17 July 2011

Tourists visiting Canberra?

| jayjay
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Hey Rioters,

Im bringing someone to Canberra from England for 2 weeks and want to ask for some help in keeping him entertained for that time.

Apart from the usual big places, War Memorial, Museum, Tidbinbilla…. What other ideas do you have?

Anything within 2hrs drive would be best.

Thanks for your input:-)

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Good luck! We’ve sold our second bedroom spare bed last year after 3 years of having only two visitors! I think the main reason people come and visit Canberra is because they want to see a friend/ family here not to see the ‘wonderful’ scenery or weather that Canberra can offer. 🙂

Hence, I’m a big fan of Canberra and always think Canberra is a great place to live. So some ideas:
– Take the guests around the town including the night scenery from the top of mt. Ainslie
– +1 for Poacher’s pantry (don’t forget to book first unless if you come at around 2 pm)
– Winery tours (Clonokilla and the like)
– Visit markets (every Saturday farmers’ market in Epic or the Hall Markets on first Sunday each month)
– Visit Federation square (have morning tea at the best cupcakes place, Cherry Seed and then roaming around the gift shop next to it or go to Adore tea for high tea (thousands of teas available)
– Go for a cooking class at the Belconnen market at the Piazza (Wed-Sunday)
– See something different at the Street Theatre
– Lunch at Grazing restaurant
– +1 for Wee Jasper

So many things to do in Canberra… just too little time 🙂

If you want a short time waster – visit the National Bonsai & Penjing Collection of Australia. It is in the old caretakers cottage in Commonwealth Park – adjacent to Stage 88. It is open every day from 10 – 3pm – entry is free. There are over 30 beautiful bonsai from all over Australia.

no.6 said :

good luck … even my own mother from UK said she wont be visiting me here again !!!!!!!

i agree with the museum comments — complete waste of $$$$ —

lol. My European mother was more diplomatic and said she “would not want to live here”. The whole scenery and bush experience was totally wasted on her. 🙂

good luck … even my own mother from UK said she wont be visiting me here again !!!!!!!

i agree with the museum comments — complete waste of $$$$ —

Swimming with dolphins at the coast. Trying a surf lesson if he doesn’t already surf?

Reminds me why we are so lucky to live here. Mountain tracks and lots of walks one direction and amazing coastal treks the other. No end of wildlife to observe!

A short and sweet trip is the round trip up to Brindabella Station and back. When you get there its like an oasis. Have a picnic by the creek and watch the trout swim past. Read up on the history beforehand and it makes it even more worthwhile. Franklins (as in Miles Franklin) really made their claim up there.

Glad to hear the Stables are open. We stayed there one night when they had a comedy festival on. Very rustic but lots of fun. Also glad to see the lake is up to the bridge now.

Agree with the Araluen trip. Yes, its windy and slow but gives a completely different perspective on the run up the Escarpment instead of Clyde Mt.

braddonboy said :

Great trip blowers – do it regularly myself – and Blue Waterholes is a great place to camp.But note that Long Plain Road, along with a lot of other roads in the high country, are closed from the June long weekend to the October long weekend.

Plus one, blowers and braddonboy. Love it around there and Coolamine Homestead, Kiandra, Three Mile Dam, Ravine. Just check, though, as I think NPWS has declared the route to Blue Waterholes between Barnetts and Coolamine Mountain camp grounds as 4WD only. I can attest to Long Plain (and a host of others) being currently closed (been up that way the last two weekends). Jounama Homestead ruins might be do-able, though, 2wd, from the Tumut end (take Lobs Hole Powerline road about 5 km from the Snowy Mountains Way to the Y junction and walk the next 1.4km). Was surprised on Saturday to see the Kiandra Courthouse open selling coffee!

If you’re heading out Wee Jasper way and on to Tumut (I can also recommend that drive), then the old stables tavern is back open again (new owners . . . so, gentoopenguin, there’s food and drink out there).

