Canberr-nah

Okay I didn’t originally have this (not so) hot take.

I was all team Canberra. It’s the capital! (I know - whaaaat, you mean the capital isn’t Sydney?!) Capitals are cool! And Bill Bryson wrote kind of charming things about it in his travelogue of Australia: In a Sunburned Country. Every time I shared I was going to Canberra and a friend would look at me funny, I’d raise my hands and defend Canberra (It’s the capital! It’s a new part of Australia I haven’t been before! Capitals are cool!).

But mates, here we are. And Canberra is kind of balls. This isn’t a hot take because, well, most Aussies here tell me “why the heck would you go to Canberra?” so it’s definitely not just me.

I mean, Canberra is fine. It reminds me very much of Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s a suburban city that’s clean with wide roads. When you head out to the suburbs, you can see miles and miles away, and there is something to be sad to be able to see out far and wide without concrete buildings blocking your view. It’s quite quiet in the evenings and weekends because, well, it’s the capital—the majority of people who work here are public servants and therefore are not chilling in the city (downtown) on the weekends. Fair. But it still feels cold and lifeless.

Don’t get me wrong—I love a good mall, and I did enjoy wandering around the indoor shopping center in the city. I also got to see the beginnings of fall foliage and have a good classic Aussie brekkie at a good classic Aussie cafe.

But I didn’t move to Australia for fine. Being in Canberra made me realize that I came to Australia for the ocean. Here I thought I moved for the nature and—while I believe that nature is more seamlessly woven into Sydney (Sydney’s Botanical Gardens with its native Aussie plants comes to mind) as compared to Canberra’s blocks of manufactured lawns—the first thing I missed was the ocean. Here in Canberra, I just feel like I could be anywhere in America.

I’m glad I came though: this (quick) trip has reaffirmed my desire to stay in Sydney and to continue to build my life on the opposite side of the world.