It's not great tiny exabition and not much to do every hint is very expensive but there is air…read moreconditioning

I enjoyed the Canberra Museum a lot more than I thought I would. I read the brief, a museum all…read moreabout Canberra? Surely I couldn't be too entertained. That doesn't really sell it well enough. The museum is actually predominantly a gallery (or at least seemed that way when I was there). Interested art work from local painters that have some sort of relevance to Canberra's past or present. One of the highlights for me was the collection of Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly paintings. Entry is free, so there's no real reason to not pop in and have a quick look around if you feel like escaping in some art.

Personally I don't know how you can give less than 5 stars for any countries National Gallery, let…read morealone Australia, especially when there's no admission fee. Art is personal. I spent less than an hour here. What I saw here impressed me, possibly because my local guide James knew what we would like. We saw the giant Pollock Blue polls(impressive), Yayoi Kusama polka dot room(cool!) and the James Turrell Sky Space (neat). What's stopping you?

The price is right but beware, no photography!…read more Just like Australia itself, the museum is enormous and sprawling. You can sign up for a free walking tour with a docent if you're not sure where to start, but be forceful with him/her if asked what you would like to see. I really wanted a sort of "tasting" but the guide ended up spending 40 minutes in Aboriginal art, 10 minutes in expressionism, and then was told to "explore" myself. Had a I chance to do it all over again, I would have asked to see just a couple examples from 3-4 different "parts" of the museum. I'm a sucker for portraiture and there is a "Miss Nellie Patterson" that reminds me of the Gainsborough Blue Boy and Pinkie. All the wanting-adulthood aspirations of children...although Miss Nellie does look a bit unhappy to be painted :-) If you are an art person, this is a reason to visit Canberra. If you are an art person, and are taking a break from the far more "active" things you will do in Australia, give yourself at least half a day here; full day would be better.

Wanna get married like a rock star in a building with immense historical value that was once the…read moreseat of power in this great country? So did my cousin, and man, Old Parliament House is a super speccy venue to get irrevocably hitched to your life partner of choice (unless you're a homosexual couple in which case this great country doesn't yet afford you the privilege of getting married, a ruling as archaic and ridiculous as it is profoundly selfish, at least in the opinion of the more progressive amongst us). Anyway. The wedding area is a hidden paradise tucked away in the heart of the whitewashed complex, where sun streams in and birds sing and it feels for all the world like you're getting married in an ancient Greek capital to someone important, perhaps a minor deity of some kind. The reception area is right there, too, so there's no schlepping around in cars between venues, just pop up the stairs and there's a big banquet hall with a dance floor and bay doors that open up to a view of new parliament house running away up the hill, it's really quite splendid. PRO TIP: befriend the bartenders. They'll look out for you with a brilliantly cheeky drinks / shot service when everyone is three sheets to the wind. Crucial.

Having been to Canberra a number of times before, I remarked to my husband that I had never been to…read morethe old Parliament House. We set off after breakfast and being aware of the possible issues of parking in what is called the parliamentary circle, we originally opted to park in one of the nearby parking spots. After finding that these were ALL allocated to nearby government workers, I suggested we try to find a park closer to old Parliament House and were pleasantly surprised to find ample parking spots right in the grounds. The pay spots accept coins or card (who carries around about $20 in coins) and are 4 hour spots only. We parked the car and climbed the historic front steps, pausing to enjoy the sight of the Australian War Memorial way down the other end and across the lake. Now home to the museum of democracy, for $2 an adult and $1 for kids the entry fees are really quite reasonable. After speaking with the friendly staff and getting maps and offered tours (free) we were in the door. If you only have an hour or so to spend, take one of the tours to get the most our of your time. If you have longer there are many, many different areas and exhibits to check out. The current Menzies exhibit is interesting and the Does your vote count gives an interesting and interactive view or what different generations find important. Well worth the effort and a great way to learn a little about politics in Australia.

