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Canberra Tourist Information and Canberra Tourism
(Canberra, Australian Capital Territory - ACT, Australia AU)



Canberra is the capital of Australia and Canberra is the most prominent city in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to Australia's Parliament. Designed and built in the early 20th century, Canberra is situated between Sydney and Melbourne and features a striking mixture of modern architecture, fantastic tourist attractions, memorials and Australian monuments, and Canberra also contains an enormous number of museums. In 1963, the Molonglo River was dammed to create a vast artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, named Lake Burley Griffin, after the American architect responsible for the design of Canberra.

There are several helpful Canberra tourism information offices in Canberra city centre and also at the nearby Canberra Airport (CBR). These popular Canberra tourist centres offer useful tourism and tourist information, including information about all of Canberra's tourist attractions, monuments, restaurants and shopping facilities. The Canberra tourist information and visitors' centres also provide transport timetables, Canberra city maps, guided tour details and the latest information about festivals and events in Canberra.




Most hotels are situated to the south of central Canberra, around the Capital Hill region, and hotels in Canberra are highly concentrated in Canberra's Barton and Kingston areas, which have excellent connections to the public transport system. Although hotels in Canberra are not particularly cheap, most Canberra hotels offer clean, modern facilities and a good standard of accommodation.

Hotels in Canberra are usually located close to the city's tourist attractions, theatres, national museums, impressive art galleries, and Canberra's main train and bus terminals. Other popular districts of Canberra in which to stay include hotels in Canberra's numerous suburbs, such as the Manuka district, the nearby town of Queanbeyan and other areas of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Historic tourist attractions for visitors to Canberra include Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet - on Lake Burley, with an enormous jet of water reaching up to a staggering 150 metres / 490 feet high; New Parliament House - the seat of local government and also one of Canberra's most recognisable landmarks; Old Parliament House - home to the Australian Federal Parliament from 1927; Telstra Tower - a tall tower offering superb panoramic views of Canberra city with a popular revolving restaurant; St. Christopher's Cathedral - a striking Roman Catholic cathedral built in the 1930s; the National Archives of Australia - containing a vast collection of Australian and Canberra heritage, with exceptional research facilities; the National Library of Australia - to the south of Canberra city centre, housing literally millions of books and important documents; and Canberra's Royal Australian Mint - containing historic displays about Australian currency production over the years.

Other popular attractions for tourists and visitors to Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) include Lake Burley Griffin - a spectacular beauty spot, created by the Scrivener Dam; Mount Ainslie - opposite Parliament House, with of the best views of Canberra city and the surrounding coastline; the National Zoo and Aquarium - the perfect attraction for children in Canberra, with sharks, an underwater tunnel, many indigenous animals and more exotic creatures; the Australian National Botanic Gardens - in Canberra city centre, with landscaped gardens and important collections of Australian plants; and Commonwealth Park - a large, scenic public parkland suitable for walking and cycling. More information on Canberra Tourist Attractions and Canberra Landmarks.

Canberra also has a number of excellent museums and art galleries in central Canberra, providing absorbing information on the history of Canberra and many other permanent and temporary exhibitions. Some of the major museums and art galleries in Canberra include the National Museum of Australia - in the heart of Canberra city centre, containing impressive natural history displays; Canberra's National Science and Technology Museum (Questacon) - a unique experience filled with technological wonders; the Canberra Museum and Gallery - home to a wealth of important paintings and sculptures; Canberra's Australian War Memorial Museum - a famous monument with large displays, galleries, many historic exhibits, pictures, dioramas, weaponry collections and a reflection pool; the National Gallery of Australia - with a permanent collection of traditional and contemporary paintings; and the National Portrait Gallery - on the south side of central Canberra, with many outstanding paintings of famous Australians. More information on Canberra Museums and Canberra Art Galleries.

Nearby central Canberra there are a huge number of major tourist attractions, including national parks, small villages, towns and cities, such as Binalong, Boorowa, Bowning, Bundanoon, Bungendore, Bywong Town Gold Mining Village, Cowra, Crookwell, Goulburn, Huskisson, Kangaroo Valley, Murrumbateman, Queanbeyan, Taralga and Yass. Popular excursions from Canberra include trips to Australia's famous city of Sydney, which car be reached by car in around three hours, and the Snowy Mountains, a popular ski resort.

Canberra is overflowing with historic vineyards, wineries and breweries and many of the best wines in the Australia Capital Territory (ACT) are produced in Canberra's nearby Murrumbateman wine region. The wines from this part of Canberra are highly regarded throughout Australia and the world. Nearby areas of Ballandean, Bungendore, Lyneham, Tuggeranong and Wallaroo are other important wine regions close to Canberra, producing world-class wines.

The capital city of Canberra contains two of Australia's most prominent universities, the University of Canberra and the Australian National University (ANU). These Canberra Universities have vast university campuses, outstanding university facilities and prestigious reputations. Both of Canberra's universities offer interesting guided tours of the university complex and buildings. More information on Canberra Universities.

Canberra generally enjoys an extremely high average of more than seven hours of sunshine every day of the year, with around nine hours of sunny weather during the summer months of December, January and February. The hot and dry weather, glorious sunshine and generally mild climate in Canberra make this one Australia's most popular cities, attracting visitors to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) from all over the world.

Canberra Airports Guide - useful Canberra Airport (CBR) information.

More Canberra Information / Fast Facts and Orientation

• Country: Australia
• Location: Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
• Area: 187 square kilometres / 110 square miles
• Population: 310,000
• Language: English
• Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)
• Time zone: GMT +10 hours (Western Standard Time)
• Country dialling code: +61
• Telephone area code: 02
• Religion: various religions
• Average daily January temperature: 28ºC / 82ºF
• Average daily July temperature: 11ºC / 52ºF

 
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