Canberra is Ngunnawal country. The Ngunnawal are the Indigenous people of this region and its first inhabitants.
The name ‘Canberra’ is thought to have come from the Ngunnawal word Kamberra, which means “meeting place”.
It’s an apt description for the modern city of today which is so diverse and growing rapidly, and yet somehow still manages to hold onto that feeling of a country town. It’s a place where you could potentially meet new friends and it’s small enough that you readily bump into people you have met before. So far we have met people who are visiting or moved here from different parts of Australia, as well as people who came to visit or live, from different countries around the world.
The most frequently asked questions we get so far are “So have you moved over here for work?” “Is your husband Australian?” “What do your family think of you moving out here?” People have often been surprised that we have moved here without jobs and no other family here.
We are essentially starting from scratch with everything. From jobs, to schooling, friendships to furniture. I am not sure yet which mountain will be the hardest to climb, but I do know that we are accumulating household items fast.
I have already learnt a lot about what I consider an essential item. It is hard to cook a dinner when you only have one saucepan and no wooden spoon, but possible.
You can not reheat a cup of tea easily if you no longer own a microwave.
Beds and toilet rolls come top of my list of essentials. And also surprisingly enough, a hot water bottle! Let me tell you, it’s not easy to get a hot water bottle in spring (almost summer) in Canberra. Actually it is easy to purchase a ‘wheat bag hottie’ one of those cute cuddly toy ones that you heat in the microwave, but if you don’t have a microwave you realise you can’t heat them!
We arrived in the middle of October, waving farewell to Autumn and Winter in the UK and arriving into Canberra’s Spring. It’s been surprisingly cold overnight/in the early morning in Canberra.
It’s hard to know what to prioritise when you have everything to do. Jobs, somewhere to live, school, furniture, friends. The lists are endless. But we are here. In Australia.