I reckon there’s merit, too, in checking out the Snowy Scheme (if your visitors are of that sort of bent). It’s a non-winter season sort of thing (too many access roads closed otherwise), but Blowering Dam, Talbingo, Cabramurra, Tumut Ponds Dam, Tumut Powerstations 1, 2 (which you can’t see ‘cos it’s 244 metres underground) and 3, Tantangara Dam, Providence Portal, Eucumbene Dam (and that’s just the northern bits) are collectively mindblowing after you’ve gotten around them all and got a grasp of the enormity of the undertaking.

blowers said :

This thread has almost turned into a “Best Road Trips around Canberra” so I will add my piece.

Take the advice to go to Wee Jasper and continue on to Tumut over the mountains. The road is dirt and a bit windy but definitely capable in a 2 wheel drive. Stop off at Tumut for lunch then come back via Brindabella Station into the back of the Cotter and home.

Or as an alternative, from Tumut go back via the Snowy Mts Hwy and turn off just before Kiandra onto Long Plain Rd and go about 12km in to see Blue Waterholes. Great picnic and walks. Then back onto Snowy Mts Hwy to Adaminaby and then the back road to Tharwa and home via Tuggeranong. Full day trip there but the scenery is spectacular and for the Poms you can talk about the Man from Snowy River and experience it first hand. Lots of Brumbies on the road near Blue Waterholes.

Great trip blowers – do it regularly myself – and Blue Waterholes is a great place to camp.But note that Long Plain Road, along with a lot of other roads in the high country, are closed from the June long weekend to the October long weekend.

If interested in seeing plenty of wildlife, bushwalking (plenty of clearly marked trails), aboriginal rock art, old time huts (e.g. Brayshaw’s) and homesteads (e.g. Ororral Valley) some good days can be had in the Namadgi National Park. The park visitor’s centre just outside of Tharwa is a good place to start.

This thread has almost turned into a “Best Road Trips around Canberra” so I will add my piece.

Take the advice to go to Wee Jasper and continue on to Tumut over the mountains. The road is dirt and a bit windy but definitely capable in a 2 wheel drive. Stop off at Tumut for lunch then come back via Brindabella Station into the back of the Cotter and home.

Or as an alternative, from Tumut go back via the Snowy Mts Hwy and turn off just before Kiandra onto Long Plain Rd and go about 12km in to see Blue Waterholes. Great picnic and walks. Then back onto Snowy Mts Hwy to Adaminaby and then the back road to Tharwa and home via Tuggeranong. Full day trip there but the scenery is spectacular and for the Poms you can talk about the Man from Snowy River and experience it first hand. Lots of Brumbies on the road near Blue Waterholes.

I went with friends to Binalong this weekend. It’s only 37km past Yass. The pub is a very hospitable place to stay, good clean comfortable rooms with share bathroom for $30 a head, plus $15 a head for a big breakfast. Dinner is also available at the pub, or a local restaurant, the Black Swan. The pub has several open fires and very comfortable sittings rooms. We visited the gravesite of a local bushranger, and the motor museum. There is also a glass blowing shop, but we didn’t go in there. There is also a local farm where you can see sheep shearing and all the accompaniments to that. It has a few old buildings that are well maintained and very attractive, so a walk around town is good.

All in all, it was a very pleasant drive and a great stay. Thoroughly recommended for your pommy visitor for a look at rural NSW that is less touristy than some of the other recommendations.

AKT said :

Jethro said :

Don’t take him to the museum. It’s a disgrace. I have been there 5 times and am yet to find a redeeming feature. Comparison’s to Britain’s national museum would make it seem even worse.

ROFL You cannot find any redeeming features with the Museum…but you have been there 5 times?

Mostly work related visits, although there was one recent personal visit I made with a friend in order to win a bet (That the museum truly was as bad as I said it was…. I won, she was appalled that it is our ‘National Museum’).

Holden Caulfield9:24 am 18 Jul 11

Henry82 said :

I dont think much of the telstra tower fees, but there is a nice view on both Black Mountain and Ainslie which are very nice at night. BM has a few more trees in the way.

Mt Pleasant, too, has great views for no charge.

