Action stations

Canberra certainly isn’t short of kid-friendly thrills. You can hire pushbikes or Segways and wheel your way around pretty Lake Burley Griffin or take to the lake with your crew in a kayak, canoe or sailboat.

My kids love Corin Forest Mountain Retreat, only a 45-minute drive from the city centre. During winter it provides Canberra’s only on-snow experience, with beginner boarding and skiing as well as tobogganing and the all-important building of snowmen. During summer there are great trails for hiking and mountain biking and an Alpine Slide that descends 1.2 kilometres through the forest.

You might like to take a hike on a bike around Stromlo Forest Park or, if you’d prefer, ride on four legs instead of two wheels with a supervised horse trail ride at Forest Park Riding School.

If you’re looking for a little indoor action, Sky Zone Trampoline Park Belconnen is just the ticket. My kids have never met a trampoline they didn’t love and can happily spend hours bouncing in, up, down and around the hundreds of interconnected trampolines. And if your kids feel the need for speed, the Power Kart Raceway offers the ultimate go-karting experience on an indoor F1-style circuit measuring up to 320 metres, a fun and safe way for littlies to get their thrills. nga.gov.au www.portrait.gov.au www.canberraglassworks.com www.awm.gov.au moadoph.gov.au www.ramint.gov.au www.jetflightsimulatorcanberra.com.au nationaldinosaurmuseum.com.au www.questacon.edu.au www.csiro.au www.anbg.gov.au www.tidbinbilla.act.gov.au www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au www.corin.com.au www.stromloforestpark.com.au www.forestparkridingschool.com.au skyzone.com.au www.powerkarts.com.au