Crisp spring days, Informative locations and guides, wide open spaces and traffic paced down, for a relaxing break, my recent family holiday in Canberra provided an opportunity to unwind, take in the sights with a great selection of places to visit, without the hustle and bustle of the larger cities.
My favourite Canberra experiences
Parliament House
It seemed like a must see. Walking the halls of Parliament exploring the architecture, art and passing by the PM. Watching the theatrics and process of Question time as the parties go head-to-head on topical issues was actually quite an interesting afternoon.
Canberra Lakes
We were lucky enough to have a permanent lake view of Lake Ginninderra from our Airbnb apartment, which had a lakeside walk, some restaurants and a park to enjoy.
The artificial lake, Lake Burley Griffin in the centre of Canberra was hard to miss, whether driving past on the way to an attraction, or walking through Commonwealth Park to its shores and the Captain Cook Memorial fountain and Robert Menzies walk.
Lake Burley Griffin – Captain Cook Memorial Jet
The Arboretum was re-established and opened in 2013 after the site, which was mostly pine plantations previously, was destroyed by bushfires in 2003.
In addition to the Village Centre which houses information, a café and a shop, the Aboretum has a number of walks and wide open spaces to explore including a regional garden and an interesting collection of Bonsai and Penjing. A great place to walk, relax and unwind.
And if you are there on a Sunday…
If you are staying in Canberra on a Sunday, you really cannot go past the fantastic Old Bus Depot market. Locally produced and sold wares, spread out of two floors and washed down with coffee and the most delectable jam filled donuts. Open from 10am – 4pm every Sunday.
We stayed in a lovely Airbnb apartment in the up and coming suburb of Belconnen and used access to a rental car and Uber to get around and see the city.
Learning to write a novel 