Canberra: Charm in the Country Town Capital

As you drive along the Hume Highway from Sydney to Canberra (a four- or five-hour ride, depending on the number of bottlenecks in Sydney’s outlying suburbs), you can tell the very minute you enter Canberra. Not from the huge “Welcome to the Australian Capital Territory” sign, but by the condition of the road itself.

The highway, which is often bumpy and uneven in New South Wales (Sydney is famous for its potholes), suddenly becomes smooth and new-seeming once you hit Canberra. Or--conveniently and interestingly--just before.

This transition from mangled macadam to mellifluous ride is not simply Another Road (surface) Attraction. It is deeply symbolic as well, for Canberra, the capital since 1927, is a clean and tidy place, a city which prides itself on abiding neither bumpy roads nor litter by the sides of those splendid roads. Nor garish advertising billboards. Nor buildings of more than 12 stories high.

A city of some 280,000 people, 60% of whom are civil servants, Canberra does not tolerate too many traditional urban horror trappings (read: Sydney .) Canberrans think of urban sprawl as the ultimate sin against nature. They love to talk about Sydney with acerbic glee.

The capital of Australia, 190 miles south of Sydney and 410 miles north of Melbourne, is a most unusual major Aussie city. There are no crowds, no pollution, very few pubs--and no discernible city center. There are no traffic jams. Rush hour is over within an hour. There aren’t even front yard fences--they’re prohibited by law in ultra-orderly Canberra.

Canberra has a quiet, non-showy beauty. Its avenues are wide and tree-lined. Parks and gardens are numerous. The bush surrounds and snakes in and out of the city. The Brindabella Mountains, which are blue-tipped in the afternoons and make for scenic viewing from Telecom Tower atop the city’s Black Mountain, ring the city.

Canberra looks like a giant university campus. Public buildings sit on large, green, leafy lawns, perched like Important Buildings atop knolls on both sides of Lake Burley Griffin. The overall impression is one of spaciousness and calm, of a city scattered through a park.

The lake is the city’s unifying centerpiece. It is seven miles long with 25 miles of landscaped shoreline. Wetlands teem with bird life, contrasting with more formal areas.

Aussies, though, have mixed feelings about their capital. The long-entrenched Sydney-Melbourne rivalry, which resulted in “neutral” Canberra being chosen capital, often colors their views. Canberra is accused of being a cold city (both literally and metaphorically), a city without culture or feeling, a “great waste of prime sheep country.”

But even the most Canberra-phobic Aussies have to admit that it is a beautiful city.

One of Canberra’s chief charms is the country-town-as-capital feel of the place. Kangaroos sit in sunny patches on the many small hills overlooking the city. “ ‘Roos” also lie in the sun on golf courses. Giant packs of yellow and white sulfur-crested cockatoos screech as they fly over residential areas with names like “Manuka” and “Yarralumla” and “Red Hill.” Birds are everywhere.

Politicians jog with “common folk” along the banks of the lake on mornings. Sheep and horses graze on pasture by the side of Northbourne Avenue, the main thoroughfare into the business district. Tidbits of interest to graziers are regularly thrown in with the news on the radio. Trucks with sheep in the back drive through the city center.

Canberra was a planned city from its beginning when an international design competition for the new capital was won in 1911 by an American: Chicago-based architect Walter Burley Griffin. He arrived in Canberra in 1913 to supervise construction but progress was so slow that in 1947, Canberra was little more than a sheep town with a population of 15,000.

The city was designed for a few hundred dollars and built on a series of circles and hexagons around a lake. The city’s name is aboriginal dialect, “kanberra,” which means “meeting place.” It is the only major Aussie city that lies inland, and summers are hot and dry. (Sydney summers are humid). Winters are often quite cold.

The lake divides the city into north and south. North is the business district and the city’s center (such as it is) is called “Civic.”

Canberra Airport is 4 1/2 miles east of Civic. The Canberra Railway Station is on Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, about three miles southeast of Civic. Trains are slow to Canberra. It often takes five hours to get from Sydney to Canberra. The main bus terminal is the Jolimont Tourist Centre, 65 Northbourne Ave. Buses are often a better bet in Australia than trains!

