An inner-city landmark painted in celebration of Canberra's overwhelming support for same-sex marriage three years ago has been named the international roundabout of the year by the United Kingdom's Roundabout Appreciation Society.
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The roundabout in Braddon, at the intersection of Elouera and Lonsdale Streets, was painted in the rainbow colours of the pride flag in 2017 after the suburb hosted a joyous street party in celebration of the national yes vote in the same-sex marriage survey.
Roundabout Appreciation Society president Kevin Beresford said the Braddon roundabout's uniqueness caught the eye of the society's committee.
"We've not seen anything like it. That's what appealed to our committee, the fact that it was so unique and it hasn't been done before," Mr Beresford said.
"We just thought it was great, the sentiment behind it. My own brother's gay, and the chairman's daughter's gay, so who cares, you know? We're calling it now the gay gyratory, because we like to call them one-way gyratory [a technical term for a roundabout], that's our favourite term for a roundabout, you know."
Mr Beresford, speaking to The Canberra Times by phone from the United Kingdom, said there was plenty of variety in roundabouts around the world - everything from flower beds to working windmills.
"That's what makes roundabouts so special, the fact that anything goes on a roundabout. A perfect example is your one, isn't it? We've got a rainbow, you know. They're almost like a blank canvas for an artist," he said.
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Mr Beresford praised Canberra's commitment to roundabouts, noting Parliament House was essentially in the centre of one.
The Braddon roundabout will feature on the coveted December page in Mr Beresford's annual roundabouts of the world calendar. Mr Beresford, a printer by trade, first published a calendar featuring roundabouts in 2003, with an international edition introduced in 2016. The calendar sells thousands of copies each year.
"We could have the Arc de Triomphe, roundabouts like that every year, you know what I mean? Or some of these gaudy ones or huge ones, all horrible sorts. We go for the quirky ones, that's what we tend to go for. It's an egalitarian sort of calendar. It's a bit like the roundabout on the corner of your own street sort of thing," Mr Beresford said.
The rainbow roundabout is not the first Australian winner of the award, with Hobart's Railway Roundabout taking out the prize five years ago.
Mr Beresford, who was included in a book called Dull Men of Great Britain published in 2015, said 30 members of the roundabout appreciation society met bimonthly in a pub in Redditch, which is about 24 kilometres south of Birmingham.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
