The Canberra sports quiz for accommodation and tickets to the AFC Asian Cup 2015 is now closed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
*Sponsored content
The New York Times has made it official - Canberra is cool, but what the capital has planned this summer is red hot. This summer visit Canberra for world class sporting events such as the much anticipated AFC Asian Cup and 2015 Cricket World Cup. But don’t stop there. Extend your stay to experience the best of what is new in town as well as some old favourites. With its flourishing arts scene and a thriving food and wine industry, Canberra is the city on everybody’s lips.
Summer sport in the capital is set to sizzle. Bring the family and make memories that will last a lifetime.
Cricket - Carlton Mid One day International, Prime Minister’s X1 and ICC Cricket World Cup
Get close to the action at Canberra’s historic Manuka Oval this summer as cricket takes centre stage. The action begins this week, 19 November with Australia taking on South Africa in a Carlton Mid One Day International. The Prime Minister’s X1 take to the field on 14 January to battle traditional rivals England, a must see. Settle in for February and March as the three ICC Cricket World Cup matches scheduled promise to heat up the night.
Soccer - AFC Asian Cup
Canberra is one of only five Australian venues to be hosting the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup for 2015. Seven matches will be played at Canberra Stadium with dates starting from 10 – 23 January 10, 2015.
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament played every four years. In 2015 The AFC Asian Cup will give Australians the opportunity to see world class soccer played in Australia.
After the game….
“I’m proud to say that most of the young chefs that are opening places around town have worked for me and it’s great to see them taking what they’ve learnt and developing their own style... The restaurant and café scene has well and truly caught up with the rest of Australia.”
- James Mussillon, Chef and restaurateur Water’s Edge, Courgette and Aubergine
As Canberra has evolved so has its foodie scene. Fashionable, highly-rated restaurants and bars sit happily beside family friendly bistro-style eateries and quality cheap eats. Local produce and wine from the Canberra district will add to the uniqueness, character and authenticity of your eating and drinking experience. Here are some of Canberra’s best foodie precincts.
Foodie heaven
NewActon
A short walk from the city centre is one of the finest pieces of urban redevelopment in the country. With a mix of eco design, great cuisine and art, NewActon is definitely worth a look. This part of town is home to one of a number of new fashionably cool, independent hotels, Hotel Hotel. This 68 room accommodation is setting a new benchmark for stylish sophistication across the nation confirmed by a recent win as the Best Boutique City Hotel awarded by Gourmet Traveller.
NewActon plays host to some of Canberra's best restaurants, bars and cafes such as Monster Kitchen and Bar, located in the lobby of Hotel Hotel, as well as A.Baker, Močan & Green Grout, Bicicletta and Parlour Wine Room, as well as an art-house cinema complex. By the way, NewActon was also a location on recent hit TV program The Code.
“Canberra used to suffer a lot in terms of talent drain. What’s different about Canberra now is there is a palpable energy. Much of that has to do with the fact that young people are staying and establishing businesses and committing to a future here.”
- Michael Gray, Food and beverage manager, Monster Kitchen & Bar, Hotel Hotel
Braddon
NewActon eateries are upping the ante but inner-city suburb Braddon and its dedicated eat streets can’t be missed. Centred on hip Lonsdale, Eloura and Mort Streets are an eclectic mix of boutiques, pop-up stores, cool cafes, bars, bakeries and restaurants. New comer to the Canberra foodscape is Hopscotch on Lonsdale Street. Adding to interest and in keeping with it’s inner city vibe is street art decoration in the bar’s interior and its expansive beer-garden.
Other food hotspots include Lonsdale Street Roasters outlet, Autolyse, eightysix, Italian &Sons, The Elk & Pea, Sweet Bones vegan cafe, eightytwenty, Knightsbridge Penthouse, Debacle and BentSpoke Brewing Co. where you need to try a Barley Griffin beer.
Northside - Bruce, Dickson and Belconnen
Dickson has a restaurant strip to rival any with seemingly worldwide choice. Here you will find Canberra’s Chinatown as well as Korean, Malaysian, Turkish, Italian, Indian and Thai food on offer. Hit Sub-Urban which encompasses an Aussie pub, wine bar and and Italian restaurant as well as live music and outdoor area.
