After a memorable scenic train journey, I finally arrived in Canberra! I was excited to be in the Australia’s capital city. The air was cold and fresh. The beautiful city looked highly welcoming. It was a fine evening, and the night was not very far. I was supposed to take a bus to reach the city centre.
The photography session
I got out of the train, and clicked a couple of photos at the platform. I asked an Australian guy to click a few photos for me. But he pressed the wrong buttons, and took his own selfie with my phone. Anyways, I changed the camera settings, and then he clicked my photos. Gradually I came out of the platform and headed to the waiting area of the station. I saw the station’s big nameplate, and my camera was in action as I captured the new moments.
Where to buy the MyWay card?
Once the photo ceremony was over, I remembered that I had to take a bus to the city. I went inside the customer care chamber, and asked the representative about the bus to the city centre. He advised me to take a shuttle bus. I wanted to know if I could buy a MyWay smart card to pay the bus fare, and he politely informed me that one can’t buy the card at the Canberra’s train station. That means, we must pay the bus fare (station to the city centre) in cash, and later buy the card in the city centre.
Canberra Station (Kingston) to the city centre
I had done my homework about the bus to the city centre. The bus 980 from the bus stop named Canberra Railway Station Kingston (the stop just in front of the train station) was supposed to take me to the downtown, which was basically 11 stops away (very close to the Legislative Assembly Building at London Circuit). The journey was expected to take less than 20 minutes.
I missed the bus! Oops
I came out of the train station, and started looking for the bus – only to realise that I had missed out the bus by some 10 minutes. The photo session cost me the bus ride. 🙂 Although I could have taken a taxi to the city centre, I didn’t, as it was quite expensive. The bus frequency was once in an hour, and there was no certainty about the next bus because the night was approaching very fast and probably there was no next incoming Canberra bound train. I checked my GPS and found another bus (from another bus stop) that could drop me close to the city centre. But the bus stop was a bit far (by walking).
A long walk to the next bus stop
I started walking to the new bus stop (it was around 800m away from the train station) and I was carrying a heavy bag and was quite tired by now. But the scenery was so great that I kept walking. The beautiful scenery did stop me a couple of times to take photos. The roads were very wide and I had to cross the roads in a few places.
There was absolutely no one around the road except the trees, and fast moving vehicles, and the fresh wind that kept hitting me all the time. I finally reached the bus stop.
I waited for the next bus
After I reached the new bus stop, I checked the bus timetable (pasted at the stop) and realised that the next bus was supposed to come in 30 minutes. So I had to wait basically. I wanted a few pics again, but there was no one to help me – except myself, of course. And you see the one of the photos that I clicked.
Then came the bus
Finally, the bus came – at the scheduled time. I paid the bus fare by cash –it was some AU $4.5, grabbed a seat and sat down while holding my heavy bag. I was following my GPS. My phone’s battery and power bank had almost dried. The bus was not crowded and was in full swing – we could see the city’s scenery from the bus. I was very new to the city, and didn’t know much about the scenery. Soon we were crossing the Lake Burley Griffin. The lake looked so beautiful that I wanted to get out of the bus to take photos – but there was no stoppage nearby, and it was getting darker too. Nevertheless, I was completely stunned by the scenery. I reached the city centre and checked into my hotel.
My first walk around the city centre
I came back to the city centre and I was completely in love with Canberra – the city looked beautiful like a newlywed bride. By now most of the shops were closed. There was a convenient store still open where I bought the MyWay card for AU $20 (service fee of AU $5, balance amount being AU $15). I was absolutely surprised to see the illuminated trees. There were not many people in the city centre. I kept walking alone here and there for a couple of hours and took lots of photos.
The slow wind was blowing continuously, and the air was so fresh that I didn’t want to leave the city anymore. I sat down on a nearby bus stop, and looked around to find someone to talk – but there was no one else. Then I came into the Subway (fortunately still open), and had my first meal. There was a great clubbing vibe that night in the city centre.
I will talk about it in a separate post. I kept wandering till late in the city centre. By this time I was quite exhausted, and wanted to take some rest. The Canberra journey had just begun.
Alright, I just wanted to share my feelings about the very first time when I reached Canberra and I think it’s pretty much now. So I will stop here. Do check my other posts about Australia. You can check out my Canberra reviews (Part 1, Part 2), Sydney travel reviews (Part 1 and Part 2), or the other countries, or the complete navigation list. You can also find more about me.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome. 🙂
With love.