If you live in or are visiting Sydney, you could easily spend your weekends exploring the city and surrounds, or take day trips
north and
south to experience the smaller towns around the city. For those who want to take a country drive and stay a night or two inland, then a road trip to Canberra could be just what you're looking for.
Even though Sydney and Melbourne are Australia's largest cities, Canberra is the official capital city of Australia. It is a much smaller city, however, it has a wide range of things to do and national attractions to visit. It takes
3 - 4 hours to drive there, depending on what side of Sydney you are starting from. Just like Sydney, it has food festivals, awesome coffee, Michelin star restaurants and a whole lot more to explore. Why don't you book a hotel and hit the road this weekend?
Coffee, museums, foodie festivals, wineries & more!
I have previously written an article on
Where To Stop On A Road Trip Between Canberra and Sydney, which listed a few interesting turn-offs to explore when making the road trip to Canberra. You can spot a Big Merino, stop at Grandma's Farm, visit a pub where bushrangers visited and see an ancient lake that is completely dry most of the year.
When you arrive at the Capital City, many tourists follow the signs to Lake Burley Griffin in the centre of the city. It is here that you will find the
Canberra and Region Visitors Centre overlooking the lake, with friendly staff and hundreds of brochures to show you where to go and what to do. Next door is also the
National Capital Exhibition, to learn about the history of Canberra and how it was designed by architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Griffin. The busiest time of year to visit this attractive city is in the springtime, when cherry blossoms open up and the
Floriade festival is out in full bloom.
Floriade flower festival, which attracts over 450,000 visitors to the capital city each year
If you want to get straight into the galleries and museums in Canberra, you will find most of them on the opposite side of the lake from the Visitors Centre. Watch the antics of politicians at
Parliament House, walk through
Old Parliament House, let the kids go wild at
Questacon, visit
The National Library, look at a Monet at
The National Gallery of Australia, explore the
The National Portrait Gallery and catch some courtroom drama at
The High Court of Australia. Although you can't see them from the Visitors Centre, the
Australian War Memorial,
National Museum of Australia and the
Royal Australian Mint are also nearby. You will need some comfy shoes and a lot of time if you are going to see all the sights, so perhaps pick what interests you the most and visit them first.
If you are looking for things to do that are less heavy, then take a trip up
Telstra Tower, drive up to the
National Arboretum or simply enjoy a quality coffee from along
Lonsdale Street in Braddon, or the cafes along the
Kingston Foreshore. If you enjoy a tipple, don't forget to take in the
Canberra Wine District or visit a
local brewery on your stay.
Relax with a beer & a burger at Capital Brewing Co, Fyshwick
Canberra is a vibrant city, which has different areas to explore. The city centre is busy with workers during the week and locals on the weekend, as they visit the cafes and restaurants along
Bunda Street. As mentioned, Lonsdale Street and the Kingston Foreshore are popular places for dinner, as well as Woolley Street in
Dickson, if you are looking for Asian cuisine. If fine dining is for you, then check out the 2018 list of
Michelin star restaurants around the city.
With so many things to do, will a couple of nights be enough? That is the question that many visitors to Canberra ask themselves when they realise how many museums, galleries, attractions, festivals and restaurants there are to visit around the city. You may want to lengthen your stay, to fit in all in! (...and perhaps loosen your belt!)
Taste your way around the world, at the wide range of international restaurants in the city