On Saturday between 7.30am and 11.30am it’s time to fill your picnic basket at the Capital Region Farmers' Market. Choose from fabulous fish, meat, fruit, veggies, bakery goods, sweets and wine, much of it local and organic.
Kingston and Manuka
Foodies rave about Silo Bakery in Kingston for its sensational pastries, clever breakfast menu and dedicated cheese room and in nearby Manuka the menu at Verve Cafe & Bar will impress. After refuelling check out the areas boutique shopping, art galleries, markets as well as historic Manuka Oval, used for AFL games and cricket matches.
Local plonk
The tranquil rural countryside around the ACT is home to 140 vineyards with more than 33 cellar doors within 35 minutes of Canberra. The wineries are small and intimate providing an original interactive visitor experience.
With so many to choose from we’ll take direction from local sommelier Josh Donnelly.
Josh’s pick: Clonakilla and Helm Wines
Chief winemaker at Clonakilla Tim Kirk has done an amazing job of promoting an understanding of the Canberra Wine District not just in Australia, but globally. Together, he and Ken Helm, of Helm Wines, also laid the foundation for Canberra District vineyards to build from, so a visit to their cellar doors is a must.
Clonakilla, 3 Crisps Lane, Murrumbateman, +61 2 6227 5877, Clonakilla website
Helm Wines, 19 Butts Rd, Murrumbateman, +61 2 6227 5953, Helm Wines website
“Canberra is now such a dynamic place to live. There were always plenty of things going on in terms of arts and culture, but now there is a really vibrant food and wine scene here, with a lot of quality places to choose from. ”
- Josh Donnelly, Sommelier at Aubergine
Love a beer
And for the beer lovers Bentspoke Brewery is all about Canberra. It has a genuine local vibe and the brewer’s love for the city is reflected in the quality of his product. There are 18 different beers on tap including the Barley Griffin and Braddon Bitter.
"For many years my visual library of Canberra had come from, you know, that Year 6 visit to Old Parliament House. [But] coming back and looking at it anew, it blew me away as such a beautiful, sophisticated international city with a lot going on beneath the surface."
- Shelley Birse, scriptwriter for The Code, hit ABC drama, Canberra Times
At the markets
The Old Bus Depot Market is spread over two levels of a heritage-listed former bus depot, the market is held every Sunday and attracts thousands of shoppers every week. Check out the jewellery made from old typewriter keys, the gluten-free brownies and the original paintings.
Hustle & Scout is a quarterly twilight fashion market in hangar #47 at Canberra Airport. The next market on 22 November will feature 54 designers and collectors, three live music acts in a styled live music lounge, 30 food and drink stalls by The Forage, and a pop-up Movember barber shop by Barbero Canberra.
Pod Playground at the National Arboretum
As arguably the most imaginative playground in the country, the Pod Playground comes with banksia cubby houses, acorn-shaped pods at various heights connected by rope tunnels and tube slides. There are discovery trails and climbing nets designed to captivate both children and big kids alike.
Gold Creek village
A short drive from Canberra central is Gold Creek Village. The village includes Cockington Green Gardens - delightful miniature buildings in landscaped gardens - the Canberra Reptile Zoo, The Canberra Walk-in Aviary, National Dinosaur Museum and Aarwun Gallery.
National Zoo and Aquarium
Just five minutes from the centre of town you can get up close and personal with a cheetah, hand feed a bear or pat a shark at the National Zoo & Aquarium
Other Canberra highlights for kids include cooling off at the Big Splash water park, mixing with native animals at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and being transfixed at the National Museum of Australia.
“Picture, if you will, ........a city that’s home to the greenest building in Australia, a building that’s also quite possibly the coolest hotel in the land. A town where readers and riders rule, a town surrounded by vineyards and farmland. That city exists and it belongs to you. That city is Canberra.”
- Pat Nource, Journalist, Gourmet Traveller
Arts and culture triangle
Within the Parliamentary Triangle are some of the greatest art and cultural treasures in the nation. This area, bounded by Kings and Commonwealth Avenue bridges and the south side of Lake Burley Griffin, holds many gems of Australian history and culture.
