Canberra - City Guide

Canberra is the capital city of Australia, located in the Australian Capital Territory (which is surrounded by the state of New South Wales), southwest of Australia's largest city Sydney. It has a population of about 340,000 people.

geography

Lake Burley Griffin divides central Canberra. The central shopping and commercial area, known as "Civic", on the north side and the parliamentary triangle and embassy area is on the south side. National institutions are likewise divided, examples being the National Museum of Australia and the Australian War Memorial on the north side and the National Library and National Gallery of Australia on the south side.
There are suburbs surrounding central Canberra, and also suburbs surrounding several outlying town centres. These town centres are Belconnen and Gungahlin to the north, and Tuggeranong and Woden to the south.

people

Many people who live in Canberra are not originally from Canberra, having usually moved there to study or take up employment with the Australian Government. A common pattern is that people from other parts of Australia move to Canberra, study or work for a few years and then return to their place of origin or move on to elsewhere. As this means a constant influx of new arrivals to Canberra, you should not be reluctant to ask for directions and the like from locals - they are more than used to it and usually only too happy to help. Canberrans on the whole are easygoing, friendly and tolerant people who have the highest levels of education and income in Australia. Ethnically, Canberra's population is more diverse than most regional areas of Australia, but nowhere near as culturally and linguistically varied as Sydney and Melbourne.

climate

Canberra can get just as hot as anywhere else in Australia during the summer months (November-March), with temperatures above 30şC a frequent occurrence from December through to March. It can get bitterly cold during the winter months (June-August) owing to its altitude and proximity to the Snowy Mountains. Overnight temperatures in winter frequently drop below zero and tend to hover around 10şC during the day. However, it is usually a clear, brisk cold, and rarely a dull, damp cold. It rarely snows in Canberra, and when it does it does not stick on the ground for more than a few hours. Canberra is less humid than Australian coastal cities. The hottest days are often mitigated by welcome, cooling, mountain breezes, particularly towards the end of the day, and the temperature drops overnight.

commute

by train

The Countrylink Xplorer at Sydney before leaving for Canberra via the Southern Highlands and the scenic Molongolo GorgeNSW Countrylink [9] runs services from Sydney to Canberra twice a day. The trip takes just over 4 hours, which is slower than a bus or driving, but the train takes a very scenic route through the Southern Highlands and the Molongolo Gorge, compared to an unexciting freeway journey by road. The train arrives in Kingston on the south side of Canberra, which is an easy 20 minutes walk from most of the attractions on the south side of Lake Burley Griffin. On some days it is possible to do a day trip by train from Sydney and get 5-6 hours to spend in Canberra. To get to Civic (the Canberra CBD) on the northern side of the lake, however, will require further transport, ACTION buses service the station to Civic every hour or so for $3. The economy train fare is $56 in peak season (the Christmas/New Year period and school holidays) and $40 in off-peak, discounts may be available depending on the day or for advance purchase. Countrylink also runs a once-daily train/bus between Melbourne and Canberra: the bus runs from the centre of Canberra to the small town of Cootamundra, where travellers switch to the train to Melbourne's Southern Cross Station; tickets cost $91 in off-peak and $107 in peak season. Bicycles must be boxed and checked as luggage on CountryLink services and cost $12.10 per bicycle, and there is only room for three on any train.

by bus

ACTION buses [13] cover the majority of Canberra. As of March 2009, fares are $3 for adults and $1.50 for concessions (have your student or concession card ready to show the driver; for international students, it's always good to have an ISIC Card because many drivers -- although not strictly supposed to -- will accept these). There are also all-day, weekly monthly and 10-ride-faresaver tickets available. An off-peak all-day ticket costs $4.10 and is valid for travel on weekdays between 9AM & 4.30PM and after 6PM, as well as all day on weekends and holidays. 10 ride faresavers offer a significant discount on single fares at $8.20 for students (school term weekdays only) $11 concession and $22 for adults.
There has been increasing criticism of ACTION, as services have decreased in number and prices have increased. Some residents will tell you not to use ACTION services. During peak hours, ACTION buses, especially inter-town routes, can be extremely crowded. However, for those dependent on public transport there is no other option within Canberra. Note that the inter-town services are very frequent and reliable, especially during peak hour.

