week nine | canberra, australian capital territory

For those of you who don’t know, Canberra was my home in Australia for a very long time, and it still is the place I head to for home cooked meals, chats with my grandpa and hikes with my puppy. I have a massive soft spot for my quiet little birthplace and really love playing tour guide, showing visitors the wide range of Canberra delights.

This winter I was able to share some family time with my South African friend. She embraced Canberra with delight and enthusiasm (as every smart person should). I made sure we were all rugged up and ready to take part in some good clean nerdy Canberra fun.   

Our first adventure took us to the War Memorial – a place that might not tick the ‘fun’ card but is definitely worth a visit. It is a very moving place. We just walked the corridors of the Roll of Honour and into the Hall of Memory. It was enough just to honor those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. From the War Memorial we looked down Anzac Parade across to Parliament House.

It was a cold, grey day, the wind was chilly and so we decided to get warm over a cozy lunch at one of the best museum in Canberra. The National Portrait Gallery is one of our newest public buildings surrounded by other institutions such as the High Court and the National Gallery. It houses portraits of Australians who have and who continue to shape our nation. My favorite portrait is of Mary, Crown princess of Denmark. I love how the painter Jaiwei Shen has captured her past, her present and her future.

If art’s not your thing then you can still enjoy the café and the fantastic gallery shop.  This shop has sat at the top of many of my birthday and Christmas wish lists as simply ‘anything from the Portrait Gallery Shop’.

Now once you have visited the War Memorial and the National Portrait Gallery there is just one more natural institution you have to visit. The National Arboretum. Now many of you may not have heard  of the Arboretum  -  it’s very new. But I also have to just accept that maybe some of you just don’t find trees as exciting as I do. Needless to say the Arboretum is definitely on my list of greatest places on earth. I just adore it. I think it’s the loveliest place to visit, to walk around the young trees, take in the view, take some cute pictures and just be seriously over excited. Pick a sunny day, pack a picnic lunch or stop for coffee or lunch at the café. You’ll love the view.

Driving around Canberra is easy. It’s one of the perks of being a small city. We drove around looking at the embassies and high commissions, past Parliament House – the new one and the old one, and past all the other places of interest.

Canberra is highly underrated. I hope that next time you get a chance you make your trip a little longer and take the opportunity to explore our nation’s capital. And you could probably pop in and see mama and papa De Vere who enjoy nothing more then cooking too much food for my friends and sharing embarrassing stories from my childhood. 

TRIP RATING: 5/5 GRUMPY BACK BENCH SENATORS