Must-see attractions in Australian Capital Territory

  • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia, Australasia

    National Gallery of Australia

    Canberra

    This Australian national art collection is showcased in an impressive purpose-built gallery within the parliamentary precinct. You can justifiably bypass…

  • National Portrait Gallery at dusk.

    National Portrait Gallery

    Canberra

    Occupying a flash, purpose-built building, this wonderful gallery is a striking representation of Australia's shifting self-image and a must-see for art…

  • Namadgi National Park

    Australian Capital Territory

    Namadgi is the Ngunnawal word for the mountains southwest of Canberra, and this national park includes eight of those peaks higher than 1700m. It offers…

  • War Memorial

    Australian War Memorial

    Canberra

    Canberra's glorious art-deco war memorial is a highlight in a city filled with interesting architecture. Built to commemorate 'the war to end all wars',…

  • Parliament House

    Australian Parliament House

    Canberra

    Built in 1988, Australia's national parliament building is a graceful and deeply symbolic piece of architecture. Sitting atop Capital Hill, the building…

  • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia, Australasia

    National Museum of Australia

    Canberra

    As well as telling Australia's national story, this museum hosts blockbuster touring exhibitions (admission prices vary), which often outpoint the…

  • Questacon

    Canberra

    Most families visiting Canberra head straight for Questacon, Australia's premier science museum, where they can play around with fun interactive exhibits…

  • Australia, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Canberra

    Museum of Australian Democracy

    Canberra

    The seat of government from 1927 to 1988, this elegantly proportioned building offers visitors a taste of the political past. Displays cover Australian…

  • Entrance to gardens on Clunies Ross St, Acton

    Australian National Botanic Gardens

    Canberra

    On the lower slopes of Black Mountain, these sprawling gardens showcase Australian floral diversity over 35 hectares of cultivated garden and 50 hectares…

  • The National Carillon, situated on Aspen Island in Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The National Carillon has 55 bells housed in a 50m tall tower, and is in regular use. The height of the tower allows the music of the bells to drift across Lake Burley Griffin and through Kings and Commonwealth Parks. The best place to listen to the National Carillon is one where you have an unobstructed view of the tower and usually within a radius of one hundred metres though sound can usually be heard much further away.

    Lake Burley Griffin

    Canberra

    Every morning you'll see politicians running off the night before around this majestic lake and perhaps a few journos hot on their trail. This constructed…

  • Visitors Centre Entrance to Tidbinbilla, Tidbinbilla Reserve Rd

    Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

    Australian Capital Territory

    Less than an hour’s drive from Canberra, this nature park is a key habitat for some of Australia’s best-known animals: kangaroos, koalas and emus. A…

  • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia, Australasia

    Aboriginal Tent Embassy

    Canberra

    First erected in 1972 as a protest against the government's approach to Indigenous land rights, this camp on the lawn in front of Old Parliament House…

  • Canberra Museum & Art Gallery

    Canberra

    This local museum is worth it for the Sidney Nolan paintings alone – 141 works, including canvases from his Ned Kelly series and Burke and Wills…

  • National Capital Exhibition

    Canberra

    This small but fascinating museum tells the story of how Canberra came to be Australia's capital. Displays include reproductions of the drawings entered…

  • National Film & Sound Archive

    Canberra

    Set in a delightful art-deco building (look for the stained-glass platypus in the foyer dome), this archive preserves Australian moving-picture and sound…

  • Black Mountain

    Canberra

    On the western side of the city, the forested slopes of Black Mountain (812m) provide some easily accessible bushland perfect for bushwalking and mountain…

  • Lanyon Homestead

    Australian Capital Territory

    In 1834, when convicts were sent in to clear this land on the edge of Murrumbidgee River for grazing, this truly was a wild frontier. Now it's a pretty…

  • Jerrabomberra Wetlands

    Canberra

    Located on the Molonglo River floodplain, the Jerrabomberra Wetlands are home to over 200 bird species, including some that migrate from as far away as…

