Ultimate Guide to Canberra for Toddlers
If you’re new to Canberra and have a toddler, this guide is specifically for you. If your kids are lower primary this guide is good too. If you don’t have kids, the first half may still be mildly interesting.
Culture:
Canberra is fundamentally a small town with lots of national institutions. Most people are highly educated, slightly left-leaning, and will carefully not offer help unless they’re sure it won’t offend (we can seem unfriendly but it’s a form of respect). We are shocked by any car journey taking more than fifteen minutes, and we remain convinced that all of Gungahlin is incredibly far away from everything. There is a similarly hard-wired North/South divide (I dated someone from the South side despite being a Northsider and it was considered a long-distance relationship). Shops are usually open on weekends, but not at night.
More than half the population works in the public service, and most public service offices close between Christmas and New Year’s Day. A lot of people leave Canberra at that time (you’ll find them on the road to the coast), and the rest wander around the place asking strangers what day, month, and year it is and panicking that grocery stores sometimes close.
Every cat born since mid-2022 must be kept on your property (inside or in a cat run), so people are increasingly suspicious of any cat wandering the streets. Several newer suburbs are full cat-containment areas, meaning that ALL cats must be kept on your property. I often take my foster kittens outside but only very briefly and only in contained areas. If you have a cat, you are legally required to get it desexed even if it never leaves your home.
Nearby Attractions:
Canberra is supposedly about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, but Sydney has won out in a big way. The drive to Sydney is pleasant and a determined family can get there and back in a day (teens and twenty-somethings do it all the time). On the trip you should admire Lake George (there’s a lookout if you want to pause—Canberrans are always fascinated to know how the water level is going because it varies wildly), the “Dreamer’s Gate” sculpture in the small town of Collector, and the giant ram at Goulburn (you can go inside it via the gift shop), which is conveniently located among loads of fast and slightly-less-fast restaurants. The best Goulburn travelling-food retailer is Trapper’s Bakery, especially if you get there before popular items run out in the afternoon. (For gluten-free food, I prefer the Meridian Cafe in Marulan twenty minutes up the road.) Travelling to Sydney and back is a big part of every Canberra childhood.
Corin Forest and/or the snow. I haven’t been to Corin Forest but I really should go, if only for the toboggan rides. I’ve been to the snow several times. There are lots of costs along the way, but if you’re cheap and want to play in the snow all you have to do is drive in roughly the right direction for a couple of hours and find a public playground or vacant lot with snow on it.
If you go through Cooma, you should try Miss Heidi’s Teahouse on Mount Gladstone. It specialises in amazingly chewy, crispy Austrian pancakes (also it definitely snows up there in Winter). It also specialises in eccentricity (including the service, the building itself, and the half-ruined fairy village behind it). And of course the views are spectacular. Book in advance, definitely.
Speaking of Cooma, Kosciusko National Park has lots of cool stuff including a natural hot spring that has been made into a pool (it’s about twenty-six degrees year-round which is not actually that warm, and has lots of slimy green life and a very steep walk down and and back up to the closest carpark), and several caves.
If you go through Nimmitabel, try and time your visit for one of the magnificent high teas at the Royal Arms B&B (book in advance). The cook is a genius and you never know what you’ll get. If you’re keen, you can also see the Nimmitabel elephant (next to the bakery) and the Nimmity Bell. As road trip attractions go, they’re thrilling for up to sixty seconds. There is a rather good Steampunk Festival in Nimmitabel each year in May, and another in Goulburn each year in October.
It’s three hours to drive to Bateman’s Bay, which has the closest beach to Canberra and is therefore a well-known location for all Canberrans. So, again, everyone in Canberra has driven up and down Clyde Mountain, enjoying Pooh’s Corner and Government Bend (a very ‘bent’ turn) on the way.
Technically the ACT does have beach access, in Jervis Bay (very beautiful white sand, I’m told) but it’s a hassle to get to, both for the distance and for the military folk there who sometimes don’t allow access.
The south coast is surprisingly enjoyable considering how close it gets to Antarctica. Also, whales!
My favourite place is Bermagui because it has two tidal pools (both great for little kids) and is mostly on a peninsula so you can see the sun set over the water (the pub has great food including gluten-free fish and chips); and the gelato clinic is seriously creative and good.
You can also easily drive from there to the Magic Mountain amusement park in Merimbula. Recommended for school-age kids as the waterslides, toboggan, car races, and dodgem cars are all way too exciting for littlies.
