Excite2

My friend & I would like to travel by bus from Sydney to Canberra and stay for 2 days, most probably 27-28 Sept. Should we travel in the evening (5pm) or in the early morning (7-8am)? What are the bus companies available & bus fare? We're interested to enjoy the floriade celebration, what are the highlights on 27-29 Sept? What other attractions not to be miss? Should we book our hotel now or wait until we're in Sydney?

Thanks!

longhorn55

Ah, Canberra--I love it! I don't know anything about the buses from Sydney to Canberra, but I have taken the train between those two cities. You might want to consider it as well. As far as accomodations--they can get quite booked up during Floriade, especially if you will be there on a weekend. I might recommend getting accomodations in either Manuka or Kingston. They are close to all the places you will want to visit and have lots of restaurants and night spots. If you will be in Canberra for two days, you will want to visit Floriade, the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, Parliament House and Old Parliament House. If you have more time, take a bus out to the Botanical Gardens--they should be lovely then.

Neil_Oz

Excite2, my advice is to travel in the evening of the 26th, if you can do that, and give yourself the best part of two full days in Canberra. If you can't do that, take the earliest bus you can on the 27th.

There's a lot to see and do, and longhorn55 has made some good suggestions (including basing yourself in Manuka or Kingston - although University House, on the campus of the Australian National University, would be worth considering). To add to them, depending on your interests, the Old Parliament House and associated National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum. A couple of lesser-known attractions are the 19th century Lanyon Homestead and the Sidney Nolan Gallery, to the south of the city, and depending on opening hours Calthorpe's Cottage in Red Hill, a fascinating look at a perfectly-preserved 1920s house in the then-popular "Californian bungalow" style, designed by the architect who did the Prime Minister's Lodge .

Check out www.canberratourism.com.au for things to do, accommodations, restaurants etc.

Spring weather in Canberra is difficult to predict (pack a sweater or coat) but the city should be looking great. Floriade is very popular, so book your bus tickets early - go to www.murrays.com.au. I believe the buses leave from Eddy Avenue, on the north side of Sydney's Central Station.

Apart from the Canberra tourism website, I suggest familiarising yourself with www.wotif.com. Normally this is a good site to pick up good last-minute (actually last-two-weeks) deals, but choice may be more limited during the Floriade event.

Floriade is held in beautifully landscaped Commonwealth Park, which runs aling the north side of Lake Burley Griffin for about a kilometre east of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. Not enough people see the park because it's separated from the central business district ("Civic" by a multilane highway, Parkes Way. New plans to revitalise the city, and realise some of the neglected vision of its visionary designer, Walter Burley Griffin, involve fixing this problem by roofing over Parkes Way - roll on the day.

Have a great time in the National Capital.

Excite2

TQ ... longhorn55 & neil_Oz,

Neil.. I will take your advice to take the evening bus from Sydney. Do you know how convenient is the Olims Hotel or City Walk Hotel from the city and floriade events? Any comments? Is the floriade events centered in one place only?
I have look thru some websites on accomodations but don't seem to find many hotels in kingston or Manuka? Can you help me out, if you don't mind?
Thanks anyway.

AndrewDavid

Neil Himself is reputed to be one of the main sights of Canberra

A/D

Neil_Oz

While I work out how I should take A/D's contribution...

Excite2, have you checked out wotif.com? Before I respond, could you tell me what style of accommodation you want, and your budget? No point me talking about a great $300 deal at the Hyatt if you're looking to spend $75, or vice versa.

Olim's is at the top of Ainslie Avenue, a 5-10 minute walk from the city. City Walk is right in the middle of the city. Floriade is at one site only, Commonwealth Park, a 10-15 minute walk from the city. But if you're a plant freak, I would echo longhorn's recommendation to make time for the extensive National Botanical Gardens, which display native flora only, from all parts of Australia.

Excite2

I am looking for a double room with ensuite bath, preferably in the city centre with a rather low budget (less than AUD100). Convenient, clean & safe is most important.

I am considering a 'special' offer from www.ozhotel.com which offer the 7th night stay free for staying in the their chain hotels - Olims Hotel.

Coz I would appreciate if you could help to find a better choice. I had check out www.wotif ... but I will have to wait until last minute to book. Wouldn't it be too late??

Neil_Oz

Sorry, I really meant to say (but didn't) that wotif could give you a rough idea of what's available, that's all. I agree that postponing a booking for the Floriade period would be risky (likewise a bus booking).

The train, incidentally, is pretty slow - a 4.5 hour trip.

Maybe your best bet would be the ozhotel deal after all - a max of $100 and a central location does limit your options. Olim's is in a quiet and reasonably convenient location and I'm sure it's clean. Canberra doesn't have any no-go areas as such - rowdy drunks have been reported in Civic and Manuka, that's all, and well after sensible people are tucked up in bed.

The University House rack rate is a bit over your budget, but you never know - you might get a deal if you email them directly.

The City Walk Hotel is right in Civic and the price ($85) is right - I found them at
http://canberra.citysearch.com.au/E/...5/38/23/1.html

The best places to eat are Manuka (mostly European) and Dickson (mostly Asian), each about 3 km from Civic.