ESCAPE FROM THE CITY
Find absorbing HISTORY, unspoilt landscapes, TRUFFLES and snowballs not far from CANBERRA.
1 GOULBURN
This inland city presents more like a big country town, with a wide main street where locals greet each other by name and stop for a chat. Stretch your legs after an hour or so in the car with a stroll (or a run for the little one) amongst the roses and manicured lawns of Belmore Park before heading off to explore the grand historic buildings and discover vibrant modern street art.The main thoroughfare of Auburn Street is known as the Golden Mile for its length and the excellent shopping it offers visitors.
2 YASS
The NSW town ofYass was once a hub of all things sheep related, and its prosperous past is evident in the grand buildings that flank its main street. Stroll along it before making a beeline for local collective Trader & Co. for lunch.The coffee here comes courtesy of roastery Six8 Coffee Roasters and there’s a kids’ menu. Next, visit Banjo Paterson Park and Cooma Cottage, the former home of explorer Hamilton Hume.
3 THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS
While it often feels cold enough to snow in Canberra, if you want to clock up some serious snowman-making your best bet is to plan a day on the slopes of the Snowies. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there (Snowy Mountains Shuttles has a daily shuttle bus service), but the look of wonder on the faces of your children as they set about making a snowball – and then throw it straight at you – is well worth the time and the snow burn.
4 BRAIDWOOD
Just over an hour’s drive from Canberra, lovely Braidwood is the kind of town you want to find at the end of a car journey, with laid-back eateries serving up food kids love and shops to browse. Try the family-run Dojo Bread for handmade pies and crusty breads to take back with you or Albion Café, serving brioche French toast and artfully stuffed toasties. A fun activity during winter is truffle hunting at Blue Frog Truffle Farm.
5 NAMADGI NATIONAL PARK
Just under an hour’s drive from the city, Namadgi National Park stretches more than 106,000 hectares, covering nearly 50 per cent of the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra daytrippers will be rewarded with 160 kilometres of walking tracks (including to the Legoland rock formations), loads of wildlife spotting opportunities, unspoilt landscapes and cultural sites of significance to the Ngunnawal people, who can trace their history here back over 21,000 years, and to the history of European settlement in the area.
Jugiong is a quintessential country town, located on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River just a 1.5-hour drive from Canberra. Once in town make a beeline for The Sir George, the historic pub that is now the coolest place in these parts, for a pub lunch of chicken schnitzel and sausages and mash.