Things to Do
First on your agenda is probably a visit to the Parliamentary Triangle, where you can tour Parliament House, City Hill and the Defence Headquarters. Within the triangle, you can also see the Old Parliament House, the High Court, Reconciliation Place, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Science and Technology Centre, and the National Library, so make sure you set aside a decent chunk of time to visit all of these impressive buildings and snap some photos in front of the monuments. If you're lucky, you might even see our pollies in session and maybe even get to shake one of their hands!
Politics isn't all that Canberra is famous for, though. Walter Burley Griffin (the winner of the Canberra design competition) intentionally planned the ACT as a garden city, surrounded by beautiful trees, with wide open spaces and easy accessibility to all of the major buildings and precincts. So, if you're a nature lover, make sure you that you spend some time in the Australian National Botanical Gardens and the Canberra Nature Park.
Lake Burley Griffin is another great place to while away an afternoon outdoors in Canberra. You can picnic on the water's edge or sit down at one of the lakeside cafes or restaurants for a great meal with a view. If you're keen to get your toes wet, you can dive in and go swimming or windsurfing. But if you'd prefer to remain on the water's surface, you can go rowing, kayaking, sailing, canoeing or paddle boating.
Sports enthusiasts should make it a goal to visit the Australian Institute of Sport, where you might have the chance to brush shoulders with some of our nation's sporting heroes. Make sure you also check the Canberra Stadium events calendar while you're here and catch a Canberra Raiders NRL game or an ACT Brumbies game if you can.
Another must-visit is the National Museum of Australia, where you can see the heart of the legendary racehorse, Phar Lap. Or, if you'd like to pay your respect to our fallen soldiers, make your way over to the National War Memorial.
Events
If you're here in February, make sure you attend the Royal Canberra Show. In April, those who enjoy the odd tipple will love the Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival and, over the Easter weekend, music lovers will be ecstatic at the National Folk Festival. If flowers are more your thing, don't miss the Floriade Flower Festival, held over 30 days in August and September.
Getting Here and Around
The airport is only about 10 minutes away from the city centre and, as we mentioned, Canberra is an extremely well-planned city, so you won't have any trouble getting around on the efficient public transportation system. It's also easy to go green and take care of the environment on your holiday in Canberra, because the walking and cycling tracks are so well laid out that it usually only takes a few minutes to get where you want to go.
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