This was probably due to the good company, the short time-frame of my stay and the ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCE. YAY!
Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, is rather quaint I must say. It's clean, mini, comfortable and pretty. I found it luscious to amble about in- the lake in front of parliament area is particularly stunning. I truly loved the atmosphere; decorative, chill vibes with nothing 'hectic' about this city. It seemed green, good-hearted and well-kept. Everywhere was carefully thought out in terms of the urban plan, and the architecture was thoroughly intentional. The centre of little C is concentric ring shaped and the city/shopping parade grows outwards from there for several rounds until you cross the bridge into government land.
^ New Acton Area near A Baker
^ View down over Canberra from new Government House
^ Two images above from the Old Government House area.
Interior space was a particular winning factor of Canberra's dining and commercial domain. I loved the TLC and detail that every design decision filtered down to. For instance, inside Hotel Hotel (New Action tall block containing restaurants, bars, government quarters, cafe space and a cinema etc.) had a huge emphasis on rawness, woods, shrubbery and slatted facades, with a beautifully eye-catching interior entrance way. It was filled with small lengths of rectangle wood all fixed into the structure, jutting out (not aggressively) and inspiring the room. It felt very contemporary art/Asian-ish/ nouveau sauna-y! That was the work of March Studio, see below.
The lake and Captain Cook Memorial Jet was serene, heightened by the crisp, clear, blue day with temperatures of zero...Cough- take a coat or three- cough.
^ Jet image taken from my Instagram
You could happily do Canberra in 3 days. There isn't masses to entertain you there- a place more for the 'quaint break' types. We managed to get our butts down to A.Baker and Mocan & Green Tout for beautifully made and presented artisan brunches. Expect things like duck eggs, home-made muesli with popped rice, goat's curd, spiced beans and dukka spice, sprouting almost immediately from open kitchens, that neighbour rustic, eccentric wall displays. Coffee quality isn't half bad too, and the staff are friendly and 'edgy.' Beards, more beards and girls in dungarees. A. Baker has a never-ending choice of sourdough breads- get down there baked-good fans! Canberra is definitely identifying with Melbourne. On the downside it's a bit TOO planned and contained- sometimes try-hard and cliché arty, BUT very near a place called 'YAS,' which is super fun to shout out collectively during a drive.
^ A Baker
^Mocan & Green Tout / Bicycle shop
^ Baked Eggs, horse radish, fresh lemon, yoghurt and toms @ Mocan & Green Tout, taken from my Instagram
Monster within Hotel Hotel is a bit more upmarket dining, but a nice fun surprise for an eat-out occasion. It's a contemporary tapas style experience (little plates and sharing options), revolving around a menu of nourishing Asian-Australian fusion dishes. The gorgeously marinated pork neck Bao IS A WINNER! Order a few, they're small and more-ish. Post-meal we drank an apple pie cocktail in a hidden Speakeasy bar called Molly. Descending down ordinary stairs, we were met with a glowing, packed-out room with a long bar and waiters in moustaches and black waist coats. Don't go on a budget if you want to get really squiffy- the good drinks are about $18-ish and more.
Lastly, head down briefly to the markets at The Old Bus Depot on a Sunday. There's a tent for blogger mums, a museum and an even bigger tent for foodies and clothing hoarders. I wasn't my favourite market scene (I was a bit disappointed), but nonetheless, it wasn't bad to meander about and taste some gourmet pizza, caramelised nuts and falafel samples.
OH and Londsdale was my favourite area, probably because of this cool building (PIC BELOW), artist and individual fashion designer shops.
^ORI building, Londsdale Street Traders. Image from Instagram.
^ Added these two findings because they were cute/ I like illustation #carddesigns.
