Going away for a holiday is not always a possibility. Life is busy, kids have school, you have work, family events etc.
I like to break up the monotony by being a tourist in our town, Canberra. The below are tried and tested, and kid friendly for ages 8-14yrs.
- Australian National Botanic Gardens. [ https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/ ]
Cost: Parking only ($3.50 per hour or $14.50 per day)
Facilities: Toilets, Cafe, Bookshop/Gift shop, disability friendly parking and main avenues can be accessed via wheelchair.
Activities: Rain forest walk through the mist or up on the boardwalk, Lizard spotting (our record is 114!), Bird spotting, various activities for children set up including a tree house.
- Questacon [ https://www.questacon.edu.au/ ]
Cost: $70 for family pass (2 adults and 3 kids) Membership is $160 for a year, so more affordable if you plan on going more than 2 times a year.
Facilities: Fully disability friendly, however there are only a few disabled car parks near by. Toilets, cafe (indoor/outdoor) and giftshop
Activities: They change the activities here frequently, and they are all interactive. We’ve easily spent 2-3 hours here in a trip. Our kids really love this place, and we like having a membership on hand so we can go on rainy or cold days - of which there are a lot in Canberra.
- Scootering on the Lake Burley Griffin path [ https://visitcanberra.com.au/publications-apps-and-maps/lake-burley-griffin-cycling-map ]
Cost: Free, some areas parking is charged.
Facilities: There are toilet blocks, BBQs, car parks, playgrounds, and cafes dotted around the lake.
Activities: Pick a start or end point with a cafe! We like to start Bowen park and head east to Kingston Foreshore to walk up to the cafes, take a break and have a coffee, then walk back to the car parks. The bike paths are split, so we found this easy for the kids to stick to one side. If your kids need a wider path, go to the section of path in front of the National Gallery of Australia. The boardwalk is wide, more shaded, and there are a few cafes and a toilet along here as well.
- War memorial [ https://www.awm.gov.au/ ]
Cost: Free
Facilities: Toilets, disability access & parking, cafe, gift shop.
Activities: There are lots of videos, real artifacts from the many wars Australia has participated in (think uniforms, tanks, planes), and photos and stories of real soldiers, nurses and pilots. Our kids did ask a lot of questions, but the information is simplified enough that from 6 upwards they could understand. It is a more sombre activity, but I found the kids were engaged and learned a lot.
- National Arboretum [https://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/]
Cost: Parking only.($2.10 per hour or $7.80 per day)
Facilities: Toilets, disabled parking (11 spots as per website), cafe, gift shop.
Activities: Giant acorn playground, bonsai exhibit, kite flying (if you forget your kite as we did, the gift shop had very reasonably priced ones). The fenced playground is rather large, and there is plenty of seating around so you can grab a coffee and sit and watch the kids play. There is also a flower garden with herbs and edibles that the children enjoyed seeing.
- GoBoat trip around Lake Burley Griffin [ https://bit.ly/3d91VNm ]
Cost: $99 for an hour (the boat sat 4 adults and 3 kids easily)
Facilities: They provide life jackets for the kids and adults and there is ample seating and a fixed table. BYO picnic.
Activities: This was a great activity that the kids loved. We did need to skipper the boat ourselves, but they provide some brief instruction on this. Pick a low wind day, as it can be quite cold down on the lake. We went on a sunny 25 degree day, and had a picnic as we boated past the Carillon (bell tower), Old Parliament house, Supreme Courts, and the library.
- National Gallery of Australia [ https://nga.gov.au/ ]
Cost: Free. Special exhibits have cost (look on site per exhibit).
Facilities: Toilets, disability friendly and disabled parking. Inside and outside cafe, gift shop.
Activities: The art gallery may not be where you first think to take children, but there are plenty of attractions they’ll enjoy. For younger kids, there is an activities area with exhibition based activities and play. My kids particularly like the modern art section, the ‘bush ranger painting series’ (Sidney Nolan), and the ancient sculptures and artifacts. When they were younger we kept visits short and sweet (1hr max).
- Yarralumla Play Station [ https://www.yarraps.com.au/ ]
Cost: Train ride is $60 for 2 adults & 3 kids.
Facilities: Toilets, cafe, BBQ, playground
Activities: There is disabled parking, however the train ride would be somewhat inaccessible for anyone with a wheel chair. The playground is quite large and probably better suited for older kids, however there are a few activities for younger ones such as a sand digger. Please be aware that there is water nearby that is NOT fenced off. The train ride itself goes through a small animal farm and gardens which the kids really loved when they were 10 and under. Great spot for a shady BBQ by the lake.
