Tours - Further afield

Nearby mountains

Near Canberra is a variety of landscapes. Namadgi National Park, an alpine area whose Brindabella Range is visible from many points in Canberra, is only an hour's drive away. During winter snow can often be seen on the tops of these hills from Canberra - a reminder of just how cold it can get in the city itself.

Snow

July and August are the skiing season. The main ski resorts in Australia are in the Snowy Mountains, about three hours drive southwest of Canberra. You can ski at Perisher, Thredbo and Charlotte's Pass.

Beaches

In summer the beaches become the Mecca for Canberra's scorched residents and visitors. In the middle parts of the year the beaches are too cold for most of us to swim, but they are quite spectacular anyway. The coast is only lightly settled. Many beaches have no houses anywhere within sight. All you see is the ocean, the beach, and the bush.

The coast is two hours' drive from Canberra. Drive towards Bateman's Bay. When you reach the coastal road (Princes Highway) you get to a roundabout. Bateman's Bay is to the right, the gorgeous beaches are to the left. Driving north along the coastal road you will pass small roads going off to the right. The first four go to:

• Long Beach (Not a very good beach)
• South Durras (The only beach you can reach by a road paved the whole way)
• North Durras (with a fork allowing you to go to Depot Beach)
• Pebbly Beach

One thing you can do, for example, is drive to Pebbly Beach, and then walk north by the sea. Whenever you have had enough, you can turn around and go back. There are places along the way with trails heading inland, so you can take a shortcut back to Pebbly Beach. The next beach to which one can drive is Pretty Beach. If you go from Pebbly Beach to Pretty Beach along the coast and back on the inland shortcut, the round-trip hike is about six hours. Walking along the sea is easiest in low tide.

The Escarpment

The coast near here has a coastal plain, usually quite narrow, and then a sharp rise to a high plateau. The sharp rise is called the escarpment, and is spectacular. It has steep cliffs, gorges and waterfalls.

Near Canberra you can see the escarpment in either the Budawangs National Park, or the Morton National Park.

Morton National Park: The athletically challenged might prefer this option. Drive an hour and a half to Bundanoon, and then into the park. You can drive around on dirt roads to a number of lookouts with great views. Then drive further to Fitzroy Falls. The main waterfall is only about 100 meters from the parking lot. If you walk further along the trail you will get more views of the main falls, as well as of other waterfalls in the same gorge.

Budawang National Park: Less accessible than the Norton National Park. As you drive towards Bateman's Bay you cross the national park. There are dirt roads leading into the park, and then hikes taking you to view points. The only reasonable way to stay in the Budawangs is in a tent, and the hikes are demanding.

Sydney

If you want a metropolitan experience then go to Sydney. It is a big, bustling city with a lively nightlife. There are many things to do, but I particularly recommend two:

• A cruise around the harbour. The harbour is huge and beautiful, with hidden inlets.
• A visit to the Opera House. There are two big halls, the concert hall and the opera theatre, as well as two smaller halls, for drama and chamber music. Try to go to a performance in one of the big halls. They are quite impressive.

There are also the beautiful Blue Mountains, located an hour west of Sydney.

For travel between Sydney and Canberra there are many options:

• Driving. The trip takes three hours each way.
• Coach. There are two coach companies. The Murrays coaches only run three times a day, 9am, 1pm and 6pm. The trip takes 3 hours and 15 minutes. The Greyhound-McCafferty coach company has many services at all times of day, but the coaches make several stops on the way and take over four hours. The price (for either company) is about $35 each way.
• Train. Countrylink trains are more comfortable than the bus, but slower (even slower than Greyhound-MacCafferty). The price is also about $35 each way.
• Aeroplanes. There are three companies that fly between Sydney and Canberra. They are: Qantas, Virgin Blue, and Regional Express. The flights take less than an hour. Fares vary; you can find the best fares on the companys' web pages.