Canberra is the capital city of Australia, located in the Australian Capital Territory (which is surrounded by the state of New South Wales), southwest of Australia's largest city Sydney. It has a population of about 325,000 people.
Canberra was established in 1913 as a purpose-built capital for the newly federated Australian nation - this brought the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne for national capital status to an end. The artificial creation of the city was not without critics however - many said that it was a "waste of a good sheep pasture". Canberra is a highly planned city, its primary design conceived by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin fff built on the shores of an artificial lake (Lake Burley Griffin). Populated at first largely by politicians and public servants, it has taken several decades to develop its own identity and culture. A building spree in the late 20th century and a concerted effort to develop public institutions in the city have made it a viable destination for the traveller.
Lake Burley Griffin divides central Canberra. The central shopping and commercial area, known as "Civic", on the north side and the parliamentary and embassy area is on the south side. National institutions are likewise divided, examples being the National Museum of Australia and the Australian War Memorial on the north side and the National Library and National Gallery of Australia on the south side.
There are suburbs surrounding central Canberra, and also suburbs surrounding several outlying town centres. These town centres are Belconnen and Gungahlin to the north, and Tuggeranong and Woden to the south.
PLACE TO VISIT
Australian War Memorial, Not just a memorial, this is one of Australia's premier museums, covering Australian military history from Federation to the present day and including fascinating exhibits of equipment, memorabilia and battle dioramas. You could easily spend a full day here (it has a café, or bring a picnic lunch if the weather is nice and sit on the lawns at the front). Anzac Parade, leading up to the War Memorial has a number of memorials to different wars and those involved in wars. Free.
Parliament House of Australia, The seat of Australia's federal government and legislature and a remarkable piece of modern architecture.
Old Parliament House, The headquarters of Australian government from the 1920s to 1988, this building is a must for political and/or historical junkies. The building gives a real feel of what it was like when it was in use and has regularly rotating exhibitions on the controversies and scandals that rocked Australian politics. Most of the main rooms - the Prime Minister's office, the Cabinet Room, the various party rooms, the two houses - are open to visitors, as are many smaller rooms like the whips' offices and the broadcasting area. There are also historical photos of Canberra as it used to be, including the times prior to the creation of the artificial lake that show Canberra under snow during winter (the lake warmed up the city and snow falls rarely on the city now). The gift store has decent souvenirs. Parking is free, admission is A$2 for adults, A$1 concession.
National Museum of Australia, This controversial museum has lots of interactive exhibits and groups items by concept rather than era. Free admission except for special exhibits.
National Gallery of Australia, Located by Lake Burley Griffin, this modern structure is one of the country's largest art galleries. It has a vast collection of paintings and sculptures collected from Australia and the rest of the world and has excellent Aboriginal artwork. A nice gift store. Free except for special exhibits.
National Library of Australia, The library is primarily a research centre, but normally has one exhibition showing parts of the collection. Also notable for its neo-classical architecture.
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), The AIS runs tours a couple of times a day. See training areas, and at the end use some interactive exhibits. The pool here is open for public access certain hours $15.00.
Questacon - Questacon is an interactive museum of science with exhibits illustrating scientific ideas from the principles of physics to the motion of an earthquake. Great for kids and excellent science books can be picked up here. (Oct 06) $15.50 adults, $10.50 concessions, $9 children, and $46 for a family of 2 adults and 3 children.
Royal Australian Mint,Take a tour of the mint and see how coins are made. You will even get the chance to mint your own souvenir coin. Look for the pudding coins as a souvenir (not always available). The mint is currently being refurbished, so as of October '07, there is only the coin shop, mint your own dollar and an exhibition on the history of Australian coins for viewing by the general public. Admission is free.
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Located at the base of Black Mountain, the ANBG has the largest collection of Australian native flora in the country. It also has some interesting water dragons that live in the water features around the gardens. A delightful place for a picnic, try to grab some food from the city centre first to take with you for lunch. If you are there during summer, call and ask about the jazz evenings. These are held on the weekend and many families attend with evening picnic and champagne in tow, to chill out to the sounds of jazz in the balmy evening temperatures. Entry is free, however parking is $1.40/hr or $7 all day at ticket machines, with proceeds going towards the gardens.
Telstra Tower, This functional communications tower rises 195 m above the summit of Black Mountain, providing 360 degree views of Canberra and the countryside around it. Well worth a visit, day or night, for the fantastic views - look for the cork tree plantation and Parliament House. It has a revolving restaurant and telecommunications history display. $7.50 adult, $1.90 child/concession.
Prime Minister's Lodge. Generally closed to the public and one can only see part of the garden from behind the wall. There are open days about once a year and if you are lucky to be in Canberra then, it shouldn't be missed.
