Canberra

Where:

Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Canberra is only a couple of hours south of Sydney, and about 7 hours drive north of Melbourne.

Last Visited:

We have lived in Canberra for two years, 2003-2004

Why Go:

Canberra is the capital city of Australia, and a great central point for traveling to the surrounding areas, though that is not what brought us here. We moved here for work.

Highlights:

Floriade: This is Canberra's big flower festival. Held annually in Commonwealth Park, with abundant colorful and fragrant flowers displays, entertainment, workshops and activities for everyone. And it's free too. (see photos)
Culture: Canberra is the centre for Australia's national museums and galleries. It is a great place to spend some time, and is easy to explore on its numerous cycle and walking tracks. In September / October, the Floriade flower festival is well worth a visit, even if you are not into flowers. Highlight is the National Gallery of Australia, free entry.
Parliament House: free guided tours, observation of Parliament from the public gallery, art collection.
Questacon (The National Science and Technology Centre): interactive exploration of the world of science.
Australian Institute of Sport: interactive sports displays, videos and tributes, plus many of the training and playing facilities are open to the public.
Australian War Memorial: a fascinating well presented history of Australian's at war.
Day Trips: As a base, it is close the mountains for skiing in Winter, only a couple of hours from great beaches, and Sydney and Melbourne can be reached in less than a day's drive.

Lowlights:

Australia's capital is often quoted as boring and cold. Well it is all relative. It is cold compared to most places in Australia, and it may be considered somewhat boring compared to Melbourne and Sydney. If you can put up with the cold it is a place you could love. Maybe just visit in summer and it will be great.

Eating & Drinking:

Eating: The main eating places are civic (the city centre), Manuka (upmarket) and Dickson (some great Asian)
Drinking: There are some great watering holes, and many of them are smoke free. Tillys in Lyeham is a great small venue to catch a live band.

Other things you should know about:

Canberra is situated 150 kilometers in from the east coast of Australia, by road 280 kilometers from Sydney and 660 kilometers from Melbourne.

More information:

Australia's capital city, Canberra, had a difficult beginning, punctuated by indecision, political infighting, wars, the Great Depression and the perennial battle of architect versus bureaucracy, but has since risen above these difficulties to become a thriving, modern city.
Although Australia became a Federation in 1901, the site for the new capital was not decided upon until 1908, then ratified in Parliament in 1911. Later that year a competition to design the city attracted entrants worldwide, the winner being the American architect Walter Burley Griffin. He arrived in Australia in 1913, and construction began. Canberra centerpeice lake is named after him.