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Canberra
Canberra (pronounced /|kæn.br@/^) is the capital city of Australia and with a population of just over 325,000, is Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 kilometres (190 mi) southwest of Sydney, and 650 kilometres (400 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities as an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city after World War II.Australian War Memorial
Telstra Tower
- Australian War Memorial, Treloar Crescent , ph 02 6243 4211 or 02 6243 4598 (for recorded information), fax 02 6243 4325. Daily 10am-5pm. Not just a memorial, this is one of Australia's premier museums, covering Australian military history from Federation to the present day and including fascinating exhibits of equipment, memorabilia and battle dioramas. You could easily spend a full day here (it has a café, or bring a picnic lunch if the weather is nice and sit on the lawns at the front). Free.
- Parliament House of Australia, across the lake from ANZAC Parade, ph 02 6277 5399 or 02 6277 2727 (for recorded information). The seat of Australia's federal government and legislature and a remarkable piece of modern architecture.
- Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, ph 02 6270 8222, fax 02 6270 8111. The headquarters of Australian government from the 1920s to 1988, this building is a must for political and/or historical junkies. The building gives a real feel of what it was like when it was in use and has regularly rotating exhibitions on the controversies and scandals that rocked Australian politics. Most of the main rooms - the Prime Minister's office, the Cabinet Room, the various party rooms, the two houses - are open to visitors, as are many smaller rooms like the whips' offices and the broadcasting area. There are also historical photos of Canberra as it used to be, including the times prior to the creation of the artificial lake that show Canberra under snow during winter (the lake warmed up the city and snow falls rarely on the city now). The gift store has decent souvenirs. Parking is free, admission is A$2 for adults, A$1 concession.
- National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, ph 02 6208 5000, fax 02 6208 5099. This controversial museum has lots of interactive exhibits and groups items by concept rather than era. Free admission except for special exhibits.
- National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes, ph 02 6240 6502. 10am–5pm. Located by Lake Burley Griffin, this modern structure is one of the country's largest art galleries. It has a vast collection of paintings and sculptures collected from Australia and the rest of the world and has excellent Aboriginal artwork. A nice gift store. Free except for special exhibits.
- National Library of Australia, ph 02 6262 1111, fax 02 6257 1703. The library is primarily a research centre, but normally has one exhibition showing parts of the collection. Also notable for its neo-classical architecture.
- Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Leverrier Crescent, Bruce, ph 02 6214 1111, fax 02 6251 2680. The AIS is Australia's elite athlete training facility. It is open both for tours and for fitness classes. There is a large pool available for public lap swimming at certain hours.
- Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre, King Edward Terrace, Parkes, ph 02 6270 2800 or 1800 020 603 (free call, recorded information). 9am-5pm. Questacon is an interactive museum of science with exhibits illustrating scientific ideas from the principles of physics to the motion of an earthquake. Great for kids and excellent science books can be picked up here. (Oct 06) $15.50 adults, $10.50 concessions, $9 children, and $46 for a family of 2 adults and 3 children.
- Royal Australian Mint. Take a tour of the mint and see how coins are made. You will even get the chance to mint your own souvenir coin. Look for the pudding coins as a souvenir (not always available). The mint is currenjtly being refurbished, so as of October '07, there is only the coin shop, mint your own dollar and an exhibition on the history of Australian coins for viewing by the general public.
- Australian National Botanic Gardens. Located at the base of Black Mountain, the ANBG has the largest collection of Australian native flora in the country. It also has some interesting water dragons that live in the water features around the gardens. A delightful place for a picnic, try to grab some food from the city centre first to take with you for lunch. If you are there during summer, call and ask about the jazz evenings. These are held on the weekend and many families attend with evening picnic and champagne in tow, to chill out to the sounds of jazz in the balmy evening temperatures. Entry is free, however parking is $1.40/hr or $7 all day at ticket machines, with proceeds going towards the gardens.
- Telstra Tower, Black Mountain Drive, Acton, ACT (5 km from the city centre), tel 02 6219 6111, fax 02 6257 6600. Daily 9am-10pm. This functional communications tower rises 195 m above the summit of Black Mountain, providing 360 degree views of Canberra and the countryside around it. Well worth a visit, day or night, for the fantastic views - look for the cork tree plantation and Parliament House. It has a revolving restaurant and telecommunications history display. $6.00 adult, $1.90 child/concession.
