Discover the Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory offers nature experiences and cultural attractions to suit a wide range of interests: protected bushland, hiking trails, Ngunnawal rock art, collections and activities at Lake Burley Griffin. When planning your trip, it’s worth first considering which of these experiences you want to shape your stay. This will help you search more specifically for suitable accommodation without treating nature, the city and the water as interchangeable day-trip destinations.

Bushland, wildlife watching and hiking trails

Namadgi National Park protects 106,095 hectares of alpine, subalpine and montane bushland. Several hundred kilometres of hiking trails give the area its distinctive character as a destination for walking tours. The landscape ranges from alpine to subalpine to montane bushland, making Namadgi a destination in its own right for anyone looking to combine nature and hiking on their trip.

Rock art is also one of the region’s special experiences: an easy walk leads to ancient Ngunnawal rock art at Yankee Hat. As access status can change, check current access arrangements before your visit. The Canberra Centenary Trail offers another way to combine landscape and movement. The 138-kilometre trail is self-guided and shared by walkers, runners and cyclists. It also includes sites and landscapes of significance to the Ngunnawal. When choosing what to focus on, it makes a difference whether you have a single hike, rock art or a long trail shared by different users in mind.

Many Canberra Nature Park reserves have walking trails. In addition, wildlife and birds can be observed in their natural habitats in almost every park or reserve in the Australian Capital Territory. This makes wildlife watching another possible focus for your trip, although specific sightings are not guaranteed.

Urban planning and collections in Canberra

Canberra is considered an open-air museum of urban planning. The city’s development reflects a perspective ranging from the ideas of “City Beautiful” and “Garden City” to the thinking behind “sustainable environment development”. This offers a different way to experience the destination than its hiking trails and reserves: here, the focus is on the city as an expression of different planning ideas.

Individual collections also make a distinctive impression. The National Arboretum Canberra is home to the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia. The permanent exhibitions at the Australian War Memorial include more than 7,000 objects from the Memorial’s collection. Paved paths for pedestrians and cyclists lead to the entrance. If you’re interested in urban planning, collections or both, you can take these interests into account when choosing where to stay. They differ considerably from a trip focused mainly on hiking trails or rock art.

Experiences at Lake Burley Griffin

At Lake Burley Griffin, you can explore the paths around the lake on foot, by bicycle or on an e-scooter. On the water, options include boat trips, picnics on the water and pedal-boat excursions. This means the lake offers two different kinds of experiences: paths along the shore and a variety of boating activities. As details about operators can change, it’s a good idea to check them in advance.

This gives you a clear choice between several interests when planning your trip: Namadgi is known for its protected bushland and extensive hiking trails; Yankee Hat combines an easy walk with Ngunnawal rock art; and the Canberra Centenary Trail offers a self-guided route shared by walkers, runners and cyclists. In Canberra, urban planning and collections shape the cultural focus, while Lake Burley Griffin brings together waterside paths and experiences on the lake. Consider which of these themes matters most to you, then tailor your accommodation search to a location that suits your planned stay.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Canberra, Acton, Nicholls, North West Rural Canberra, Kambah, Macquarie, Weetangera, Majura, Pialligo, Curtin, Campbell, Monash and Barton.

For the main travel overview: Australia.