Canberra is in the middle. It sits between Sydney and Melbourne, between country and city and in the midst of several smaller towns. For this long weekend celebrate the Queen’s Birthday somewhere cosy within a few hours drive from home.
Junee
A small town with plenty of charm to warm your heart, lies a little over two hours away. Junee has many museums for its size, famous for both its Liquorice and Chocolate Factory’s products and scaring its visitors. Monte Cristo homestead, home to a few friendly ghosts, is Australia’s most haunted house.
Whether you believe or not this place can be a lot of fun, grab some delicious treats over the long weekend, take a tour, and suspend your disbelief.
Cowra
If something more tangible and informative is more your style, Cowra welcomes you. History lives on in this town in the Japanese Gardens and the monuments to the Second World War. The Breakout Hologram theatre especially, brings the past to life, telling the story with a holographic woman.
Your weekend will fill up quickly with visits to The Mill and Australia’s World Peace Bell and The Gardens’ audio tour alone can take several hours if you do it right.
Berrima
A long weekend is a great time to relax and de-stress and do nothing. Why not combine relaxation with an exploration of the haven of craft that is Berrima? You’ll leave a little money behind!
Berrima is halfway between Sydney and Canberra but it is more than a stop for coffee and a toilet break. It may take you a couple of days to get through the high concentration of delightful shops and cafes spanning several streets. Berrima is a wonderfully rustic town, abound with boutiques waiting for you and your time.
Kiama
Canberra’s only real downfall is that it doesn’t have a beach, but Kiama does and it’s not far away from the capital. It has a lighthouse and it is also home of The Blowhole, a rock formation that shoots water high into the air when the tide rushes against it.
A little excitement and a little wine from the region are great ways to escape the cold on the long weekend and an ocean breeze is not such a bad thing either.
We Canberrans love our town and despite our national treasures, our biggest claim to fame is the cold weather! In the winter it’s nice to know that we have several escape plans (in all directions), that take nothing more than a tank of petrol, some friends and a long weekend.
