Canberra
 

We have booked our trip to Sydney next year... One of the excursions that I would like to do is see Canberra. There are several tours leaving Sydney. I just dont know if they will allow us enough to time to see what we want to see. Would you recommend a car hire instead of a tour? Using the country link (train) to get there? Thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Jenn

How long do you potentially have for this side trip and what are your main interests?

Would not recommend as a day trip - see for example the "rushed/ not enough time" comments in these reviews of what otherwise appears to be a fairly well put together brief tour -

http://tinyurl.com/ndc6rm

I agree that you definitely need more than one day to explore Canberra. We have often made the trip between Sydney and Canberra, both by car and by Country Link. You've got a lot more flexibility if you drive and it's helpful to have a car in Canberra, especially if you plan to go to places such as Namadgi National Park, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, etc. The drive from Sydney to Canberra is an easy one and takes almost exactly 3 hours.

I agree with Farrermog and Longhorn, a day is not enough even if you were just going to the main cultural sites (National Gallery, National Archives, War Memorial, National Portrait Gallery, Parliament House, National Film and Sound Archives).

Also a car is really useful in Canberra, the public transport is not great. If you are driving from Sydney just be aware that sometimes, particularly Friday afternoon, the traffic is terrible and it can take up to an hour to get out of the city.

I agree you would need longer than a day in Canberra. The train takes 4 & 1/2 hours a slow trip. Hiring a car is best and the drive is really quite easy. The is also Murrays Coaches that leave from Central station in Sydney they are non stop and take 3.15 hrs. You would really be better to have a car in Canberra very easy to get around. Lots to see and do.

Jenn - looking at your other posts it appears you are coming all this way to spend 10 days based in Sydney in early winter. Will you be stopping elsewhere in Australasia and have you considered spending say half that time in Sydney, bookending a trip to central Australia (flying to Alice Springs and taking a 3 or 4 day tour) or north Queensland, or perhaps even a 5 or 6 day drive taking in say parts of the NSW coast and central west and Canberra?