Canberra/South Canberra

If it's your first time in Canberra and you're time limited to only exploring one part of Canberra, it has to be South Canberra. Sometimes referred to as the inner south, South Canberra houses some of Canberra's most important landmarks: Parliament House, and the broader Parliamentary Zone, containing the Old Parliament House, Questacon, the National Gallery etc., the Royal Australian Mint, The Lodge and the Government House.

Apart from Capital Hill and the more broader Parliamentary Zone, South Canberra contains a large range of museums, government buildings, malls and restaurants, and unlike most cities where the central business district (CBD) is the most visited part of the city, in Canberra, as South Canberra contains Canberra's "must-sees", not Civic, S Canberra is the most touristed area of Canberra.

Understand
Unlike other Australian cities where most of their important attractions and points of interests are in the CBD, Canberra's museums and points of interests are not, but in this subdistrict. That's because South Canberra is one of the oldest areas of Canberra and nearly all government buildings are in South Canberra. Civic (i.e. the CBD) developed more in a way that it functions as a shopping district and has plenty of places to eat, while South Canberra has more museums, government buildings, and perhaps one of the most important destinations to visit in Australia.

South Canberra is where the first modern development in Canberra saw light. All neighbourhoods in South Canberra but Narrabundah were built between the years of 1922 and 1928, while Narrabundah was built in 1947 which, although relatively recent compared to the rest of the world, is still very old by Canberra standards.

Unlike other Canberra districts which are separated from each other by nature and bushland, South Canberra is only separated from North Canberra by Lake Burley Griffin. However, South Canberra isn't a district of its own, but one of Canberra Central's two subdistricts.

By car
If you are coming from Civic or North Canberra, there are two roads that you can use. If you're coming from Civic, Reid, Acton, Dickson or anywhere north of the city, use the A23 Northbourne Avenue which turns into Commonwealth Drive south. Once you've crossed Lake Burley Griffin, you've arrived at South Canberra. If you are coming from Campbell or Russell, use Kings Avenue southwest and you'd have arrived at South Canberra.

From Woden, use the Yarra Glen which is a freeway up northeast which later changes its name into Adelaide Avenue. Once the road name has changed, you've essentially arrived at South Canberra while if you're coming from Weston, use Cotter Road east until you enter Adelaide Avenue and from there, you've arrived at South Canberra. From Adelaide Avenue, to get to places like Parliamentary Triangle and Capital Hill, continue northeast on the freeway until State Circle, which is essentially the outer loop of Capital Hill.

By bus
Being near the centre of the city, South Canberra has several ACTION rapid buses that run through it and it can get confusing. The routes R4, 5,, 7 and 10 all come from the city and all head southwest past Capital Hill. R2 and 6 both also come from the city, but go via Parkes, Barton and Kingston where the lines split up. R2 goes to Fyshwick, while goes via Griffith and Red Hill and terminates back up at Woden Interchange. From the south near Tuggeranong, use the R4 and R5 lines north.

By train
If you're visiting Canberra by train, Canberra Railway Station is in Burke Crescent, Kingston and all trains that come to Canberra come here, making it the only part of Canberra to have a railway station. See Canberra &sect; By train for details on how to get here by train.

See
If you only had a few hours to spend in Canberra (yes, the city as a whole, not just South Canberra), spending the few hours in Capital Hill and Parliamentary Triangle is probably the best way to explore the capital's main points of interests. If you've got slightly longer, then you could veer towards the Royal Mint and some other important government buildings such as The Lodge or Government House.

In Parliamentary Triangle






Capital Hill

 * "Capital Hill" redirects here. For other places named Capital Hill, see Capital Hill (disambiguation)



Do

 * Golf Shop:, golfshop@royalcanberra.com.au
 * Golf Shop:, golfshop@royalcanberra.com.au
 * Golf Shop:, golfshop@royalcanberra.com.au
 * Golf Shop:, golfshop@royalcanberra.com.au
 * Golf Shop:, golfshop@royalcanberra.com.au

Buy
There are plenty of places to shop in South Canberra, but these are the ones that are particularly important:
 * Fyshwick – Canberra's "red-light" district and the place to shop for appliances, technical stuff, furniture, and homewares with many antique shops and several second hand bookshops and is home to the Outlet Centre.
 * Manuka and Kingston are two nearby suburbs that has boutiques and restaurants. Millers of Manuka boutique sells leading women's fashion brands like Max Mara and others. For less expensive women's clothing try Witchery. Booklovers would do well to check out Paperchain bookstore.



Sleep
Much of Canberra's accommodation is found in South Canberra, and with the most points of interest, it is no surprise why. However, the availability of accommodation can be tight during periods in which Parliament is sitting - the schedule for parliamentary sittings can be found here.

Splurge




Connect
There is Wi-Fi available in several locations. The National Library is one good one, though it is not the only one.

All network providers (i.e. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone) provide good coverage of the area as well.