Canberra
 

Hello! I have the opportunity to take an extended vacation to Canberra to visit a friend. I have never been to Australia and consider this a trip of a lifetime but I was looking on Google Earth last night and saw that the Canberra area looks a lot like Midland, Texas (very brown, no trees)! I know that tool isn't 100% accurate but it still concerns me only because flights are in the $2,000 range and I want to make sure my money would be well spent. Can any of you tell me more about Canberra? Thx!

There's no reason that you have to spend your entire time in Canberra. I would use this an opportunity to see other parts of Australia, either with your friend of without -- Australia is a very easy place for a single traveler.

Canberra....just like Midland Texas....well maybe not..but some of us say it is a good sheep farm ruined....cool down Neil,don't have that heart attack just yet.

"Very brown, no trees"? Hardly - I'd look further afield than Google Earth to get a feel for Canberra's surroundings.

The city is surrounded by lightly timbered grassland, but to the south and west in particular the country is hilly to mountainous and heavily wooded. Being 600 metres ASL and inland it does have a dry climate, but the characteristic grassland colour in summer is yellow (spring, green). In drought conditions the open country can look brown from the air, which may explain what I take to be the misleading view you've seen. Since Canberra's establishment at least 15 million native and exotic trees have been planted, along with extensive parkland and lakes, so the city itself is anything but brown. It's particularly beautiful in spring and autumn.

Canberra's population is 320,000, and because it's the headquarters of the national government, many national institutions, the diplomatic corps and much academia doesn't lack for arts, entertainment and dining opportunities.

As thit_cho says, though, you wouldn't come all this way and go nowhere else in Australia. The good news is that Canberra is within 3 hours' drive of Sydney (290 km), the beautiful South Coast of NSW (160-200 km) and the Snowy Mountains ski fields. And Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, is a 7-hour drive (650 km) or a 1-hour flight.

If you enter canberra +images in Google you'll find some representative shots of Canberra and surrounds, e.g. http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mddawson/picindex.htm

march222, I should have mentioned that I live in Canberra (as if you didn't guess), so if you have any specific questions please fire away.

Canberra is one of the most beautiful and well-planned cities in Australia, and I am sure you would enjoy your time there. The images on Google Earth are not "live" and can be a couple of years old. There were major bushfires in Canberra in the last few years, and that may well be why the Google images look a bit bleak - but I am sure you will find it beautiful if you come to visit. (Hope you're not coming in our winter though - it can be quite cold!)

Yes, winter can be brisk in Canberra - to most other Australians, anyway, and no doubt to someone from Florida or southern California. Most North Americans and Europeans would see Canberra's winters as comparatively mild, though. weatherbase.com is a good site to check month-by-month average conditions.

March222--I grew up not that far from Midland, Texas and I can say definitely that Canberra is nothing like Midland. I was fortunate to have lived in Canberra for several years and it is easily my favorite city in the entire world. It is a beautiful place surrounded by lots of flora and fauna. (Don't be surprised by the galahs, cockatoos and parrots that you will find everywhere. We also often found kangaroos on Red Hill and one crossed the road in front of me by the Mint as I drove my daughter to school.) Canberra has the most fabulous museums--the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, etc. and the unique Parliament House should not be missed. Also, you can drive just a few minutes outside of town and be at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve or Namadgi National Park. And, contrary to what most Australians think, the climate in Canberra, even in winter, is great. I lived through 3 winters in Canberra and have returned twice in winter to visit friends and I have never worn more than a sweater and light jacket. It's just not that cold, even for this Texan. Have a wonderful time in Canberra and enjoy as much of Australia as you can.

Neil is a self-confessed Canberra fan, but there are other folk out there that quite like the place. Me, for instance.

Great museums; art galleries. The city centre seems a bit sterile, but there are cul de sacs here and there with restaurants galore.

And if it's an extended vac, OP, you will able to go to other places. Loads to chose from (what, by the way is your definition of "extended")? If you are coming in the next few months you could even hit the snow and go skiing.

And as for the air fare. 2K US sounds outrageous - assume you are coming from the US?

I found a round trip fare the other day SYD-LAX with Air NZ for just over a grand plus taxes - so about aud1400.

You might want to consider flying into Sydney - apart from the fact that it's a brilliant city, it could be much cheaper. And you can get a coach up to Canberra (3.5 hrs) for as little as 30 bucks (Aus).

Have fun.

probably one of the nicest things one can say about Canberra is it's not in Texas.

Surely no stars in Canberra are brighter at night than Neil, eh

cheers
A/D

Feeling a bit dim right now, A/D, but thanks anyway, eh? (Yes, I'm getting into practice.)

Haven't seen too many yellow roses lately, either, but I did demolish a sixpack of Lone Star some time back. And of course we can't match that scintillating intellect from Crawford. Well, you can't have everything, heah?