Why Canberra?
Australia is full of spectacular natural beauty. We also have bustling major coastal cities, cute outback towns and relaxing beachside hideaways. With so much competition, I understand why Canberra may not be on many travel bucket lists.
However, Canberra has a lot going for it as a family travel destination. It's relatively close to Sydney and can be reached in a few hours. Canberra doesn’t have access to a beach, but it does have a spectacular lake and the city is surrounded by nature.
Within the city are some of our nation’s most significant cultural artefacts in museums, art galleries and libraries. It’s the home of Australia’s national parliament and our Prime Minister, as well as the embassies housing diplomats from around the world. For all these reasons, Canberra offers something unique to travellers.
How long do I need?
A couple of days in Canberra is enough to see several museums or galleries if you visit one in the morning and one in the afternoon each day. Extend the trip to four or five days and you can enjoy a slower pace and tick off nearly every activity we recommend below. A whole week is perfect if you’d like to include day trips to surrounding areas (which are well worth it!). Hopefully you can find time to visit Canberra with your family!
Here's our summary…
We have explained in detail our recommended activities in individual blog posts, and I’ll add hyperlinks throughout our summary below so you can get more information about activities that interest your family. Below, we’ll break down the activities we enjoyed, to help you prioritise them for your own visit.
Just to be clear, nothing we did was a disappointment or a waste of time. The National Museum was a little underwhelming, but this was probably due to a) the difficulty finding a car park, which led us to assume we were going to see something amazing because of its popularity and b) the construction and development work being undertaken during our visit. There were not many activities targeted to school-aged children, however the under-5s play area looked fantastic, so families with younger children might enjoy the museum more than we did.
A few days
If you only have a few days in Canberra, we recommend prioritising these activities, which cover history, significance, nature, learning, fun and hands-on activities. These activities have something of interest for all ages. Apart from Tidbinbilla, all these destinations can be reached by rideshare or public transport if you’re visiting Canberra without a vehicle.
A little longer
If you have a longer visit, like we did, these activities also tick all the boxes:
Again, most of these activities are within Canberra’s city area, with the exception of Corin Forest. Reasons for visiting Corin Forest will depend on the season. The snow play is fun in winter, but you may not get as much value from a visit if you’re going for the big slide at a non-snow time.
Fun, but not essential
Finally, the activities below are things we enjoyed, but which you probably won’t regret missing if you can’t fit them in. Cockington Green Gardens could be anywhere in the world, and it’s only the international displays which really give you a sense of Canberra. Weston Park is beautiful, but at the end of the day, it’s just a lovely park, and if you’re going to some of the destinations mentioned above, you’ll enjoy plenty of outdoor time in and around Canberra anyway.
Our lowest priorities (but still great!):
Driving around, you will see some of the embassy buildings and Lake Burley Griffin, but if you have a few minutes to make a detour, then try the Embassy Driving Tour and stop to visit the Carillon. These don’t have to be long visits, but they will give you a strong sense of place and they highlight the things that make Canberra special.
Finally...
We are really glad we took our daughters to Australia's national capital. It was a fun road trip and we all learnt a lot during our time in Canberra. It's definitely worth adding to your family travel list!
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