Goddess said :

If you’re willing to stretch to 3 hours each way, a great day out can be had by driving south towards Cooma then veering left and going down Brown Mountain. Head to Cobargo, Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba. Visit pottery shops, leather shops, the cheese factory, the Dromedary pub then drive into Narooma and onto Batemans Bay, taking the King’s Highway home to complete a round trip. You could actually make this a great weekend by staying in Narooma and visiting the amazing golf course that overlooks the ocean then head north stopping at Mogo, the Bay and then home.

If you want a great experience without leaving the ACT, the Zooventure tour is fabulous.

It usually takes me over 3 hours to get to Tilba via Brown Mountain (from Inner North), plus a stop at Cooma for coffee and food.

It’s quite a bit faster if you go over the Clyde on a quiet day. Obviously not on peak days.

If you haven’t already got a priviledges card from bundling wtih the dominant utilities supplier, it is worth gettting a 1 month card (targetted at tourists) so that you can get some 2 for 1 deals at the places you pay to enter – I think you can get these from the tourist place on Northbourne and maybe from the website. The entertainment book would have similar.

+1 Kangaroo valley and Bungendore
locally Telstra tower is always popular, war memorial, questacon if you have younger ones with you. Also a good time to drive down to the snow fields.

Jethro said :

Don’t take him to the museum. It’s a disgrace. I have been there 5 times and am yet to find a redeeming feature. Comparison’s to Britain’s national museum would make it seem even worse.

ROFL You cannot find any redeeming features with the Museum…but you have been there 5 times?

I dont think much of the telstra tower fees, but there is a nice view on both Black Mountain and Ainslie which are very nice at night. BM has a few more trees in the way.

If you’re willing to stretch to 3 hours each way, a great day out can be had by driving south towards Cooma then veering left and going down Brown Mountain. Head to Cobargo, Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba. Visit pottery shops, leather shops, the cheese factory, the Dromedary pub then drive into Narooma and onto Batemans Bay, taking the King’s Highway home to complete a round trip. You could actually make this a great weekend by staying in Narooma and visiting the amazing golf course that overlooks the ocean then head north stopping at Mogo, the Bay and then home.

If you want a great experience without leaving the ACT, the Zooventure tour is fabulous.

Don’t take him to the museum. It’s a disgrace. I have been there 5 times and am yet to find a redeeming feature. Comparison’s to Britain’s national museum would make it seem even worse.

We take all our English relatives out Murrumbateman way for some wine tasting and then lunch. Usually three different wineries are enough, and it’s always worth stopping in at Poachers Pantry on the way home to pick up some emu or roo prociutto as well….

MERC600 said :

1/ Down the Hume , turn off to Kangaroo Valley then onto Batemans, then home. Great views.

2/ Ease into Temora and have a look at the aeroplanes.

+1 for Wee Jasper. Beautiful scenery. I think it’s been a year since I’ve been there, so don’t know if the pub closed in the meantime.

Warning about the road from Araluen to Moruya: it’s an absolutely gorgeous drive, but It’s a narrow, winding dirt-road and in my little 2WD I had to go very slow. Loved it though – my kind of road! But not for everyone…

1/ Down the Hume , turn off to Kangaroo Valley then onto Batemans, then home. Great views.

2/ Ease into Temora and have a look at the aeroplanes.

gentoopenguin2:05 pm 17 Jul 11

Hi jayjay,
it has been a while but I really enjoyed Wee Jasper caves: http://www.weejaspercaves.com Unlike the touristy Janolan Caves, they are quite secluded (just turn right in Wee Jasper and keep going).The caves are unique and beautiful and you get a personal guided tour – and the best thing is, the whole experience is completely free of tacky souvenirs! I heard tough that the pub at Wee Jasper is closed, so better double-check or take some sandwiches. 🙂 Hope this helps, have fun!

Drive out to Wee Jasper via Dog Trap Road and the Murdoch’s Cavan property. Beautiful road through sheep country …

Drive down to the coast through Araluen, hang out in the Moruya/Bodalla/Mogo Zoo type hinterland, then stay at the Araluen Pub on the way back, with an hour or so in Braidwood, and even a trip to the Big Hole behind Braidwood then back to Canberra via Captain’s Flat back road.

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