Government House. An official residence of the Governor-General, representative of the Queen. Closed to the public except for open days. It can be observed from the hill off the Scrivener Dam Rd. Often kangaroos are to be spotted munching grass on the lawns, so be careful driving along the ride that gets to the viewpoint, especially at dusk.
Blundell's Cottage. A historic cottage of some of the earliest settlers of the area. Guided tours and school tours.
Lanyon Homested, Historic homestead of early Canberra settlers, guided tours, walks and a maintained garden. Cafe for lunch, coffee and cake. $7 Adult $5 Concession.
EVENTS
Floriade festival of flowers, a yearly event held in spring (September-October), not to be missed. Tulips are the main feature but many other colourful flowers and floral displays are featured. There are also sculptures, garden stalls, makeshift restaurants, activities, live music by local performers and sometimes there is even a gnome or scarecrow festival where children (and some adults) paint gnomes or make scarecrows and enter a competition to choose the best. Great for a photo opportunity!
Summernats is a festival of modified cars, car cruising, burnouts, etc, which takes place first thing in the new year. If you are not into this culture, this is a good time not to be in Canberra, as even the most civilised hotels are overtaken by drunken 'nats'.
The Multicultural Festival, a must to visit, has many events, such as concerts, performances and an International Food Fare with over 200 stalls selling original food of different countries. Happens every year in February. edit
Thai Embassy Food Fair - once a year - do not miss this! The Philippines, Sri Lanka and some other embassies do similar events sometimes.
Diplomatic Charity Bazaar - held occasionally. Great place to buy original things specific to various countries, sold by staff of the embassies.
The National Folk Festival - held every Easter over 5 days, featuring local, national and international folk musicians, dancers and craftspeople.
The Canberra show held in February featuring shows, amusement park rides and agricultural competitions. Has most of the features of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, but on a smaller scale with less crowds.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Canberra International Airport (IATA: CBR), is well served by flights from other Australian capital cities. The following airlines fly to Canberra daily:
Virgin Blue flies to and from Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Adelaide
Qantas flies to and from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth
Tiger Airways flies to and from Melbourne
Brindabella Airlines flies to and from Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Albury-Wodonga
From other cities you can fly to one of the above cities and then to Canberra. International visitors would normally fly to Sydney or Melbourne and transfer to a domestic flight to Canberra. Flying time is 50 minutes from Sydney, 1 hour from Melbourne, 2 hours from Brisbane and Adelaide, and 4 hours from Perth.
By train - NSW Countrylink runs services from Sydney to Canberra twice a day. The trip takes just over 4 hours, which is slower than a bus or driving, but the train takes a very scenic route through the Molongolo Gorge, compared to an unexciting freeway journey by road. The train arrives in Kingston on the south side of Canberra, which is 20 minutes walk from most of the attractions on the south side of Lake Burley Griffin. On some days it is possible to do a day trip by train from Sydney and get 5-6 hours to spend in Canberra. To get to Civic (the Canberra CBD) on the northern side of the lake, however, will require further transport, ACTION buses service the station to Civic every hour or so for $3.00. The economy train fare is $56 in peak season (the Christmas/New Year period and school holidays) and $40 in off-peak, discounts may be available depending on the day or for advance purchase. Countrylink also runs a once-daily train/bus between Melbourne and Canberra: the bus runs from the centre of Canberra to the small town of Cootamundra, where travellers switch to the train to Melbourne's Southern Cross Station; tickets cost $91 in off-peak and $107 in peak season.
By bus - Coaches to Canberra terminate at the Jolimont Centre, which is in the city centre. It is immediately across the road from the Canberra local bus (ACTION) interchange
Murray's Coaches operate a bus service between Sydney and Canberra five times a day. Be sure to book an express service - it will knock an hour and a half off your trip. Cost is $36 and there are a limited number of 2-week advance fares for $15 (or $28 discount tickets also available). The bus takes you right into the centre of Canberra city (Civic). Murrays also run a daily service from Wollongong.
Greyhound Pioneer operate a bus service competing with Murray's. Fares seem to be either $15 or $36, so you might get lucky and get a cheap ride. Note that it may not be possible to get the $15 fares when booking a return journey; if so, you probably need to book each leg separately. They also offer a direct service to Melbourne.
By car - Canberra is 290 km (180 miles) drive from Sydney and 650 km (404 miles) drive from Melbourne.
The drive from Sydney to Canberra takes just over three hours. The road is dual carriageway, mostly freeway-like conditions from the Harbour Bridge all the way to Canberra, mostly with a 110km/h speed limit, via the M5, Hume and Federal Highways. There on 5 sets of on-road services located on the highway, as well as well maintained and often scenic rest stops with toilets and picnic tables. If you take a picnic, you can find a place to stop and eat it. It is rare to make the entire trip between Canberra and Sydney without at least one police speed trap, usually near Goulburn section of the Hume Freeway.
The drive from Melbourne to Canberra is roughly eight hours on the Hume and Barton Highways.
