CANBERRA - A GLIMPSE AT OUR CAPITAL

CANBERRA

A GLIMPSE AT OUR CAPITAL

We would usually fly straight to Sydney to catch up with family and friends, however as our teen is nearing the end of school, we decided to fly to Canberra and have a look at the Australian National University (ANU) campus and colleges, as well as show him around our nation's capital since he missed out on the habitual school trip.

Once a rural area with a strong Indigenous history, Canberra was selected as Australia's Capital Territory (ACT) as it was between Melbourne (Australia's largest city at the time) and Sydney (Australia's oldest city). As part of the constitution, the capital was also to be placed in a Commonwealth territory within New South Wales, however had to be at least 100 miles from Sydney.

The ACT was created on 1 January 1911 and in that same year, an international competition was held to select a design for the layout of the capital city. In 1913, American architect, Walter Burley Griffin, won the competition. The name Canberra was settled upon and the city was officially named on 13 March 1913 by Lady Denman at a ceremony on Capital Hill. 

We stayed at the Little National Hotel. Centrally located and positioned above a carpark, with super comfortable beds, the rooms were compact and cosy with spacious communal spaces. 

So now you're in Canberra, what do you do? We flew in late Saturday evening, so we thought we'd start our visit with a Sunday morning tour of Parliament House located on Capital Hill. 

Open to the public from 9am - 5pm every day (except Christmas Day), it is a wonder that there is only one public entry and one screening machine in operation for the multitude of visitors. Just like airport security, all bags and persons entering are screened. The process can be slow, so before you visit, think about what you will actually need during your stay and perhaps only take what is vital ie: do you really need the pram, the overflowing backpack or bag full of snacks? There is a cafe and souvenir shop inside and you can borrow wheelchairs and strollers for free!

Tours of Parliament House can be organised via visitor services with most tours lasting 45-60 minutes. Photo identification is required for the Behind the Scenes guided tour. Alternatively, you can pick up a visitor brochure and wander the house on your own. There is a fabulous video on the building of Parliament House shown in the upstairs viewing room. The documentary lasts for around an hour and covers in detail Parliament House from conception to completion. 

There are plenty of touristy things to do in Canberra. Floriade was on when we visited, however we avoided the crowds and opted for lunch at Akiba in Bunda Street. We were told by our waiter that the food at Akiba was better than any place in Sydney. I have to agree, the food was really good.

The Last Post Ceremony is held at the Australian War Memorial each day at 4.55pm. If there is anything you should definitely do in Canberra, then this is it. Each ceremony tells the story of a fallen soldier and pays tribute to those who have fought for Australia. 

The Roll of Honour covers the walls of the memorial and the Tomb of Unknown Australian Soldiers is located in the Hall of Memory.

Monster Kitchen was our choice for dinner. 

Our tour of ANU took up most of the next morning, so back to the trough and lunch at Raku Japanese. This modern japanese restaurant in Bunda Street is well worth a visit. The food was exceptional. 

We had booked the Riddle Room as our afternoon entertainment after a short visit to Questacon. I suppose we could have visited the National Gallery of Australia or the National Museum of Australia, however we opted for a brain tease only to realise that we weren't very quick at solving puzzles!

All that thinking made us extra keen for dinner at Italian & Sons. A good old fashioned Italian dinner with superb food and wines. 

I don't think we will race back to Canberra and our son decided that it was too far from the surf for him to attend university there, however it was a really nice look at our national capital. 

MANLY, SYDNEY

We drove from Canberra to Sydney and stayed at the Novotel, Manly. Located opposite the beach, Manly is the perfect place to stay as it is only a 30 minute ferry ride to the City. It's close to family and we get the relaxation of a beach holiday. 

The Pantry is great for breakfast before or after a morning walk along the beach. 

A great walk takes you around to Shelly Beach and up the walking track to North Head and Fairfax lookout where you get great views of the harbour and city in the distance.

Heading back to Manly Beach you can take the shortcut via St Patrick's Estate and the International College of Management. If you are lucky then you may also meet a local looking for a partner.

Or perhaps a local just soaking up the ambience. 

Either way, there is something for everyone in Manly.