Canberra
The site selected in 1908 to be the capital of the newly federated nation of Australia was not a thriving center for national affairs. Rather, it was the result of a compromise between the rival poles of Sydney and Melbourne, acceptable to both because of its midway location. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), including Canberra, suburbs, and parkland, was thus carved out of southeastern New South Wales, but is not governed by that state. life in Canberra has picked up its pace a bit, but even today, many newcomers to Australia are surprised to learn that Sydney isn’t the capital. Canberra maintains a low profile and a refined, unhurried lifestyle to match.
Yet regardless of its reputation as a dull city, the city serves as both a national exhibition and the international face of the political body of Australia. Canberra’s revolutionary design was the outcome of an international competition, won by an American, Walter Hurley Griffin. Construction began in 1913, and the first Canberra Parliament convened in 1927. Today, Canberra supports a metropolitan population of nearly 310,000. Despite the downtown area’s daily hubbub, the streets for the most part remain amazingly quiet. From its unique traffic pattern to its roster of national centers, memorials, and museums, a sense of purposeful order pervades life in this city. The physical beauty surrounding Canberra makes a full day of sight-seeing enjoyable and convenient. It’s not Sydney, nor does it try to be. Still, Canberra’s blend of culture and class may qualify it as one of Australia’s more underrated destinations.
Related Travel Information
Telstra Tower
A landmark of Canberra, Telstra Tower is the compass of the city; always letting you know where you are. Also called Black Mountain Tower, this modern pinnacle of technology rises from the centre of Canberra Nature Park and offers panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside.
Rising 195 metres above the summit of Black Mountain, the tower was opened in 1980 and provides vital communication facilities for Canberra. The tower provides both inside and outside viewing galleries, a telecommunications museum, cafe, revolving restaurant and gift shop.
Australian Reptile Centre
The Australian Reptile Centre Canberra provides a dynamic, professionally presented educational venue of all things reptilian. Handle Australia’s largest, deadliest and most colourful snakes and reptiles including pythons and the Taipan snake at our natural enclosure in Canberra.
If you've always wanted to handle a python or if you just want to find out more about Australia's famously lethal fauna (and there sure are a lot of them!) then this is the place to visit - We are the reptiles information specialists.
The Australian Reptile Centre Canberra provides a dynamic, professionally presented educational venue of all things reptilian.
Lanyon Homestead
Inspecting the cluster of early buildings in the courtyard of Lanyon Homestead, south of Canberra, you appreciate the self-sufficiency of the early settlers as they established the pastoral industry in the valley of the Murrumbidgee River in the 1820s.
The dairy, workers' barracks, storerooms and kitchen are built from stone and wood, cut and quarried on the property by convict labour.
The homestead itself was built later, in 1859, then added to in 1905, and is a simple and elegant example of colonial architecture. The interior of the homestead is being restored, and each section is being furnished in the
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a short and scenic drive south of Canberra. Here kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and emus run wild. Head off on one of the marked walking trails or, on weekends, take a guided walk with a ranger. In the summer months, there are spotlight tours after dark, that reveal the secrets of the nocturnal world. There are a number of sightseeing tours which provide an ideal way to experience what is on offer.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Paddys River Road
Tidbinbilla ACT 2620
Hours: Reserve: 9am - 8pm in summer (9am to 6pm Eastern Standard Time. Closed
Jervis Bay
Just southeast of Nowra, the sheltered waters of Jervis Bay, (pronounced “Jarvis”) by a political quirk, are technically part of the ACT, in order to provide Canberra with access to the sea. The beautiful coast of the Jervis Bay National Park, at the southeast arm of the bay, is very popular, with its rugged cliffs facing the pounding ocean and tranquil beaches of dazzling white sand and clear water within the confines of the bay, while inland heaths, wetlands and forests offer strolls and bushwalks; details are available from the visitor centre as you enter the park.
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