Canberra

ACT Memorial

Australian Capital Territory Memorial

A war memorial erected in August 2006 to honour those from the Australian Capital Territory who served in all wars.

ANCA Gallery

Australian National Capital Artists Gallery

This gallery's several exhibitions feature the work of local Canberran artists. Contrary to what most art galleries do, there is no emphasis on quality though in practice, what you see here is just as good as any other art gallery.

Wed–Sun noon–5PM (closed Mon Tue)

ANU School of Art & Design Gallery

Exhibits a variety of post-grad artworks, in particular contemporary art.

Tue–Fri·Free

Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery

An art centre exhibiting exclusively the finest of all Indigenous Australian art. Since its establishment in 1989, this art gallery has only showcased ethically sourced art – so not Indigenous art that was created by non-Indigenous people marketed as "Indigenous" (which is a common scam in Australia).

Sat Sun, Mon–Fri by appointment only

Artworld ADG

An Aboriginal art gallery that is sister to the Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery in Nicholls. It's a smaller version of the art gallery in Nicholls, but there are still plenty of Aboriginal artworks and artifacts on display. However, do note this place is not wheelchair accessible.

Fri

Australian Defence Force Academy

ADFA

While the grounds of ADFA are open to the public they are of little interest to travellers. There's an excellent collection of books on military history in the ADFA library, and the library also sometimes has small exhibitions of historic items on its upper level. If you happen to be around in the area on the last Saturday in August, the Academy's open day is worth checking out – it boasts interesting displays of current military hardware, including armoured vehicles and helicopters, and displays of military marching and infantry tactics by the cadets.

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

AIATSIS

A government institute where you can learn more about the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. There's a strong emphasis on the Stolen Generation (a time where European settlers displaced Indigenous children from their families) along with National Sorry Day, but they only make up a part of the institute's 1 million items dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Mon–Fri

Australian Institute of Sport (Precinct & Visitor Centre)

AIS

The sprawling elite sports training campus where many of Australia’s Olympic and national champions are forged. Visitors can explore the public areas of the leafy precinct, browse the official AIS Shop, and grab a bite at the onsite cafe. The complex features 'Sportex', one of the country's leading interactive sports exhibits packed with elite athletic memorabilia and virtual simulators.

Visitor Centre & Sportex: Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM, Sat Sun 9:30AM–4PM·Precinct entry free; Sportex & guided tours: adults $21.50, children $14

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Located at the base of Black Mountain in Acton, the ANBG has the largest collection of Australian native flora in the country. It also has some interesting water dragons that live in the water features around the gardens. A delightful place for a picnic, try to grab some food from the city centre first to take with you for lunch. If you are there during summer, call and ask about the jazz evenings. These are held on the weekend and many families attend with evening picnic and champagne in tow, to chill out to the sounds of jazz in the balmy evening temperatures.

Daily·Free entry, parking $1.40/hr or $7 all day

Australian National Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre

The starting base of the park where many of the garden's trails branch out in all directions. Staff are known to be friendly, and the visitor centre also includes a bookshop selling botanical books.

Australian War Memorial

AWM

Not just a memorial, this is one of Australia's premier museums, covering Australian military history from the Federation to the present day and including fascinating exhibits of equipment, memorabilia, and battle dioramas. You could easily spend a full day here (it has a cafe, or bring a picnic lunch if the weather is nice and sit on the lawns at the front). Anzac Parade, leading up to the War Memorial has several memorials to different wars and those involved in wars. Free entry, allow 4–7 hours. The AWM opens its large storage warehouse in the industrial suburb of Mitchell to the public once every few years (usually in September or October), and this is a must-see event for people interested in military history. A Last Post Ceremony paying tribute to one of the soldiers on the Roll of Honour is held at 4:45PM every day, just before the memorial closes to the public for the day. Attendance at the ceremony is free but must be booked in advance due to the limited number of spaces. Every first and third Wednesday of the month from February to November, Australia's Federation Guard mounts a catafalque party at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier and performs a precision military drill as the catafalque party is dismounted as part of the Last Post Ceremony. The AWM is mid-way through a major expansion, and many of its galleries are closed.

Daily: museum 10AM-5PM, shop 10AM-4:30PM, café 9AM-4PM·Free

Banksia Garden and Centre

Reflects the flora more seen in the coastal parts of mid-Western Australia, part of the Outback, and most of what is seen here requires quite a long drive from Perth. For the most part however, what you see here is much more colourful than the flora seen in the Red Centre garden. The nearby Banksia Centre is occasionally open, but not all the time.

Belconnen Arts Centre

A stunning, multi-disciplinary cultural hub housed in an award-winning glass-fronted building overlooking the lake. The centre features a constantly evolving, seasonal rotation of multiple gallery spaces showcasing contemporary visual arts, with a prominent focus on local regional and First Nations artists. The site features a 400-seat community theatre hosting live music, dance, and independent stage plays, alongside a design shop selling artisan crafts. The brilliant on-site café, kiln, features magnificent lakeside views.

Tue–Sun 10AM–4PM (closed Mon & public holidays)

Bendora Arboretum

A rather isolated and desolate arboretum established in 1940 as an experiment to see what trees should be planted in Canberra. There are now 52 species and is popular with bushwalkers. However, bringing your car here, even nearby is very difficult, and this can take over 90 minutes at the very minimum from Civic – first, you'll need to navigate through the northwest of Country ACT to Brindabella Road. Once you're on Brindabella Road, continue until just past the NSW border, and from there, turn onto Mount Franklin Road until the trailhead, straddling across the border. The walk at the arboretum is a grade 2 walk and is 5 km return.

