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.