My plans for world domination began at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.
Here was, literally, a license to print money. A fascinating realisation that money doesn’t grow on trees … but it does spring forth from a building which doesn’t require watering or favourable soil conditions. Bingo. My youthful spirit was later doused when the kindly tour guide explained to us the basic tenets of inflation.
Canberra is full of little lessons like these. A city designed specifically to be Australia’s capital and, so it follows, the keeper of our many stories. You’d be surprised the amount of history we’ve packed in since the First Fleet landed, and that’s to say nothing of the tens of thousands of years of Indigenous culture that preceded it.
And the city of Canberra is putting on one hell of a show, to shed a whole new light on the attractions that have made it famous.
So let’s play a little game. What do Claire Bowditch, the family budget and Questacon have in common? The answer of course being … ENLIGHTEN.
It’s the event that will bring Canberra alive after dark. The lights, the sounds, the images, the experiences, there’s plenty to choose from and it’s all designed to reconnect you with the keeper of our many treasures.
I think enough of us know that Canberra is home to Parliament House (that place where ordaaaah, ordaaaah! gets shouted a lot and where lots of people don’t really listen to it) but there’s a smidge more to it than that, like special underground geological tours that will be held during ENLIGHTEN.
My first visit was in Year 5 and, I’ll admit, Canberra seemed rather like the Elysium Fields after 22 hours on a bus (this was before the days of low cost carriers). We’d gone with the promise of snow with a side order of the education we’d receive at the other places.
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I've lived in Canberra since 1999 (having been introduced to the city during my uni years a few years earlier!) and I love it. LOVE IT!
I'm constantly discovering new things to see or do or places to eat (we have the most restaurants per capita in Australia) or shop (we also have a pretty damn good average income). We're pretty lucky, I reckon.
Some criticise Canberra for being too sterile, but I think there's beauty in its order. I was driving home over Kings Avenue bridge the other night and the sun was setting behind Parliament House...and it was simply breathtaking.
It's a lovely place to raise a family and the whole 'small town' vibe means you're always meeting someone who knows someone who you know. This can be both good and bad! Yes, it can be hard to meet people, but it's a matter of putting yourself out there.
On that note, if you're a Canberra chick and would like to join a local online community of sorts (or just keep in the loop of what's happening in this town of ours'), would love you to pop over to www.hercanberra.com.au – it’s a website especially for Canberra women.
Thanks for this post, Rick - I can't wait for Enlighten...it's an absolutely magical event. Has to be seen to be believed...
I lived there while a student and had a blast. I really liked lots of things about Canberra (except the climate!).
Here are some of my concerns about moving back now though (in a very different situation as a married Mum of 2), that I hope Canberrans can help with...
How do you cope with the Winters? I realise that I was a student living in an old house with not a lot of heating, and I figure I will live differently next time, but I just remember them as so cold! What is your trick? My hubby tells me it is that the Winter days are crisp but clear, rather than sleety etc. Help me with the climate please! This is my biggest issue!
How do you go with kids in this climate? I have two friends who live in tropical areas. The one with no kids loves it, and doesn't mind the constant rain - it just changes your view while you are out to dinner. The one with kids hates it as the kids are constantly being kept inside during the wet season. The two experiences of the same climate are vastly different, mostly because one has kids to think of. I wonder about Canberra winters with kids - how do you find it? Do you just put massive amounts of clothing on them? What do the schools do in winter? Do the kids have somewhere warm to go to?
Where I live now winter means bugs/illnesses etc - everyone is in close confines all the time, rather than being outdoors and bugs just get passed back and forth and there are constant colds and so forth. Are my kids just going to be constantly sick? Can an asthmatic live in place like Canberra? Or is just not the right climate for someone like that?
And the last issue is that it is a bit too close to the Inlaws for comfort.... but I don't suppose anyone can help me with that! :-) :-)
I would love to hear back from anyone to make me feel better about Canberra. As I said, I really like Canberra. I just worry about living in that climate with kids and wonder how you do it (as I can see lots of people have said that it is a great place to raise kids). What are the tricks?
What's good about winter is that its so sunny - you don't get S.A.D in Canberra! You deal with it the same way anyone does - you buy some warm clothes and ensure you have a good heating system. Kids dont really care if its cold - they do so much running about anyway. At school/work/home/car/bus it's warm anyway.
I dont get any more colds here than I did in New Zealand, QLD, England, Scotland...
How do you cope with the Winters?
Layers. Lots of layers. The good thing about our winters is that, even though they're cold, they're sunny. Very rarely is it overcast and freezing - it's usually blue skies and chilly wind!
How do you go with kids in this climate?
The kids love it (but they don't really know any different)! Spring, Summer and Autumn are quite lovely and we're pretty well set up for indoor entertainment during the colder months...
Just remember, too, we're only a couple of hours from the ocean, so if you get really desperate, just head East for a day!
Are my kids just going to be constantly sick? Can an asthmatic live in place like Canberra? Or is just not the right climate for someone like that?
No more than anywhere else, I wouldn't think. Yes, the kids get sick more often in winter but I think that's the same as anywhere. My youngest had infantile asthma due to prematurity and she coped pretty well...now she's a bit older she has no problems at all.
And the last issue is that it is a bit too close to the inlaws for comfort…. but I don’t suppose anyone can help me with that!
Boundaries! Stipulate no 'pop-ins' and think on the bright side...at least you'll have babysitters nearby!
If you want to meet some other Canberra chicks, would love you to pop over to http://www.hercanberra.com.au - it's a website especially for Canberra women. We're also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/her...