Which ACT landmarks should feature on the Canberra Monopoly board?

Should your suburb feature on the Canberra Monopoly board? Winning Moves wants you to have your say. Photo: File.

Canberrans are invited to have their say on which local landmarks should feature on a new edition of the much-loved (and fought over) board game.

Australia-based distributor of custom Hasbro board games, Winning Moves, is asking people to get in touch with ideas for Canberra-themed squares to replace Mayfair and Park Lane, as well as customised ‘Community Chest’ and ‘Chance’ cards.

The game will be available at retailers across the country from March 2024.

There’s already a Monopoly: Australia Edition, as well as individual games for Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, but Winning Moves representative Dale Hackett says the Canberra edition has been on the drawing board for a while.

“We’ve wanted to create a Canberra Monopoly edition for some time and are thrilled to finally be able to kick this special project off,” he said.

“It’s a place known for its heritage landmarks, but over the years, it has also developed a dynamic cultural scene we are keen to showcase. Whether you want to spotlight the Australian War Museum, Parliament House, or local favourite Edgar’s Inn, we’re open to it all!”

Monopoly first hit the shelves in 1935 – since then, it has been played by more than 1 billion people. Today, it is played in 114 countries and enjoyed in over 47 languages.

Technically, this isn’t the first time Canberra has starred on a Monopoly board.

The Hayman Partners Monopoly board from 2020 starred Canberra. Photo: Hayman Partners.

The Australian Here and Now Edition, a special edition released in 2007, includes Anzac Parade, Lake Burley Griffin and the Cotter Reserve, located between Sydney Airport and the jail on the board.

And the Australian Community Relief Edition, released in 2020 to raise money for regional communities affected by bushfires, floods and COVID-19, features Belconnen, Queanbeyan, Batemans Bay and the Federal Highway.

“This game has also been developed to help support vulnerable Australians, with $5 from every game donated to the Australian Red Cross,” the description reads.

It’s still for sale on the Winning Moves website for $69.99, while a $24.99 jigsaw version donates $2 to the Red Cross.

At about the same time, local real estate agency Hayman Partners commissioned a Canberra-themed board as a gift item “reserved for anyone who buys and sells with Hayman Partners”.

It mainly included roads over places, with Mugga Way taking the coveted Mayfair spot on the board – and Tuggeranong Parkway, Commonwealth Avenue and John Gorton Drive weren’t left out either. The income tax boxes go to stamp duty and ACT land tax.

Three of their agents even used the board to take on ACT Monopoly champion Gerry Abideen in ‘The Great Canberra Monopoly Battle’ in June 2020.

Canberrans can contact Winning Moves via the Canberra Monopoly Facebook page or by emailing info@winningmoves.com.au to offer their suggestions.