Half the Australian Capital Territory is bushland, and the best of it sits within an hour of the city. National parks and wildlife sanctuaries, a NASA deep-space station, swimming rivers, the nearest snow to the capital, and the territory's quiet historic villages — here's what to see beyond Canberra.
Explore the Parks Distances & Drive TimesTidbinbilla Nature Reserve for close-up animals, or Namadgi National Park for bushwalks and ancient rock art. Both lie just south-west of the city.
Riverside picnics and swimming at the Cotter, winter snowplay at Corin Forest, and the family attractions clustered at Gold Creek in the north.
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex — a free, working NASA tracking station with the largest steerable dish in the Southern Hemisphere.
It's easy to think of the Australian Capital Territory as simply Canberra, but the planned city occupies only a fraction of it. More than half the territory is national park, nature reserve and river corridor — a swathe of bushland and mountain country that wraps around the capital and gives it the affectionate nickname of the bush capital. And because the territory is so compact, almost all of it is within a 25-to-60-minute drive of the city centre.
That proximity is the joy of it. You can spend the morning among the national galleries and the afternoon watching platypus in a wetland, or swap a city café for a swimming hole on a mountain river without it eating your whole day. The catch is that public transport into the bush is very limited, so nearly everything below is best reached with a hire car (or on a guided tour). What follows is a run through the territory's open spaces, broadly grouped by what you're in the mood for.
If you do one thing beyond the city, make it Tidbinbilla. About a 40-minute drive south-west of Canberra, this much-loved reserve sits in a broad valley between the Tidbinbilla and Gibraltar ranges, and it's the territory's best place to see Australian wildlife up close. Kangaroos graze the open grasslands, koalas doze in the eucalypts, and the wetlands of the Sanctuary are home to platypus, emus and a chorus of waterbirds, all reachable on flat, accessible boardwalks and easy trails.
Beyond the wildlife, Tidbinbilla has genuine cultural depth: the Birrigai Rock Shelter holds evidence of Aboriginal people living here through the last ice age more than 20,000 years ago, and the reserve has the highest density of Aboriginal artefacts in the ACT. There's a visitor centre, a Nature Discovery Playground for children, gas barbecues and walks ranging from gentle strolls to the climb up Tidbinbilla Mountain. A vehicle day pass is required, available online or at the entrance, and the reserve opens from 7:30am with closing times that shift between winter and summer.
Namadgi is the ACT on a grand scale — a 106,000-hectare alpine wilderness that covers roughly 46 per cent of the entire territory, stretching south and west from the edge of the suburbs into high, rugged country. This is bushwalking territory, with trails for every level: short, family-friendly walks like the one to the Yankee Hat Aboriginal rock art shelter, longer climbs to granite landmarks such as Booroomba Rocks and Square Rock, and serious routes into the high peaks for experienced walkers.
The park is rich in history as well as scenery. It holds at least 390 known Aboriginal sites — quarries, campsites and ceremonial stone arrangements on the high peaks — and the remnants of early pastoral huts tell the story of European settlement in the valleys from the 1830s. The Namadgi Visitor Centre, a short distance south of Tharwa, is the place to pick up maps, check conditions and pay for camping (it takes cards only). Note that the park is still recovering from past bushfires and that tracks and roads close from time to time for works and management — it's always worth checking the Parks ACT alerts page before you set out.
Wildlife sanctuary and wetlands, ~40 min south-west. Day pass required. Best for families and easy access to animals.
Alpine wilderness and rock art, visitor centre near Tharwa. Best for bushwalking, from short strolls to high peaks.
One of the territory's most unexpected highlights sits in a quiet valley near Tidbinbilla: a working NASA tracking station, and one of only three such complexes on the planet. Together with its counterparts in California and Spain, the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex forms NASA's Deep Space Network — the system that keeps in continuous two-way contact with spacecraft exploring the solar system and beyond, from the Voyager probes at the edge of interstellar space to the rovers on Mars. It's owned by NASA and run by Australia's CSIRO.
Visitors come for the Canberra Space Centre, the complex's excellent free visitor centre. Inside you'll find interactive exhibits on the missions tracked from here, real space hardware, and a genuine piece of the Moon brought back by Apollo 11. Outside, you can stand beneath a cluster of giant antennas, including a 70-metre dish that is the largest steerable parabolic dish in the Southern Hemisphere. It's a fascinating couple of hours for space buffs and families alike.
Entry and parking are free. The visitor centre currently opens on weekends and during ACT school holidays, with hours that vary through the year, so check before you go. There's no public transport, so you'll need to drive or join a tour, and there's little or no mobile coverage on site. The on-site café may not be operating, so it's wise to bring your own refreshments.
When summer arrives, Canberrans head for the water — not the coast, which is a couple of hours away, but the rivers on the city's western fringe. The Murrumbidgee River corridor and its tributaries thread through bushland reserves dotted with swimming holes, sandy banks and shady picnic grounds, most of them only 20 to 30 minutes from the centre.
The pick of them is the Cotter, where the Cotter River meets the Murrumbidgee about 25 minutes west of the city. It's a classic Canberra day out — grassy picnic flats, gas barbecues, a swimming reach in the warmer months and an easy campground for an overnight stay, all set beneath the wall of the Cotter Dam, which has supplied the capital's water for more than a century. It gets busy on hot summer weekends, so arrive early for a shady spot.
