What do you think of your capital city?

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chekeir

I live in Canberra too. Great place to work but I wouldn't want to retire here. Most people think it's a good place to raise a family. Lots of parkland, picnic areas and things to do that don't cost the earth or take all day to get there.

It's a quiet sort of place compared with most other capital cities but when it only takes 10 minutes to get to work and back each day, well, the quiet is fine with me.

Definitely worth a visit if you're in the neighbourhood.

Cheers

axix9

Ok - Canberran here... Look, it depends on your age and personality when your giving an opinion of Canberra. To be truthful, it is relatively quiet and yes, there are not a huge amount of clubs and wild parties happening at any given time - but again, that can also be a fantastic point when looking at a secure safe place to raise a family. I'm thirty and don't have kids so I'm not into clubbing so that doesn't really bother me.

People here are clique and snobbish, everyone went to school together and know one one another, (usually public servants gather into groups and view outsiders as lepers) but there are a few people around that make things bearable!

Canberra is a man made city. Roads, Lakes and even houses follow strict codes, so the city is uncluttered and spread out.
Bad point - Our winters are freezing and our summers are scorching, I think because were not coastal (low humidity) and were in a valley so there is no happy medium..

So in conclusion, I live here, but can think of a at least one hundred other places I would rather live. Does that answer rate? :-)

Ken E

I have lived in Canberra since 1990. To a pretty large extent it is a town like any other. Yes, we hear constantly about how there isn't anything to do. Like every other town in Australia and the world, Canberra is for real grown ups who don't see it as their duty to entertain those who imagine the world begins and ends at some clip-joint disco. There is actually plenty to do, but a lot of what there is to do takes organised physical and/or mental effort and that is beyond some people.

Where Canberra differs from other Australian capital cities is that is smaller. It is also colder in the winter and that is one of the worst things about the place. On the other hand it is quite a bit larger than most non-capital cities in Australia.

Some people whine that it isn't near the beach. Tough. I have heard a lot of whining from new arrivals because Canberra is not Melbourne. After a few months most of them shut up. For some reason the Sydneysiders who arrive don't whinge as much, even at the start.

A few months ago a workmate and I spotted something about the people in our section, then of 15 people. Though almost half of the section was made up of people born overseas, all but two people came from larger country towns or provincial cities. That included the people from overseas. Only one person had been born anywhere near Canberra and that was Goulburn. Only two people had been born and spent most of their early lives in a capital city, one was from New Delhi, the other from Melbourne. We have just taken on one who is almost from Canberra, she came from Queanbeyan.

Less than half the working population is in the public service. The level of education in this city is far higher than in some provincial cities and you don't generally meet the loonies that go on about things they actually don't know much about. Such people seem to infest some provincial places. There are a few here, but not many.

I have met a lot of very smart people in this town. Some are in the public service, not all. You might be surprised to find out how smart some public servants really are. One well promoted lady is possibly the nicest person you would meet in a weeks march. Apart from a doctorate in science, she speaks English, French, German, Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarin. She also likes fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria. I am surrounded in my job by PhDs, BA's,MA's, ME's and MSc's.

A car electrician I know fairly well did his early training in western Sydney, but moved to Canberra about 6 years ago and has recently taken over his former boss's business. He says that Canberra people are nicer, are more likely to pay their bills on time and have better cars on average.

Some have complained about cliques. That is probably true. People with degrees in this or that and several years experience in medium or upper level work are unlikely to be interested in others who can only talk about football, cars, doofa-doofa car stereo systems, what was on TV last night, their illnesses etc etc.

Jason Bourne

I like it, a great place to visit

Sparky5115

I'm an Aussie but I've never been to Canberra, how sad!

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Canberra is under rated. I spent a week there an was really surprised how much fun I had.

It's pretty, it's clean and there was a lot there to keep me and the family entertained.

I liked it...

hani

I live in Canberra, and i love it!
It has the city sort of lifestyle, but it's not gross and crowded like Sydney.

dani-ro

I've been to Canberra and I think it's a nice place. You're right, it is a man-made city. It's very well structured and well-planned. Everything's in a line as well! There isn't much to do when I went there though. I think it's one of those places where you should visit just once and it's enough to see the whole city. You should go there if you haven't visited, it's worth the journey though.

miss jane

I went there for the first time when I was 13 and loved it. I thought the war memorial, parliament house , the embassies and Australian Institute of Sport were all cool.

However, I went there again when I was 23 and thought it was one of the dullest and uninteresting places I have ever been to. There is no shopping, no nightlife and is only good if you are interested in being a career public servant or an olympic swimmer (which I am not).

So in summary it is fantastic for tourists, little kids and politicians, but not so great for everyone else.

But hey that is just my opinion.

Tired Old Man

Columbus,Ohio USA. only go there no more than needed. don't like the big city traffic.

Maro's mom

Cairo Egypt
Amazing yet crowded

CheekyCruzer

never been, never want to either, know ppl from there who were glad to get away, crappy weather, boring nightlife etc were thier complaints.

whycantigetagoodnickname

London - pants (I would describe it properly but I guess you cant use bad words here). Overcrowded, and expensive, The locals expect visitors to be greatfull that they are visiting. People there rush too much, the transport system is bad. And despite being the capital of England, for a 2 day visit this week I didnt speak to a single English local person

marjhogarth

Berlin=snobbish
Rome=superficial

I am Italian-German

R K

I like our nation's capitol (Washington DC, guess where I'm from LOL). It's clean and an interesting place to visit, I don't think I'd want to live there though. God bless.

vickyvixen84

I've never been to Australia, but thought i'd give my view of some other capitals i've visited. I hate London, nothing against the English but everytime i've been people are unfriendly, you get bustled about and its dirty in some places (beautiful in others though!). Paris is lovely, so romantic, beautiful and cultural but again the people are rude. Rome is by far the best of these, beautiful, cultural and the people are so friendly, i loved every minute, and so clean and tidy!

Best Capital by far is Cardiff, i loves it!! Its friendly, great shops, loads of things to see and do, cultural, clean and home of the great millenium stadium!!

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