Getting There in VS .NET

Creator UPC-A in VS .NET Getting There

Canberra is between Sydney and Melbourne, and is easily accessible: The drive is doable, it s only a short flight from the eastern cities, and it s serviced well by trains, which means you have plenty of travel options

Qantas (% 13 13 13 in Australia; wwwqantascomau) runs frequent daily service to Canberra from all the major cities The fun, discount airline Virgin Blue (% 13 67 89 in Australia; wwwvirginbluecomau) offers discount daily flights to Canberra from Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide, but not from Sydney Canberra Airport is about 15 minutes from the city center By taxi it costs approximately A$20 (US$16/ 8) In addition, the Airliner Bus (% 02/6299 3722; wwwdeanesbuslinescomau/queanbeyan) operates a shuttle between the central business district and the airport daily, leaving every half-hour on weekdays and hourly on weekends The one-way fare is A$7 (US$560/ 280) and a round-trip costs A$12 (US$960/ 480)

Countrylink (% 13 22 32 in Australia; wwwcountrylinkinfo) runs three Canberra Xplorer trains daily between Sydney and Canberra The four-and-a-quarter-hour trip costs around A$70 (US$56/ 28) in first class, A$50 (US$40/ 20) in economy; children are half-price, and a round-trip costs double Many people book Countrylink transport-hotel packages, which can save you quite a bit Depending on the accommodations in Canberra, prices range from A$90 to A$190 (US$72 US$152/ 36 76) a night for a couple, and if you book in advance, you can save up to 40 percent on the fare through a Rail Escape package Call Countrylink Holidays (% 13 28 29) for details Countrylink has an office at Wynyard CityRail station in Sydney From Melbourne, the Canberra Link, run by V/Line (% 13 61 96 in Australia; wwwvlinepassengercomau), involves a five-hour bus trip and a three-and-a-half-hour train trip It costs A$55 (US$44/ 22) adults, A$34 (US$27/ 13) children and students Canberra Railway Station (% 02/6239 6707) is on Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, about 5km (3 miles) southeast of the city center Coaches connect the railway station to the center

Greyhound (% 13 14 99 in Australia, or 07/4690 9950; wwwgreyhound comau) does ten runs a day from Sydney to Canberra The trip takes four to four-and-a-half hours and tickets cost around A$37 (US$30/ 15) adults, A$33 (US$27/ 13) pensioners and students, A$29 (US$23/ 12) children 3 to 14 From Melbourne, tickets to Canberra cost A$62 (US$50/ 25) adults, A$52 (US$42/ 21) pensioners and students, A$46 (US$37/ 18) children Advance-purchase fares can be as much as 35 percent lower Murrays Australia (% 13 22 51 in Australia; wwwmurrayscomau) runs buses from Sydney to Canberra five times a day The journey costs

A$36 (US$29/ 15) adults, A$29 (US$23/ 12) children Several sightseeing companies in Sydney, including AAT King s and Australia Pacific Tours, offer day trips to Canberra Interstate buses arrive at Jolimont Tourist Centre, at the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street, Canberra City

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is surrounded by New South Wales Sydney is 306km (190 miles) northeast, and Melbourne is 651km (404 miles) southwest From Sydney, you can use an extension to the M5 motorway that links with the Eastern Distributor highway near the Sydney airport Veer left before you reach the airport, follow signs heading toward Canberra, and veer left onto the M5 The drive takes between three and three-and-a-half hours From Melbourne, take the Hume Highway to Yass and switch to the Barton Highway; the trip takes about eight hours

The first things that strike a visitor to Canberra are its parklike feel and wide, unclogged roads The city s centerpiece is Capital Hill, where Parliament House stands A dozen avenues radiate off from here and each of these broad, tree-shaded streets leads to a traffic circle, from which more streets emanate Around each hub, the streets form a pattern of concentric circles Another of Canberra s most notable features is Lake Burley Griffin, created by damming the Molonglo River The centerpiece of the lake is the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, a spire of water that reaches 147m (482 ft) into the air