Our satellite city is Queanbeyan which is reputed to be extremely bogan but also has some nice public facilities and a scattering of very nice homes. It also has Spotlight which lures Canberrans over the border with its incredible range of fabrics (including plastic tablecloths), homewares, etc.
Most dangerous living creature:
The Death Cap mushroom can and does kill people, so don’t pick any wild mushrooms unless you are VERY sure they’re safe.
Weather:
Winter is famously painful but with air conditioning and a garage it’s really fine. Lacking those items, people can get by with heaters (one in each room) and ice scrapers for the car (plus a bottle of tepid water when the ice just needs melting rather than scraping). If you don’t have a car in Canberra, it is quite hard to get around (we are in a vicious cycle where public transport is minimal due to our small size, therefore people avoid public transport, therefore it stays minimal) and you will get properly cold in Winter. Legally, any rental has to be kept at eighteen degrees or above—although I know many lower-income people who keep their houses colder in order to save on bills. The Winter bill is always the worst.
It’s fun to put a container of water outside so on cold days you and your toddler can break the ice in the morning. Crackly grass is fun too. Many afternoons are cool but sunny, much like the acknowledged perfection of Autumn or Spring (both of which are spectacularly colourful). It is worth buying at least one properly warm jacket (perhaps a puffer jacket if you feel the cold or have to spend time outdoors), and a beanie (not everyone needs one, but I’d definitely wear one riding my bike—and possibly a balaclava for my nose, and definitely gloves for my hands). If you like a bit of drama in your wardrobe, get a really long coat.
It snows a little bit every few years and everyone gets deliriously excited.
Summer gets unpleasantly hot but all forms of water will still be gasp-worthy (“it’s fine when you get used to it”) unless they’re heated. Fans will not be enough to keep your house liveable (it can easily get over thirty degrees inside) so if you don’t have AC you may need to head to the mall or library (or lie around with ice packs). All houses must have an energy star rating to be sold, so find out the energy rating of prospective houses if you can and know that a seriously low energy rating means a house will be expensive and uncomfortable (if the rating is one star or less it’s basically a tent). Most of Gungahlin is fairly new, and all of the Molonglo Valley is new, so houses in those areas would all have decent energy ratings. Houses from the big population expansions in the 70s will have terrible energy ratings unless someone somewhere made an effort (which happens about half the time).
Best fast food chips:
Kingsley’s. It’s a fast food place specialising in chicken, and their chips are great. They only exist in Canberra.
Tragic Losses:
Big Splash (the waterpark) and The Pancake Parlour restaurant are closed, probably forever. If you mention either, expect a lot of moaning and possibly sobbing. A grassroots group is trying desperately to save Big Splash.
There also used to be a revolving restaurant inside Telstra Tower. That was SO COOL.
Good Aspects of Nature:
Canberra is justifiably lauded for all the nature around the place, particularly the Brindabella Mountains. The lakes (Lake Tuggeranong, Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen, and Yerrabi Pond in Gungahlin) are all surrounded by trees and have excellent paths and BBQs. There are fantastic bike paths with beautiful surroundings and views. As artifical lakes, the water quality can be dodgy. Every so often someone chucks a dead body in there too. You can check the water quality here. If you meet friends with kids for a picnic or BBQ by the lake, or just a play on one of the many lakeside playgrounds, there is a 99% chance that several children will end up naked. (If you go there with just immediate family, you can set the rules and stick to them, but when toddler gangs form to push the rules from “you can touch the water but don’t go in” to “ah, screw it” they always win.
We have loads of kangaroos… enough that driving at night is a hazard anywhere without lights.
If you’re near a creek and there are rocks, look for lizards. I love seeing water dragons.
Bad Aspects of Nature: We are vulnerable to bushfires, and to smoke (we’re in a valley that acts like a funnel). If you have any hint of asthma, it’s worth buying an air purifier so you’re ready if we get another smoke event (we get mild ones fairly often when there are fires in nearby states).
Live Music: It exists, but there are not many people actually living here (under 500,000) and therefore the scene is small. This is not my area of expertise.
Sport: Soooo not my area of expertise. But I do know about the Park Run thing, which has plenty of participants all over Canberra. As the name suggests, it involves running… in a park.
