We may be the final stop on a draining tour for two first-time parents and their baby, but parochial Canberrans can lay some claim that the British royals are saving the best till last.
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On the day the capital was named the most liveable city in the nation, preparations began to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for Anzac Day commemorations and ceremonial visits over two days in late April.
Prince William and his wife Catherine will take in the National Portrait Gallery, War Memorial and plant a royal oak tree at the National Arboretum during their visit on April 24 and 25.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott will host an official reception at Parliament House before the young couple stay as guests of governor-general-designate Peter Cosgrove at Yarralumla.
The overnight stay comes during their three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand - the first visit to Australia for the duchess, apart from a brief transit at Brisbane Airport last year.
The itinerary is a well-worn one, featuring mostly the institutions that have hosted recent royal visits, including those by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh and the Danish royals Prince Frederik and Princess Mary.
So Monday's news that Canberra had topped the My City survey, commissioned by the Property Council of Australia, left some wondering if the city couldn't be shown off to the touring royals and accompanying media pack in a less predictable way.
A visit to hip Braddon or NewActon, a bushwalk out in the Namadgi or even a visit to a reptile park at Gold Creek were among the suggestions of how to show off Canberra.
But the most popular suggestion was a fairly obvious one.
Erin Barry spent the morning walking around the lake with her two daughters Arabella, 4, and Willow, 2, and said that was how she'd recommend a young family enjoy Canberra.
''The lake is definitely my favourite - Lake Burley Griffin - coming down here. It has a bit of everything: it has the grass, it has the cafes for the parents … it's just beautiful.''
Whatever the potential alternatives for the itinerary, ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher was delighted the couple would end their tour in Canberra.
''It will give people here who are interested the opportunity to see the royal family and I know, looking at how the Queen was received in Canberra, I have no doubt the duke and duchess will be received very warmly,'' Ms Gallagher said.
''It's great to have the National Arboretum here. It has been a place for ceremonial tree plantings for world leaders and this will be the first visit from this royal family where they will be planting an English oak up near the pod playgrounds.''
Ms Gallagher - who has spoken of her support for an Australian republic - said she expected large numbers of Canberrans to see the royals.
She said visits by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and the Danish royals showed the city knew how to welcome dignitaries.
''From my understanding of the young couple, they are really open to visiting and seeing members of the public and there will certainly be opportunities at one of their many functions for people to get along and see them,'' she said.
''They've got a young baby with them so I imagine they've got a pretty hectic schedule from what I can see over a 10-day period. I guess it is really up to them what they can do outside their official schedule.''
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said the couple would travel to Uluru and Adelaide without Prince George who will be cared for by nannies.
Arriving in Sydney on April 16, their first engagement will be an official reception at the Sydney Opera House before visiting Admiralty House and communities in the Blue Mountains affected by last October's bushfires.
The couple will visit the RAAF Amberley base in Brisbane, take in Easter church services, Adelaide's Northern Sound System studios and the Playford Civic Centre.
The Queen has given special permission for the two heirs to the throne, Princes William and George, to travel on the same flights for the tour.
Ms Gallagher said her job was to welcome the couple on behalf of all Canberrans. ''When I try to imagine myself travelling with an eight-month-old baby across the world … I would probably want to sit in a nice comfy chair and put my feet up,'' she said.
