was only meant to be a temporary building anyway.
But now it was about to open. Henry Rolland, chief architect of the Federal Capital Commission, was in a state. He had been tasked with overseeing the construction of house. He had carpenters and painters working all hours, even in the Senate Chamber on the morning of the opening to get things finished. If this wasn't enough he had also been told to style the sparse city. Pine trees from the outlying areas were sawn off and just stuck in the ground to add some greenery. A public appeal in The Canberra Times saw the small community come together to hang flags, streamers and bunting along the route the Royals would take on opening day.
Out at Queanbeyan a city of tents had appeared. As punters travelled from far and wide, some even making the trek from Queensland, they gathered in a field, braving the cold and damp with the hope of being a part of history, working class men and women, families, all proud of where Australia was heading.
Things weren't going so well for the Lord Mayor of Sydney, John Mostyn. He decided to drive down, his car got stuck in swollen creek just the other side of Goulburn and he had to be winched out by a group of Boy Scouts.
For all the pomp and ceremony, some of the most interesting stories about the opening of Parliament House are the ones about everyday people.
And that's just what the new exhibition The Opening Day: 9 May 1927 is about, says curator Stephanie Pfennigwerth.
"The focus of the exhibition is to look at what happened on the day from the point of view of the average punter," Ms Pfennigwerth said.
"A lot of history talks about the VIPs, about the Duke and Duchess of York, but doesn't say a lot about the average spectator, we wanted to know how the ordinary people saw the day."
It's interesting, she says, because the general public were kept at arm's length on the day.
"Organisers expected huge crowds, depending on what newspaper you read some people said 100,000 will come and witness the spectacle," Ms Pfennigworth said.
"But the cold weather put off a lot of people, it was sub zero in early May in 1927, the bad roads, the lack of accommodation, the idea of camping out under canvas in Queanbeyan and having to catch a train or walk the several miles to Parliament House to see the main event was not necessarily on the top of people's list of things to do."
When the huge crowds the didn't turn up, authorities quickly tried to make amends and moved spectators on to the reserved seating around the forecourt area.
People were busy buying postcards and tea cups emblazoned with the Australian flag and the Union Jack, commemorative pocket knives and crumb trays with accompanying soft brush.
At 11am, the Duke of York took possession of the 14-carat gold key, turned the lock, and officially opened Parliament House, and to some extent a new nation.
For Daryl Karp, the director of the Museum of Australian Democracy, which has run out of Old Parliament House since 2009, the exhibition, and indeed the whole birthday celebration, is an opportunity for all Australians to stop and reflect on what's going on with democracy right around the world.
"Any opportunity to stop and ask what does it mean to have a true democracy, what is true and unique about Australia's democracy - and we have one of the world-leading democracies - is a great opportunity," Ms Karp said.
"And it's all just enhanced by the fact that this extraordinary building is a national icon.
"To bring the two together is a really, really fun opportunity to say something positive and optimistic about so many things."
The Opening Day: 9 May 1927 runs at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House until May 2018.