On the southeast part of Australia, you will find its’ capital city: Canberra. This wonderful city is just 150 kilometers away from South Coast and 281 kilometers away from Sydney. Filled with galleries, students from the most prestigious universities and renowned museums, it will win your hearts as fast as light.
Getting there is easy because international flights fly there directly from Singapore and Wellington. Also, the domestic flights from big Australian cities are frequent. It is just a three-hour drive from Sydney and 6-and-a-half-hour drive from Melbourne.
Where to go
When it comes to culture, Canberra is the number one city in Australia. In the National Gallery of Australia, you can see more than 7500 pieces of Aboriginal, Asian and Australian artworks, while in National Portrait Gallery you can see many interesting bodies of portraiture.
If you’re into modern architecture, make sure you visit Australia’s parliament house. There are actually free guided tours every day at 9.30 am, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3.30 pm. From 2 pm onwards you can watch question time at the parliament session. Also, there are many exhibitions and public galleries as well.
If you’re a nature enthusiast, make sure you visit the National Arboretum as well as dreamy lake Burley Griffin. National Arboretum is a 250-hectare patch of land filled with 100 forests and 100 gardens which are focused on rare and symbolic trees from all parts of the world. There is also a café, a restaurant, many picnic areas and several pieces of public art.
On the Lake Burley Griffin, you can experience beautiful sights as well as yachting, kayaking, paddle boating and windsurfing.
Now that you know what places you should visit, here are some of the events you should check out as well.
GTM festival
GTM stands for “Groovin the moo” and it is the only touring regional music festival in Australia. It starts on the 7th of May, and the lineup is already out. In case it’s too far from the place you’re staying at, and you’re going with a large enough party, taking convenient Canberra buses is a great way to get there. If you are in for some partying, make sure you check it out.
Canberra truffle hunts
Give yourself a wintery experience of hunting for the world’s most expensive food in the Oak forest. Follow the exceptionally talented truffle dogs as they search and sniff for famous Perigord truffles. They will roam amongst more than 2000 trees to find them. Once the search is complete, and the perfect truffle is found, you will go back to the truffle shed and have a taste of this delicacy.
You can choose from Truffle hunts, breakfast hunts and lunch hunts.
If you are coming at the end of May and stay through June make sure you put this experience on your Canberra bucket list – you won’t regret it.
2017 Spanish film festival
If you are a cinephile, Canberra’s got your back, because from 19th of April all the way till 7th of May, you can enjoy the art of Spanish drama. Palace Barracks and Palace Centro Cinemas will broadcast movies such as KIKI, EL AMOR SE HACE from the famous director Paco Leon. This hilarious and complex comedy explores things such as marriage, love and sex through five intertwined stories in Madrid. A movie definitely worth seeing.
P.S. the opening night will be followed by a party and catering.
2017 Canberra international music festival
We saved the best for last. The Canberra international music festival exists from April 1994 (back then, it was named The Canberra International Chamber Music Festival), and it became an annual event in 1997. A wild and rapid expansion happened between 2005 and 2008 because it was paid by Arts patron Barbara Blackman, so now, this festival presents around 30 concerts every single year. If you’re a cultural enthusiast, make sure you are in Canberra from 27th of April till 7th of May. You will see performers such as Van Kujik Quartet, James Morrison, Alexandre de Costa, Lisa Moore and many more.
How do you like Canberra? Which events seem best in your opinion? Let us know in the comments.
Author Bio:
Roxana is a Sydney based travel enthusiast with a passion for writing. She loves fashion and has an eye for anything visually appealing and aesthetical. She is all about the healthy lifestyle, loves to run with her husband and dogs and has fun cooking exotic meals for her family. You can find her articles on HighStyleLife.