Canberra - Australia 2004 - page 594

and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm. The official government website
(www.visitcanberra.com.au) is worth checking out.
SPECIAL EVENTS A host of free events—from concerts to competitions—
is part of the annual Canberra National Multicultural Festival held in the first
3 weeks of March. The fun includes Canberra Day (a local public holiday—
always the 3rd Mon in Mar), a hot-air balloon fiesta, fireworks displays, food
and wine promotions, plenty of music, and a large range of activities organized
by Australia's ethnic mix. Visitors could find it a little more difficult to book
accommodations during this time, but you should always be able to find some-
thing. There are many other major events including the flower show Floriade,
the Subaru Rally of Canberra, the Canberra 400 V8 Supercars meeting, and the
National Folk Festival. Check dates at www.visitcanberra.com.au.
CITY LAYOUT
The first thing that strikes a visitor to Canberra is its parklike feel (amazing,
because there was barely a tree on the original site). Half a dozen avenues radi-
ate from Capital Hill, where the Parliament House stands. Each of these broad,
tree-shaded streets leads to a traffic circle, from which yet more streets emanate.
Around each hub, the streets form a pattern of concentric circles—not the easi-
est layout for visitors trying to find their way.
Another of Canberra's most notable features is Lake Burley Griffin, a man-
made lake created by damming the Molonglo River. The centerpiece of the lake is
the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, a spire of water that reaches 147m (482 ft.) into
the air. Wedged between Commonwealth Avenue and Kings Avenue is the sub-
urb of Parkes, also known as the National Triangle. Here you'll find many of the
city's most impressive attractions, such as the National Gallery of Australia, the
High Court of Australia, and Questacon—the National Science and Technology
Center. (All sites here can be accessed via www.nationaltriangle.com.au/tri.)
Canberra's main shopping district is on the other side of the lake, centered
around Northbourne Avenue, one of the city's main thoroughfares. Officially
labeled Canberra City, this area is more commonly known as “Civic.” North-
east of Civic is Mount Ainslie, with the Australian War Memorial at its foot;
from its summit there are spectacular views of the city and beyond. Another
good lookout point is from the top of the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain,
reached by Black Mountain Drive. Many of the embassies and consulates are
concentrated in the suburb of Yarralumla, east of Capital Hill, while most of
the other suburbs are filled with pleasant homes and small retail areas.

2 Getting Around
BY CAR Advantage Car Rentals, 74 Northbourne Ave. (corner of Barry Dr.;
& 1800/504 460 in Australia, or 02/6257 6888), has cars from A$35 (US$23)
per day, including 200km (124 miles) per day. Budget ( & 02/6257 1305),

Hertz ( & 02/6249 6211), Thrifty ( & 1300/367 227), Avis ( & 02/6249

6088), and Delta Europcar ( & 13 13 90) have desks at the airport.
If you rent your own wheels, you might follow one or more of the six tourist
drives marked with signs; pick up details from the Canberra Visitors' Centre.
BY TAXI Canberra's only taxi company is Canberra Cabs ( & 13 22 27 in

Australia).
BY BUS Canberra's bus system is coordinated by ACTION ( & 02/6207 7611;
www.action.act.gov.au). The central bus terminal is on Alinga Street, in Civic.