Canberra

We took almost 3.5hrs to travel 400+km from Sydney to Canberra, passing through Wollongong where we had a pit-stop. Wollongong could be considered a small town with houses not more than three storeys tall. Too bad we weren't able to take photos of the place as we met with rain once again.

Canberra was still quite chilling despite it being summer. By the time we reached Canberra, it was late afternoon. My brother drove us up Mount Ainslie for a full view of the capital. It was simply beautiful. The city was really tranquil. Then it's off to a walkabout in the night near our motel.

Spotted: One wild kangaroo. Didn't see more today as the weather was considered too warm for the kangaroos to come down from higher grounds.

14 Dec:

My aunts did a bit more shopping in the morning and early afternoon. I wasn't into shopping much though I managed to pick up a couple of T-shirts. We were at the Australian War Memorial next, viewing the exhibits that reminded people of the atrocities of war. We were in time to catch the closing ceremony of the memorial for the day. For dinner, my brother brought us to the restaurant Hog's Breath and Goodberry's Ice Cream. Hog's Breath is one eating place that I highly recommend that any visitor to Canberra should go.

No kangaroos were spotted today and my little cousin, Joshua (9), was very disappointed. We guessed that they only come out at night.

15 Dec:

Today, my brother would attend his graduation ceremony in the morning at the Parliament House. He had been studying at the University of Canberra for a year and a half. The main purpose of this trip was to attend his graduation ceremony.

We spent the early part of the night at the Telstra Tower. It was one of Canberra's landmarks though the tower belonged to the telecommunication company Telstra. It was opened to the public for getting a view of the city.

It was the last night we were going to spend in Canberra so we purposely made a trip to the open grounds within my brother's university campus one last time in hope of spotting some kangaroos. We were hoping they would come out in the cool night air and sure enough, my cousin was not disappointed. There were a group of about 9 kangaroos hopping around the carparks and the open ground behind my brother's girlfriend's residence. Finally, my brother's claim on the abundance of kangaroos he got to see during his stay there was proven true. However, wild kangaroos weren't cute. In fact, they were sort of evil-looking, especially at night.

Wheelchair Accessibility

• Accommodation

The houses and apartments were usually in three-storey buildings, and they were not convenient for wheelchairs as not all of them came equipped with elevators. Look for lodging with rooms on the ground floor. Bathroom amenities were not handicapped-friendly enough but manageable with a little help.

• Public Transport

I didn't take the public transport then but I also didn't notice any buses available for wheelchairs. However, that was a long time ago so it may not be true now.