Things to do in Canberra

Australia is a beautiful country that has never failed to attract the attention of tourists. There is always a reason to visit Australia. If the food doesn’t beckon on you, the beautiful places will. The culture and festivals make it hard for travelers to escape being regular visitors in this amazing country. Australia has beautiful cities and each of them has a unique reason why you can’t just ignore them. 

Canberra turned out to be one of the popular cities in Australia that has never failed to ensure tourists get maximum fun each time they visit Australia. If you are looking for where to go for your next vacation, Canberra should be that place. There are lots of attractions you can’t afford to miss in Canberra. If you are on a low budget, you will, probably, want a cheap getaway. Canberra has a lot of free activities to offer. 

You can spend your vacation in Canberra without spending a lot. You may get to hear there aren’t many activities to do in Canberra, wait until you get there. If you are already in Canberra, you could hire a taxi service in Canberra to take you around the city. 

Below is a list of the things you can do in Canberra without breaking a bank. 


1. Visit the National Gallery of Australia 
One of the exciting things to do in Canberra is to visit the National Gallery. In this gallery, you will find several art works from your favorite artists. If you have heard a lot about the popular infinity Room, here is an opportunity for you to visit it. In the National Gallery, you will be given timed tickets that regulate the specific time visitors who want to explore the gallery use. Here is a good opportunity to walk through the galleries and have a look at the numerous collections. It is suitable for all age groups, so you can come along with your children, they have a lot of things to learn about Australia. 



2. Play the Canberra Pub Crawl Game
If you are a lover of games, a visit to the Canberra Pub Crawl is an opportunity to relax and unwind while playing exciting games. There is a self-guided tour designed to help you explore and enjoy the Canberra pub scene. The game has a leaderboard, which makes the whole game idea fun and challenging. Attend the best pub crawl you can ever find in Canberra and have an unforgettable experience. Make sure you come with your camera, you would surely love to take pictures of yourself enjoying the game. Do you think you can get to the top of the leaderboard? Go prove yourself.


3. Visit the Pink Lake
Just like the name sounds, the Pink lake in Canberra has pinkish water. Sounds interesting right? This lake is near the center of the city, just a 10 minutes drive and it is such a rare sight. This pinkish colour is due to an Australian native fern species found in the water and the color pink is an indication that the water has good quality. 
It has become a favorite attraction in Canberra with both locals and tourists making a trip to have a look at it. This pink lake is located in Bruce and it is opposite the University of Canberra (across the road), which makes it easy to find. Give your eyes something to stare at while enjoying the cool breeze coming from this pond.


4. Attend the Floriade Festival 
The Floriade festival is one of the popular festivals in Canberra. It is a flower and entertainment festival that can get the whole of Canberra together. It is an annual festival usually held in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park where there are displays of flowering bulbs. These flowering bulbs are combined with sculptures, paintings and other art works to make them attractive.  Plan your visit to fall In October so you can enjoy the comedians and bands made available to people during the season. If you are not able to visit during the Floriade festival, there is a Floriade On-Demand library you can explore to enjoy the vast knowledge of horticulture and gardening tips. 


5. Visit the Cockington Green Gardens
The Cockington Green Garden is a small garden that features an interesting and eye-catching display of miniature buildings  that were meticulously handcrafted from all around the world. There is a 34 room dolls house “waverley” you could view or you can visit the garden café and enjoy the homemade scones. The garden also serves as a picnic area and playground. It is suitable for kids and adults, therefore you need not worry about leaving your kids behind. There is a stream train for the kids and they will be as happy they visited this garden too. You can visit the gift shops too.


6. Visit the Questacon science museum
Questacon science museum is a museum you will never regret visiting. It is the National Science and Technology center that offers visitors interactive science lessons. This museum has made it to the top list of several tourists. No wonder, there is never a dull day at the museum. It has over 200 interactive science and technology exhibits and there are also several science programs aimed at making the children of Australia develop interest in science. Come along with your family, it is child-friendly. The Questacon Science Circus complements the museum and runs development courses for teachers, visits remote communities, hospitals and engages over 100,000 people annually. 