- Prime Minister's Lodge. Generally closed to the public and one can only see part of the garden from behind the wall. There are open days about once a year and if you are lucky to be in Canberra then, it shouldn't be missed.
- Government House. An official residence of the Governor-General, representative of the Queen. Closed to the public except for open days. It can be observed from the hill off the Scrivener Dam Rd. Often kangaroos are to be spotted munching grass on the lawns, so be careful driving along the ride that gets to the viewpoint, especially at dusk.
- Embassies. As the national capital, Canberra hosts the embassies of other countries. Some of them are architecturally interesting and worth looking at, particularly:
- The Embassy of China
- The Embassy of Papua New Guinea
- The whole 'Embassy district' in leafy Yarralumla suburb. It is best to have a car for touring here.
Canberra Bushfires - Mount Taylor (filmed by vk1kcm)
The January 18 2003 Canberra bushfires, sweeping across Mount Taylor and surrounds. The darkest time was between approx. 3:30 and 4:30 PM!
Overlander.tv - Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra
locate a city between them. Arrived in Canberra by the red eye Thursday night. You could spend a week in Canberra just seeing exhibitions. You can visit
Canberra Skyfire 2007
First 5 minutes of Skyfire fireworks Canberra 2007 including F-111 fuel dump to start the fireworks....fireworks skyfire canberra
Virgin Blue 737-700 landing into Canberra
Virgin Blue 737-700 landing into Canberra...Virgin Blue 737-700 landing into Canberra Boeing Aviation
Flight to Canberra
brothers and I flew from Camden airfield, just outside of Sydney, down to Canberra in PA28 Warrior VH-LJL rented from Camden's Curtis Aviation. Nice landing
Driving Down the Highway Sydney to Canberra Part 1
Driving down the highway between Sydney and Canberra from Mittagong to Goulburn...Sydney Canberra Mittagong Marulan Berrima Moss Vale Goulburn Driving Australia
Happy New Year 2007 Canberra Fireworks Display
Happy New Year 2007 Canberra Fireworks Display at Civic City Hill...Happy New Year 2007 Canberra Fireworks Display at Civic City Hill
captporridge's F16 Canberra Fly-over
A short flight over Canberra in my Google Earth F-16 Fighter Jet...Canberra Google Earth Flight Simulator captporridge
heading to canberra
trip to canberra. hi res version at http://www.livevideo.com/video/abagash/E8D5E3CEE8CF43B3A2EEF 0A14FA856B9/trip-to-canberra.
Floriade ~ Canberra Carnivale
Spring day. We took a 3 hour road trip to see the Floriade in Canberra....floriade canberra tulips flowers "michelle branch" breath
Australia - Canberra City YHA
Canberra City YHA is right in the heart of the nation's capital, a five minute walk from the interstate bus terminal. Facilities include an on-site cafe
Fay in Canberra
In Aus..Fay in Canberra...Canberra
roadtrip Canberra! :) part 1
Mount Ainslie, Canberra. just having fun trying to make our own music video during our road trip in canberra - yeah, we know its bad acting,
Canberra Skyfire 2007
A bit more of Skyfire fireworks Canberra 2007...canberra skyfire fireworks
Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne
visited Australia in year 2001, these are the photos we've taken and compiled as a animated photo album....Sydney Canberra Melburne Travel
Canberra part II (Fourth Floor Collapse)
capital city...ACT jefflens Australia Canberra war museum parliament house fourth floor collapse
Canberra Xplorer Departing Central
The down Canberra Xplorer, with newly converted Endeavour car 2805 trailing. It was recently converted from an Endevour car to an Xplorer car....Countrylink Xplorer
Canberra to Sydney Drive
Driving to Sydney from Canberra...Sydney australia Canberra Drive
Nearest places of interest:
| National Archives of Australia National Portrait Gallery Capital Hill National Museum of Australia | Manuka Oval Canberra railway station Royal Australian Mint Lake Tuggeranong |
Popular places:
|
Melbourne Sydney Brisbane Adelaide |
Australia High Court o.. Perth Newcastle |