Further along the corridor, a string of reserves offers quieter swimming and walking: Casuarina Sands near the junction of the rivers, Kambah Pool with its riverside walking track, Pine Island with its sandy beaches popular with families, and Point Hut Crossing to the south. Many connect via the Murrumbidgee Discovery Track for walkers. As with any inland swimming, check current conditions and signage — water levels and quality vary with the season, and the corridor occasionally closes for management works.
You don't have to drive to the Snowy Mountains to find snow near Canberra. Corin Forest, about 45 minutes south-west of the city on the edge of the Brindabella Range, is the closest snowplay to the capital. Through the colder months it runs a dedicated snowplay area with toboggan runs, helped along by snowmaking, plus gear hire and beginner sessions — a gentle, affordable first taste of the snow for families who don't want the long haul to Perisher or Thredbo. In the warmer months the mountain switches to its alpine slide and other activities. Snow is weather-dependent, so check conditions and book ahead in the winter school holidays.
Rising along the territory's western edge, the Brindabella Range is the high, forested backdrop you see from much of Canberra. It has a long alpine story — recreational skiing began here in the 1930s, and the site of the old Mount Franklin ski chalet still stands within Namadgi. Today the range is the domain of bushwalkers, drivers on scenic mountain roads and those chasing a winter dusting of snow, with sweeping views back over the capital on a clear day.
Long before the capital was planned, this was pastoral country, and a few pockets of that older landscape survive on the territory's edges — well worth a slow afternoon.
South of the suburbs, the tiny village of Tharwa is the oldest in the ACT, sitting on the Murrumbidgee where the heritage-listed Tharwa Bridge carries the road across to the gateway of Namadgi. A few minutes back towards the city, the Lanyon estate is the territory's finest piece of colonial heritage: a beautifully preserved homestead built from local fieldstone in 1859, set among gardens and outbuildings on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, and open to visitors as a house museum that vividly tells the story of nineteenth-century rural life.
On the northern edge of the territory, hard against the New South Wales border, the village of Hall preserves a leafy, late-nineteenth-century streetscape of heritage buildings, antique shops and cafés. Its monthly village markets are a local fixture, and it makes an easy, characterful stop — about 20 minutes north of the city — paired with the nearby attractions of the Gold Creek precinct.
In the territory's north, near Gungahlin, the Gold Creek precinct gathers a cluster of family-friendly attractions in one spot — among them the miniature buildings and gardens of Cockington Green, the National Dinosaur Museum, and a walk-in aviary where birds flit freely around you. With pottery studios and casual eateries alongside, it's an easy half-day for families, and it pairs neatly with a visit to nearby Hall.
On a hilltop west of the city, the historic Mount Stromlo Observatory has watched the southern skies for a century. The 2003 bushfires destroyed much of the original complex, leaving evocative heritage ruins alongside the working research facility, with sweeping views over Canberra. At its foot, Stromlo Forest Park is one of Australia's premier mountain-biking and trail-running venues, with purpose-built tracks that host national events — a magnet for active visitors.
Because the ACT is so small, some of its best day trips spill just across the New South Wales border. The cool-climate wineries of the Canberra District cluster around Murrumbateman, a short drive north, while further afield the Snowy Mountains (around two and a half to three hours) and the beaches of the NSW South Coast (about two hours) are within reach of a long day or an overnight. Our Getting Around Canberra guide covers how to reach the wider region.
A quick reference for planning your days. Drive times are approximate, from the city centre.
| Place | Drive from city | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve | ~40 min SW | Wildlife, families, easy walks | Vehicle day pass required |
| Namadgi National Park | ~30–45 min S | Bushwalking, rock art, high country | Visitor centre near Tharwa; check alerts |
| Deep Space Complex | ~40 min SW | Space, science, families | Free; weekends & school holidays |
| The Cotter | ~25 min W | Swimming, picnics, camping | Busy on hot summer weekends |
| Corin Forest | ~45 min SW | Snowplay (winter), alpine slide | Snow is weather-dependent; book ahead |
| Tharwa & Lanyon | ~30 min S | Colonial heritage, homestead | Lanyon open as a house museum |
| Hall | ~20 min N | Heritage village, markets | Village markets run monthly |
| Gold Creek (Nicholls) | ~20 min N | Family attractions | Cockington Green, dinosaur museum, aviary |
| Mount Stromlo | ~20 min W | Observatory, mountain biking | Stromlo Forest Park trails at its foot |
We're a family-owned Brisbane operator, and our independent travel guides cover destinations right across the country. If your trip also takes in Queensland, our small-group day tours there include hotel pickup.
Public transport into the parks, reserves and villages is very limited. A hire car (or a guided tour) is the practical way to reach almost everything here.
Tracks and roads in Namadgi and the river corridor close periodically for works and management. Check the alerts page before you set out.
Tidbinbilla needs a vehicle day pass — grab it online before you go, or at the entrance, to save time at the gate.
The visitor centre opens mainly on weekends and school holidays, with varying hours. Confirm opening times before making the drive out.
On total-fire-ban days some reserves close and barbecues are off-limits. Check the forecast and fire rating in summer.
The high country is cooler than the city and weather changes fast. Bring water, sun protection and a warm layer year-round.
Coverage drops out in the parks and at the Deep Space Complex. Download maps offline and tell someone your plans.
The Cotter and the river swimming spots fill quickly on hot days. Arrive early for parking and a shady patch of grass.
Base yourself in the capital and dip out into the bush whenever you like. Start with our in-depth guides to where to stay and getting around Canberra, and the wider Australian Capital Territory.
Canberra Travel Guide ACT Travel Guide