A local's guide to Parliament House and Canberra's national institutions

One of the quiet privileges of living in Canberra is that the country's most important civic and cultural buildings are, more or less, your local attractions. They cluster around the Parliamentary Triangle on either side of Lake Burley Griffin, most of them are free, and you can see several in a single afternoon. Here is a local's guide to visiting Parliament House and the national institutions, whether you are showing visitors around or finally exploring your own backyard.

Parliament House

Australian Parliament House on Capital Hill is both a working seat of government and an open public building. Entry is free, and on non-sitting days it is generally open from 9am to 5pm, with extended hours on sitting days when the House of Representatives and Senate are debating. You can wander the marble foyer, the Great Hall and the public galleries, and on a clear day the roof lawn offers one of the best free views in the city, looking straight down the land axis to the Australian War Memorial. Free guided tours run daily, and watching Question Time from the public gallery during a sitting week is a genuinely memorable and very local thing to do. Check sitting dates, tour times and booking details on the official site at aph.gov.au before you go.

Australian War Memorial

At the far end of Anzac Parade, the Australian War Memorial combines a shrine, a museum and an archive. Galleries are open daily except Christmas Day, generally from 10am to 5pm, and entry is free. One of the most moving moments of any visit is the daily Last Post Ceremony, held in the late afternoon in the Commemorative Courtyard, which tells the story behind one name on the Roll of Honour. The Memorial is in the middle of a major redevelopment, so some galleries may be closed or relocated. It is worth checking awm.gov.au before a visit so you know what is open and to confirm ceremony times.

National Gallery of Australia

Down on Parkes Place, the National Gallery of Australia holds the nation's art collection, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works to Jackson Pollock's famous Blue Poles. The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 5pm and general admission is free, though major touring exhibitions sometimes carry a ticket price. Parts of the building and the Sculpture Garden have been affected by capital works, so entrances can change. The official site at nga.gov.au has current access details.

National Library of Australia

Next door, the National Library of Australia is far more than a reading room. Its free Treasures Gallery displays maps, manuscripts, photographs and rare books drawn from the collection, and it is the home of Trove, the digital archive many Canberrans already use. The building is open Monday to Thursday 8am to 8pm, Friday 8am to 5pm, and weekends and public holidays 9am to 5pm, closed Good Friday and Christmas Day. The galleries keep slightly shorter hours, generally 9am to 5pm.

Questacon

On King Edward Terrace, Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, is the one institution on this list that charges admission, and it is the one children will beg to return to. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm, with timed entry sessions, so booking online in advance is strongly recommended, especially on weekends and during school holidays. Allow at least two hours for the galleries, or longer if you add the cafe and shop.

Making a day of it

Because the institutions sit so close together, you can easily combine them. A popular loop is the Gallery, the Library and Questacon in one stretch along the lake's southern shore, with the War Memorial and Parliament House best given a morning each. Parking is generally available on site, and the lakeside paths connect most venues on foot or by bike. Canberra's bus network serves the Triangle, while the light rail runs into the city centre nearby. A simple local tip: check each official website on the day, as hours shift during sitting weeks, public holidays and the ongoing building works around the precinct.