No Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive holiday
would be complete without a side-trip
to Australia’s capital, Canberra.
The city’s national museums and attractions
hold and share the treasures of our nation.
Celebrate Australia’s proud sporting
achievements, delve into our unique political
history, and reflect on our young nation’s
experience on the international stage. See our
country and our people through the eyes of our
artists and experience Australian character
through sound and film, books and exhibitions.
Canberra is 150 kilometres inland, and
driving here is easy, just two hours from
Batemans Bay, three from Sydney or seven
from Melbourne. Home to some 320,000
people, Canberra is one of the world’s few
planned cities, a city in a park, with clear blue
skies, golden autumn leaves and glorious spring blooms. But hidden beneath the leafy surrounds is a thriving modern city with world class galleries and museums, stylish restaurants, hip bars, boutique shopping, fun for the kids and a busy calendar of events and festivals.

With over 300 restaurants, cafes and pubs, the dining scene just gets better and better. Find some of Canberra’s best restaurants in the city centre, in the 1920s shopping centres of Kingston and Manuka or Dickson with its small flourishing Chinatown, and variety of multicultural cuisine. The cool climate wines of the region are now receiving worldwide recognition. There are 140 vineyards with more than 30 cellar doors in peaceful rural countryside, and most are only 30 minutes from the city. Despite the sophisticated product, the wineries are small and friendly and you may even get to meet the winemaker at the cellar door.

Along the drive from Batemans Bay, stop off in historic Braidwood to see beautiful churches, old time pubs and antique stores in restored colonial era buildings. Then travel to picturesque Bungendore to see contemporary
furniture and giftware from over 200 artists at the award-winning Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, and to browse the historic railway station with its small but eclectic weekend market and numerous antique stores and gift shops.