Canberra

About Canberra

With almost half a million inhabitants, Canberra is one of the world’s few planned cities. Canberra is a city in a park with golden autumn leaves and glorious spring blooms. Surrounded by native bush land, Canberra is perfect for getting back to nature. Following the Federation in 1901, Canberra was chosen as a site for the national capital. The initial design for Canberra was the work of a Chicago architect, Walter Burley Griffin, with wide, tree-lined avenues and spacious open park lands. Many national institutions and monuments are located close to the shores of Lake Burley Griffin — the focal point of the city. The city enjoys four distinct seasons and visitors will get a different experience depending on the time of year they choose to visit. It is close to mountains and native bush land and is often referred to as ‘the bush capital’. Originally a public service town, the national capital is now also a major university and research center with an emphasis on high technology industries.