The city I call home

That‘s the thing about this city, it has it‘s magic and its history. 

This city is the capital of Australia, not Sydney or Melbourne as some people want you to believe. Canberra is it’s name which is based off native dialect meaning ‘meeting place’. It’s also said to mean ‘woman‘s breasts’. 

We mostly call it the bush capital because no matter where you are in the city there will be bush land, mountains and known native animals.

Most parts of the city have paddocks of free land usually filled with cows, horses and mobs of kangaroos. If watched from a safe distance will leave you alone but the male bucks can and will pick a fight if they feel you're a threat to the mob. If you're lucky you can see joeys in pouches or hopping by their mothers. 

Driving at night has its own art, you have to watch for Roo’s so they don’t jump into your car, it’s also best not to pick fights with Wombats, even if they die they will take your car with them. 

We are pretty used to sharing our backyards with noisy galah’s, laughing kookaburras and hissing Possums. Removing spiders and swatting flies is a daily chore. Checking for snakes is fairly normal in warmer months but never mess with a nesting magpie, they can and will take an eye out if given a chance. 

If you drive around Canberra you will notice Almost 17 suburbs are named after past prime ministers but only after a year of their passing. Some suburbs also have themes that helped choose the names given to streets within. There are many themes throughout based on Australia people, places, plants, animals and just some funny street names if you're looking. 

The history of Canberra is only 108 years old but it‘s rich and vast. Canberra is one of the only planned cities in Australia. There was a competition created that had 137 entries from 15 different countries. The winner was an American architect by the name of Walter Burley Griffin, more deserving of the credit is his wife, we named our central lake after him. This lake has most of the city’s tourist places dotted around it making for a great place to take in some views and visit some cool places as you walk around the lake. 

There is the war memorial, both parliament houses, the national library, national gallery to mention just a few. 

The best vantage point to really see the way the city was created is to go up black mountain by walking or driving and then climb Telstra tower. The stunning view stretches out before you with the dynamic way it was created with all its shapes and giant roundabouts. Giving you a unique look at the architectural design of our city. If you go at night the lights provide a breathtaking view. Australia is known for roundabouts but you will not find more in one place then in Canberra. 

We have a few seasonal attractions such as Floriade, a flower show in the warmer months, with a theme each year being shown through flower arrangements that paint pretty pictures. In Autumn we have hot air balloons, including the one Canberra is known for called the Sky Whale, I don’t think I can do justice to this marvellous piece of art, so you will have to look it up to fully understand it. We get all the seasons here from sweltering heat to bitter cold that doesn’t give us snow, though we wish it did. 

Each year we look forward to the Canberra show which is a Carnival full of stalls and rides. There is also Gamman con, a convention for the nerds in us to come out to cosplay and have fun. Along the same lines there is Cancon a gamer con we’re you can also cosplay. If you are into cars or if your just interested Summernats is for you full of awesome cars, old and new with a parade down the Main Street. 

In south Canberra you can find our zoo full of native animals such as koalas which are hard to see in the wild. The Arboretum is also next to the zoo which is a man made tree forest, full of trees from all over the world. This is also another great place to take in some breathtaking views. 

Canberra is a small city of only 400’000 people, despite always growing it only takes you 30 minutes to drive from one end of town to the other. We may live in a small city but it has its own magic if you know we’re to look. 

If you visit our city, look out for the arabesking dragon far north, the stone owl

also on the north side, Captain Cook fountain in lake burley griffin, the Bundles cottage hidden on the bank. The rainbow roundabout in the city, the sheep and boggon moths on the south side. 

Visit the little cafes around the city. We provide anything you're looking for, a board game restaurant, a nerd cafe and many other fun places to eat and be merry. Strike up a conversation you never know who you might meet. 

Hidden gems of the city are the Cokinton Green Gardens, a park full of miniatures and if you're already in the area there is the dinosaur museum for the kids. On a Sunday there is the Old Bus Depot Markets that hold 200 stalls full of handmade goods from locals or people coming from just out of state to sell their amazing handmade pieces. 

The night life in Canberra is small but the city does come to life after dark, there's something for everyone from quiet bars to loud clubs. Look out for the nerdy/gamers bar, 80s nightclub, jazz bar, sports bars and everything in between. 

That’s the thing about this city. It may be the Bush Capital but we love our city and all the little things you can find if you're looking.