To Canberra, Australia's Putrajaya

 

When Malcolm talked about going on a road trip, I was not in favour as he would be doing all the driving, a lot of time would be spent on the road and less on visiting places of interest.

 

The scenic route to Canberra from Sydney

In the past weeks, he was doing very well in arranging day trips to various destinations like La Perouse, North and South Heads, Kiama and Newcastle, which allowed me to see and experience enough without stretching ourselves too much.

 

When he broached the subject on visiting Canberra, the prospect became more attractive when he said we can do it in a day trip.

 

He said we should leave the house by 6am, stop for a snack of pie along the way and still have enough time to visit the Australia War Memorial and National Arboretum. [He got me at …pie!]

 

A comfortable and smooth drive

He wanted me to see Canberra, the capital city of Australia, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which is the seat of the Australian government and home to major national institutions like the Parliament House.

 

Malcolm explained that Canberra was just like our Putrajaya, the federal administrative capital of Malaysia, located south of Kuala Lumpur.

 

Established in 1995 as a planned “garden city,” Putrajaya serves as the nation’s judicial and executive center, designed with modern, monumental architecture, lush green spaces and a man-made lake.

 

The Big Merino at Goulburn

Similarly, Canberra is the administrative and political heart of the nation, located about 160km or 100 miles from Sydney. The site was chosen in 1908 for a purpose-built-city, and developed roughly half-way between Sydney and Melbourne.

 

Determined to let me have the best experience on a short visit, prior to the trip I received from him by WhatsApp, online links to the Australia War Memorial and National Arboretum, for my reading and reference.

 

[I deeply appreciate his time and effort in preparing me for this trip to Canberra because (I can say now!) that it was truly a worthwhile trip. Thanks very much!]

 

Getting pies at the Trappers Bakery

So that night, I set my alarm for a wake-up call with time enough to get ready to leave by 6am. By 6.14am, we were on the road leading out of the city to Canberra. As we left the city limits, I observed that there was more bushland than buildings.

 

Along the road, I spotted road signs with illustrations of kangaroo and possums that warned drivers of wildlife crossings. I was still hopeful to spot a kangaroo or emu but sad to say, I only saw roadkill, one of which looked very much like kangaroo.

 

The Big Merino celebrated
its 40th anniversary in 2025

When the terrain turned into rolling hills, I saw cows grazing on hill slopes but no sheep. Eh? I said to Malcolm, I have yet to see some sheep in the fields and he replied with a promise to show me sheep, in fact, the largest sheep I would ever see.

 

About two hours out of Sydney (and an hour more to Canberra) we made a pitstop at Goulburn. As we turned into the parking lot, there it was, The Big Merino, a 50-feet tall concrete statue of a merino ram. He had fulfilled his promise to show me sheep!

 

He assured me that we will visit The Big Merino, which is a gift shop, later on but first we must go to the Trappers Bakery for our pies.

 

Renowned as the NSW & Australian Award-Winning Bakery, Trappers is a popular stopover for travellers enroute between Sydney and Canberra. This is true, at least for Malcolm, because Trappers is his must-stop destination in Goulburn.

 

The Bigg Merino and me!

The morning sun was shining but the air was chilly so we brought our warm pies to sit in the sun for a more comfortable dining experience. When I sank my teeth into my Steak Cheese and Bacon Pie, the filling was moist and oh, so tasty.

 

Yes, my eyes did fall on the Éclairs but I refrained from indulging as the warm pie had hit a most satisfying spot.

 

Then we walked across to The Big Merino to explore the hollow insides of this massive concrete structure. Built in 1985, this landmark just celebrated its 40^th anniversary in 2025. The adjacent gift shop stocked attractive merchandise made of wool along with beautiful handicrafts and souvenirs.

 

And then we were on the road again for the final stretch of the drive before we arrived at Canberra. Unlike Sydney, the planned city center features broad roads with wide spans of landscaped greenery, interspersed with monuments and art installations.