7. Visit the Weston Park
Weston park is just ten minutes drive out of Canberra and it has a lot of exciting activities for you such as dog parks, dog parks and cycling tracks. It is a historic garden and house located on the Staffordshire and Shropshire border. This place was gifted to Australia in 1986. It houses most of the impressive and fascinating collections of paintings in Australia. Works of renowned artists like Sir Anthony Van Dyck can be found in this place. The perfect time to visit this place is when you will find all the trees green with their flowers calling out to you. 


8. Take a wine distilling and tasting tour 
Are you looking to take one of the world’s best wine distilling and tasting tours? Canberra has a winery scene you need to go see. This is for the lover of wines and people who love trying new things. Here, you get to taste all kinds of wine, a wonderful experience. isn’t it? Well, even if you do not like wines, you can still visit this great place and opt not to be a part of the wine tasting experience. The aim of this tour is to break down the myths and misinterpretations surrounding wine. It opens a whole new world of tasting to anyone who loves to learn about wines. During the distillery tour, you discover more about your favorite wines and how they are made including the ingredients used and how long it takes. You could learn a few new things about the distilling of wine. 


9. Walk into the Namadgi National Park
The Namadgi National Park is just 40km south of Canberra and it offers you the opportunity to explore regional ACT. In this place, you are sure to see the beautiful bird species of Australia. This place has the perfect remote wilderness experience, a wide range of natural environments and a lot of native wildlife. The granite mountain will leave you transfixed and the habitat is a mixture of alpine meadows and lush forests. This park is one of the protected areas according to the Australian National Heritage List and it is a part of the Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves. Namadgi has 160km of marked walking tracks and it is about 106,095 hectares. In early 2020, there was a bush fire that burnt over 80% of this park and the ACT government had to put in special efforts to make the environment safe for the community. The diversity and beauty of this place is worth a second visit. 


10. Revisit the history of Australia at the National Museum
One of the things that keeps attracting tourists from all over the world to Canberra is the high quality exhibitions that can be found in Canberra’s galleries and museums. These exhibitions cannot be found in any other part of Australia. The National Museum of Australia grants you the perfect opportunity to learn about the culture, geography and history of Australia. A lot of fascinating international exhibits can be found here too. If you are a lover of art, then you shouldn’t miss paying this place a visit. Apart from this, there are several memorials all over Canberra you may also consider visiting such as the Changi Chapel, which was built by the prisoners of war in Singapore and were moved back after the Second World War piece by piece. 


11. Consider doing a spot of market-hopping
Do you enjoy buying fresh farm produce directly from the farmer’s market? Are you a lover of artisan goods gotten from the maker’s market? Canberra has nice markets for you. The Old Bus Depot markets and the Capital Region Farmers Markets are exactly where you need to be. They are easy to locate and do not appear crowded, which makes it easy for you to navigate. Just a few minutes in the market and you will be home with the freshest fruits and vegetables anyone can find in Australia. There are lots of handmade crafts you will love in this market too. Be sure to get some of them as souvenirs for your family and loved ones. 


12. Consider going on the AIS Sports tour
The Australian Institute of Sports teaches you the intrinsic part of Australian culture. If you are sporty, this is perfect for you. It is one of the favorite tourist attractions in Canberra, attracting both domestic and international visitors. There is a 90-minute tour that tells you about Australia’s sporting past and present. At the Australian Institute of Sports, you can challenge yourself with the state-of-art interactive sports. Ensure you have a lot of fun. 


13. Fly that jet plane
Have you ever imagined flying a jet plane before? Have you ever imagined being a pilot when you were a child? Canberra’s Jet flight simulator offers you a safe virtual environment for you to get very close to your imaginations. You do not need any qualifications nor do you not need to have prior experience before you can become the captain of a Boeing 737. Sounds too good right? There is an instructor provided to guide you and over 22,000 virtual airports where you can land are available with different weather conditions.  Hop on that jet and have that experience. 


14. Cruise the Lake Burley Griffin
This is an artificial lake that is located in the center of Canberra. It was created in the 1960s and most of the best known landmarks of Canberra can either be seen from the shores of this lake or are on the shores. Take a cruise on this lake and see the beautiful city of Canberra in a new light. You can choose from the several options available to cruise this lake. Some of them offer meals and guided tours.