I guess I can only comment on my covid experience but all in all was a bit disappointed…read more Not really the museums fault but covid meant most exhibitions were closed and where it is opened you need to prebook to get in. Well we didn't book. We got there and we couldn't get in any exhibition so basically got nothing to do. Aside from the exhibitions, there's surprisingly little things to see. Lovely environment and a nice big car park though.

Why is it the countless times I have been to Canberra I've only just discovered this place?…read more Had to kill some time with daughter in tow and I always wondered what this colorful museum was about. For starters, it is FREE. Amazing. Great cafe and gift shop too. There is a theatre to watch the history of Australia, lots of multi-media exhibits to learn about Australia as well. Love the autobiographical section, with its domed audio recordings. They also featured the Azaria Chamberlain story ("a dingo ate my baby"). Outside, there is a water feature, although I don't think you can wade in it. Also beautiful grounds and fantastic Aboriginal displays. Next time I'm in Canberra, will probably stop in again!

Great place to visit with kids. We spent 3 hours going through the different galleries. Paid $70…read morefor a family pass (whole day, so we could come and go). The kids loved the Free Fall activity, and we're glad it was included in our tickets, and not an extra charge. The gift shop was great, a lot of interesting options for little curious minds. We didn't visit the café. Parking was very challenging, we paid for parking and were late coming out, and found a $120 parking ticket on the windshield!

Should have brought a good book…read more Saying that would usually indicate a place was boring, but Dairy Farmer's Hill is just the opposite. Well not the opposite - it's not exactly thrill-a-minute - but it's what I kind of imagine heaven would be like for people with good karma: stunningly beautiful, unbelievably peaceful, and a solitary spot where the trouble of the world are unable to touch you. It's a small hill that overlooks the National Arboretum (or tree sanctuary) in Canberra and it's one of the most relaxing places I've ever been. There are sweeping views, a giant sculpture of an eagle in his or her eyrie, and immense, glorious solitude. I was unutterably sad when it came time to leave. Because everything's okay when you're on Dairy Farmer's Hill. This is what Vonnegut meant when he said "Everything is beautiful and nothings hurts."

The event is a 3 days annual festival, that has food/drinks and performances from different parts…read moreof the world. However, based on FB comments at the Festival page, this year was not the best year of the festival.. People were complaining about the lack of variety of stalls and higher prices. Now, my impression...It was my first year in the event and I loved the concept of the festival to bring all cultures together. However, it was a bit disappointed to didn't find a stall with food/drink from my country while I saw three stalls from the same country. In addition, there was stalls from big brands in Canberra, which were not multicultural institutions, so space was not a issue! I believe that If it is designed to be a multicultural festival, all the countries should be represented! I loved the presentations, music and performances from different cultures and ethnicities!

Incredibly interactive Museum…read more This place is a one in a million. This is a museum that is well designed for the individual visitor or for large groups. The tour guides were interesting, informative and catered for the group I was with. The materials to view were a mixture of old with new ideas. I love the interactive swipe boards to follow a course of history. The person logs in using a swipe disc and then asked to follow a piece of history. The large interactive screens allows the person to find information within one room, it is like a treasure hunt of historical facts. The room full of large displays of past politicians and the old telephone handsets allows the public to listen to old speeches and the voices of past politicians. The old houses of Parliament are well preserved and and the guides assist students or groups to role play past Bills that were passed. The public can join in while listening to a group role play an important piece of history.

Highly recommended! This is a great newish museum in Canberra that seems to be very unknown even…read moreamongst Canberrans. We visited about 6 months ago and were captivated by the stories of how Australian democracy came to be. Starting from pre-federation, the museum's exhibits are full of interesting stories of the struggles (both in politics and in policy) that shaped Australia throughout the 20th century. It really opened my eyes to many political and social struggles I wasn't aware of, putting today's seemingly trivial gripes in perspective. You'll leave with a new appreciation of how incredibly resilient our democracy is just the way it is today; and with an optimistic outlook for our nation's future.