John

I am taking a short trip to Australia and will drive from Sydney to Melbourne. I'm wondering: Is a 1-night stop in Canberra worth it? Thanks in advance to those who reply.

Alan

Hi, John!<BR>Yes, it is... most definitely. I think the main reason most tourists don't drive the Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne route is that they have been told not to miss the seaside towns south of Sydney. I admit, this is an attractive area, and if you could do both this AND Canberra it would be great (and you can, with just a bit of cross-country travel on minor but by no means disgraceful roads); but Canberra is, I think, very close to being a must-see for visitors, yet hardly anyone on this forum asks about it or mentions it. If you're coming to Australia between September 14 and October 13, you will see Canberra during Floriade, which is absolutely the best time to go. I'm not much of a flower lover, but even I was impressed. <BR>Must you limit yourself to just one night? Once you visit the Floriade display, the Australian War Memorial, the new Parliament House, the Science Museum, the Australian-American War Memorial, the US consulate, and Cockington Green, you've already used up two or three full days. Really, there is a lot to see in Canberra... it is Washington DC in miniature!

Daisy

John, I agree with Alan. We live in Brisbane, and at least once a year treat ourselves to a weekend in Canberra. It's a very interesting place - lots to see.<BR><BR>Special note - we've discovered a terrific restaurant called "Axis" which is in the complex of the new Australian National Museum. If you go to Canberra, it's a great choice for a meal.<BR><BR>Also, if you don't eat at "Axis", there are two suburban precincts which each have a couple of blocks of nothing-but-restaurants in every price range and type of food - the suburbs of Dickson and Manuka.<BR><BR>Both the Australian National Library and the Art Gallery have interesting exhibits throughout the year. Search for them on the web, and they'll have their program shown.<BR><BR>Even if you didn't have time to actually see an exhibit at the Library, it's worth at least going to their ground floor coffee shop for a pit-stop, to see the wonderful modern stained glass windows.<BR><BR>Have we sold you yet?

Jenny

I'd probably spend a day in Canberra, but when I was there, it seemed to 'shut' at night! No-one about after 8pm ish.... I'd second not missing the seaside towns on the Sapphire Coast - Bermagui is one of my little gems (and I used to live in Cobargo, which is a really lovely little place!) I'd also suggest you swing through Tilba Tilba and take a look at the craft places there, if that interests you. <BR><BR>Should you want any more detail on this area, please feel free to email me, as I'm not able to check the board out very regularly just now.

John

Thanks for the replies. This forum rocks! I'm still torn about what to do, given that after posting I learned that flights from Sydney to Melbourne are incredibly cheap ($89 Aus.) and short (90 mins.), and my time will be limited. A wonderful dilemma to be in, I suppose, and one I'll just have to resolve myself. I can't wait to visit your beautiful country.

Alan

Hi again, John!<BR>Your cheap flight to Melbourne does, indeed, take only ninety minutes. But then again, of course, you need forty five minutes minimum to get to the airport, you have to check-in about an hour and a half before you fly, and there's more time at the other end getting into the city.... there's a good half-day gone. I still say the road journey, via Canberra and some of the southern coastal towns, is the way to go. Melbourne is not such a great place that you will be thrilled with the extra time there, but the overland journey will show you the "real" Australia! (You could even go by train overnight to Melbourne for around the same as the airfare, and I would imagine it would be easy to organise a Sydney-Canberra-Melbourne train schedule..... not so easy to organise this by plane unless you want the booking clerk's eyes to turn into cash registers like in the old cartoons!)

John

OK, I'm sold. Canberra it is. Thanks for your advice.