Canberrans have been asked to find 100 things to like about our great Capital in the lead up to Canberra’s Centenary celebrations. Canberra cops a lot of crap from non residents about being dull and boring, and if you’re not Australian you may even ask where Canberra is! However having lived in Canberra for the past 10 years I can assure you Canberra is far from dull and boring if you know where to look!

If you’re one of those internationals who asked “Where?!”, Canberra is the Australian Capital Territory, Capital city of Australia (not Sydney to dispell those myths!) and one thing I love about Canberra is the wealth of wildlife. You wont see kangaroos jumping down the streets in Sydney (granted, the majority of roo’s in Canberra become roadkill), and you wont see wombats barralling down alongside the road in Brisbane! And where else have you ever seen a perfect Australian Coat of Arms?!

Australian Coat of Arms, Canberra. Photo Mike Jerrard

So do yourself a favour, and add Canberra to your list of destinations. Find a nature reserve or national park, pack lunch and start walking! Walk off the beaten path and bushbash for a bit! Observing wild animals in their natural habitat beats any zoo, any day, hands down!…and it’s free!

We walked a mere hundred metres off the walking trail at Mount Majura before stumbling across a group of very eager echidnas! (Mount Majura forms park of the Canberra Nature Park and is at the northeast edge of Canberra.)

Australian Echidna. Photo Mike Jerrard

I guarentee you will return home bragging about how you’ve just been to our national Capital!

If you’re in town for a few extra days why not spend some time at Capital Hill (Parliament House) while Parliament’s sitting. They get pretty wild in there as well and you wont have had to pay for the zoo!