The bush capital

It has to be said that John Howard has not done Canberra’s reputation many favours in the 11 years he has been in power.

While the job of the prime minister is based in the national capital, and a home provided with the very grand The Lodge, Howard and clan have instead opted for a life on harbourside Sydney at Kirribilli House, venturing to Canberra only when parliament is sitting.

Which does not sound exactly like a vote of confidence for the vibrant bush capital. These days it’s home to almost 350,000 people who have done plenty to change its image from the boring public service town label it carried for too many decades.

Rather than just being a place which you have to go for a business meeting, Canberra is actually perfectly situated for Sydney visitors as a weekend escape, be it of the romantic variety or for cultural expeditions.

At just under an hour by air, just over three hours down the M5 freeway or four hours by train, Canberra is within easy weekend distance. The more adventurous might opt to turn it into a day trip, but why waste a seven-hour return trip and miss out on so many of Canberra’s treats?

For grand-scale monuments, Canberra is in a league of its own, as they are everywhere in the city designed by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin. Parliament House sits atop Capital Hill, presiding over the rest of the city, almost as a reminder to let everyone know who is really in charge.

At the bottom of the lawn which runs down from Parliament House is Old Parliament House, whose corridors still ring with the ghosts of powerbrokers of times gone by. Standing on the steps where Whitlam delivered his withering God save the queen dismissal speech is still an essential in visiting this historic building.

The War Memorial, National Library, National Art Gallery and High Court also turn on the grand charm, as they sit perfectly within Griffin’s city plan, but there are two recent favourites which always deliver the fun.

Questacon, the National Science Museum, is an interactive adventurers’ great day out, while the National Film and Sound Archive is busy preserving and presenting the best of our screen heritage.

But Canberra does not have to be all admiring architecture and history, as Manuka and Kingston prove. These suburbs to the east of the lake have become famous for the range of excellent restaurants and bars, and great boutique shopping.

Gay and lesbian visitors to Canberra can also find a good night out at the city’s only gay bar, Cube. With a range of drag entertainment and theme nights, Cube has become a focal point for the city’s queer scene and is packed on most weekends with a range of ages.

While Cube is much like any city gay club, its clientele highlights the bush origins of this part of the world, with regulars able to spot new visitors to the club and often inviting them over to join their group for a drink.

Cube suitably sums up the Canberra experience, with the downstairs setting of the club an active reminder that there is plenty of fun to be had in Canberra -“ you just have to dig beneath the surface to find it. The Howards really don’t know what they have been missing out on.