The venerable Old Parliament House was the seat of government from 1927 to 1988 and is a great place to get a whiff of bygone parliamentary activity. In 2009, the Old Parliament House was transformed into the Museum of Australian Democracy. The exhibits place Australia’s tradition in the context of the broader history of democracy, spanning the globe over two millennia. Notable items in the collection include a 1653 coin minted by Oliver Cromwell and the headdress worn by an Aboriginal elder as she performed the Welcome to Country for parliament’s opening in 2008, on the day the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, made his historic apology to Australia’s indigenous peoples for past wrongs committed against them.