A few weeks ago, some of us from the Straight Up PR team embarked on a mid-week Canberra escape to visit our VisitCanberra clients & see why there is more to Canberra than they’re telling us! We didn’t leave disappointed.
Beginning with an easy 3-hour drive from Sydney, we landed at the Midnight Hotel in the heart of the CBD, with modern comfortable rooms, & a sleek bar. It was a nice spot to freshen up & get ready for our jam-packed 24 hours in Canberra!
Lunchtime came, & we headed to Raku with the team from VisitCanberra - this chic Japanese spot has fast become somewhat of an institution in the city. The modern ambiance set the scene for our delicious lunch of sushi, sashimi, tempura, fish & melt-in-your-mouth beef with some local wines.
After lunch, it was time to explore Canberra's wine scene. We visited Mount Majura Winery & met wine fanatic, Fergus McGhie who showed us around this beautiful winery – one of 40 cellar doors surrounded by sweeping vineyards & hills. We learned all about Canberra’s up & coming wine scene, & what grapes were produced. We then enjoyed a private wine tasting featuring the winery's awarded Riesling, Tempranillo & Sparking, while indulging in a cheese platter, in the afternoon sun inside the warm cellar door.
As the sun started to dip, we made a pit stop at Mount Ainslie Lookout. For an early dinner we made our way to another crowd favourite & most awarded Italian restaurant in Canberra, Italian & Sons for an early dinner – only a short stroll away from our hotel. We loved the traditional pizza oven & inviting atmosphere, & the menu was pretty on-point too – sharing entrees & mains, who doesn’t love sharing? We are big sharers at Straight Up PR so we can try it all! We’d highly recommend the House Wood baked Rosemary Focaccia & Hand Cut Pork Sausage pasta – Yum!
The following morning, we met up with the VisitCanberra team at Lake Burley Griffin - a brisk start to the day, with thick fog covering the lake. While we waited for the fog to lift, we explored the National Galleries, from the outside sculpture garden to the Portrait Gallery, when we stepped back outside the sun was shining, so we jumped on some electric scooters & rode around before we made our way to Dairy Farmers Hill at the Arboretum, built up following the devastating 2003 bushfires. The sweeping views of the whole city make you realise just how big & vast Canberra is.
By this time, we were feeling hungry, so we checked out Double Shot Cafe for some toasties & poke bowls, & some good coffee & chai tea to warm us up. Our last stop on our trip was Jamala Lodge, a gorgeous zoo with premium rooms to experience animal encounters like Tigers, Meerkats & Giraffe’s. We were even lucky enough to feed a sun bear, courtesy of our tour guide Gemma - a highlight of our trip!
We left feeling assured that Canberra is the place to be, with a booming dining & wine scene, arts, culture & nature, it truly has it all, & yet we only touched the surface – with so much more to uncover! We cannot wait to visit again & explore more of what the Nation’s Capital has to offer. Thanks for having us Canberra, until next time!
Fore more on Canberra, visit: www.visitcanberra.com.au