Our neck of the woods — living and working in Canberra

Canberra was chosen as Australia's national capital in 1908. Its name comes from the local Aboriginal word 'Kamberra,' which means 'meeting place.'

Of all Australia's cities, Canberra is one of the most convenient, safe and pleasant in which to live and work.

With about 315,000 residents Canberra is a cosmopolitan city with all of the attractions of larger cities - restaurants, shopping centres, markets, cinemas, theatres, clubs and sporting facilities. It is also only a half-hour flight from Sydney and an hour flight from Melbourne.

• Hanging your hat
• Canberra's attractions
• What's on in and around Canberra
• Social Network of Graduates
• Higher learning

Hanging your hat

Centrelink's graduates are set up in serviced accommodation when they first arrive in Canberra. The accommodation used by Centrelink is the Manuka Park Serviced Apartments. The apartments are located in an ideal spot offering many boutique-style restaurants, cafes and meeting spots.

If you have never been to Canberra before, or are unfamiliar with our beautiful city, you should start looking for somewhere to live as soon as you get your offer of placement with us. The Canberra rental market is fairly tight and experiences peak times from January to March - you can get a head start by looking at maps of Canberra and identifying some suburbs and areas that may suit you best.

The more popular areas for graduates to find accommodation are in the inner south and the inner north - they're close to the more cosmopolitan side of Canberra life and offer many modern apartments. Centrelink National Support offices are located on the south side of Canberra.

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Canberra's attractions

Canberra had many interesting national attractions to offer, to find out more just visit the sites below:

• Australian War Memorial
• Parliament House
• Old Parliament House
• National Archives of Australia
• Questacon
• National Gallery of Australia
• National Library
• Australian Botanic Gardens
• National Museum of Australia

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What's on in and around Canberra

Festivals

Canberra is a great city for festivals, with something on every weekend in summer, and most weekends for the rest of the year. To find out more just follow the links below:

• Celebrate Canberra
• Canberra Tourism
• National Folk Festival
• Royal Canberra Show
• Canberra Balloon Fiesta
• Canberra International Chamber Music Festival
• Floriade
• Stonefest

Restaurants

There are loads of great restaurants in Canberra and you can check out sites like CitySearch to find them.

Theatre

Canberra has a very lively theatre culture, with plenty of variety for enthusiasts. If treading the boards is your thing, there's a very active amateur drama culture where you can strut your stuff. Most arts organisations in Canberra have special deals for people under 27, with substantial savings. Here are just a few of Canberra's theatre venues:

• Canberra Theatre Centre
• The street theatre
• Theatre 111

The surrounding region

There are many attractions in Canberra's surrounding region that are excellent for short stays, or even day trips. The NSW ski fields and South Coast are only a few hours away and there are plenty of other attractions closer to home. Check out these sites to find out more:

• Tourism New South Wales
• Kosciuszko National Park
• Australian Alps National Parks

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Social Network of Graduates

The Social Network of Graduates is a non-profit organisation made up of and run by Graduates from all of the Australian Government Departments and Agencies. Its aim is to help you enjoy your first year in Canberra, and graduate functions provide a great opportunity to meet new people. You can check out the latest news on the Social Network of Graduates website.

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Higher learning

Throughout the course of the Graduate program, you'll be given opportunities to take part in a host of other training courses.

You may also be interested in undertaking further study through one of Canberra's many universities or tertiary colleges. Just follow the links below to find out more:

• Australian Defence Force Academy
• Australian National University
• University of Canberra
• Australian Catholic University
• Canberra Institute of Technology.

Canberra Institute of Technology also offers a variety of short courses. If you are interested in undertaking a short course just visit the CIT solutions website.

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