Canberra: The Compromise City
When Australia had to take the capital out of the hands of feuding cities Melbourne and Sydney, it was the classic case of two petulant children fighting over something they both wanted.
And as often happens in this situation, neither got the reward.
Instead, Canberra was plucked out of sheep paddock obscurity, and bestowed the title of ‘capital’.
To paraphrase some of the criticism about Australia’s capital: Life is rarely seen on the symmetrical streets outside lunchtime hours. The tourist destinations have no true tourist appeal. It is a ‘cemetery with lights’.
This is all a little harsh on poor Canberra. Once you get used to the lack of people and realise that there is not a revival of the black plague, it’s actually quite refreshing to have so much space on your daily travels.
Not forgetting that this previously humble sheep farm is the cashmere knit of Australian artwork and historical artefacts. Its planned combinations of straight and curving streets boast the old and new Parliament Houses, the National Gallery and the National Museum of Australia.
Canberra treads the line between town and city, small yet urban - it lives up to its title of ‘the compromise city’.
Love Canberra? Tell us about it. Hate Canberra? You can still tell us about it.
- Eloise Johnstone is an intern from Monash University. She’s doing some work experience at Lonely Planet. She loves Canberra.
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