Overnight Adventures - 24 hours in Canberra

On a budget but wanting a night away, the kids and I made our way to Canberra. In less than 24 hours we covered a lot of ground. Canberra is compact and if you have a car, very easy to get around. Parking meters are cheap (by Sydney standards) so driving won't eat too much into your budget.

Arriving from Sydney we went straight to Lonsdale Street, for lunch at Grease Monkey. Housed in a former garage, on now the coolest street in the capital, it's guaranteed to make the journey seem worthwhile. Burgers and beers (or shakes) will keep everyone happy with quite possibly the tastiest chips in the territory. 

After lunch we explored the offerings on the street, mental note to return without kids and with wallet for some cool Korean Street Clothes at Koji Collection and to Sancho's Dirty Laundry, we made a dessert pitstop at Messina for some fabulous gelato.

Then we hit Floriade - in all my years, I'd never visited! Gorgeous displays and free entry, however note you will be hit up for rides and donuts or sweets if you have kids in tow. This flower festival runs annual mid-September to mid-October, so plan a trip next year if keen to tiptoe through the tulips. We watched the free comedy juggling show and then made our way around the gardens, listening to the live music as we went. Hayfever hit the teen and we quickly made our escape onto yet another first for me.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is currently hosting the Heath Ledger: A Portrait exhibition until Feb 10, 2019. Housed in a glorious 1930's building, you feel a little of the Hollywood magic of  days gone by just stepping into the courtyard. The wood floors and walls are worth a visit alone, as well as the quirky Australian fauna decorations that date from a bygone era. The exhibition was free so a few dollars for parking was all we spent.

Next it was onto the National Museum of Australian and their Space Descent Virtual Reality experience. Entry is free but the VR was $10 a head. It is not recommended for children under 13. We pottered around the museum before gaining entry into the VR room. We all loved this - you could spin in your chair and see around the globe, the curve of the earth and the vastness of space as well as the process the capsule goes through for re-entry and landing. The experience is narrated by Tim Peake. We spent longer playing the KSpace interactive game, and as there is a team building option, there were plenty of laughs at someone's inability to make her part of the robot move as desired...let's not worry about who that might have been.

Heading back for a quick swim and relaxing spa and sauna, we then crossed town to have drinks with friends. The foyer lounge of the Hotel Kurrajong provided a cosy option for a fireside drink. This art deco hotel opened in 1926 and many Members of Parliament and even Prime Ministers lived here as it was a short walk to the then Parliament house.

No trip to Canberra is complete without a visit to Questacon, and it still never fails to delight. With reciprocal visits offered through the Powerhouse membership, we were spare the $70 entry fee. Three hours later it was time to drag the kids away and head home.

A quick lunch at Baby Su provided much enjoyment - delight in the food and excitement at the vending machine at the door with Pokemon drinks. From Noodle Soup, Terriyaki Burger with waffle fries and Salmon bowls, everyone was happy with their meal.

In total we were in Canberra for 23 hours and 40 minutes. We managed to visit 2 museums, a retrospective, and a garden expo. We ate food in funky eateries and spotted street art and sculptures as well as walked in a little history and beautiful architecture. Most important of all, we'd had a lot of fun together and felt that we'd been away for much longer than time had actually allowed.

We've already planned our 'next time' trip, to coincide with the Finnish Embassy's Crazy Games day, which we unfortunately missed by one day this year! But 2019, we'll see you again ACT!

Practicalities:

Grease Monkey https://greasys.com.au/

Floriade https://floriadeaustralia.com/

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia https://www.nfsa.gov.au/

National Museum of Australia http://www.nma.gov.au/homepage 

Hotel Kurrajong https://www.hotelkurrajong.com.au/

Questacon https://www.questacon.edu.au/

Baby Su https://www.baby-su.com.au/

Further Reading:

Lonsdale St 

Heath Ledger: A Portait
Make the most of the Journey
Overnight Adventures - Canberra for kids












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