When Arthur B Culvahouse Jr was welcomed as the United States Ambassador to Australia on Wednesday, he made an impassioned speech outside the US Embassy in Canberra.

But, despite expertly fielding questions about President Trump and trade deals, critics were quick to hone in on one mistake: he referred to the jewel in the capital's crown as Lake Burley Campbell.

"It was arranged for me to lay a wreath at your War Memorial in my capacity as a former Reagan Administration official," he told the crowd of journalists.

"As I exited the War Memorial looking out at Parliament House over Lake Burley Campbell, I then and there decided that … serving as the 26th United States Ambassador to Australia would be the capstone of my career."

Getting Lake Burley Griffin wrong was, undoubtedly, an unfortunate faux pas. But who are we to criticise? Canberrans have a long history with getting place names 'wrong' — we don't pronounce Manuka like the honey, and Telstra Tower, Telecom Tower and Black Mountain Tower are used interchangeably to refer to the same thing.

In fact, there are a lot of quirks in the national capital that might take newcomers a little while to get their heads around. So, whether you are a new dignitary or have just finished your first month at university, here are some tips to get you acting like a local in no time.

Don't take notice of place names, spellings or pronunciations

Except for you Mr Ambassador. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts )

Manuka's pronunciation aside, true Canberrans know how to say Queanbeyan, Bonython and Athllon Drive correctly, and no matter how many times Tuggeranong's South.Point shopping centre is rebranded, it will always be known as the Hyperdome.

The city is known as Civic; the Parkway and the GDE (Gungahlin Drive Extension) are never referred to in full; and, in defence of Ambassador Culvahouse, the way we refer to Lake Burley Griffin is weird in itself.

Burley was Walter Burley Griffin's middle name, not part of a double barrelled surname, so shouldn't the lake be referred to simply as Lake Griffin?

Black Mountain Tower, also known as Telstra Tower and Telecom Tower, is a Canberra landmark. ( ABC News )

Acronyms are a second language

Thanks to the prevalence of the Australian Public Service, you will have to become accustomed to acronyms being used in everyday speech with no explanation.

For quick reference: APS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 refer to public service employee levels; EL1 and EL2 are public service executive employee levels; SES 1, 2 and 3 are the most senior public servants.

ANU and UC are our central universities; CIT is our TAFE-equivalent; RMC is our military college; DFAT and AFP are just some of the government departments you never need to refer to in full.

Lanyards are popular fashion accessories. ( ABC News: Elise Pianegonda )

There truly is a divide between north and south

This is where the aforementioned Lake Burley Griffin comes into play.

The lake separates the city, with Belconnen, Gunghalin and Civic in the north, and Woden, Tuggeranong and Weston Creek in the south (Queanbeyan is not part of Canberra, FYI).

People are very loyal to the north or the south, and even though it might only take you 20 minutes to drive from one side of the ACT to another, if you live in the south and have friends in the north, don't expect to ever see them.

Make sure you own a car

Canberra's wide streets were made for cruising. ( ABC News: Mark Moore )

Canberra is a beautifully planned city that can be enjoyed in many ways — unless you don't have a car, in which case you will be regularly stranded.

The buses are infrequent compared to services in Sydney and Melbourne and the light rail, which is yet to open to the public, will initially only service the north of Canberra.

Admittedly, there are a lot of avid bike riders in Canberra, but more than half of all households have two or more cars registered to their address, making Canberrans among the heaviest car users in the country.

We also play host to Summernats, a car festival attended by over 100,000 people each year.

Crowds at Summernats, enjoying Canberra in summer. ( ABC News: Greg Nelson )

Everyone is into politics

Whether they work in politics, volunteer for a political party or just read a lot of news, you will never have more friends who take an active interest in politics than you will while you live in Canberra.

Polly gossip is more rife than celebrity gossip, so you had better brush up on local elections, federal elections and everything in between if you want to hold your own at a dinner party.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is just one of the faces you need to know. ( ABC News: Mark Moore )

The school system is a little different

In Canberra, public school students in years 11 and 12 go to 'colleges'.

Colleges are run a little more like universities, and students choose courses that allow them to obtain the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate.

They don't have to be on school premises if they don't have a class, and they don't have to wear school uniform, so don't think twice if you see a 17-year-old heading into Woden in the middle of the afternoon.

Canberra is a ghost town in January

As families on school holidays and university students alike flock to the south coast during the warmer months, you can expect your favourite cafes and restaurants to also go on a temporary hiatus.

It is very sad and unfortunate, especially because it means everyone else is on holiday and you're not.

You can also expect Canberrans to hibernate during cold winter evenings; you may not see your neighbours, or your friends, for all of June and July.

We have weird fixations with days

Fluff from the Kapok tree on the ground in Canberra. ( ABC News )

When you first move to Canberra you will be schooled in the following: don't plant tomatoes before Melbourne Cup, don't plant sweet peas before St Patrick's Day, don't turn your heater on before Anzac Day, and real Canberrans head "down the coast" over Easter for the optimum swimming season.

Also, soft, white fluff in the sky during spring is a clear indication that 1. Uni students need to start studying and 2. Hayfever season is upon us — and hayfever in Canberra is rife, thanks to a whole heap of high-allergen grasses.

Be well versed in local topics

There are several things imprinted on Canberra's psyche, and if you can learn about them, you will be able to hold your own in any conversation.

'Mr Fluffy houses' are homes that were insulated with potentially deadly loose-fill asbestos.

The government instituted a buyback scheme for these homes, of which there were over 1,000. Most of these houses have now been demolished, and the empty blocks sold off.

The January 2003 Canberra bushfires also had a devastating impact on the city.

Nearly 500 homes were destroyed, 490 people were injured, and four people died. It is considered Canberra's worst natural disaster, and the impact from the fire is still felt today.

Black Mountain peninsula beach, one of the designated swimming spots in Lake Burley Griffin. ( ABC News: Clare Sibthorpe )

On the lighter side of the spectrum, make sure you read up on the Skywhale, a divisive hot air balloon commissioned for $170,000 for Canberra's centenary celebrations, and anything to do with the similarly-divisive light rail, due to open in April.

You should also decide prior to any conversation about Lake Burley Griffin whether you would swim in it or not, and get acquainted with the 'Viking clap'.



Finally, Canberrans are very proud of their growing food scene, which includes ONA cafes, Canberra institution Brodburger, award-winning eightysix and Aubergine — and, of course, Kingsley's Chicken. Nobody is beneath "unbelievable chicken, awesome chips".