Best places to view Canberra: Telstra Tower (aka the giant syringe)… but it’s closed for major refurbishment until at least the end of 2027. This photo is from architectus.com.au
Mount Ainslie is good too if you like being able to stand on a mountain and see a lot of a city laid out for you (there are similarly magnificent views from the Arboretum but you see more of the city from Mt Ainslie). It’s also really lovely to sail around Lake Burley Griffin. The electric self-driving boats are probably your best option as we don’t seem to have publicly available big boats any more (you can hire a yacht for big events). The small electric boats are easy to operate but very slow-moving and not safe unless your toddler is extremely obedient and you have at least two adults.
Best Month in Canberra:
March, because the weather is great and there’s the Enlighten Festival which includes a hot air balloon festival; amazing stuff with light (including projections on buildings, temporary sculptures, and more), and a fireworks night around the biggest lake (Lake Burley Griffin). Plus live music and the Night Noodle markets if you can afford to spend some dough.
And in September/October we have Floriade, the flower festival (including a Ferris wheel and loads of entertainers and events). During the day it’s free and extremely crowded. At night you have to pay but I’m told it’s worth it. There are thousands upon thousands of tulips each year, plus many other flowers.
Best places to go:
*The National Botanic Gardens are good, but be aware that they’re located on the side of a mountain so be ready for some decent walking. Paid parking (but all the government-owned carparks are linked so you can use one ticket to visit several in a day).
*The National Zoo and Aquarium is EXCELLENT but also on the side of a mountain, and of course expensive. You can hire an electric scooter if you book it in advance. There are several cafes and BBQs in the sprawling grounds, and an excellent playground with loads of full-size animal sculptures. I once did the “Meet a Cheetah” experience and it was one of the best days of my life. The tigers tend to be audibly annoyed that humans exist, and the lions regularly stalk young children through the glass. The otters and meerkats are hilarious, the rhinos enormous, the giraffes spectacular and the penguins adorable. There are loads of different things you can do including photography tours and the Jamala Wildlife Lodge. I recommend it for age three and up (and when my daughter was three we took several soft toys with us and bought more in order to help her process and remember the experience).
*The only interesting thing about Parliament House is the ability to roll down the grassy sides. And the main flag pole has a LOT of aluminium. But I’m told OLD Parliament House (aka the Museum of Australian Democracy) has a really good playroom involving giant soft blocks. So that might be great for toddlers, especially in Winter.
*The Arboretum is surprisingly interesting. The views from there are incredibly beautiful and the tours are surprisingly interesting (especially if you like bugs and/or plants). Drones aren’t allowed, but definitely take your camera. The Arboretum is up high and windy… which is why it’s the best place in Canberra to fly a kite. On the non-carpark side of the main building there’s a huge grassy bowl where it’s fun to run, roll, climb, and fly kites. There is a bonsai and tenjing collection, a fairly average cafe (not great for meals) and gift shop, and a very beautiful playground.
It’s a tricky playground as the older-kid section involves a lot of climbing (and kids are constantly panicking and needing to get down which is very awkward).
As you can see, there’s no easy way down when you’re heading for the big slide. MANY parents have had to climb past other people’s children to rescue their own… and then squeeze their way against the flow to get out. This is Lizzie and I when she was about three and brave as a lion. You can definitely notice brain development as some kids will handle it fine when they’re little but not when they’re bigger as they have a better understanding of danger. It is usually popular and has plenty of kids all over it.
The younger section is cool except there’s lots of little cubby-like structures so unless you crawl through the doorways your child immediately disappears from your line of sight.
*The National Carillon is on its own little island very close to Boundless playground. You can look up performance times. The official concerts are Wednesday and Sunday. If you hear it at other times, someone is practising. It’s honestly not super interesting but it’s fun to go once (either on the island itself or at Boundless Playground, where you can see and hear it). Here it is from the National Gallery Sculpture Garden. I think the skinny tower poking up from the greenery is the “rabbit ears” aka the eagle statue (on a giant post) at the Russell Offices.
*A very popular Canberra sculpture is the affectionately nicknamed “Penis Owl” in Belconnen. It only looks like a penis from the back. There’s no parking but it’s close to the Belconnen Markets if you feel the need to really stop and take it in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_(Armstrong)
*If you love a naughty body part, you’ll love the Skywhale which can sometimes be glimpsed in the skies (more likely during the hot air balloon spectacular but still not guaranteed). There’s a Papa Whale too but since he doesn’t have ten enormous dangling breasts, who cares about him? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skywhale
*The Captain Cook Memorial Waterjet. It’s a lot of water shooting into the air. That’s all it is. Again, it’s fun to go once. It’s usually on from 11am-2:00pm. According to that link, the globe sculpture at Regatta Point (which again is a great sculpture probably worth visiting once) is part of the memorial.