Bendora Dam

A thin-wall, double-curvature concrete arch dam opened in 1961 and was the first dam of its type built in Australia. Today, it is a water source for Canberra and has some lookouts.

Blundells Cottage

A well-preserved cottage from the 1860s used by several families and tenants until 1960. Though it's now in the midst of an urban area when this cottage was first built, it was in the heart of rural New South Wales, but ever since the surroundings have changed, and today, it is a remnant of Canberra's rural past.

Sat Sun 10AM–2PM (closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day)

Brandy Flat Hut

A hut built in the 1900s that is now used as a popular short stopover by cyclists and bushwalkers going along the Brandy Flat Firetrail.

Brayshaws and Westermans Homesteads

Mostly visited as a stopover for those that are walking the Settlers Track, these two homesteads are possibly the best one could find when looking for remnants of the pastoral times of the Australian Alps.

CSIRO Discovery Centre

The museum of the Australian Government's scientific research organisation includes exhibits on the history of Australian science and the CSIRO's current research.

Mon-Fri·Free

Calthorpe's House

Historic house picturing life in Canberra in the early days of the territory.

Sat Sun 1-4PM·$7 adult, $5 concession, $15 family. A three-site pass covers here, Lanyon (near Tharwa), and Mugga Mugga in Symanston

Cameron Offices

A landmark destination for lovers of mid-century architecture, this complex is celebrated as Australia's first and only true extensive example of architectural 'Structuralism' and late-twentieth-century Brutalism. Designed by iconic architect John Andrews and built between 1970 and 1976, the concrete complex was built to house the Australian Bureau of Statistics. While a large portion was demolished in 2007, the architecturally significant Wings 3, 4, and 5, alongside the central pedestrian bridge, are protected on the Commonwealth Heritage List. Today, the preserved wings have been creatively repurposed into student accommodation (UniLodge Weedon Lodge) and active corporate offices, though the raw concrete 'gallows beams' and tiered inner courtyards can easily be appreciated from the public walkways.

24 hours daily for external viewing

Canberra Centenary Column

A 8.5-m sculpture built to commemorate Canberra's centenary, and unveiled on 11 March 2014. The top of the base is inlaid with glass tiles and has a steel covering etched with images depicting Canberra's 100-year history and was designed by local artist Geoff Farquhar-Still. The design was inspired by the "Commencement Column" that was proposed to have been built when Canberra was founded but was never completed.

Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (often called the "Tidbinbilla Tracking Station") is part of a network of three NASA facilities worldwide used to maintain contacts with probes launched from Earth. The facility is visually impressive, and claims to have "the largest antenna complex in the southern hemisphere". It also has an interesting visitors centre. The complex is about a 45-minute drive from Civic. The visitor centre is open on weekends and features exhibits on space exploration, though the on-site cafe and gift shop remain closed..

Sat Sun 10AM-4PM; check the website for additional opening hours during School Holidays. Closed on Public Holidays·Free

Canberra Fire Museum

A small museum with lots of restored fire appliances used during the 20th century, including several large fire trucks. The museum is free to access, but a gold-coin donation is encouraged for maintenance purposes.

Sat 10AM–2PM

Canberra Glassworks Museum

Learn and see how glass is made in this contemporary professional glass making factory. There are several workshops available, including several "make-your-owns".

Wed–Sun 10AM–4PM (closed Mon Tue)

Canberra Museum and Gallery

CMAG

A museum and art gallery featuring works and exhibits of the local region. It includes an interesting permanent gallery on the history of Canberra and several galleries that host temporary exhibitions, generally by local artists and photographers. It also features the Sydney Nolan Collection - the works of Sir Sydney Nolan, a famous Australian artist.

Mon–Fri; Sat Sun·Free

Canberra Reptile Zoo

A whole range of Australian reptiles on display, with thematic exhibits related to various climatic conditions. Be sure to check out the "Snake Tales" program to get up close and personal with some of the reptiles.

Daily 10AM–5PM·Adults $7.50, children $6, concession $7, family tickets (2 adults & 3 or more children) $29, discounts available for group bookings

Canberra Walk-in Aviary

A small family-friendly walk-in with plenty of our feathery friends – birds! The walk-in contains over 500 birds from over 60 species, and if you've ever felt like feeding birds, but didn't want to in the wild, you can do just that here. But be aware, the birds are known to take the mealworms off from you (before you feed it to them), but if you're lucky enough from that, they may land on you.

Sep–Apr: 10AM–5PM; May–Aug: 10AM–4PM

Classics Museum

Australian National University Classics Museum

One of the few classics museums in Australia, this museum within the Australian National University houses a small, but interesting, collection of ancient Greek and Roman artefacts. The A.D. Hope building also has a range of anthropological displays on Indigenous Australian and Pacific island cultures.

Mon-Fri (except public holidays)·Free

Cockington Green Gardens

One of Canberra's most well-known attractions, a miniature display village featuring a traditional English village and international display. Train rides and tea room also available.

Daily 9:30AM-5PM·Adults $17.50, children $9.50, family $49, seniors $12.50