Canberra > Canberra Experience

Advantages: No "congestedness" of a capital city, relaxed, parks and bushland
Disadvantages: One of only two Australian cities withought a beach!

...Sydney, was decided on. Canberra today is located about 200 miles from Sydney (about 3.5 hours drive) and 400 miles from Melbourne (about 7 hours drive). After an international competition to design the city, Walter Burley Griffin's design came out on top and Canberra started being built in 1913, making it less than 100 years old! The name of Canberra was decided upon as it is an aboriginal word meaning 'meeting place.' It has been referred to as ...
...arrive, take yourself to the Canberra Visitors Centre which is on Northbourne Avenue about 2 miles north of the city centre. If you are coming from Sydney you have to go past it anyway so have a look in. They will be able to give you all the information you need on where to stay, free maps and what activities are on while you are there. Because it was completely planned everything is so 'perfect.' The landmarks were built in line with each other ... Read review

Advantages: 'Interesting', note the inverted commas
Disadvantages: Long way from anywhere civilised

...and Washington DC. Hands down, Canberra is the least capital-like Capital city I have ever seen. Canberra is in its own little world, the Australian Capital Territory, much like Washington's home in the District of Columbia. Rumour has it that when they realised they could do with a capital, the good people of Australia were torn between the two obvious choices, Sydney and Melbourne, and decided to give it to neither, lumping it instead in the middle ...
...Lake George we arrived into Canberra late morning. My first impression was that I had finally found a competitor for Milton Keynes for the 'Sterile, pre-planned city of the year' award. The city was truly bizarre. The lawns were beautifully manicured, the streets were clean and deserted, the buildings looked immaculate. The whole place had the air of a film set - nothing with history, nothing lived in, nothing real - crossed with Wisteria Lane or ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting for a day trip
Disadvantages: No atmosphere or character

...drive around the suburbs of Canberra you can see over 60 embassies, ranging from the massive and imposing American and Chinese embassies to those from Thailand and Fiji which were much more imaginative and beautiful. The Thai embassy is built in Thai style with the typical elevated roof design, upswept roof corners and roof tiles in gold colour - very impressive. There is even an Aboriginal embassy opposite the Parliament Building consisting of ...
...lake in the middle of Canberra named after Burley Griffen with a water jet spurt in the middle of it which goes up about 150m. For spectacular views of Canberra and the surrounding area go either to Mount Ainslie or Black Mountain Reserve. Black Mountain Reserve has a Telecom tower which you can go up - it has a revolving restaurant and the usual tourist outlets. One word of warning though about the tower - don't take any electrical/battery operated ... Read review

Advantages: Parlimant Building
Disadvantages: Not enough for a long trip

Camberra is a very strange place to visit, as everything feels too corect!! As a purpose built Capital city, all the spectacular monuments are built in straight lines, and in circles! From everyone of the grand buildings you can look in one direction and see several more! Easily the best building in Camberra in the Parlimant. Personally I found it to be more spectacular than Sydney's Opera House. Also worth a visit is the War memorial, and Telecom ... Read review