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Canberra cops a lot of flak for being a glorified city of politicians, bus stops and roundabouts. But it’s also home to many of our nation’s greatest cultural institutions, a highly underrated food and drink scene, and enough peaceful nature to keep you sane between Google Meet calls. New research might claim Canberra is the worst city in the Asia-Pacific for a workcation, but we’re here to fight its case.
For starters, how did Canberra earn this unfortunate title? Travel insurance specialists at Compare the Market recently ranked major cities around the world on seven factors that influence productivity and enjoyment while working remotely, including Wi-Fi speeds, affordability, co-working space availability and number of things to do. After tallying the results, Canberra landed at the very bottom of the list in Australia.
While our nation’s capital offers the fewest attractions of any Aussie city (with just 52 activities on TripAdvisor), it’s a classic case of quality over quantity. Australia’s leading cultural institutions – like the National Gallery, National Museum, War Memorial and Questacon – are all clustered within a ten-minute drive of each other, making it easy for remote workers to squeeze in world-class art and history on their lunch break.
If you’re not into culture, the “20-minute city” perk means you can clock off at 5pm and be hiking up Black Mountain or knocking back beers at Capital Brewing Co by 5.15pm. Then comes the main event: dinner. Canberra consistently punches above its weight on the dining front, with plenty of exceptional restaurants and bars to spend your travel meal allowance (if you have one). Plus, if you need to impress an important client over lunch, award-winning fine diners like Pilot and Bar Rochford are right on your doorstep.
Sure, Canberra might lag on formal coworking spaces (with just 21 listed in the study), but it more than makes up for it with spacious libraries and laptop-friendly cafés like Highroad and Teddy Picker’s. Rushing to meet a deadline? Night-owl institution Kita opens from 6pm to 6am to keep you fed and caffeinated through crunch time.
Accommodation costs admittedly drag down Canberra’s score, with the city recording the highest average monthly rental rates in Australia. But if you’re travelling on business, hopefully your company is paying to put you up in a snazzy hotel. You can check out the full rankings below.
The best cities for a workcation in Australia
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
- Gold Coast
- Perth
- Canberra