Editing Canberra (section)

==What to do? Where to start?==

[[image:LBGpelicanwiki.jpg|150 px|right]]   If you have no clue at all, [http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/ Visit Canberra], [http://www.canberraonline.com.au/visit/ Canberra Online] and [http://canberra.citysearch.com.au/ Canberra Citysearch] will give you plenty of ideas for you stay!
For those who like to 'talk to people' and can't get hold of a the altar of knowledge that we CouchSurfers are, there is a [http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/CA256FCD00181C0A/page/Listing-Utility+menu-Contact+us?OpenDocument&1=10-Listing~&2=0-Utility+menu~&3=31-Contact+us~ Tourist Information Centre] on Northbourne Avenue.

You know you're in for the touristy stuff? Great! Canberra has a small lot of awesome museums and galleries as well as interesting parliamentary buildings to gaze at, roam through, walk on (!), take pictures of or take in any other way you like:

* [http://www.oph.gov.au/ Old Parliament House]
* [http://www.awm.gov.au/ The Australian War Memorial]
* [http://www.nga.gov.au/Home/index.cfm The National Gallery of Australia] currently houses the National Indigenous Art Triennial
* [http://www.nma.gov.au/index.html The National Museum of Australia] gives a thorough insight into Australia's history. The courtyard is phenomenal!
* [http://www.questacon.edu.au/ Questacon] a lot of fun for small and not-so-small kids! A good way to spend a rainy day!

You get beautiful (camera) '''views''' of 'Greater Canberra' from the top of Black Mountain (the one with the tower/ antenna on it). 
Sunsets from Mount Ainslie (behind the War Memorial) are stunning. Good opportunity for panorama-pictures of the capital as Mt. Ainslie is on the Parliament House--Lake Burley Griffin--War Memorial axis. If you walk up Mt. Ainslie before sunset you'll see armies of kangaroos, maybe even an echidna if you're lucky, and hear sulphur-crested cockatoos and kookaburras tell their stories.

The above-mentioned '''Lake-circle''' is a great way to spend a whole day. Start from Commonwealth Park (or anywhere else, really, it's a circle) and walk anti-clockwise (or clockwise) over Commonwealth Bridge. Take a turn right to wander between embassies of far-away countries or left to visit the National Portrait Gallery in Old Parliament House. Walk up (or down) the lawns on top of Parliament House, have a picnic in the Rose Gardens, admire the really, really strange architectural features of the High Court of Australia, drop off you kids at Questacon before strolling through the National Gallery of Australia, then have a coffee at the restaurant in the Sculpture Garden. Take King's Bridge back to the north side of the Lake, see the National Carillion, Blundell's Cottage and the bottom end of ANZAC parade before you arrive back at your starting point. If you forgot to pick up your kids from Questacon you should do that now! Otherwise decide whether you feel like seeing the War Memorial today or tomorrow and find out where you want to go for dinner as you'll undoubtedly be very hungry!

You may also be interested in Canberra's surroundings as a '''wine region''': the area around Murrumbateman is especially suitable for unannounced cellar-door stops. Just make sure to agree on who holds the honour of being designated driver ''before'' you start off!

If you are more of a beer-fan: in Fyshwick there is a '''German-style brewery''' called [http://www.zierholz.com.au/Home.html Zierholz] that produces delicious, German-style (go, figure) beer. The owner may agree on showing you around, if you give him a call beforehand! An adjacent restaurant (with all his creations on tap) is due to open in March 2008.

For the more outdoor-sy types, the ACT offers a wide range of activities. 
There is a great variety of walking tracks less than an hour's drive from the city, in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park. Both places offer guided walks where you are introduced to the Indigenous heritage along the path as well as the flora and fauna.
As already mentioned, Canberra is very bike-friendly and you will also find plenty of challenging mountain bike courses, if you're more into up-and-down. 
Horse-fans will be delighted by the equestrian trails winding through the bushland, while water-rats can take a dip at either one of the many public swimming pools (AIS, Civic, Dickson, Belconnen to name a few) or a billabong (such as Pine Island, Point Hutt Crossing and Kambah Pool).

If you're more of a watcher, you'll certainly enjoy cheering on a local rugby league (the [http://www.raiders.com.au/2008/ Canberra Raiders]) or rugby union team (the [http://www.brumbies.com.au/ Brumbies]) at Canberra Stadium, shout your lungs out at an AFL (Australian Rules Football) game at Manuka Oval, have a relaxed day at an international cricket game or lose some money on horses at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park.