 

Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial central
centerpiece of Canberra, created in 1963

Our itinerary for the day was packed with visits to destinations like the Australian War Memorial, the Parliament House, the National Arboretum and the Australian National Museum, with a break for lunch.

 

A lunch appointment was arranged with a friend in Canberra so Malcolm kept a strict budget on our time to ensure that we did not linger too long at one spot. This was to ensure that we arrived on time for our lunch and thereafter, to go on to our next destination for the day.

 

He did apologize for having to limit my time at the War Memorial but time was of the essence so he made sure that I experienced the relevant exhibits before we left. [I will share about this experience in a separate post but for now, suffice to say that my experience at the War Memorial was a very emotional one.]

 

At the Reception, we saw these fruits:
Bunya Pines [Left] and Parana Pines [Right]

After lunch at Walter Café, situated within the National Capital Exhibition building, we headed to the Parliament House, the National Arboretum and ended the day with a visit at the Australian National Museum.

 

As we were making our way to the National Arboretum, Malcolm told me that prior to 2001, the site was largely covered by pine plantations (pinas radiata). Then in 2003, devastating bushfires destroyed a significant part of the ACT including residential areas and the pine plantations.

 

The ACT government in consultation with the community and experts, decided that the best future use of the land on this site was the establishment of a national arboretum.

 

In the Bonsai and Penjing Centre
of the National Arboretum Canberra

A national design ideas competition for the new arboretum was launched and the winning design presented 100 monoculture forests of rare, threatened and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world. This provided the foundation for a master plan for the National Arboretum Canberra which has been progressively implemented since 2005.

 

Major civil works commenced in 2010 for a visitors’ centre, café, gift shop, Bonsai and Penjing centre, children’s playground, picnic and barbecue areas, outdoor sculptures, amphitheater, lookout points and a pavilion.

 

Spot the figurine in this
Penjing creation

Since the National Arboretum Canberra officially opened in February 2013, it has become an award-winning, iconic attraction and a popular destination among locals and tourists – like us.

 

The sun was blazing hot when we arrived at the visitors’ centre where Malcolm was keen to show me his favourite exhibits in the Bonsai and Penjing section.

 

He thoroughly appreciates the beauty of Bonsai and Penjing, an art which is heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese culture.

 

While Bonsai is the art of growing miniature trees and shrubs in containers by regular pruning of the roots and branches, Penjing is the art of growing miniature landscapes in a pot or tray that may include ground covers, small objects and figurines.

 

A charming Penjing creation that features 
miniature landscape and figurines

At the Reception counter, two interesting-looking fruits were displayed for visitors to have a hands-on experience. They were labelled, Bunya Pines [Left] and Parana Pines [Right] along with their scientific names and a warning that, they can be prickly. They looked similar to the species of pineapples that grow in Malaysia.

 

When we paused to have a closer look, a friendly staff came forward to help to any queries. When she asked us where we were from, our reply was, “Malaysia.”

 

To our amazement, she instantly changed to speaking to us in fluent Bahasa Malaysia. She was certainly fasih in speaking Malay!

 

From her name tag, I read that her name was Niki. She clarified that she was an exchange student who learnt to speak Malay when she stayed with a Malay family in Segamat, Johor.

 

A section of the Arboretum viewed
from the visitors' centre

We explained that my cousin and his wife live in Sydney while I was visiting from Malaysia and was from Johor.

 

“Enam adik beradik,” she enthused as she shared about how she enjoyed living with this family with six siblings. She was still in touch with them and have visited them again with her children. This was a pleasant yet surprising encounter with her.

 

Then we went into a separate wing linked to the visitors’ centre where a collection of treasured Bonsai and Penjing creations were cared for meticulously, tended to with frequent watering to maintain a moist and conducive environment, especially when the outdoor temperature was soaring above 30 degrees C.

 

When it was time to leave, we waved and bade farewell to Niki at the Reception.

 

It was an interesting visit to the Bonsai and Penjing centre in the Arboretum but I just thought that it was just so uncanny and fortuitous that I should meet this Niki in Canberra, one who had a Malaysian experience and a connection to Johor!

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesFebruary2026