Highlights
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia will deliver a summer/autumn blockbuster with renowned American artist James Turrell: A retrospective, showing from 13 December to June 2015. A master in light, the exhibition explores Turrell’s work from the past 50 years and follows on from three highly successful US shows in 2013, the last at the Guggenheim in New York.
National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery houses more than 450 portraits that tell extraordinary stories of encounter, exploration, independence, individuality and achievement in Australia. Coming summer exhibitions include: In the Flesh from November to 9 March 9, 2015 and Rick Amor 21 Portraits - from November until 15 February, 2015
National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia is a must visit for history buffs. The library houses national treasure’s such as Eddie Mabo’s landmark papers, as well as family history resources, maps, newspapers, manuscripts and the oral history of the country.
The National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia tells the story of all Australians, public and private by preserving Australia’s most valuable government records. The archives assist all Australians to research their family stories to better understand their heritage and democracy.
Australian War Memorial
Opened in 1941, the Australian War Memorial is widely regarded as one of the most significant memorials of its type in the world. With the centenary commemorations of Gallipoli, ANZAC day 2015, already underway there will be plenty going on at the memorial in the coming months.
Also worth a visit in this golden triangle is the Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, that’s the art deco one.
House on the Hill
Overlooking all of this is of course Australia’s current Parliament House. Take a guided tour to places you never thought you’d go including a breathtaking view from the rooftop. On 25 January 25 the lawns of Parliament House is the place to be as with a major concert from some of Australia’s best musicians and the announcement of the Australian of the Year awards.
“But what the “bush capital” lacks in big-city tousle, it makes up for in big-sky beauty, breezy civic pride and a decidedly hipster underbelly.”
- Emma Pearse, New York Times
Water sports without the sand
Man-made it may be, but as well as providing a picturesque backdrop to the capital, Lake Burley Griffin can provide your summer water activity fix.
The lake really does cater for all. Feeling lazy? Take a cruise. For the more energetic, exploring types bikes and kayaks can be hired.
For something different try a Segway around the lake. The Segway Personal Transporter is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle that will give a relaxing tour of Lake Burley Griffin the kids will love.
A stroll in the park
Ten minutes from the city is Stromlo Forest Park, a world-class mutli-use, recreational sporting facility available to both recreational and professional users. The park boasts a purpose built event pavilion, criterium cycling circuit, grass cross country running track and mountain bike tracks to suit any level of rider. Stromlo Forest Park also has various trails suitable for equestrian riders, runners and walkers keen on exploring the Canberra countryside.
The National Arboretum
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of the 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires, the National Arboretum commands panoramic views over Canberra, Lake Burley Griffin and beyond. Officially opened in February 2013 the arboretum is home to 94 forests of rare, endangered and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world. More than 48,000 trees grow on the 250 hectare site, with species from more than 100 countries represented.
“I have planned a city not like any other city in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any governmental authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city, a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future.”
- Walter Burley Griffin, talking of his plan for Canberra, 1912, from The New York Times
Canberra the future is here.
Week 6, the final week of the sports quiz has been drawn
The winners for the sixth and final week of the competition have been announced.
The lucky winners for this week are Ben Freeman and Rosie Meta. Both winners will be accompanied by their partners for their weekend away in Canberra.
For the final week accommodation prizes will be provided by the spacious Dickson Parklands and the luxurious Hyatt Hotel Canberra.
Just because you’re away, doesn’t mean you can’t have all the comforts of home. Stay with us at Dickson Parklands and enjoy the space and freedom of apartment living with all the best bits of a hotel. Not only that, but we’re super close to the Canberra city and a short stroll to Dickson. Sound good? We think so too.
Hyatt Hotel Canberra, the national capital’s finest luxury hotel, is conveniently located in the Parliamentary Triangle, just minutes from Canberra's major tourist attractions, the city centre and government offices. Heritage listed, the hotel has 252 luxurious rooms and suites. The prize: Overnight stay in a Park King room including breakfast and complimentary wifi.
