Why Would I Want to Visit Canberra?

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Canberra (pronounced more like โ€œCan-braโ€ with the emphasis on the โ€œcanโ€), gets a bad rap.

โ€œWhy would you want to go to Canberra?โ€ was a question I had to answer more than once about visiting Australiaโ€™s capital city. Most of the people asking this question were Aussies themselves. For many tourists, Canberra doesn’t even make their radar screen.

And although Canberra may not be home to as much excitement and variety as Melbourne or Sydney, I quite enjoyed my time there.

Here are some interesting facts about Canberra Australia, why it gets a bad rap, and why it might be worth a visit anyway. #Canberra #Australia #randomfacts #travelfacts #traveltrivia #TheProfessionalHobo
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This post was originally published in 2010, and has since been updated for accuracy of links and content



Of course, a good chunk of what made Canberra the awesome place that it was, was the incredible hospitality and company of my Canadian friend who now lives there โ€“ whose name is also Nora. Wait โ€“ it gets weirder: we discovered while visiting together that we actually went to the same performing arts high school, and we were both drama majors. Thank you, Mr. Yates, for being the cue that we may have shared the same science teacher!

(Cue in Twilight Zone music now)โ€ฆ

Okay, strange coincidences aside, here are a few miscellaneous observations about Canberra, Australiaโ€™s capital city:

Canberra is very much a planned city. Canberraโ€™s creator (Walter Burley Griffin) scribbled out the initial design on a cotton cloth in 1912 as part of a design competition. He won โ€“ and now his garden city design is enjoyed by Canberraโ€™s 341,000 residents.

Landmarks in Canberra Australia

Canberra is very green. Griffin intentionally designed wide avenues and tree-lined streets to make Canberra a nature-filled city. Practically in the middle of it all are two mountains: Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie, both of which (despite the radio towers and weather stations on top) are havens for nature enthusiasts and nature itself.

Canberra is veryโ€ฆround. The main roads of Canberra are arranged in concentric circles. This wreaked havoc with my internal compass, and Iโ€™ll admit I spent most of our time in Canberra completely lost and wondering which way was North. .

Rush hour lasts about 20 minutes. And even in the height of traffic, it doesnโ€™t take you much longer than 20 minutes to get anywhere in the city. It has the feel of a big city and small town at the same time.

Canberra Australia from above

Canberra is not very easy to get to, or from. Sure, traveling there from Sydney is a non-event with buses and trains regularly running the four hour trip. But traveling from Canberra to Melbourne โ€“ the next closest major city – (without flying) involves an 11 hour journey consisting of multiple buses and/or trains. When I commented on this idiosyncrasy, Nora (not me, the other one) drew parallels to Canadaโ€™s capital city of Ottawa. There seems to be a method to the madness of keeping a capital city a little bit out of the way, for security reasons if nothing else.

While at the bus station near downtown (if you can call it that), I found โ€œRudd Streetโ€, presumably named after Australiaโ€™s current Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd (who as you may recall, I go way back with). Considering this was a fairly centrally located street that must have been recently named, I have to wonder how many other unnamed streets there are in prominent locations, waiting for a Prime Minister to come along and bless them with their identity.

Sign for Canberra Nature Park, Mount Majura

Despite what seems like a high cost of living (I was shocked at real estate and rental prices), Canberra is a very โ€œliveableโ€ city. Outdoor and sport enthusiasts appreciate the nature trails and mountains (both in the city limits and very close at hand), it is easy to get to most places (with a car), and it is safe and friendly.

Canberra is the site of the world’s longest protest. It has been decades in the making, and you can read about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and my surprising experience with it here.

All the museums have free admission. The only exception to this rule is when a famous exhibit is being showcased, in which case a special fee is levied. I think this is a fabulous feature, for both locals and visitors, and I wish that Ottawaโ€™s plethora of interesting museums could follow suit.

And interesting museums, indeed! I only saw a tiny smattering of what Canberraโ€™s museums have to offer, but it is extensive. The War Memorial Museum in particular gets great accolades.

Where Canberra gets its bad rap is because it lacks nightlife and is (not my words) โ€œfull of stuffy public servantsโ€. Alas, most of the people I met were fantastic, and I didnโ€™t go out drinking at night, so I canโ€™t truly verify or nullify either of these accusations. What I do maintain, however, is that Canberra is a very liveable city, and a great addition to my personal Australian landscape.

Capital building in Canberra

Things to do in Canberra

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6 thoughts on “Why Would I Want to Visit Canberra?”

  1. @Vinay – Ha ha! Another observation I had about Canberra (but didn’t quite make the post) is that it’s a suburban city. Lots of suburbs – but suburbs aren’t everybody’s cup ‘o’ tea, understandably! (smiles)

    Reply
  2. We really like it here!
    But then, we’re into the outdoorsy stuff, and it’s great base for mountain biking, bushwalking, rock climbing…
    And the nightlife isn’t that bad, just difficult to find. There’s lots of underground and alternative stuff, which you’d expect in a town with 5 universities. And apart from stuffy public servants, there’s also lots of defence boys, which adds to the eye candy : )
    Anyway, I wish we’d known you were here – we would have taken you climbing!

    Reply
  3. Canberra is a hole ๐Ÿ˜›

    My grandparents lived there and ive had to go up for many a christmas. booring – but then again, im your typical aussie

    Reply
  4. @kazari – I thought of you when I was there, as I remembered your standing invite to come climbing! But alas I had only a short time, and the weather wasn’t exactly splendid – it rained solid!
    By the way – I’ve read about the new addition to your family too – congratulations!
    And I don’t blame you one bit for liking it there. I immediately saw the appeal. ๐Ÿ™‚

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