Best family activities in Canberra

Canberra's family attractions are dominated by the national institutions — museums, galleries, and the parliament — that the federal capital's purpose creates in concentrations unavailable in any other Australian city. Most are free entry, making Canberra one of the most family-affordable capital cities in the country.

Questacon — The National Science and Technology Centre — the interactive science centre in the central basin provides 200 hands-on exhibits across physics, biology, earth science, and technology that create the most engaging educational family experience in the ACT. The free-fall slide, the earthquake simulator, and the mini TV studio are universally popular.

National Museum of Australia — the museum on Acton Peninsula provides the Australian history galleries, the First Australians gallery, and the Garden of Australian Dreams — the conceptual landscape map installation — that collectively make it the most thought-provoking of the national institutions for children old enough to engage with Australian history and identity.

National Zoo and Aquarium — the privately operated zoo at Yarralumla provides the cheetah encounters, the bear habitat, the seal shows, and the Jungle Surfari rope course that give it a more adventurous character than publicly operated zoos while maintaining strong conservation messaging.

Lake Burley Griffin pedal boats and kayaks — the hire facilities at the Commonwealth Park and Acton boatsheds provide the paddle boats and kayaks that give children an active water experience on the lake that defines the city centre's spatial character. The ferry to Black Mountain Peninsula extends the water experience.

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