Today, a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced that Canberra was the best place in the world to live. Australia overall was the country ranked highest by the report, followed by Norway.
While this report came as something of a surprise to the rest of Australia, proud Canberran and Mamamia’s Editor In Chief Jamila Rizvi was (not so) quietly smug about the news. After all, the last time Canberra topped a similar poll, in June this year, she wrote this:
I don’t wish to alarm everyone but Canberra is officially having its moment.
In news that will surprise nobody everybody, the national capital has been found to have the highest level of wellbeing in the country. That’s right. The best health care standards, educational achievement levels, access to services (other than public transport) and low unemployment.
Being a born-and-bred Canberran, this news had my cold dead political heart singing Katy Perry at top volume. I have always been aware that Canberra is actually amazing and am glad the scientific data people at the OECD are now waking up to that same fact.
In honour of Canberra’s 100th birthday last year, I cobbled together this short list of why Canberra is great. Now that so many of you will be thinking of relocating there (admit it….), we decided to revive it.
Enjoy.
1. Canberra is a planned city. That means it wasn’t created all hobbledy-gobbley like SYDNEY with its nutty one way streets and impossible-to-navigate sprawling network of roads.
There is also a height restriction of buildings over 10 stories high in the city (okay – slightly insane rule) which means that if you suffer from even the most severe case of vertigo, you can travel freely in the Berra.
And because Mr Walter Burrley Griffin, great man that he was, had a deep love of all things round-a-bout, there are no crazy arse hook turns like in Melbourne.
There are just delightful circular journeys that appear never to end and give you lots of time to ponder the meaning of life and why Claude was one of the original raggy dolls, when nothing was actually wrong with him, and other such things.
2. Canberra can out socially-progress ANYwhere. Canberra is home to some of the most socially progressive people you’ll find just about anywhere.
Remember that girl at uni screaming into a megaphone at male passers by to ‘get your rosaries off my ovaries’, or that bloke handing out socialist alternative leaflets in the city each weekend? They live in Canberra now.
The ACT was the first jurisdiction in Australia to decriminalise abortion, legislate too allow civil unions for same sex couples and to implement a Human Rights Act. So if you live in Canberra, you not only get human rights, you get them WRITTEN DOWN. Huzzah!
3. Everything is 20 minutes away. Canberra is geographically a city of considerable size but the small population means that you are never far from your buddies. Ask any Canberran how long it takes for them to get to work, to drop the kids off at school, to go out to dinner, or to catch up with a mate? And the answer will be: 20 minutes.
And on the one occasion when an influx of residents into the fast-expanding northern suburbs became so great that a new road was needed to ensure their commute remained the mandated 20 minutes – guess what happened?
Canberra didn’t build that road for TWO WHOLE YEARS. Why? Because there were a group of loveable but slightly insane people who were worried that construction of the road would spell the demise of a much loved species of legless lizard.
Do you know what a legless lizard is? It’s a SNAKE. The people of Canberra waited two whole years for a decent road because they were worried about one of the world’s most unlovable creatures. Bless them.
4. They have GREEN milk. Being a small city, Canberrans don’t triumph on the sporting field all that often (Lauren Jackson, greatest basketballer in the WORLD is a notable exception). But when they do triumph, they take it very seriously.
In the early 1990s, when rugby league team the Canberra Raiders were at their best, we actually started drinking green milk. That’s right.
There was a special edition of Canberra Milk – sponsors of the aforementioned football team – that was actually dyed lime green in honour of the team’s colours.
And they’re bringing it back to mark the 100th anniversary of the city. The Raiders aren’t winning or anything, it’s more of a ‘just because’ thing.
5. They are very good at celebrating stuff. Being the nation’s capital city, Canberra is often called on to mark occasions of national significance and we do it with gusto. We Canberrans take our responsibility to be the rest of the nation’s geeky celebrators of bicententials, artistic endeavours, democratic milestones and cultural achievements, extremely seriously.
Even more broadly, we do love ourselves a festival. There is one to celebrate the multicultural fabric of modern Australia, that has just about the best food you’ve ever tasted. And there is another to celebrate flowers.
And everyone goes, yes everyone goes. From little nannas taking a day out of their nursing homes, to grunting teenage boys who are there to nick the tulips for their flouroesent short-shorts wearing girlfriends.
Until very recently, the ACT was also the only place you could buy your own fireworks at ANY time of the year. And as my dear housemate Joshua is very fond of saying: Fireworks are freedom. True that.
6. Democracy is FUN. I suspect I’m going to get some pushback on this one. It’s not out and out convincing the way the green milk point was, I grant you. But hear me out.
Canberra is where it all happens, politically speaking. It’s where representatives who we choose, come together to have the great debates and discussions about matters of national importance and make decisions about the future of our nation.
Regardless of whether you were throwing your fake foam brick at the television news last night, while watching the political report or not (for the record, I was) – democracy matters.
Our stable and strong system of Government is something to be incredibly proud of and while we can always, always do better, the spirit of democracy that lives in Canberra is something very special.
Canberra is also home to the Australian Public Service, who yes, get better superannuation, working conditions, yadda, yadda, than all the rest of us. But they also work incredibly hard and genuinely dedicated people who devote their whole careers to making Australia a better place.
And while I think these servants of the public would have a far better reputation if they dressed as actual servants: complete with all black outfits and frilly, delicate white aprons, I suppose suits and ties will do for now.
Congratulations Canberra, most liveable city in the country. Don’t listen to the haters.
Have a drink tonight for me.
From Canberra? Been to Canberra? What’s your favourite thing about the place?
Top Comments
I have lived in Canberra for more than 30 years and I love the place! I think the bagging out comes mainly from people who have spent little time here. it's a fabulous place to raise a family and the standard of schooling is the best in the country. The main thing people seem to complain about is that it is cold in winter. It's true - but so is half the world when they are in winter and it's nowhere near as cold as Canada or parts of the US. Our homes and buildings are designed to cope with cold weather much more efficiently than many homes in other areas of Australia. Australians sadly seem to love hating their capital - I wish you could be as proud of the place and see the wonders of Canberra that are so clear to the rest of the world.
I don't get why everyone is always bagging Canberra! I was there just this weekend and now I want to move there. So many good things about it!!