Exploring Australia’s forgotten tourist capital
Poor little Canberra. How can this town awash with political hot air even begin to compete with the class and cool of Melbourne? Or the trendy bustle of Sydney?
Canberra has long shouldered a reputation for being a dull town, just a glorified sheep station with lights, full of politicians and civil servants who cram the highway exits every Friday night clamouring for the excitement of Sydney just a few hours' drive away.
But locals, who are intensely proud of their patch, say things are changing. Set halfway between the two big smokes of Australia, Canberra is reinventing itself and making a play for the tourist dollar in a bid to shake off its 102-year-old stuffy reputation.
And as long as visitors aren't expecting a big-city-style bright-lights experience, the capital has a lot of charm and history on offer.
I land in Canberra on a smoking hot summer's day, navigate the brand new airport to meet my travel companion, my mother, and we make our way through the wide streets. Endless roundabouts shape the city and link the extensive parliamentary zone with the shopping district and CBD.
For someone with close to no sense of direction and a broken GPS system in the car, I find Canberra remarkably easy to navigate - perhaps because it has been meticulously planned. Streets are laid out in a wheel-and-spoke pattern centred on the expansive Lake Burley Griffin, named after the American architect who designed the capital.
My mother is instantly impressed with how contemporary, clean and in order everything seems and how polite the drivers are.
We arrive at our hotel, the heritage Hotel Kurrajong in the parliamentary zone, after about 15 minutes of driving. Nothing around the city is further than that and even at rush hour, the traffic is completely manageable.
The parliamentary zone is made up of government buildings, monuments and leafy streets. Young civil servants hurry back and forth between the buildings and there aren't many restaurants or much nightlife on this side of the lake. The city centre would probably be a better option for those looking for a livelier evening scene.
The next morning, we take the pleasant 15-minute walk to the National Gallery of Australia to check out the world's largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait artworks.
The lakeside gallery is a a multi-level, modern rectangle of a building surrounded by a beautiful sculpture garden and a small reflective body of water.
When we visit, the featured exhibition is Retrospective by American artist James Turrell, who plays beautifully with light. His dedicated light installations seem to take away all perspective and sense of stability.
The exhibition is on until June, with the centrepiece a dramatic light capsule called Bindu shards in which the viewer is treated to a 15-minute personal colour experience like no other. Bookings are essential for this particular piece and though I didn't get to try it, I hear it is mind-blowing.
We decide to head back to the hotel to grab the car before driving to the city centre. The distance from the parliamentary zone to the centre of the Braddon shopping district is about 5 kilometres and under normal circumstances probably a pleasant lakeside walk, but with summer's searing heat and the threat of thunderstorms looming, I opt to take the car.
Wherever you look in Canberra there are signs of development. Restaurants, boutique shops and apartments stretch out on the south side of the water, the casino is being revamped to draw in high-end clients and heritage hotels like Kurrajong are undergoing expensive refurbishment.
Braddon is Canberra's busiest suburb and, as the locals tell me, the most fun one too. A recently opened collection of food vans called the Hamlet is crowded with casual diners the night we visit. The Hamlet is being touted as a modern village and will feature music and eventually markets.
For dinner we eat at one of the most lauded restaurants in the Braddon district, Italian and Sons. The simple fare and constant Italian chatter coming from the noisy kitchen is a sure sign this meal is going to be authentic. I order the bruschetta to start - think crusty bread piled high with the juiciest tomatoes and stretchiest mozzarella, crowned with a regal-looking basil leaf. The spaghetti carbonara which follows could rival many trattorie in Rome.
The packed-out restaurant is obviously a hit with Canberrans and bookings are essential to avoid a wait. From what I hear from locals, stylish eateries like this are becoming more common in Canberra as restaurateurs try to tap into a wealthy customer base that previously didn't have much to do in the evenings.
Certainly Lonsdale Rd, where the restaurant is situated, is bustling with late-night crowds, restaurants and bars as we head home.
The next morning, we plan to take in the sights from above for a better understanding of how the town is laid out. I'm told Canberra is one of the only places in the world where you can float over a government house in a hot air balloon.
For those hesitant about trusting their lives to a balloon, a creaky wicker basket and a few LPG bottles, I will admit this experience is not for the faint-hearted. But once the balloon lifts off the ground, the sensation is so surreal that all phobias are left behind.
From above, the greens and blues of the lake, the expanse of the surrounding vegetation and the hills in the distance are truly stunning. Canberra's highways wind together and cradle the shimmering lake in a spaghetti formation. Kangaroos and wallabies bounce around in the eucalyptus forests and we can see far-off hills and wineries in the distance. The morning traffic is beginning to make its way around the city.
Everything is silent from above, punctuated only occasionally by the roar of the gas as the pilot steers the balloon up and down.
Our guide from Balloon Aloft points out the landmarks and sails us near the lake's surface for a close-up glimpse of a local kayaker who photographs the balloons every morning for the Canberra Times. We wave and he waves back.
It's at once a serene yet adrenaline-filled experience as we float up and down with our sister balloon. We are told there is a surprise marriage proposal on the other vessel this morning - Balloon Aloft has a small two-person balloon for those special occasions when you want to be alone and skimming the clouds.
After touching down and having a celebratory glass of champagne, we decide it's time to get out of town and explore the adjacent wineries and destination-dining spots of New South Wales, just a 30-minute drive away.
The roads around Canberra are amid quintessential Australian bush. Eucalyptus trees give way to vineyards stretching out across dry, rust-coloured paddocks.
The Barton Highway takes you straight from Canberra's city centre out to Murrumbateman wine country.
We stop at family-owned Poachers Pantry for lunch - a smokehouse, winery, wedding venue, farm shop and restaurant in one building. Set back from the main road, a spacious, well-manicured garden leads us to a beautiful patio and rustic restaurant where the menu features offerings like confit duck leg, barramundi fillet and slow-cooked lamb shoulder. I try my first ever plate of kangaroo, which is beautifully presented with shallots, artichokes and tomato jam.
We meander along country roads back to the city and stop off at the historic village of Hall, an adorable collection of buildings and general stores which dates back to the 1800s.
It's obvious Canberra has undergone some significant changes over the past few years, aimed at rolling out the welcome mat for a potential influx of tourists.
For those after a modern, clean and relaxing city break with beautiful vistas and wineries thrown in, no big-city dramas and a first-rate dining scene, Canberra should be high on the list.
Written by Shabnam Dastgheib. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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