Canberra has an excellent bus system (called ACTION buses). For a flat fare of a little over a dollar, you can travel a fair distance from the city to the suburbs. Anyone planning extensive bus travel should purchase a Daytripper ticket ($3.70), which permits unlimited travel after 9 a.m.

Canberra’s major public buildings can be seen in one fairly long day tour, although three days in Canberra is advisable. There are excellent parks and gardens in the city, including the National Botanic Gardens and the country’s most famous art museum, the National Gallery.

Most of the public buildings are located within the Parliamentary Triangle formed by the lake on the north and two long avenues, Commonwealth and Kings, which fan out from Capital Hill, roughly in the middle of the city.

The best place to begin a tour of the city is from the tallest building--the 600-foot Telecom Tower on Black Mountain. (Hiking enthusiasts might want to climb the mountain, which takes 45 minutes or so.)

Three viewing platforms give spectacular views of the city (and there are plenty of ‘roos at dusk grazing on the mountain). Telecom Tower’s futuristic look caused a scandal when it was built more than 10 years ago but this anti-TT fervor has died down some since the more contested new Parliament House--controversial for its cost over-runs and even more controversial architecture--was built in 1988.

The National Capital Planning Exhibition is a good spot to visit next at Regatta Point on the lake. The permanent exhibition has photos, graphs and audiovisual displays on past, present and future development of the city.

The view from the point is superb: the Parliamentary Triangle across the lake, with the National Library on the right and the National Gallery on the left. These two buildings form the base of the Parliamentary Triangle, with new Parliament House at the apex.

The National Library, on King Edward Terrace, off Commonwealth Avenue, is open virtually year-round and has more than 4 million books. The library is a good place to sit and read while you recover from sightseeing. The magazine collection in the reading room on the ground floor is extensive. You can even find the New Yorker and the New Republic, should the desire arise.

Across the street from the library is the National Science and Technology Centre. This “big hit with kids” museum has 150 hands-on exhibits, lots of computer gadgets and is surprisingly interesting--even for non-science types. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for kids. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Across the large lawn (one of many in Canberra) is old Parliament House, a long, white building dating from 1927. It makes an evocative image to new Parliament House. It was the seat of government for more than 60 years until its successor was built on the hill behind it.

Next along the lake shore is the High Court, a concrete-and-glass structure that is the Aussie Supreme Court. All three courts within the building have public galleries and when court is in session, anyone can apply for admission. (In keeping with the general spirit of Australia, it’s a lot easier to get tickets to this court than to the U.S. Supreme Court.) Open daily 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Also on King Edward Terrace is the National Gallery, with works by Picasso, Rodin, Pollock and Warhol. The National Gallery, though, is strongest on Australian art and has excellent collections of aboriginal art. The bookshop is very good, as is the restaurant. Adult admission: $2.40. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

South on Commonwealth Avenue and then left on the ramp (with the big sign: Canberra is a very clearly marked place) is new Parliament House. This $2-billion-plus building, with the domed glass roof with grass around it (joggers doing their paces on the roof is truly an unnerving sight) and its 250-foot flagpole can be seen all over the area.

The building zig-zags in and out of Capital Hill in a modernist, snake-like fashion. Its architecture was very controversial, and still is to many people. The interior has a dazzling array of Australian native woods in an extraordinary variety of hues and colors: door jambs and balustrades of jarrah; paneling of white birch brushbox and ebony; parquetry of blackbutt, jarrah and ebony; rare red gum timbers in the chairs of the posh Senate Chamber.

The “Pollie Palace” is either deeply shocking--or transcendentally pleasing, depending on your own personality structure.

Parliament generally sits on weekdays between mid-February and late June, and again from mid-August to late December. The best time to visit is during Question Time at 2 p.m. daily, when no-holds-barred vituperations are the norm. Tickets may be obtained from the Sergeant-at-Arms’ Office and while booking in advance is advised, it’s not absolutely vital.

