“Why would you go to Canberra?” – this is pretty much what most people told us when we mentioned we were heading to Canberra for a weekend during our Australian trip (straight after Manly). True, the main reason was to go and visit our good friends S and A who live there with their two gorgeous dogs Pippin and Merrin, and yet we were really impressed by the Australian’s capital’s easy lifestyle, spacious avenues, green areas and lakes, I thought it would be worth writing about it to inspire others!

Here is what we do during our weekend in Canberra:

Looked for cangaroos in Weston Park

As soon as we arrived, our friends drove us to the beautiful Weston Park just outside the city centre. Past the tranquil Burley Griffin, this huge expanse of woodland area is home to many kangaroos but also plenty of spots for sport (frisbee grounds anyone?), cafes and water sports. We visited at golden hour just as the sun was about to set and it was simply beautiful, with cockatoos screaming their heads off as normal and with people strolling and walking dogs.

Explored the War Memorial

Canberra, being the capital of Australia, has many government buildings, embassies and corporate offices but also museums and universities and, being a fairly new city, spaces planned with grandeur in mind (best I can describe the feeling of expanse). The sight from the parliament to the War Memorial is immense, and the boulevard between the two landmarks dotted with interesting memorial tributes to wars where Australian troops were present and fought.

The Australian War Memorial is impressive, and it houses a very interesting museum with plenty of artifacts and installation but also, more poignantly, daily remembrance services to those who fought for Australia. There is plenty to see for kids too and a few cafes.

Admired the views from Mount Ainslie

Our friends took us to the view point on Mount Ainslie, and this is where one can get a true appreciation of Canberra’s extension, how pretty the location is, surrounded by hills, lakes, and green areas as well as the elegant city layout and modern building. From the top of the Mount Ainslie there are many trekking paths descending towards the suburbs, which are actually pretty close to the centre of town anyway.

Browsed downtown-cool

Admittedly, Canberra does not have an ‘old town’ or anything too historic, given it was only formally declared capital in 1913. One evening we went out for dinner and took a very pleasant walk in the lively area of Lonsdale and Braddon Street. There are so many wine bars, restaurants, street food carts and a fantastic ‘op shop’, and during the late summer evening was full of people enjoying their weekend and eating out. We had a great ice cream at the local branch of Gelato Messina and did a spot of shopping too.

While in this area, we also visited the city’s oldest Chinese restaurant (Happy’s), which has been in the same family for three generation and it’s got the old feel of a classic diner but with modern, fast service, fantastic food and very generous portions.

Pick up some native seeds at the Arboretum

With a great location on a hill top and a fantastic view, the Canberra National Arboretum is a beautiful place to visit to learn about Australian native plants, but also enjoy a delicious lunch in a modern, spacious venue overlooking the view. The National Arboretum Canberra is a mosaic of living forests and gardens offering breathtaking views, unique experiences, and a world-class entertainment and events hub including the award-winning Margaret Whitlam Pavilion and the popular Village Centre.

With over 40,000 rare and endangered trees across a 250-hectare site, the Arboretum is a place of beauty, conservation, science research, education, tourism and recreation. I am glad out friends took us here during our weekend in Canberra.

Visit Canberra’s farmers markets

During our weekend in Canberra we visited 3 farmers markets, and each was unique and really cool. The first one was mainly fruit and veg at Capital Region Farmers Market. Free to park, just in the suburbs, there was so much selection of Australian grown fruit and veg (we bought watermelons, raspberries and peaches), but also some really good street food with loads of world cuisine. I had a mouthwatering crumpet with peanut butter and fruit coulis.

After this, we went grocery shopping at permanent Fyshwick Market. Free parking here too, this market has deli shops on the 3 sides of the concrete building, with an enormous selection of fresh fruit and veggie as well as world food. i was able to buy quite a few good quality Italian ingredients to make Neapolitan lasagne for our hosts, but there were also cute craft shops and a fantastic op shop selling many books, where we found some great second hands reads. Finally we popped into the monthly market in Old Bus Depot, a spacious period building near the ministries. Here there were a few coffee stands, crochet and craft as well as live bands and second hand records, and it’s definitely worth a look. Oh did I mention parking was also free? Why can this never be the case in the UK?

Fed the animals at the incredible Canberra zoo

Do not miss the national zoo! This was the highlight of our weekend in Canberra. While I am not too keen on zoos, this is way more than a zoo. It is, a bit like Longleat in the UK, a huge compound with conservation centre, educational facilities and much more. We were so lucky that our friend A had booked a before opening times guided tour, so we got to see the zoo without the crowds, we met the rangers and we fed more species than we can remember! I cannot tell you what was my favourite.. the zebras? The hyena? The giraffes? The cheetas? I mean, so so close and personal, we even got to pat a rhino!

An incredible experience, and truly wonderful memories of our fantastic weekend in Canberra.