by bike

Bicycles are a practical way to get around Canberra while visiting, and will get you to most attractions using a well developed network of off-road cycle paths. Canberra also has generally well developed on-road cycle facilities but the on-road cycle lanes do sometimes end and start in utterly inexplicable places. The grade can be a little steep as away from central Canberra is fairly hilly, but all the attractions around the lake are accessible on fairly flat paths. Pedal Power has a list of commuter and other routes. Bicycles are also permitted on footpaths in the ACT (except when passing shops during trading hours). There are bike racks to lock your bike up at most shopping centres and points of interest. Bike helmets are compulsory. The intertown buses will carry two bikes on bike racks on the front of the buses. The bike racks have clips, so no additional equipment is necessary. Only 20" tyres or larger bikes are carried. There is no charge for using the bike rack. Kids must be accompanied by adults, and child seats and other accessories must be removed from the bike. A bicycle path map bought from a visitor information, petrol station or newsagent also shows bike paths and on-road cycle lanes. The map is also online at the ACT Department of Planning.

by car

Most attractions in Canberra provide parking, usually at no extra cost, and Canberra roads are generally of excellent quality and relatively uncongested. Speed signs clearly show the posted speed, which is generally 80km/h for multi-lane roads between major centres, 60km/h for significant roads within suburbs, and 50km/h for suburban roads. Several major north-south roads like the Tuggeranong Parkway (between the City and the town centres of Woden, Weston Creek and Tuggeranong) are 100km/h. Motorists should watch out for 40km/h school zones which in Canberra are active throughout the school day (unlike surrounding New South Wales where they only operate for an hour or two at the beginning and end of the school day). School zones are rigorously policed. Drivers unfamiliar with Canberra are often confused by the "Town Centre" signs that direct you to the commercial centre of the nearest Canberra "town", which you can consider to be a regional centre. The town centres are Belconnen and Gungahlin (to the north of the lake) and Woden, Weston Creek, Tuggeranong to the south of the lake. You will see signs directing you to these centres by name, but as you get close the sign will simply direct you to the "town centre". You are expected to know which town centre it is you are approaching. Each of these towns contain many suburbs, which are always signposted by the suburb name. Drivers in the suburbs of Tuggeranong can also be confused as "Monaro Highway" is signposted as a destination on numerous signs for the three roads that head east-west through Tuggeranong whereas the Monaro Highway is actually a north-south road about 10km east of Tuggeranong. The confusion arises because it is unclear on most signs that the road in question is not actually the Monaro Highway. The intended meaning is that the road is an appropriate route to the Monaro Highway. Take change for parking meters in Civic if you want to park on the streets, or in the government parking lots. Parking in the CBD can be difficult on weekdays, due to development of carparks and encouragement to take public transport.

eat

Canberra has many fine eateries, but beware - many will be closed on Sundays. All public buildings in Canberra are smoke free.
There is a vast range of cuisine in Canberra, just about anything to choose from and for any oparticular budget. Here are a few of the more popular eating spots.

budget

* Cornucopia Bakery, 40 Mort Street, Braddon, ph 6249 1494. Wide range of traditional bakery products, meat pies and sandwiches, prepared on the premises. (However, for a bakery it is fairly expensive)
* Griffith Vietnamese Restaurant, Griffith Shops. Cheap, no frills place with little/no décor and ordinary 'Australianised' Vietnamese food.
* Hansel & Gretel 42 Townsend St. Philip. Great European style shop and cafe. Canberra's best coffee is roasted and sold on the premises. Also great selection of nuts, chocolates, and Easter and Christmas treats. Kismet, Flinders Way * Manuka. Another wonderful Turkish eatery at easy on the pocket prices, Kabak and Falafel are easily one of the best in Canberra if not Australia.
* Pide House, 2 Lawry Place, Jamison Group Centre, Macquarie (near Belconnen T/C) and Woden Plaza, Corinna Street, Woden. tel +61 2 6251-3325 (Jamison) and +61 2 6260 3016 (Woden), [64]. Nice, inexpensive Turkish food in a proper restaurant (not a takeaway outlet). The Woden location is open all day (one of the very few in Canberra).
* Piyaros, Lonsdale St, Braddon (close to the city), ph +61 6248 8802, [65]. Great quality, cheap, Thai food. 11:30AM-2:30PM Lunch Mon-Fri, 5-10PM Dinner 7 Days. Take away available.
* The Front Gallery and Cafe, Lyneham Shops, Wattle Street, Lyneham. Enjoy a coffee and explore an art exhibition. Comfy couches. 8AM – 10PM Tues - Sat & 8AM – 6PM Sun - Mon.
* Yarralumla Halal Pide House 45 Novar St Yarralumla. +61 2 6281 1991. High quality Turkish at a reasonable price, no alcohol allowed on premises. Take away available.

