What is Canberra Like???

Travel Info
Is Is it Nice??? Is it worth visiting- just so you know im Aussie!!

Travel Tips

I've been here quite a few years now and lived in about six different towns before that. Canberra is much like other places except the layout is different. There are a LOT of parks and reserves, too many in my opinion. The roads are very good but some of the intersections seem to have been designed by copying a plate of spaghetti. You don't go round in circles except in the oldest parts that were mainly laid out from the Burley-Griffin plan.

If you have lived in Armidale, Stanthorpe, Orange or Goulburn you will find the weather is much the same, quite cool and very dry.

The national institutions are big and very well looked after. There is hardly anyone who does not find the war memorial fascinating. I have been told by a woman who was a tour guide in Europe for years that there is little in any European country to match it and she rates it only slightly below the British Imperial War Museum.

Also worth seeing is the National Gallery, you can also go into the High Court, right into the court rooms even when the court is sitting.

Nearby is Questacon, fun for everyone from 8 to 98. The National Library usually has some kind of exhibition on, all sorts of documents from ancient maps to popular magazines over the past several decades.

Old Parliament House has the National Portrait Gallery and there is some good stuff in there. New Parliament House is a big building and really worth a look around.

T'other side of the lake is the National Museum. At present their special exhibit is on railways. I'm not particularly fond of the National Museum but there is some good stuff in the free area, which is most of it. Up a bit further to the Botanic Gardens, where they even manage to grow tropical stuff like bottle trees in the open. It's a big area. Up Black Mountain to the Telstra Tower, take the lift up and take in the view. There is also a good view from Mt Ainslie.

You can cruise the lake with a meal thrown in or hire a bike and pedal round the lake, more than 40km in all. Plenty of good restuarants, a lot of them not very expensive. Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, even Ethiopian.

Big shopping malls at Civic, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong and other good shopping centres at Manuka, Southlands, Weston Creek and several other places.

You are too late for the autumn colours from the deciduous trees, most of them have dropped their leaves. Over the next 12 weeks if you arrive you will want a woolly jumper and a jacket to go over that, gloves and a hat if you are going to wander about outside. Winter temperature generally range from minus 5C to plus 12 in the day. Frequently temps do not exceed +1C until about 8:30 - 9 am.

Edit -
Since I have been here I have seen 2 politicians. One senator, one MHR. Both of them were at the airport. The population is 300,000 so it is not a village and with only about 200 politicians, you never notice the bu**ers.
Others

It is nice, big wide open plan with lots of museums and art to look at. It also has a HUGE adult entertainment selection. It is pretty cold since the snowies arent far away. but if you go thru it to have a ski trip you will be happy.
Its a dump, that apart from the nicest of days I find very depressing. The upside is that its well placed to provide easy travel to a number of locations around SE Australia.
Hi,Canberra is a very nice village.
There are lots to do and see.
The bad part of Canberra is that there are lots and lots of Politicians but apart from that go there you will enjoy it.
Waltz.
Hole !!! It's not that great
Canberra is not really that bad. It's not FULL of politicians and it's not a dump.
I have had good times and bad times in Canberra.

It's a good plae to learn the history at the War Memorial, see intereting scientific thingys at Questacon, paddle on the lake, see a theatre performance.
Shoppin is getting better but if you have brand depos where you come from then it's kinda pointless.

I have been bored here at times but if you are willing to take the time and effort to look hard enough there re things to do and see that would be great for any traveller new or old, to see the Capital of Australia.
Its the Capital of Australia,the only good place to visit is the Australian Institute of sport,Other then that it is very very boring.