An exploration of the city Australians love to hate, this book shows that there is more to the capital of Australia than politics, geometrically designed roads, and mid-century architecture. Canberra is a city of orphans: people arrive temporarily for work, but stay when they discover the unanticipated promise and opportunity Canberra has to offer. From the lake and its forgotten suburbs—traces of which can still be found on Burley Griffin’s banks—to the mountains that surround the city, this account also examines the unsavory early life of Canberra and the graveyard at St. John’s, where the pioneers rest.