Three Things To Do When Visiting Canberra – Australia’s Bush Capital

Canberra is the capital city of Australia and frequently named as one of the foremost habitable cities within the world. When you come to explore this serene Australian city, it isn’t difficult to see why.

Canberra has all the highlights of a bustling city – but without the towering high rises, pollution, congestion, and overcrowding issues that other cities have. It is additionally a city of contrasts – so life never gets boring. On one hand, it has the political heart that’s seen on the daily news, but on the other hand, it too has craftsmanship, culture, and theater coursing through its veins. Along with its serene nature in a capital city, locals refer to Canberra as the “bush capital”.

If you’re planning to on a solo trip to this beautiful city here are some tips to make your time well-spent:

Canberra Parliament House
photo credit: Social Estate / Pixabay

1. Best Time to Visit Canberra

The period from September to December is known as the peak season, as the weather during this time of year is mostly very good. It is also a good choice to visit Commonwealth Stadium, while the Floriade Festival is on. More than 480,000 people attend the month-long celebration to enjoy the elegance of the tulip gardens on sale and free events. If you’re visiting in winter, Corin Forest Mountain Retreat provides outdoor ice skating in town with Skate in the City and even snow play for the kids. Summertime brings the hugely popular Summernats and Multicultural Festival, and the Canberra Balloon Spectacular and the Enlighten Festival are hosted in the fall.

If you are going on a longer trip and will also be looking for general employment opportunities (e.g. work in a cafe) then a good way to get organised is to get a police clearance online and stand out from other job applicants.

Well reputed businesses in Canberra normally screen new hires in the interests of community safety. Australia has a streamlined and efficient national police check system to help you get your check in an efficient way.

Canberra Ferris Wheel
Photo credit: Maricar Limjoco / Pixabay

2. Travel Around the Bush Capital

If you’re alone, you have the advantage of controlling the pace of your tour since you won’t be held down or hurried by your companions and their schedules. You can maximize your tour around the city in two ways:

Hire A Vehicle

It’s one of the best tips to offer because you’ll want a car to explore the city and surrounding area. Hiring a car from the airport is an easy one-just book online in advance and the car hire companies are located inside the airport terminal. You may want to explore the city on foot after arriving at your hotel, but if you want to visit all the landmarks and perhaps take a day trip to the Canberra Wine District. All of it would be included in getting in your rented car and hitting the road.

Fortunately, because Canberra is a planned area, all the streets are wide, there are not many traffic lights and the classic roundabouts of Canberra keep traffic flowing. The alternative to hiring a car is a Canberra taxi which we will discuss in detail below.

Grab a Cab

If you’re not familiar with the roads or you just want to get a better view of the city from the streets then you can always get a taxi service. One of the best advantages of hiring a Canberra taxi is that they know the city very well and are also known to be very courteous and great conversationalists.

You can make a Canberra taxi booking online, over the phone or using an App. They can take you to the famous landmarks around the city and may even have nuggets of information about each one. The taxi service in this city is one of the things that they are proud of. You will have a comfort in mind sending your family members in a taxi knowing that taxi drivers in Canberra hold a working with vulnerable people registration. Taxi drivers working in Canberra that come from interstate areas like New South Wales will have been vetted by a police check nsw.

3. Use of Credit Cards or Cash

Tourists will pay to large shopping centers and restaurants by bank transfer. Fast everywhere, Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted. Cash will only be useful for travelers looking to go to markets and small restaurants.

Cover photo credit: Squirrel Photos / Unsplash