Canberra is awesome.
This may be the first time that sentence has been uttered, based on the reputation Canberra has throughout Australia. Canberra-bashing is even in the Oxford National Dictionary.
But like a metaphorical ugly duckling, Canberra is blossoming into a freaking awesome swan. The rest of the country don't see it happening, but over the past 10 years Canberra has been evolving an underground cultural scene that can compete with anywhere else. Canberra is no longer just the home of fireworks, porn and the public service, but instead arts festivals, poetry slams and original music. .
However, this change hasn't been noticed by most Canberrans. Most residents will look at you like someone with a speech disorder for mentioning You Are Here. Despite arguably the best hyperlocal alternative media outlets of any Australian city and a Fairfax local paper, the general populace is still ignorant of the great stuff that is on their doorstep. Ex-pats from other cities believe the reputation and don't dig deep enough to find the gold. Locals eventually parrot the "Canberra is boring" line, becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.
Canberra Is Awesome's mission is to change that. To show Canberra and the world all the great things going on in the nation's capital.
Hey Canberra is Awesome - love your idea for the blog. I agree that Canberra is VERY underrated. I'm based just down the highway in the Snowy Mountains and like you, I'm trying to share our great little piece of the planet via the blogosphere. All the best with it, I look forward to seeing more of your posts!
ReplyDeleteHeidi @onehungryhen