Canberra Day

words by annie brown

We Aussie’s love a good public holiday. And there is one day that Canberrian’s can claim all to ourselves, somewhat smugly, when advising our interstate colleagues ‘Oh, I won’t be at work on Monday, it’s Canberra Day.’ That feeling when you knock off on the Friday of a three-day weekend, practically racing out of work as seemingly the whole office chimes ‘have fun down the coast!’

The smugness that we get a day off work aside, Canberrian’s feel a whole lot of pride when our big day rolls around. Celebrating its 104^th birthday, Canberra is a place that is evolving before our eyes into a city that, dare I say it, has become cool. Everyone says so, just ask the New York Times.

If you are celebrating this year’s Canberra Day, on Monday 13 March, actually in Canberra (and, not Bateman’s Bay) we have the wrap on how to spend one perfect day celebrating our cool Capital.

Up with the birds (and balloons)
Possibly the best week of the year to be up at dawn, Canberra Day coincides with the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular. You can head on down to the lawns of Old Parliament House and catch a flight above our iconic national attractions or if you miss the boat, ahem, balloon, why not grab a spot of breakfast and watch them all go by? Either way, it will be a sight to behold.

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Take a cultural stroll
Canberra’s galleries and museums have a stellar line-up this autumn and what better day to experience them, than a lazy public holiday Monday? The opulence of the Versailles: Treasures from the Palace exhibition will have you dreaming of summer holidays in Paris. For the kids and for the young at heart, take a trip back in time or into the deep waters of the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough’s Virtual Reality Experience on now at the National Museum of Australia.

Picnic in the Park
After all that adventure and culture, Commonwealth Park will be the place to go for a fun family day out. Pack and picnic, find a possie and settle in. Amusement park rides, face painting and dancing will amuse the kids as will an appearance of Shaun the Sheep and The Trolls on the main stage. In the evening, The Hoodoo Gurus will bring out the old favourites for Mum and Dad while DJ Havana Brown will keep the revellers entertained into the night.