ABOUT CANBERRA Canberra is the national capital of Australia and is central to much of eastern Australia. It is located an easy 3-hour drive from Sydney, and 90 minutes from the beautiful south coast beaches of New South Wales and the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains. As national capital, Canberra is home to diverse national cultural institutions: National Art Gallery, Museum, Library, Archives, National Botanic Gardens, Parliament House, and War Memorial. It is a beautiful city with a population of 300,000 and abounds with entertainment, sporting and recreational facilities and is highly cosmopolitan with many ethnic restaurants, clubs and shops. Nearby are many wineries to explore. There are about 80 embassies and diplomatic missions, some of which are built in the traditional styles of their home countries. A comprehensive road network results in low density rapid access to all of Canberra and surrounding areas and bicycle/walking paths and horse trails wind through suburbs and surrounding parks and nature lands. There are three lakes with many picnic facilities and the lakes and nearby river are great places for fishing and non-motorised recreation.