From Commonwealth Avenue, head toward the lake, where you’ll see the Canadian, New Zealand and British high commissions. There are almost 70 nations represented in Canberra. The newly-built Chinese Embassy compound by the lake looks especially interesting, as does the Malaysian Embassy.

If you rent a car, drive through the Red Hill area. Not only are the houses fabulous, but you’ll see many embassies (and the odd pack of ‘roos at the Red Hill Lookout at dusk).

Two other not-to-miss sites are the National Botanic Gardens and the Australian War Memorial. The gardens have more than 600 species of eucalyptus trees and some wonderful Aussie flora-filled plots.

The gardens are on Clunies Ross Street, Black Mountain, are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are seldom crowded.

Apart from the lake, the War Memorial is probably the city’s most popular tourist attraction. Built in the style of a Byzantine church, it features exhibits from the late 19th Century through Vietnam and includes a superb collection of military weaponry and memorabilia. The memorial is on Anzac Parade, Campbell, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For military buffs, there are tanks, landing barges, a Spitfire and a Lancaster bomber, among other attractions.

And always, in Canberra, there is the lake. Taking a cruise around the lake is a terrific way to see the city, whether it be a comprehensive two-hour cruise to view major buildings and shores in the Central Basin Area or the shorter hour-long cruise. There are also lunch and dinner cruises. For details, call Canberra Cruises at 06-295-3544.

I lived in Canberra for two years and never tired of looking at the lake. For an unusual view of it, go to the Black Mountain side just before sunset when the light changing on the mountain makes the lake appear even more mysterious than usual.

Bring bread for the ducks. Don’t even think about driving back to Sydney. It’s a sin against nature to miss Lake Burley Griffin at dusk.

GUIDEBOOK

Australia’s Spacious Capital

Getting there: Australian Airlines, Ansett Australia and East West Airlines fly from Sydney to Canberra for about $80 to $96 for international travelers. Both fares are subject to conditions. Australian Airlines’ Blue Roo fare, for example, requires two domestic flights. Where to stay: Accommodations range from top class hotels to budget motels. The expensive ($120 to $200 per night): Hyatt Canberra, Capital Parkroyal and Pavillion Hotel, all near the Parliamentary Triangle. Moderate ($64 to $120): Country Comfort Inn, Olims Canberra, Argyle Executive Apartments, all within a mile of city center. Inexpensive (Under $64): Downtown Speros Motel, Gowrie Private Hotel, Regency Motor Inn; Downtown and Gowrie are closest to city center.

Where to eat: Whether American cuisine, Australian, Chinese or Continental, keep in mind most restaurant service in Canberra is slow! Plan on plenty of time when dining out.

American: Chevy’s Car and Bar, on the West Side entrance of Woden Plaza, Woden (about 3 miles from city center). Inexpensive burgers, nachos, chili burgers, sandwiches served in setting much like a 1950s diner, casual dress; telephone locally 06-281-2054.

Australian: Innovations, 35 Kennedy St., Kingston, five minutes from city center. Native Aussie and aboriginal foods including witchetty grubs, medallions of kangaroo, traditional Aussie lamb or beef; expensive, reservations advised; 06-295-7377.

Chinese: Tang Dynasty, 27 Kennedy St., Kingston. Northern Chinese and Szechuan dishes including Peking shredded beef and chicken dishes; expensive; 06-295-3202.

Continental: Cafe Lella, Jardine St., Kingston. Great pastas, salads, simple fare in inexpensive setting. Very popular, reservations required on weekends; lunch only Saturday through Tuesday; 06-239-6383.

Charcoal Restaurant, 61 London Circuit. A wood-paneled gentlemen’s club kind of place that serves excellent beef. House specials: beef cooked in red wine sauce, blackened fish and spaghetti marinara; expensive, reservations advised; 06-248-8051.

For more information: Canberra Tourist Bureau, Jolimont Tourist Centre, 65-67 Northbourne Ave., 06-245-6464; Australian Embassy, 101 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 797-3222; Australian Consulate General, 611 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, 90004, (213) 469-4300.