Explore Canberra's Great Outdoors

Canberra

Love the outdoors? Australia's capital offers clean, green and wide open spaces, national parks, rivers and lakes, lush gardens and mountain views. Canberra transforms with four distinct seasons and its parks, gardens and natural expanses are perfect for relaxing or exploring your adventurous side.

Hot air ballooning

Rise early and take to the skies in a hot air balloon as the early morning sun fills the valley and lakes with soft morning light. Enjoy the serenity as you drift above Canberra, sealing the experience with a Champagne breakfast just as the rest of the city is starting to come alive. Visitors can also experience the spectacle of the annual mass lift off of hot air balloons at the Canberra Balloon Spectacular in March. balloonspectacular.com.au

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Take a leisurely 45-minute drive to Tidbinbilla on Canberra's southern outskirts for outstanding wildlife and natural experiences set within a beautiful valley. The Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla offers fabulous nature-based experiences such as searching for platypus, observing bird life and getting up close to reptiles. See the live animal displays at the Visitor Centre, and spot wildlife including koalas, emus, kangaroos, wombats, wallaroos and possums. For a behind-the-scenes wildlife experience join a guide on a spotlight tour to discover the hidden secrets of Tidbinbilla at night. tidbinbilla.act.gov.au

Corin Forest

Corin Forest

Corin Forest brings a modern alpine experience to the outskirts of Canberra, offering a snow play area in winter less than an hour from the heart of the city. The Corin Forest Mountain Resort is located in the Tidbinbilla Mountain Ranges and provides alpine adventure year round. In the summertime visitors can bushwalk, mountain bike, ride on the exhilarating Alpine Slide that descends through the forest or enjoy a picnic. In winter, Corin is the perfect setting for Canberra's only snow experience with snow play and tobogganing. corin.com.au

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Take a journey across Australia, from the lush green rainforest to the arid Red Centre, at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Set on 35 hectares of landscaped gardens, the Gardens feature 6300 native plant species — more than a third of all Australian plants. Relax with a picnic, enjoy an event or exhibition or take a walk along the many walking tracks. Drop into the Botanical Bookshop or get a bite to eat at Floresco in the Gardens cafe. anbg.gov.au/gardens

National Arboretum Canberra

Explore the National Arboretum your way – walk, run, cycle or drive a car through the 94 forests of rare, endangered and symbolic trees on 250 hectares of rolling hills close to the city. Discover the stories, people and science behind the forests from around the world, while enjoying spectacular views over Canberra. Marvel at the living miniature works of art at the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection. Relax and refresh in the Arboretum's award-winning building, home to a cafe, restaurant and gift shop, and let the kids loose to play on the Pod Playground. nationalarboretum.act.gov.au

Get on your bike

Hire a bike and cycle around Lake Burley Griffin or go explore popular dining precincts like NewActon and Braddon. The city is bike friendly, with designated cycling lanes on many main roads. For those wanting off road cycling, there are companies that hire mountain bikes and let you cycle popular forest trails like Stromlo Forest Park, which hosted the UCI World Mountain Bike Championships six years ago. visitcanberra.com.au/getting-around/cycling

Telstra Tower

Take the lift to the top of Telstra Tower, which rises 195m above the summit of Black Mountain, and you'll soon be able to see why Canberra is often called the Bush Capital. More than half of the Australian Capital Territory is comprised of parks and reserves, and pockets of bushland weave their way through all its suburbs. telstratower.com.au

National Zoo animal encounters

Go behind-the-scenes at the National Zoo & Aquarium with a hands-on tour. Listen to one of the interactive keeper talks or be brave and take part in an animal encounter to get up close and personal with some of the world's most amazing creatures, like cheetahs, giraffe, sharks, sun bears, white lions, otters, tigers and red pandas. There are also interactive tours, including the two-hour ZooVenture Tour, the Family Tour especially for younger children and their parents, or the amazing all-day Walk on the Wild Side Tour. nationalzoo.com.au

Canberra Centenary Trail

Walkers, cyclists and nature lovers can experience the best of Canberra's urban and natural environments on the Centenary Trail, a legacy of Canberra's 100th birthday celebrations. The 145-kilometre self-guided trail loops around the ACT, is family friendly and can be experienced in sections. For those keen to tackle the whole trail, it will take about seven days averaging 20-kilometres per day. act.gov.au/centenarytrail

Great city views

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

View the layout of Canberra from up high and take in many of the attractions and mountain ranges surrounding the city. Drive, cycle, walk or even run up Mount Ainslie to get a magnificent perspective of how architect Walter Burley Griffin's plan for Canberra has come to life through its buildings and monuments. The National Arboretum Canberra offers great views across Lake Burley Griffin and west towards Mount Stromlo. At Red Hill, look out over many of our national icons south of the city centre.