midrange

* Belluci's Restaurant, Cape St (cnr Woolley St), Dickson. tel +61 2 6257-7788. Popular Italian restaurant.
* Bruno's Truffels, Unit 2, 106 Mawson Place, Mawson. tel +61 2 6286-6377. Nice cafe and shop for locally made chocolates and pastries.
* Cafe D'Lish, Shop 3, Duff Place, Deakin. tel +61 2 6281-3533. fax +61 2 6281 3450. Swiss owner, nice pastries made on premises.
* CREAM, Cnr Bunda and Genge Sts Civic (Canberra Centre North Quarter) +61 2 6162 1448. Cool, Hip and extremely funky! Lunch and dinner served as well as coffee and a wonderful array of cakes and sweets.
* Dickson shops: This is the Canberra equivalent of Chinatown. Lots of great Asian food and a few pubs/clubs to have a beer at. This shopping centre is located a 10 minute bus ride north of Civic, just off Northbourne Avenue, and has a fantastic eat street, with everything from Thai to Turkish to Vietnamese at reasonable prices.
* Turk Oz has a delicious spinach and feta pide. Dickson Noodle House makes a terrific Laksa and is quite cheap. Au Lac is an excellent vegetarian Vietnamese place with delicious soy-based versions of everything.
* Four Rivers Sichuan Chinese Restaurant, Unit 66, The Coventry Apartments, 12 Challis Street, Dickson, +61 2 6162-0666. - Very tasty, authentic Sichuan cuisine. Yum-cha lunches.
* Ginseng, 15 Flinders Way, Manuka. tel +61 2 6260 8346 or +61 2 6260 8347. Try either the traditional or vegetarian Singapore noodle and the Laksa. Book in advance and ask for a table on the second floor, you will get the best view of the Manuka tree tops!!
* Italo-Australian Club Franlin St, Forrest. You can obtain a temporary 28 day membership for $1 upon entry. You can get a hearty Italian pasta dish for around $15, with drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic reasonably priced.
* Koko Black Bunda St Canberra Centre North Quarter. Warm and tasty Chocolate shop with a second to none chocolate selection as well as a innovative and interesting Hot Chocolate and Drink Menu. Nice, welcoming decor.
* Maestral Seafood Restaurant, 13 Trenerry Street, Weston Creek. tel +61 2 6287 3930.. Mediterranean/Croatian, lots of fresh seafood and steak. Former Prime Minister John Howard ate here!
* New Asia Chinese Restaurant, Unit 75, The Coventry Apartments, 2 Cape Street, Dickson, +61 2 6262-8860. - Offer authentic Shanghai, Sichuan, Cantonese, and some Malaysian cuisines. Some of the signature dishes include: Crispy * Fragrant Duck, Yu Xiang Pork and Egg Plant Hot Pot, Shantung Lamb and Shantung Chicken. The food is fresh and the service is friendly. Very popular with Chinese oversea students and local communities. Open 7 days a week (except Saturday and Sunday lunches). Fully licenced. BYO for bottled wines only. Setting capacity: 34 people.
* Rama's, Shop 6, Pearce Shopping Centre, Hodgson Crescent, Pearce. tel +61 2 6286 1964 or +61 2 6286 9437. Fijian/Indian, best (and hottest - no joke) curries in town. Can be very noisy.
* Red Belly Black, located near the ACT law courts in Hobart Place. Excellent coffee, good breakfast menu, mid priced lunch menu, great cakes. Only open Mon - Fri from 7:30AM until 4PM. A good way to start the weekday morning.
* Sammy's Kitchen Bunda St Canberra Centre North Quarter. Serving a menu inspired mainly by Malaysian but also Cantonese flavoures. Another restaurant with cool and sometimes almost yuppy feel.
* Silo Bakery and Cafe, 36 Giles St, Kingston. tel +61 2 6260-6060, [66]. Good breakfast, however almost always very crowded - expect 'attitude' instead of service. They also have a dedicated cheese room.
* Sukothai, 27 Bentham Street, Yarralumla. tel +61 2 6281 1092. Inexpensive non-authentic Thai food. Eat in and takeaway.
* Tosolini's, Cnr London Circuit and East Row, Civic, ☎ +61 2 6247-4317, [67]. 7 AM until late, 7 days. Great breakfast, good lunch and brilliant dinner. Traditional and experimental Italian cuisine, with a fine list of local and imported liquor. Very friendly and warm atmosphere, with professional staff. edit
* Tu Do, 7 Sargood St, O'Connor. tel +61 2 6248 6030. Cheap and tasty Vietnamese, very popular with the local Vietnamese community. Good bar nearby too.

