Canberra Attractions

National Gallery of Australia is the premier art gallery and museum in Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art inclusing a wide range of indigenous works. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery. The gallery also hosts a beautiful landscaped garden located in the grounds between the gallery itself and the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, where many sculptures and works of art are on permanent display.

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia. The memorial includes an extensive national military museum. The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941, and is widely regarded as one of the most significant memorials of its type in the world. The Memorial is located in Australia's capital, Canberra. It is the northern terminus of the city's ceremonial land axis, which stretches from Parliament House on Capital Hill along a line passing through the summit of the cone-shaped Mount Ainslie to the northeast. No continuous roadway links the two points, but there is a clear line of sight from the front balcony of Parliament House to the War Memorial, and from the front steps of the War Memorial back to Parliament House. The...

The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) are located in Canberra and are administered by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Heritage. The botanic gardens are the largest living collection of native Australian flora, the mission of the ANBG is to study and promote Australia's flora. The gardens maintains a wide variety of botanical resources for researchers and cultivates native plants threatened in the wild. It also has some interesting water dragons that live in the water features around the gardens. A delightful place for a picnic, try to grab some food from the city centre first to take with you for lunch. If you are there during summer, call and ask about the jazz evenings. These are held on the weekend and many families attend with evening picnic and champagne in tow, to chill out to the sounds of jazz in the balmy evening temperatures. ...

The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. The Museum profiles 50,000 years of Indigenous heritage, settlement since 1788 and key events including Federation and the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The Museum holds the world's largest collection of Aboriginal bark paintings and stone tools, the heart of champion racehorse Phar Lap and the Holden prototype No. 1 car. The Museum also develops and travels exhibitions on subjects ranging from bushrangers to surf lifesaving. The National Museum of Australia Press publishes a wide range of books, catalogues and journals. The Museum's Centre for Historical Research takes a cross-disciplinary approach to history, ensuring the museum is a lively forum for ideas and debate about Australia's past, present and future. Free admission except for s...

The National Portrait Gallery of Australia is a collection of portraits of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest. On 4 December 2008, its permanent home opened on King Edward Terrace, Canberra beside the High Court of Australia. The collection was established in May 1998, and until 2008 was housed in Old Parliament House and in a nearby gallery on Commonwealth Place. The Commonwealth Place Gallery focused on contemporary portraits and has a particular emphasis on photography.

The National Dinosaur Museum is the southern hemisphere's largest permanent display of prehistoric material,[citation needed] located in Gold Creek Village near Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The museum's exhibition follows the evolution of all life, with a particular focus on dinosaurs. With an annual patronage of 55,000 visitors, the museum is ranked among the most popular attractions in the region. The attached gift shop stocks a wide selection of fossils and ships all over the world. Established in 1993, the museum has been steadily improved and updated since its conception. It offers palaeontology displays that keep up with changes in the science.

Black Mountain Tower (previously known as Telstra Tower and Telecom Tower) is a telecommunication tower that is situated above the summit of Black Mountain in Australia's capital city of Canberra. Rising 195.2 metres above the mountain summit, it is not only a landmark in Canberra but also offers panoramic views of the city and its surrounding countryside from an indoor observation deck, two outdoor viewing platforms and the tower's revolving restaurant.