Canberra's best day tour! Encompasses all the highlights of Canberra. Witness the wonderful views of Canberra and the region from the top of Mount Ainslie. Visit NCA Exhibition Centre. Be guided through the corridors of power at Australia's Parliament House. Survey the Parliamentary Triangle & its National Institutions. Explore the Australian War Memorial and experience the moving Last Post Ceremony. All fees included. Personally guided throughout.
This experience packs as much as possible into a single day, giving you the best possible experience and context of Australia's Capital in a day's tour.
We start with customer pickups at major Canberra hotels and motels.For visitors from outside town we pickup at the Jolimont Bus Centre, between 9am to 9.30am depending on the pickup schedule.
Mount Ainslie Lookout: One of Canberra's most beautiful vantage points at the top of Mount Ainslie. From the lookout, your guide will explain the growth of a young city, the two-tiered colonial and capital city history and point out places of interest and key attractions, all while you survey the tremendous design of Canberra's architect, Walter Burley Griffin.
Duntroon:Expect a drive through the grounds of the Royal Military College Duntroon - Australian Army's officer training establishment and perhaps to Mount Pleasant where you'll be delighted to an alternative aspect overlooking central Canberra.
National Capital Exhibition: Discover some further history of Canberra along with an up close look of Lake Burley Griffin & the Captain Cook Memorial.
Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House): After a journey through the Parliamentary Triangle, we head to the Old Parliament House - home to the 'Museum of Australian Democracy" where you'll enjoy our own short guided tour to key parts of this magnificent building showcasing more than 50 years of Australia's political history.
Australian Parliament House: From the Old to the New, it's then just a short journey up the Hill to New Parliament House. Get a guided tour through Great Hall, Senate, and House of Representatives Chambers. We usually break for lunch at the Queens Terrace Cafe, a cafe with a variety of food options, sure to satisfy even the most diverse tastes.
The Lodge:As mid-afternoon rolls around, we'll leave New Parliament House for a drive through Canberra's diplomatic district - first passing by "The Lodge" - the primary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. We continue the drive through Canberra's diplomatic district where you can spot the embassies of different countries represented in Australia.
National Arboretum: Next we take a drive up to the National Arboretum lookout - a stunning 250-hectare arboretum right at our doorstep with amazing views back over Canberra.
Australian War Memorial:We'll guide you around the central part of the Australian War Memorial before you'll have some free time to observe some of the many galleries dedicated to showing Australia's role in the conflict. The final part of the tour is the Memorial's Last Post Ceremony where a dedication is made to those who have fallen in service for Australia. It often leaves no dry eye.
Time and time again the Best of Wildlife tour impresses those who choose to take part. A half day, afternoon tour, we travel at the best time of the day to see some of Australia's unique animals in the wild.
Varied start time depending on the time of year (daylight saving), the tour begins with pickup at your accommodation before a half hour to 40-minute journey through the rural surrounds of Canberra to the Deep Space Tracking Station at Tidbinbilla.
Deep Space Tracking Station
Here you'll learn about the significant role played by our telescopes in the Apollo missions and the first moon landing as well as current-day deep space tracking.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
We'll travel the short distance to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve where some of Australia's most iconic native animals live in the wild. Through the reserve, we'll hopefully witness and get close to: kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, platypus, emus, colorful parrots and other birds.
Arrive Back in Canberra
After hopefully spotting platypus towards the end of the tour, you'll enjoy the 30-40 minute tour back into your accommodation with drop off to major hotels and motel chains.
September to October marks the season of the Canberra Floriade Festival, one of Australia's most awaited flower shows that has been around since 1988.
The festival showcases Australia's lovely and colourful array of flora. Around 300,000 bulbsare annually distributed to community groups, schools and organisations to plant out in their homes and suburbs, bringing gorgeous bursts of colour to the whole city for the entire duration of the festival.
We've designed a custom Canberra Floriade Tour to showcase not only the Floriade Festival itself but also take guests to visit the National Botanic Gardens, as well as Tulip Top Gardens, a private estate that houses a fabulous display of colourful tulips.
Take a day trip from Sydney to Canberra, the capital of Australia, to explore the city's attractions, cultural institutions and beautiful natural surroundings.
We drive through Australia's cool climate wool growing region and learn about the futuristic planning that makes Canberra one of the world's most modern and liveable cities.
Visit Parliament House, an architectural masterpiece home to Australian democracy. Take time to explore The Australian War Memorial dedicated to telling stories of what our nation has done to prevent war and contribute to peace.
Enjoy lunch (not included) besides the lake at the National Museum of Australia.
From mid-September to mid-October visit the Floriade Flower Festival, the largest flower festival in the Southern Highlands.
A day in our capital is enriching, surprising and thoroughly rewarding.
