Weekend in the Australian Capital

I am back in Australia for work, and this time I am visiting the Australian capital. Now, a lot of foreigners usually guess either Sydney or Melbourne when they are asked which city is the capital of Australia, but in fact the capital is Canberra, which is a city located in the mountains between Sydney and Melbourne.

Autumn in Canberra

The story of why Canberra is the capital is actually a bit funny. Basically, many years back when the Aussies were deciding which city should be the capital, Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, were rivals and the citizens were unable to come to an agreement. In the end, they made a compromise, and it was decided that the nation’s capital should be situated between the two cities. Hence, the city of Canberra was built for the single purpose of it becoming the national capital, and land for the Australian Capital Territory (originally Federal Territory of Australia) was purchased from New South Wales for that purpose.

I have already been here for a week, and I am staying until Tuesday evening when I am heading to Sydney to work on another project for a few days. This weekend the weather has been fantastic, and I have spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the fresh and cool air and the lovely autumn colors. Canberra is a relatively small city, and I believe the population is still below 400,000 people. Hence, you can easily walk between the common attractions such as the Parliament building and the Australian War Memorial. It is also quite nice along Lake Burley Griffin, the lake separating the Government area from the main city center.

It is Sunday afternoon, and the weekend will soon come to an end. Hence, it is time to prepare for a new week of challenges.

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