South Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

South Canberra Overview

South Canberra includes the part of the city below Lake Burley Griffin and is accessed from North Canberra by the Commonwealth and Kings Avenue Bridges.

Parliament House is the major landmark in this part of the city and the distinctive grass coverd building is both the Federal heart of Australian politics as well as major tourist attraction.

South Canberra is also the location for several national museums and galleries including the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, National Science and Technology Centre, National Library of Australia, National Archives of Australia and The Royal Australian Mint.

South Canberra has some delightful leafy Villages such as Kingston and Manuka which are known for their stylish cafes, bars, restaurants, gourmet food delis and boutiques.

Here you will also find the Diplomatic Consulates and Embassies and Yarallumlua, the location for the Governor Generals (The Queens official representative) official residence.

We have also include Lake Burley Griffin in this South Canberra section. The 11 Km long lake has over 40Km of cycle and walking paths around it.

The James Cook Memorial Jet is another dramatic Canberra landmark. The high powered fountain which propels a water column up to a height of almost 150 m, is located in the Central Basin of Lake Burley Griffin.

Featured on this page are just some, but by no means all, of the major attractions in Canberra.

Canberra is a fascinating city, full of surprises.

Cycle Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin has a bike/walking track around much of its 40 Km perimeter and if you can, a bike ride round one of the "Loops" is a must.

Lake Burley Griffin is entirely man made and the result of damming the Molongo River after extensive excavation was completed in the early 1960's.

The Lake is 11Km long, just over 1 Km wide at its widest points and separated into Eastern, Central and Western Basins by the two bridges which cross from North to South Canberra.

Bike Hire is available from Acton Park which is just on the western side of the Commonwealth Avenue just as it starts to cross the lake.

The Western Basin Loop is a popular and this 17Km ride will take a comfortable 3-4 hours including a lunch or coffee stop along the way.

This ride will take you to the far west of the lake, over the Scrivener Dam and back east through Yarralumla and back to the city.

The ride will take you through some beautiful scenery with some great views back towards Canberra.

The shorter 5Km Central Basin Loop is a comfortable 1 to 1and 1/2 hours ride.

This takes you across both of the lakes bridges and through Kings and Commonwealth Parks and past the National Gallery, The National Library and The High Court of of Australia .

Manuka and Kingston

Manuka and the nearby Kingston both have a delightful leafy village character and are two of the most chic and fashionable wining and dining venues in the city.

In Manuka and Kingston, there are over 65 al fresco cafes, restaurants, wine bars, bars and night clubs.

In Manuka these are mainly centred around Frankilin Street and Flinders Way such as Minque, The Julep Lounge, Company, Diversity of Manuka, Saffron, Alanya, Corque Restaurant and Bar, Legends Spanish Restaurant.

Mecca Bah is an always popular and very unique restaurant serving middle eastern food and the accompanying Bah is a chic and intimate little bar.

In Manuka and Kingston there are also boutiques, gourmet food delis, designer shops, beauty parlours, bakeries and shopping arcades and there is always a cafe nearby.

It is wise to book a restaurant you like the look of as Manuka or Kingston, and Canberra in general for that matter, can be busy any night of the week, particularly if parliament is sitting.

Parliament House

Parliament House, sitting a top Capital Hill and at the centre of State and Capital Circles is literally at the focal point of Canberra.

It is also difficult to miss as its stainless steel upper structure and the massive Australian Flag is visible across much of the city.

The most distinctive feature of Parliament House is that it is partly covered in grass and it appears to be built within Capital Hill.

Parliament House is open to visitors guided tours are also available without charge. The inside of the building is very impressive and beautifully crafted. Native Australian materials have been used with stunning effect.

There are stunning artworks, historical artifacts such as one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, a document deeply significant to the origins of democracy.

If the Senate or House of Representatives aren't sitting it is also possible to see the inner government chambers from the public galleries.

If Parliament is sitting it is also possible to sit in on Prime Ministers Question Time. It is advisable to telephone ahead and book early as this is popular and the aloted spaces fill up quickly

National gallery of Australia

Canberra has many galleries and museums which often feature world class artifacts or artworks.

The National Gallery Of Australia, or NGA, frequently hosts significant art exhibitions which attract national interest.

For example, In 2008 the gallery held Turner To Monet which included paintings from Vincent van Gogh, John Constable and Turner.

This exhibition was extremely popular daily attendance figures of over 7000 people.

The NGA has a collection of over 100 000 works of art over four main artistic themes: Australian, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, Asian and International.