Canberra Is The City Of Free Activities

Canberra is filled to the brim with things to see and do and there is something for every member of the family. We visited Canberra in Autumn and it is simply stunning, the earthy tones from the trees are lovely and when the sun is out the weather is warm. Although when that sun disappears behind the clouds make sure you take a jumper out as it gets cold very quickly.

Canberra is Australia’s Capital City, it is known to be the bush state capital. This is very true, as you can drive from one end of Canberra to the other in less than an hour and you will find yourself driving through many small suburbs with plenty of bush surroundings.

Accommodation 

With Canberra having so much to see and do I thought there would have been more accommodation options for travellers but there are only three options.

There are two caravan parks towards the top of Canberra and the showgrounds are closed for renovations. It is set to be reopened in 2022. For free camping options, there are some near Cotter Dam, this is bush camping with no power, water or even phone service.

We stayed at the EPIC showgrounds when it was open, it was a great place to park up temporarily and we loved walking over to the Saturday Markets to pick up some delicious treats from the stalls.

Below are our top picks for places to visit in Canberra.

Must-See Places

Parliament House

You really cannot go into Canberra without taking a walk through Parliament House. The tours, usually run every 1/2 hour, are very informative and suited for all age groups. I would advise that you check the website first to see if bookings are necessary.

Underground parking is free. Entry to Parliament House is Free. Bookings are essential.

Once you have finished touring Parliament House don’t forget to check out the old Parliament House which is just a short walk through the York Park Oak Plantation.

 

The Mint

The Canberra Mint is another iconic place to visit when in the ACT. Tours only run on certain days at specific times so booking prior is essential.

The tour guides are full of energy and love to get the crowd involved to make absorbing all the history facts much more enjoyable. Stick around for when the team pour the coins into the machines to get stamped! Very interesting!

 

Cruise Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin is a man-made lake that is situated in front of the Parliament House. For an all-around great experience, I would recommend hiring a Go-Boat and taking a 2-hour cruise around the lake. The boats can be hired from the Kingston jetty.

The great thing about the Go-Boats is that you do not need a boating licence to operate the boat. You can enjoy a picnic lunch and even a glass of wine onboard. We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent cruising the lake. Even the kids had a turn at steering the boat.

Cockington Gardens

Cockington Green Gardens is a unique place to visit. Cockington Green Gardens is a garden filled with miniature buildings from all over the world. The attention to detail was amazing and each building had its own comical joke set-up within the display.

Our children loved the train ride and the large dollhouse set-up in the Tea Room/Gift Shop.

****Tip- For a 20% discount code head to the Information Centre and pick up a LETSGO Kids Booklet for the coupon.

We had a great time during our stay in Canberra and the week just flew by, so we left and made a trip out to Mount Kosciusko and back. We wanted to do the climb before the snow came and we then returned to spend another week to do some more exploring.

Here is a brief list of places to visit when visiting Canberra

• Tinbindilly National Park
• Cotter Dam
• Questacon
• Museum
• Glassworks
• The War Memorial

If you have any suggestions for places to visit in Canberra then please drop them in the comments box below.

Safe travels everyone

From Kylie and Dan