Top 25 Indoor Rainy Day Ideas in Canberra

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Posted 2018-05-03 by Sue W ⇒ follow

Canberra has a wide range of activities to do all year around, however when you get a particularly cold, grey or rainy day, it does scratch a few activities off the list - such was walking around Lake Burley Griffin or taking a hot air balloon over the city! Previously I have written about 15 Indoor Rainy Day Ideas for Families in Canberra , however there are also just as many adults on their own, as couples, or in groups, looking for things to do on a wet and miserable day. Thankfully Canberra has a long list of wet weather ideas for most interests, so take a scroll through this list below and see which one(s) interests you for today. There is no shortage of options...

Indoor Entertainment

1/ The Old Bus Depot Markets is a huge indoor market located next to the Canberra Glassworks each Sunday, between 10am - 4pm. Shop for gourmet food, clothes, furniture, plants, crafts, designer items and much more. See here for details and here for a full article.

2/ Movie Cinemas in Canberra are located at Dendy Cinema (CBD), Palace Electric Cinema ( NewActon Precinct ), Hoyts Belconnen , Hoyts Woden , Capitol Cinemas Manuka and Tuggeranong Limelight Cinema . Why not settle in for a movie marathon?

3/ Shopping Centres around Canberra have restaurants, cafes, games arcades, cinemas and hundreds of shops to browse, out of the rain. The largest shopping centres are the Canberra Centre , Gungahlin Marketplace , Belconnen Westfield , Woden Westfield , Canberra Outlet Centre , Majura Park Shopping Centre and Tuggeranong Hyperdome . If you enjoy arcade games and air hockey, check out iPlay at Belconnen and Woden Westfield, as well as Tuggeranong Hyperdome. Another idea for a rainy day is the skip the shopping centres and hit the op shops around Canberra and Queanbeyan , for a second-hand bargain or two!

4/ The Canberra Theatre Centre has a wide range of dance, drama, musical and stage productions almost every day of the year. See here for details. Also check out the Street Theatre in the Civic and the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre over the border.

5/ Indoor Mini Golf will be packed with kids on a wet day, however release your inner child and have fun in the noise and chaos! Indoor locations are at Mini Golf King and Jungle Glow in the Dark Mini Golf . If you are wanting something with more adrenaline, Jungle Mini Golf is located inside the Power Kart Raceway , for more indoor fun!

6/ Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) has markets, expo's, fairs and exhibitions most weekends in their indoor warehouses. See here for what's on this weekend.

7/ Play a Game of Pool and meet the locals of Canberra. Two popular venues are the Civic Pub in the city and the Kingston Hotel in Griffith. They both also have delicious pub grub, so why not make a day of it!

8/ Ten Pin Bowling is the perfect indoor activity for all ages, with lanes at Zone Bowling (previously called AMF) Belconnen and Tuggeranong and a smaller version at iPlay Belconnen .

9/ Get a Massage/ Beauty Treatment is another way to spend some time out of the rain. Many shopping centres have venues which you can just drop into to get your nails done, eyebrows tweaked or for a neck massage. There are hundreds of choices around the city, however if you are looking for a good Thai massage in the city centre, check out Thai Bliss Therapeutic Massage .

10/ Indoor Exercise may not be the top priority on a rainy, chilly day, but a game of squash, aqua aerobics , indoor rock climbing , or a pole dancing class may just get you out of your comfort zone! Also trampoline centres don't have to be just for kids either! See here for details.

11/ Guild Board Game Restaurant is located in the city centre and is an easy place to spend a couple of hours, enjoying pizza and playing board games with friends and family. Choose from the hundreds of games available! See here for details.

12/ Wineries in the Canberra Wine District are open each weekend for tastings and some also offer cheese platters or other food options. The wineries are located 40 minutes north of the city along windy roads, so this is best suited for a day with drizzle, not heavy rain. See here for details.

Museums & Galleries

13/ The Australian War Memorial is located in the suburb of Campbell and it is a large museum to explore - perfect for a rainy day. If you have an interest in Australian history and wartime stories, you could easily spend all day inside this moving and interesting museum. Ensure you experience the sound and light shows in Anzac Hall and stay for the Last Post Ceremony . See here for details.

14/ The National Gallery of Australia is located in the Parliamentary Triangle and if you enjoy art you could spend all day in this museum, walking back through periods in art history from Australia and around the world. Ensure you take time to look through the permanent exhibitions , see the latest blockbuster exhibition , attend an artist talk , stay for lunch in the NGA Café and check out the Skyspace , when it stops raining. See here for details.

15/ The National Museum of Australia is located by Lake Burley Griffin and tells the entire Australian story. Ensure you visit the Gallery of First Australians which explains thousands of years of indigenous history. You don't need to go outside for lunch, you can stay cosy and warm inside the Museum Café , with a view over the lake. See here for details.

16/ The National Portrait Gallery is located across the road from the National Gallery and houses portraits of prominent Australian figures. Warm up with a coffee from the Portrait Cafe . See here for details.

17/ The High Court of Australia is located less than 100 metres from the Portrait Gallery, above. The building is open to the public from 9:45am - 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays) and Sundays from 12pm - 4pm. Visitors can walk through the courtrooms and even sit in on a proceeding. See here for details.

18/ The National Library of Australia is located by Lake Burley Griffin and you can register to borrow a book , wander through their exhibitions , explore the book shop and stop for a coffee at Bookplate café . See here for details and here for a full article.

19/ The Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House) explains the history of democracy in Australia, all the way up to present day. Stay for lunch at the Terrace Cafe , take a free tour or explore on your own, learning about the history of Australia. See here for details and here for a full article.

20/ The Royal Australian Mint is located just a short 10 minute drive from the city, in the suburb of Deakin . The Mint has changing exhibitions, free tours, the National Coin Collection and a viewing platform to look down at the robots and coins in production. See here for details.

21/ Parliament House is a fascinating building to walk through to view the exhibitions, take a tour , admire the art and even watch parliament in action. See here for details and here for a full article.

22/ The National Capital Exhibition is located at Regatta Point, next to the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre. It tells the story of Canberra from the indigenous history to today. See here for details.

23/ Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) can be found in the Civic centre, next to the Canberra Theatre Centre. It exhibits art and museum exhibitions , using a wide range of traditional and contemporary subjects. See here for details.

24/ ACT Historic Places are located in venues all around Canberra and are remnants from Canberra's early settler past. Calthorpe's House , Mugga Mugga Cottage and Lanyon Homestead all have tours each weekend. See here for details. Another historic home that has tours each weekend is at Blundell's Cottage on Lake Burley Griffin. If you are interested in early settler history buildings, see an article here .

25/ Canberra Glassworks can be found on the Kingston Foreshore and is an ideal place to visit on a cold and wet day - especially in the Hot Shop where the glass is fired, as it is toasty and warm! Sit overlooking the Hot Shop and watch glass artists at work. They also run free tours of the building and don't forget to get a Brodburger before you leave, located at the front entrance. See here for details.

If you wake up in the morning and it's raining in Canberra, it doesn't need to be a fizzer of a day. It's just a good opportunity to explore somewhere new!