My first impressions of Canberra were hardly love at first sight. When my boyfriend told me he was moving to Australia’s capital city I built up an image of an Australian version of Washington, D.C. in my head. When I landed, I was a bit thrown off by the fact Canberra is anything but the expectations I had for it.
Based off
my own ideas of what I thought Canberra would be, I expected heavy traffic, an
overly built up city consisting of government office buildings, memorials, museums,
etc. I expected a fast paced lifestyle that revolved around politicians,
government, military and business employees-a place people might visit on
vacation, commute in to work but didn’t stay. I expected the need to be aware
of my surroundings to avoid any trouble, scams, street peddlers, etc. like you
are encouraged to do in D.C.
Funny
enough, I found every expectation I had for Canberra was way off. To the point
the city (which is more like a large town) made me feel a bit off and
uncomfortable at first because I just couldn't wrap my head around what it was. After many trips here and giving Canberra a look
through a fresh pair of eyes… I have to say I have grown to really love what
Canberra is.
Being a
capital city, of course it has it’s share of government, military, defense and
business offices. It also has many great museums, monuments and memorials. However, what makes Canberra different from D.C. is it’s country feel. One of
the things I love about Canberra is that it is not congested or over built.
Sure it does have its busy shopping centers, business areas, etc. but much of
the city is spread out. It really is a great mix of business, recreational and
a feel of “small” town living.
Known as the “bush capital”, Canberra was designed around its natural vegetation, which takes center stage over the man made buildings in many ways. Visitors to the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) can enjoy hikes up one of Canberra’s mountains (my boyfriend likes to torment me with hiking up Mt. Ainslie), bike, run or walk one of the many trails around Lake Burley Griffin or spend the day in any of the beautifully landscaped parks (some of which are regularly setup for outdoor shows/entertainment). You could even get out on Lake Burley Griffin for a lake cruise, rowing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and paddle boating.
When you’ve had your fill of the
great outdoors there’s still a ton to do and see. Canberra offers a ton of
great restaurants, shopping, museums (my favorite is the Australian War Memorial), entertainment venues and nightlife to
choose from. Some of which I plan to introduce you to in future blogs!
Through my blogging I would like to
share with you all my love for Canberra (and Australia as a whole), from past
experiences to new. For those of you who have never been to Australia, I would like to give
you a look around what has become a second home to me and for those planning to
visit Australia-I would love to give you reasons to make Canberra a stop on
your trip!
Get ready for a little fun and
adventure from down under!
Kris :)