*The Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery. I personally like sculptures more than most paintings so I skip the gallery and go outside to the Sculpture Garden (head to the lake side of the carpark and then wander through). The best time to experience it is between 12 and 1pm because the mist sculpture switches on at 12:30 and it’s amazing to be there when the gardens suddenly turn from pretty into mysterious and magical. It’s right by the lake, which is worth strolling around (especially in Autumn when the trees are ablaze). I also really like the “Ouroboros” statue on the far side of the gallery, and the floating sphere near the entrance.
Best way to make friends with other parents and/or entertain your little one:
You can register for free at ACT Playgroups and then you can see huge lists of all the play groups in your area, including their location and time. Most are informal but some have amazing volunteers running programs specifically for certain ages. The protocol is to call or email and check that a playgroup you like has space. It is still quite difficult to make true friends so if you get on with someone and your kids get on, you will probably need to initiate out-of-playgroup meetings by inviting them to coffee or your house.
Best places for a toddler to learn water habituation/swimming: Any Kingswim Centre. They are by far the warmest in Canberra (but you’ll want to get in the water yourself because the air is very very warm too). You can’t just rock up; they don’t have public swimming but only classes. Gungahlin Leisure Centre had a cool inside water playground but I heard there was some kind of major structural issues and the pool may still be closed. Dickson Pool has a cool outside water playground for when it’s super duper hot. It also has a ramp into the main pool plus several shallower pools for little ones.
Best apps:
Fires Near Me. This app tells you if the smoke in the air is from the local area, and whether it’s scheduled burning-off, a house fire, or potentially dangerous.
A weather app including UV times. BOM (Bureau of Meteorology) was the best but it’s been upgraded and now it often doesn’t work. The UV times are brilliant because kids need Vitamin D but also get sunburned easily. My solution is to sunscreen them when the weather app says UV is high, then don’t sunscreen them the rest of the time (but still make them wear a hat).
Radio stations:
666 ABC has all the stuff you’d expect from the ABC like interviews, classical music, and more. It is the station to listen to if there is an emergency.
JJJ is what music-lovers and young people listen to.
104.7 is for middle aged people but it does include all the mainstream new stuff.
106.3 is for seniors or people who like their music very safe.
Useful FaceBook groups/pages:
Canberra Mums, for Mums, by Mums
Canberra Cat Community
Describing Things in Canberra (surprisingly witty and informative)
Your local “Buy Nothing” group, especially for baby/toddler stuff – both getting free stuff and getting rid of stuff when the kids outgrow it. My local Buy Nothing group used to be four suburbs but it grew so much it’s now just for my suburb.
The other place to get rid of stuff you don’t want (that is still in good condition) is the beloved “Green Shed” at the Mitchell tip (although it may have a different name now).
Best Playgrounds:
*There are adventure playgrounds at Point Hut (Gordon), Kambah, Yerrabi Pond (Gungahlin), and more. Each Adventure Playground is really several playgrounds (and BBQ facilities) in a large area. I imagine smaller playgrounds would suit toddlers better, but older kids will enjoy the flying foxes and possibly skateboarding or scooter tricks.
*John Knight Park (beside Lake GInninderra). A lot of people my age are very sentimental because this is where we went as kids. As a teenager I picnicked under the trees with friends, or walked along the water with a date. As an adult, I take my kids there to feed the birds and run around a lot. Definitely wear shoes as there’s loads of ducks and therefore duck poo.
One of the playgrounds has concrete snakes winding around a tower which is super fun. But there are several playgrounds over a wide area (and BBQs etc, and a fake waterfall, and a little island with a bridge across to it, and lots of water birds. I don’t recommend it for toddlers who are likely to run into the water (and our lakes aren’t super clean, as a rule, either… they’re safe enough for humans but if you want a wonderful paddle then the Cotter is better).
*The Cotter Avenue Playground. The playground itself is cool, and you can paddle in the Cotter River nearby (very slippery and silty, so take water shoes and a change of clothes). There is so much nature it’s wonderful. Keep an eye out for snakes. About 1% of brown snakes are genuinely aggressive so give them a wide berth. And be aware that your phone will lose reception and not get it back until you leave the area (including the map function). The playground is located just after the second bridge. It’s quite close to the dam too.
