By Rama Gaind.
Now is not only the time to embrace winter in the nation’s capital, but also to get back to nature. It’s a cool capital — and special events breathe even more life into it!
Not only does Canberra put on some of the nation’s biggest festivals and blockbuster exhibitions, there’s also a thriving community calendar of colour, entertainment and family-friendly activities. The events offer something for all interests, including art, food and wine, performance, music, markets and sport.
The city’s four distinct seasons bring opportunities to create events to suit the climate — with glorious Floriade in spring, the Truffle Festival in winter, the Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival in autumn and the power of Summernats in summer. Start searching the event calendar to find what’s on in Canberra so you can be among the first to discover the latest and greatest things to see and do, taste and try, explore and experience in Canberra
One good thing after another is waiting to be discovered. Experience the romance of Canberra with an indulgent weekend Wintervention. From warming eats to cultural pursuits and winter wonderland adventures. Warm up with Canberra region wine or a cosy decadent meal by the fire, spend a weekend with Monet, hunting for truffles or spoil yourself with relaxing spa treatments … it’s all waiting for you.
It’s not the time to escape winter. The trees are wrapped in colourful knitted scarves as part of the Warm Trees event at the National Arboretum Canberra. It’s a great time to explore the northern part of the Australian Alps, with Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve perfect for bushwalking — it will take you about 45 minutes to drive from the city centre.
At Tidbinbilla, you can hire an e-bike from Canberra Urban Adventures to ride through Tidbinbilla on their Ride with the Roos tour. Why not join a ranger-guided tour of the reserve.
Nearby Tidbinbilla is Corin Forest. It offers a snow play experience (weather permitting), but also a guaranteed ski slope and ski experience thanks to its new snow machine called Yeti. Corin is perfect for a child’s first-time ski or toboggan experience.
Step into a winter wonderland as you get ready for a snowball fight, tobogganing and snowman competitions at Corin Forest Mountain Resort, a purpose-built snow play park just 45 minutes from Canberra. Afterwards, warm up with a hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows by the roaring open fire in the lodge.
Corin Forest Mountain Resort is in full swing. For a cool experience in the heart of the city, head to the pop-up ice skating rink in Civic Square at Wintervention (until 21 July). Pose for a picture in the life-size snow globe, enjoy an ice show or explore the food and maker’s markets at this winter wonderland.
National Arboretum
The 8.2-kilometre Gibraltar Peak walking trail is located within the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, approximately 26.4 kilometres from Canberra.
Head to the National Arboretum Canberra to walk into a world of whimsy as the trees are wrapped in bright knits. This year Warm Trees (until 31 July) will feature the world’s largest handcrafted frieze of knitted tulips, decorated bicycle wheels and groves of magical colour in the Himalayan Cedar Forest. Lots of school holiday activities are on offer including drop-in knitting sessions, guided bike rides, fairy hunts through the 100-year-old Cork Oak Forest and family orienteering.
You can immerse yourself in a world of science and wonder at Questacon. Discover celestial wonders stargazing, get creative with space crafts and dine in a glowing food court. Visitors can gaze up at the inflatable moon.
Learn through play at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child may be a complex topic, but our youngest democracy fans will learn all about it with listening pods, role-play activities, craft and more at PlayUP: The Right to Have an Opinion and Be Heard. This colourful family space flips the traditional idea of museums completely on its head.
Go on a treasure hunt at the Royal Australian Mint. Learn the stories behind every Australian coin in your pocket, purse or piggy bank. Revel in the nostalgia of the Mr Squiggle exhibition, a collection of show memorabilia that celebrates the release of the 2019 Mr Squiggle 60th anniversary coin set.
The entire family will enjoy a treasure hunt at the Royal Australian Mint. Warm up this winter with dragon dancing, Kung Fu, art and craft activities, inspired by the Historical Expression of Chinese Art exhibition, at the National Museum of Australia.
Tidbinbilla walks
Meeting one of the locals at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
Why not give your family a traditional Aussie bush experience at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Join a ranger-guided walk, search for koalas in the canopy, go platypus spotting or feed the pelicans with a ranger. If that’s not enough, simply roam the bush trails of the Reserve and spot koalas, emus, kangaroos, platypuses, reptiles, possums and echidnas.
Take the time to meet the locals at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Explore a world where animals rule with a Zoocation tour at the National Zoo & Aquarium. During a fun-filled day of working with the zookeepers, children can get up-close-and-personal with many of the Zoo’s animals, play games and make toys for the animals.
Take the young ones to the National Dinosaur Museum for free guided tours, which will run throughout the school holidays. Bring your camera, your friends and those burning dinosaur questions for a fun and educational journey back in time.
The brave at heart can explore the Dinosaur Sculpture Garden at the National Dinosaur Museum, Canberra, uncovering lifelike models.
Get active at BlocHaus, an indoor bouldering centre for all ages and skill levels, or race your kids on an exhilarating indoor circuit at Power Kart Raceway. There’s also iSkate Park — Australia’s first synthetic ice rink — and an indoor glow-in-the-dark mini golf course, arcade machines and cafe.
Monet: Impression Sunrise
The world’s leading collections of works by Claude Monet will call Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia home until 1 September.
It is an exciting opportunity for Australians to see a masterful painting that became emblematic of a cultural movement. Featuring Claude Monet’s pioneering painting Impression, Soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise) 1872, this exclusive exhibition brings together works from the impressionist master, and other significant artists, to examine the founding of an art movement — a defining moment in art history.
The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris is the holder of one of the world’s leading collections of works by Claude Monet. This painting rarely travels and was not even a part of the Grand Palais’ Monet exhibition in 2010, the largest retrospective on the painter in France since 1980. This masterpiece will be seen together with approximately 60 Impressionist and related paintings from the Marmottan, the Tate, and collections in France, Australia and New Zealand.
They reveal the formative characteristics of Impressionism — depiction of light, purer colour and capturing the momentary view — by a new generation of artists who abandoned their studios for the world outside.
The exhibition also includes key paintings by JMW Turner, whose early works inspired Monet, along with other Impressionist artists influenced by one of the greatest painters and founders of Impressionism.
Monet: Impression Sunrise is being shown in a newly designed gallery space and will run until 1 September.
The Truffle Festival, which continues until 31 July, is the ultimate foodie festival and a fabulous celebration of winter in the Canberra region.
Beat the Canberra chill and indulge in a feast for the senses at The Truffle Festival — a taste of mid-winter magic. It celebrates the seasonality of this special ingredient and runs throughout the entire truffle season. So, go along and choose from a range of events and experiences and satisfy your taste for life’s finer things.
Sample and experience the magic of these highly prized gems. Indulge in the special flavours and aromas of truffle dishes at local restaurants and cafes. Join a hunt and see for yourself how the talented dogs unearth truffles, before learning recipes and experiencing them first hand.
Don’t escape winter in Canberra — embrace it!
DETAILS BOX
VisitCanberra
Canberra and Region Visitors Centre
Regatta Point
Barrine Drive
Parkes ACT 2600
T: 1300 554 114