splurge

* Aubergine Restaurant, 18 Barker St, Griffith. tel +61 2 6260-8666. Food is very good, but beware the cancellations policy when changing a booking - you could be charged for the meals your party did not eat.
* Courgette Restaurant, 54 Marcus Clarke St, Acton. tel +61 2 6247-4042. Sister restaurant to Aubergine Restaurant, fine dining. Fantastic weekday 4-course lunch for under $45.
* Ottoman Cuisine Restaurant, Cnr Broughton & Blackall St Barton. tel +61 2 6273-6111. Consistently awarded best Turkish in Australia, great atmosphere.
* Rubicon 6A Barker St, Griffith. Tel 6295 9919. Consistently excellent food, extensive winelist and BYO (bring your own) are accepted. Great atmosphere, romantic rear indoor courtyard.
* The Chairman & Yip, 108 Bunda Street, Civic, ☎ +61 2 6248-7109, [68]. Lunch noon-2:30 Tue-Fri. Dinner 6-10:30 Mon-Sat. East/West fusion of great repute. edit
* The Ginger Room, located in Old Parliament House, the Ginger Room offers fine dining, in either a two course, or three course meal option. Food offerings can be inconsistent in quality but if it is good, it's really good.
* The Promenade Cafe at the Hyatt Hotel, Commonwealth Ave, offers daily buffet dinners in its restaurant from 6PM and high teas from 3 to 5PM.

drink

Canberra's many bars and clubs will be closed on Sunday nights and early into the week. Civic can appear to be a ghost town but there are areas such as Bunda Street where you will always find some happening funky bars.

* King O'Malleys in Civic (inside City Walk Hotel building, Ground floor). Large Irish pub with a relaxed atmosphere, does pub-style meals lunch and dinner and a home for all types.
* The Wig and Pen [69] Canberra House Arcade, Alinga St Civic, 6248 0171, [70]. Serves a wide range of award winning beers brewed on the premises, as well as a selection of other boutique and independent brews.
* The Phoenix, 21 East Row Canberra City, 6247 1606. About as rustic and dingy as a Canberra establishment is likely to get, this pub attracts a varied crowd, with more than its fair share of bohemian types.
* Trinity Bar (Just behind the Turkish Pide House in Dickson). This is a great lounge bar with impressive cocktail menu and jazz/DJs playing each evening Thurs-Saturday. Also in Tuggeranong on Anketel St.
* Hippo Lounge (Upstairs, Garema Place, Civic). Cocktail bar with an intimate setting amidst Baroque-meets-student-digs decor. There's also live Jazz on Wednesday nights.
* Old Parliament House. Every Friday afternoon (5PM to 7PM), the court yards of Old Parliament House have DJs and reasonably priced cocktails. It is very popular with graduates after work, before heading off to other places.
* Academy [71] (Bunda St Civic). Two-tiered nightclub, Canberra's largest, is a converted movie theatre which retains the old projection screen. Enjoy the dance floor downstairs or sit back in the cosier cocktail bar upstairs.
* Cube, 33 Petrie Plaza, Civic (downstairs from Antigo's cafe), ☎ +61 2 6257-1110, [72]. Opens Thu 8PM, Fri 9PM, Sat 10PM, Sun 9PM. Closes 5AM. Canberra's only gay nightclub with a variety of theme nights.
* Uni Pub (University Ave). Multistory bar with levels dedicated to various activities including Pool and a Restaurant. Fridays and Saturdays are busiest.
* Filthy McFaddens (Kinston). Tucked away in a corner of Kingston Green a slate floored Irish pub opened by the owners of The Phoenix. Catch folk music most Friday/Saturday nights.
* PJ O'Reilly's (West Row - City). Another Irish themed bar like King O'Malley's.
* Mooseheads [73] (East Row - London Cct - City). A bar with local history. Recently burnt down and restored, Mooseheads is famous as an Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) hangout.
* Tilly's (Lyneham Shops). Formerly a "female only" establishment (in theory) it now opens it's doors to everyone and is a fantastic venue for acoustic local and international acts. Large range of alcoholic drinks available.
* All Bar Nun (O'Connor Shops). Recently expanded bar in a suburban shop setting. Great for pre-dinner drinks before moving on to one of the small restaurants in the area.
* Kremlin Bar (Northbourne Ave - City). Lounge bar with a good cocktail list. Find a DJ there most weekends.
* Shooters (East Row - City). Rough and tumble reputation.
* Das Kapital (Narrabundah Shops). Intimate lounge bar, $5 Homemade Pizza and $10 jugs of Beer Wednesday-Thursday. DJ's and Bands most weekends.
* ICBM (Northbourn Ave - City) No Cover Charge! Awsome if you like simple and not "mixed up music", can get very busy on Friday and Saturday nights.
* Northbar (Northbourn Ave - City) A great place to start the night, cool, chic decor is a great setting to sip on a famous Vodka infusions.

stay

There is style of accommodation to suit anybody travelling on any type of budget. Check out some great places
here.

enjoy

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