Thinking of driving between Sydney and Melbourne as part of your visit to Australia? You must make a stop off in Canberra, the nation's capital. Its about a 3 hour drive from Sydney or 6 hours from Melbourne. There is also an airport if you wish to fly here.
Most people think that Sydney is in fact the capital of Australia. Did you know that there was such heated debate as to whether Melbourne or Sydney should be the capital, that they decided to create a brand new city just to house the capital. Canberra became the official capital of Australia in 1908.
The state asked some famous architects to come up with a design for the new city. It was Burley Griffin and his wife who won the honour of designing Canberra. The plans were inspired by the garden movement that was very big at that time. The result is that Canberra has beautiful green areas, lush vegetation and is known today as the Bush City.
If you wander just 10 minutes out of the centre of Canberra, you will discover beautiful cycle paths and walkways. The Burley Griffin Lake is a centre piece to the city and here you can walk, cycle, kayak, horse ride or take a boat trip.
To see the city in all its glory then head up to Black Mountain. There is a viewing platform in the Telstra tower as well as a revolving cafe.
The culture is perhaps why most people come to Canberra. It offers a wonderful selection of museums. In fact you could spend a week just getting round them all. The most popular are the Australian Museum where you can understand the heritage of the country. The War Memorial is a museum, shrine and archive which gives an insight into Australia's involvement in the various wars. Why not pop into Parliament House and take a tour so you can understand how it works.
Head just 40 minutes out of the city and you'll find National Parks and a Nature Reserve where you can get up close and personal with the local wildlife - roos, koalas, emus and platypus.
The Poacher's Trail is fast becoming a renowned food and wine route. This trail will take in some wonderful vineyards and wineries. Stop off and try some great red and white wines as well as delicious local produce. Stay the night in a Homestead or quaint B&B.
You can visit Canberra all year round but temperatures can be a bit extreme. It can get very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter due to its inland position. I'd recommend Spring as you can tie your visit in with the Flower Festival which happens in September/October. Canberra is best known for its displays of tulips at this time, particularly in the Commonwealth Gardens.
March sees the arrival of the Hot Air Balloon Festival which is a must see. You will have to get up early though to see the spectacular take off.
It's hard to say how long you'll need to explore Canberra but in my opinion you need at least 3 days. Why not take longer and lose yourself in the countryside.
Most people think that Sydney is in fact the capital of Australia. Did you know that there was such heated debate as to whether Melbourne or Sydney should be the capital, that they decided to create a brand new city just to house the capital. Canberra became the official capital of Australia in 1908.
The state asked some famous architects to come up with a design for the new city. It was Burley Griffin and his wife who won the honour of designing Canberra. The plans were inspired by the garden movement that was very big at that time. The result is that Canberra has beautiful green areas, lush vegetation and is known today as the Bush City.
If you wander just 10 minutes out of the centre of Canberra, you will discover beautiful cycle paths and walkways. The Burley Griffin Lake is a centre piece to the city and here you can walk, cycle, kayak, horse ride or take a boat trip.
To see the city in all its glory then head up to Black Mountain. There is a viewing platform in the Telstra tower as well as a revolving cafe.
The culture is perhaps why most people come to Canberra. It offers a wonderful selection of museums. In fact you could spend a week just getting round them all. The most popular are the Australian Museum where you can understand the heritage of the country. The War Memorial is a museum, shrine and archive which gives an insight into Australia's involvement in the various wars. Why not pop into Parliament House and take a tour so you can understand how it works.
Head just 40 minutes out of the city and you'll find National Parks and a Nature Reserve where you can get up close and personal with the local wildlife - roos, koalas, emus and platypus.
The Poacher's Trail is fast becoming a renowned food and wine route. This trail will take in some wonderful vineyards and wineries. Stop off and try some great red and white wines as well as delicious local produce. Stay the night in a Homestead or quaint B&B.
You can visit Canberra all year round but temperatures can be a bit extreme. It can get very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter due to its inland position. I'd recommend Spring as you can tie your visit in with the Flower Festival which happens in September/October. Canberra is best known for its displays of tulips at this time, particularly in the Commonwealth Gardens.
March sees the arrival of the Hot Air Balloon Festival which is a must see. You will have to get up early though to see the spectacular take off.
It's hard to say how long you'll need to explore Canberra but in my opinion you need at least 3 days. Why not take longer and lose yourself in the countryside.
About the Author:
Jennifer Schellington has nearly 5 years of experience in travelling Australia and has recently become a new mum. Her site, www.realaustraliatravel.com offers relevant information for planning your visit to Australia as well as what to do and where to go. Click here for more details on exploring Canberra
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