On my third day during my trip to Sydney, we made the three hour drive down to Canberra for a day trip. Canberra is the capital city of Australia located in the aptly named state, Australian Capital Territory. The story goes that in the early 1900s both Sydney and Melbourne were vying to be Australia’s capital city. As a compromise, it was decided that Canberra, which is located between both cities would be the nation’s capital city. Even to this day both Sydney and Melbourne are often in friendly competition to be the best city in Australia, from sports to lifestyle.
Canberra is the only city in Australia that is an entirely planned city. This is similar to Washington D.C. in USA for example, though nowhere near as historic, grand or populated. Many people often say (complain) that Canberra is a bit of a boring city and that it’s not worth the visit. Since one of my bucketlist items is to visit the major city of each state in Australia, I decided to pay it a visit while I’m in the area. I’m glad I did. Yes it’s a quiet little city (quieter than Perth), but it’s a lovely city. I am glad I went.