  • Glebe Park

    Canberra

    This spacious green park is filled with leafy elm trees that turn a lovely golden yellow in autumn. There's a playground for kids and lots of paved paths…

  • Entrance to zoo at Lady Denman Dr, Weston Creek

    National Zoo & Aquarium

    Canberra

    It's certainly not the biggest in Australia, but Canberra's zoo is well laid out and animal friendly, with native fauna such as Tasmanian devils and…

  • National Library of Australia

    Canberra

    This institution has accumulated more than 10 million items since being established in 1901 and has digitised more than nine billion files. You can pop by…

  • National Arboretum

    Canberra

    Canberra's National Arboretum is an ever-developing showcase of trees from around the world, with 94 forests of different species currently on-site. It is…

  • Entrance to the Mint, Denison St, Deakin

    Royal Australian Mint

    Canberra

    The Royal Australian Mint is Australia’s biggest money-making operation. Its gallery showcases the history of Australian coinage; learn about the 1813 …

  • Telstra Tower

    Canberra

    Black Mountain (812m), northwest of the city, is topped by the oddly stumpy 195m-high Telstra Tower, which offers a sweeping vista from its 66m-high…

  • High Court of Australia

    Canberra

    The glass-and-concrete High Court building sits on the plaza between the capital's two main art galleries, and, not to be outdone, is home to a large…

  • National Carillon

    Canberra

    This 50m-high bell tower was opened in 1970 as a gift from Britain on Canberra’s 50th anniversary. The tower has 55 bronze bells, weighing from 7kg to 6…

  • Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet

    Canberra

    Built in 1970 to mark the bicentenary of British explorer James Cook's landfall, this memorial near Regatta Point consists of a 6-tonne column of water…

  • Blundell's Cottage

    Canberra

    This small workers cottage was built in 1860 from local stone and is the oldest surviving building of its kind in Canberra. When it was built, the cottage…

  • Australian of the Year Walk

    Canberra

    The signs along this stretch of pathway pay tribute to those selected annually as Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, Young Australian…

  • Australian Institute of Sport

    Canberra

    The country's elite and aspiring athletes hone their sporting prowess at the AIS. Visitors can take 90-minute guided tours of the facilities, led by…

  • Mt Majura

    Canberra

    In the city's northeast corner, behind Mt Ainslie, Mt Majura (888m) offers wonderful views from the lookout at its summit and splendid bushwalking…

  • Drill Hall Gallery

    Canberra

    The Australian National University's main gallery displays specials exhibitions and items from the ANU's art collection. On permanent display is the…

  • Reconciliation Place

    Canberra

    A section of the grassy public space between Parliament and Lake Burley Griffin has been designated to represent the nation's commitment to the cause of…

  • Mt Ainslie

    Canberra

    Northeast of the city, 843m-high Mt Ainslie has excellent views day and night. At the top, plaques explain what the Canberra basin looked like before the…

  • National Dinosaur Museum

    Australian Capital Territory

    Dinosaur-loving kids (and kids at heart) will delight in this small museum, which is home to 23 complete dinosaur skeletons and hundreds of fossils…

  • Hall School Museum

    Australian Capital Territory

    This petite local history museum is run by a group of very committed residents. The collection includes displays on the history of the school, which…

  • Red Hill Lookout

    Canberra

    The lookout at the top of Red Hill (720m) is a great spot to get a vantage north over Canberra's centre. There are plenty of walking trails winding…

  • High Commission of Papua New Guinea

    Canberra

    One of the most interesting embassies in Canberra, the High Commission of Papua New Guinea building is based on the design of a Haus Tambaran, a…

  • Embassy of Finland

    Canberra

    Constructed in 2002, the glass-and-steel 'Ilmarinen' building of the Embassy of Finland is designed to resemble a ship – its name recalls the hero of the…

  • Lennox Gardens

    Canberra

    These perfectly picnickable gardens on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin are home to a couple of lovely small sights, including the Canberra Nara Peace…

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