Canberra, with a population of over 332,000, is Australia’s capital and largest inland city. It is unusual among Australian cities as it is an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Following an international contest for the city’s design, a design by Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony 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 name “Bush Capital”.
People come from all over Australia to live and work in the nation's capital. Canberra has excellent facilities and services. It is an easy three-hour drive south of Sydney and a 50-minute flight to Melbourne. Beaches and the snow fields are both a two-hour drive away. It has an excellent system of arterial roads which rarely suffer the congestion found in other cities. Alternative forms of transport to the car are available in the form of the bus network, taxis and a comprehensive array of bicycle paths.
Canberra has four distinct seasons. Summer is generally warm to hot with low humidity (13 – 28 degrees Celsius), Winter is cool and and largely sunny (0 – 11 degrees Celsius), and Spring and Autumn are mostly mild (7-20 degrees Celsius).
The city is surrounded by the Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve to the west and cool climate wineries to the north. It is the seat of national government and politics, but there is a lot more to this city.
Canberra has many venues for live music and theatre, sporting teams that compete in National competitions, two of the largest being the Canberra Raiders (NRL) and the Brumbies (Rugby Union). Canberra also has national basketball, field hockey, cricket and ice hockey teams.
In addition, Canberra has a large number of ovals, tennis courts and swimming pools open to the public. Water sports include sailing, rowing and water skiing, and other popular activities on Canberra’s lakes.
Some of the most popular areas for entertainment are the City Centre (Civic), Kingston and Manuka, where there are a large number of restaurants, cinemas and indoor and outdoor shopping areas.
