New Zealand & Australia Odyssey

Located on the south coast of New South Wales where the River Clyde enters the sea, Bateman’s Bay is the closest seaport to Canberra, Australia’s capital. As such, it is a popular weekend getaway for Canberrans, a majority of whom are government employees. The town has always been associated with seafood. The town’s establishment dates to the mid-19th century when Irish immigrants started Australia’s third fish and chips shop there, which still stands today. It soon became a center for the harvesting, and later farming of oysters in the Clyde River estuary. The area is referred to as Australia’s Oyster Coast. Some 90 miles inland lies the Australian Capital Territory, and the planned city of Canberra. Canberra was built starting in 1908, as a compromise to the claims of both Sydney and Melbourne, which were vying to become the national capital. It is one of the few such separate national capital territories, which include Washington D.C and Brasilia. Located on a broad flood plain between a scattering of sub-3,000 foot peaks, Australia’s largest inland city is laid out in a hub-and-spoke design encircling Lake Burley Griffin, formed by damming several meandering creeks and named for the city’s planner. The Parliament Triangle is a wedge of the circle containing the Old and New Parliament, the Anzac Parade and the impressive Australian War Memorial. Like other designed national capitals, Canberra boasts many monuments, arts centers, museums and a pair of major universities.