12 Hours in Canberra — i am nicole

Most people don't care about Canberra. It's small, boring, and just used as a bathroom break on the way to Sydney. But I wanted to see this country's capital, so I booked an overnight bus from Melbourne to Canberra. I thought it'd be a great way to save on accommodations, but that was stupid. I can't sleep on a bus, especially when it has pit stops every couple hours and turns on all the lights. So I arrived in Canberra at 6am, without sleeping and gross because this country is HOT. The travel center was almost entirely closed, so I couldn't get a locker for my giant bag. Off to a great start.

I walked down the street to a little park and watched the sunrise over the city while in the distance floated a couple hot air balloons. Then just kept walking. Everything was either a government building or a park. No cafes, no shops, no wonder no one stopped here. But it was quite peaceful and pretty.

After a while, I stumbled into the Old Parliament House and its gardens. And just kept going until I saw the new Parliament House.

Old Parliament House with the coat of arms of Australia: a kangaroo and an emu holding the seal

Not sure if goose or swan, but my new bff. He practically sat in my lap he wanted food so bad.

It started getting hella hot and the backpack was hella heavy, so I took a break by a lake and made a couple friends: a goose and a nice old man that was ecstatic someone cared about his city. He recommended I stop by the National Library of Australia, so I dragged myself out of the shade and over to the library cafe and ordered an iced coffee...

Stumbled into a few of these pretty little secret gardens all over my walk through town.

Iced coffee means something entirely different in Australia. I received an iced, milky, latte-type beverage with a glob of ice cream and smothered in whipped cream on top. So much for my diet.

The library did have some pros though- free wifi and an exhibit on Australian advertising.

A nice lady at the advertising exhibition told me these are two of the most famous oz characters. Good role models. Be happy, present, and safe.

That evening I'd had enough (and so had another girl in the bathroom who fainted from the heat- yikes) and I caught my bus up to Sydney.

Canberra was cute and peaceful, but I'm glad I didn't stay too long. History and politics never were my thing anyway.