Canberra long weekend
We’ve been to Canberra a few times now for long weekends and we’re never disappointed with the amount of things to do, regardless of the season in which we visit. Canberra is great for Sydney siders looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city but not lose all of the amenities that come with a big city like great food and coffee, bars, shops, etc. And I can never get over the fact that you can drive from one end of the city to the other in around 15 minutes and reach beautiful wineries or national park in just over half an hour.
This trip was a getaway for the Queen’s birthday long weekend and despite the frosty mornings we were able to get out and explore new wineries, the Namadgi National Park and take a stroll around central Canberra.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Little National Hotel, located in Barton in the Realm Precinct.
This is our third stay there and won’t be our last. The hotel is smart modern and the staff friendly and efficient. The rooms have the most comfy beds and the best black out blinds I’ve ever come across. Expect an excellent nights sleep. And it’s great value too, costing around AUD130 per night.
What we ate
For coffee and breakfast we went with ONA Coffee offerings, The Cupping Room and ONA Coffee House in Fyshwick. Seriously the best coffee!
On Saturday evening we decided to treat ourselves and splurge a bit, eating at Aubergine which offers a four course menu at a set price. You can do food and wine pairings, but we decided to stick with a bottle to share. The food didn’t disappoint and the desserts are to die for!
This time we also got to try Lazy- Su which they themselves label as an ‘Asian Eating house’. The decor is cool and the drinks yum, but in all honesty we didn’t rate the food which was not helped when 3 of our dishes came out cold (and they weren’t meant to be!).
We also made our usual visit to Capital Brewing Co for a Brodburger…..so good.
What we did
We did a couple of return visits to Old Parliament House and New Parliament House, just because I love them.
The view from top of New Parliament House is definitely worth the visit alone. You can see all the way to the other side of Canberra, the Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie behind it.
We also spent some time strolling and running around Lake Burley Griffin, a place I’m always jealous of when I visit Canberra.
We did explore a bit though, driving out to Namadgi National Park and checking out the Historic Brayshaws Homestead before having lunch.
From there we went for a walk on Yankee Hat Track alongside a million kangaroos. I’ve never seen so many in one place.
The Canberra wine region was our last stop, checking out a couple of new wineries (to us) and having lunch at the picturesque Lerida Estate.
Until next time Canberra!
