There are people who love Canberra - and then there's George Dunford.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The digital guru and father is a self-confessed "passionate Canberra advocate" who we've discovered may just be the unsung hero in Canberra's recent Lonely Planet 'Best in Travel' triumph.
The capital was last week named the third best city in the world to visit in 2018 by Lonely Planet - resulting in cheers and high-fives in Canberra and major eye-rolling in other capital cities - and Dunford appears to have played a significant role.
A long-term writer for Lonely Planet, Dunford in recent months became Canberra's 'Lonely Planet Local' - penning stories part-time for the Lonely Planet website including essential landmarks to visit in the ACT and exploring Canberra's unexpected outdoor activities.
His writing appears to have sparked intrigue with Lonely Planet editors, forcing them sit up and take note of the important role our city plays in Australia's national story, as well as its emergence as a food and wine destination and proximity to native plants and animals.
"I'm a local, and [my editors] knew I was here, and they said, 'we want to do a bit of coverage in Canberra, and we want to make sure that Canberra's getting its due'," Dunford said.
"They knew there were lot of things changing and happening in Canberra. So they were kind of interested in making sure there was someone to cover it."
Dunford is humble but admits his writing probably played a part in Canberra's 'Top 10 Cities' placement.
"I'd like to think that what I've done has kind of contributed to it, just a little bit," he laughed.
Dunford's love for Canberra ranges from an admiration of Burley-Griffin's original design - "it's amazing, the vision he had, and I think he was frustrated by the bureaucracy - well, it wouldn't be Canberra if he wasn't" - to cycling around West Basin, past the National Museum of Australia and into Yarralumla.
His favourite things to do in Canberra include cuddling the koalas out at Tidbinbilla - "my family calls it Kidbinbilla" - and heading to Braddon for wagyu cheesesteak springrolls at Lazy Su. He's also a huge fan of Muse, Sweetbones and Canberra Museum and Gallery.
The first Lonely Planet book Dunford owned was a 1996 version of the Italy guide, which he borrowed from a friend and was dog-eared, highlighted and underlined ("they were the comments before there were comments").
Dunford sat the Lonely Planet writing test in 1999 and has since written more than 20 Lonely Planet books, including guides to Finland and Scotland and a book titled The Big Trip, specifically for students travelling on their gap years.
Was he shocked to see Canberra in the world's top three travel destinations for 2018?
"Not at all," Dunford said.
"There are lots of things that have changed Canberra as a travel destination, including, of course, international flights.
"The numbers speak for themselves - 2016 was the biggest year for international tourists into Canberra and with Qatarcoming on board it's just going to get better.
"There's a lot of heat around Canberra. There's so much happening here - like the West Basin development and light rail.
"I think it's a really good time for Canberra as a tourism power."
A spokesman for Lonely Planet said the Best in Travel lists centre on emerging destinations and locations that are improving their offering for travellers.
"Instead of creating a list of destinations which are highly visited, which is frankly a little boring, our lists are always about looking forward - unearthing the places that people should be travelling to," he said.
He said cities were scored on topicality - "is there something happening in that destination in 2018 that travellers should be aware of?" - unique experiences and "wow factor".
"Canberra is our bush capital and has the best blend of country and city," he said.
"The investment in the capital is really paying off - fine dining and boutique accommodation options are vastly improved, and inventive and interesting things for travellers to do are popping up across the city - hello, picnic on Lake Burley Griffin on a GoBoat.