*Commonwealth Park Playground. This is another playground near water (for better or worse) and it’s the second-most photogenic playground after the Arboretum. I call it “the castle” and I’ve also heard people call it “the mouse house”. It is made of stone and full of tunnels and secret passages. So when your kid is young, you will find yourself crawling through stone tunnels after them! Even with soft-fall installed, your knees will suffer. When the kids are a bit older, they will rock-climb up the outsides. All of Commonwealth Park is very pretty. The playground is right near one of the gates into Floriade, so the two trips can be combined when Floriade is on. It’s a little walk from the nearest carpark.
*The best outside playground in Canberra: Boundless. It is designed to be good for disabled kids so it’s also great for riding bikes and scooters as there’s lots of smooth ground. It is large but has great lines of sight; there are toilets and a BBQ; and it is fully fenced. The surroundings are beautiful too. In Summer it includes water play. There is seating and shade (although rarely in the same spot). The merry-go-round goes VERY fast and is flush to the ground so an unlucky child could be thrown through the air if they tried to join a group of older kids at the wrong moment. It is also extremely close to the Carillon so you can visit both in one trip or simply go to Boundless, where you can see and hear the carillon while hanging out. The only flaw is that there’s not a huge amount of parking so you may need to walk a bit to get there (there is a walk long enough that it’s definitely worth bringing a stroller, even if you park in the closest spot).
*The actual best playground in Canberra: Questacon. For any family with kids up to the early teens, Questacon is absolutely the best place to visit in Canberra. Full stop. It is interesting, fun, technically educational, and even thrilling in places (such as the Freefall Slide). It is by far the best science/discovery centre in Australia.
There are seven “galleries” with different themes. The top gallery changes regularly, and one of the three ground-floor galleries is called “Mini-Q” and it really is incredible. It was recently fully refurbished with a water theme. There are mangrove areas, schools of fish hanging from the ceiling, and a two-storey boat containing a laboratory, kitchen, and engineering room…. all scaled for kids under six (you can’t go in without a six year-old, so if you don’t have one of your own you may need to borrow one). There is water play (smocks are provided but you should definitely bring a full change of clothes anyway), baby play, and a climbing playground that goes over adults’ heads. There’s also a quiet room (with books and soft toys and a tree you can climb inside). And bring a camera! The dress-ups are so fun too.
Questacon also has live science shows, most of which involve explosions and/or fire (scary for younger kids). It’s quite expensive but definitely worth it (membership is worthwhile for toddlers). Strollers have to be kept outside Mini-Q, but there are lockers for all your stuff (you’ll need a $2 coin but you’ll get it back). You can take a toddler through all of Questacon but they’re likely to be worn out by the time you get to Mini-Q so choose wisely. Visits usually take about three hours.
The “Awesome Earth” gallery has a huge cage where artificial lightning goes off every twenty minutes. Check the timer as soon as you go into that gallery, and it might be scary so I recommend going back out to the ramp and watching from the door to see if your toddler finds it fun or scary. The earthquake house is also potentially traumatising but you can leave at any time. It is definitely a ‘hero’ exhibit.
I’ve heard Monkey Mania is great (another inside playground), and so is Kid City. Some of the trampoline places (Bounce, Flip Out, etc) have other stuff too. Trampoline-only places require considerable fitness for any adults who participate. Ditto Inflatable World (so it’s better suited to older Primary).
Health Stuff:
Breastfeeding is accepted widely but as always some jerks will be jerky sometimes.
Your GP is usually the first port of call for health issues.
For wounds that might need a professional bandage or stitches, or for non life-threatening illnesses, Walk-In Centres are the place to go. They are free and available throughout Canberra. There is usually a wait of a couple of hours (of course it can vary wildly) and they are staffed by nurses only so they can’t give you antibiotics or set a broken bone. Sometimes they send you to hospital. Sometimes they tell you to go home and see your doctor the next day.
There are various community health centres which include free dentistry… but the waits can be extremely long.
The biggest public hospital is The Canberra Hospital and the next biggest is the North Canberra Hospital (formerly Calvary Hospital but now only the private section is Calvary). Both have emergency departments where kids are taken to a kid-only ward fairly quickly. Wait times are often around four hours but if your kid is badly hurt (broken bone; bleeding a lot; visible head injury) they’ll get in quickly. Often you will be told you’re fine and sent home after a test or two. The parking is terrible at both hospitals and at TCH you have to pay too.
The new University of Canberra Hospital does NOT have an emergency department.
You can call nurses for advice 24/7 through CALMS 1300 422 567 (and they can book you a home doctor visit) or through Health Direct on 1800 022 222.
You can also call 13 SICK for a doctor visit.
Felicity Banks 