NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
WHILE MUCH HAS BEEN MADE OF BRADDON’S ELEVATION TO HIP HOOD STATUS, WITH CAFES AND SHOPPING GALORE, THE OUTER SUBURB OF FYSHWICK IS FAST TRANSFORMING FROM INDUSTRIAL TO INTERESTING, WITH CAPITAL BREWING CO., WILDFLOUR (ABOVE) AND AN OUTLET OF BRODBURGER TAKING UP RESIDENCE. EAT STREETS
Canberra’s distinctive, personality-filled suburbs are dining microcosms, reflecting the city’s slavish pursuit of good food. Head to ACTON, or NEW MANUKA KINGSTON and you will find clusters of FORESHORE interesting restaurants (and bars) serving up cuisines from far and wide. The densest concentration of dining options can be found in BRADDON, where the fuss of being the place to be seen has settled into a less sceney, more familiar ‘best neighbourhood in the city’ kind of vibe. Trailblazers who moved to Lonsdale Street are still going strong – the likes of EIGHTYSIX, and ITALIAN & SONS and have been BENTSPOKE BREWING CO. – joined by cafes such as RYE, with its healthy Scandi-influenced menu, and a bevy of jovial burger joints including THE GREASY MONKEY and LANE. And, if you are in the mood MILKY to splash some cash, the city has fine dining covered too: try and SAGE DINING ROOMS sibling which harvest MINT GARDEN BAR, organic produce from the FARM; the SAGE super-cool pan-Asian XO, which RUBICON, turns 21 in 2021; the exquisitely executed RAKU; and the always excellent AUBERGINE.
MUST DO
Given its proliferation of cultural sites of national importance, there is a long list of essentials to work your way through during a visit to the nation’s capital. Plan to see all of them in at least a day – and then plan to return to lavish more time on each one. Start in Parkes at the NATIONAL GALLERY OF and make your way around in a AUSTRALIA loop taking in the NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF AUSTRALIA, MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRACY, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF and QUESTACON. Then head over AUSTRALIA the lake to the NATIONAL MUSEUM OF and AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL.
WALK THE WALK
While Canberra is made for walking with all those lakeside pathways, TIDBINBILLA NATURE RESERVE, a 45-minute drive from the centre of the city, is the perfect choice for a ramble amid nature. With its 22 marked trails, from 15-minute jaunts to full-day hikes, the ultimate drawcard is the chance to spot Australia’s big five: KOALA, PLATYPUS, KANGAROO, and WOMBAT. EMU