So even though it is 8 months out, I have booked a reward stay at the Crowne Plaza, Canberra for Friday and Saturday night. (Perhaps they will offer a 5,000 point a night PointBreaks later, as we took advantage of at the HI DRW. )
Can I kick of a discussion re. activities whilst in Canberra by suggesting a tour of the Parliament House and the Old Parliament House - Museum of Australian Democracy.
Tour of the Parliament House lets visitors walk across most public areas of the building, including the visotor galleries of both the Hosue of Representatives and the Senate (if the house is not in session - which it isn't on weekends under normal circumstances). An escalator takes you to the roof top where you can stand under the largest Australian Flag in the land, and check out the views of the Parliamentary Triangle; ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial.
The following tours are available at the Parliament House
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Guided tours
Guided tours offer a dynamic introduction to Parliament House and the Australian Parliament including the history, objects, artwork, architecture and the democratic process in action. Guided tours are delivery by the Parliamentary Guide Service and can be customized to meet the needs and interests of the group.
Public tours
Public tours within Parliament House are free of charge and take place at 10:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm, seven days a week. During non-sitting periods Public tours run for 45 minutes and for 30 minutes during sitting periods.
Paid tours
Paid tours are offered to visitors and guests that would like a private tour of Parliament House. Paid tours of Parliament House are at a cost of $9.50 per person and $5.00 per concession. Paid tours can be requested out of standard business hours at a cost of $15.00 per person. During sitting periods the cost is reduced to $5.00 per person, due to the reduced duration of the tour and the restricted access to the Chambers.
Guided tours can be customised to meet the needs and interests of tour groups. Our specialised Parliamentary Guides can provide themed tours which can focus on History, artwork, architecture and/or Parliamentary procedure for Visitors to the building and for guests of corporate events within Parliament House and the region.
The Old Parliament House (sometimes also referred to as the Museum of Australian Democracy) has been converted into a museum and allows visitors to walk through the PM's Officers, Party Rooms, Speaker's office/apartment as well as the actual chambers of the lower and upper Houses of Parliament. Been there a couple of times and I think it's a pretty cool way to spend a couple of hours or three. The Old Parliament House also opens its courtyards for Friday Drinks on the last friday of every month (I will check further into that) and might be something to do for those who get into town early enough. Although as with most drinking establishments in/near The Triangle, it will be rather busy on a friday evening.
Entry to the Parliament House is free. Entry to the Old Parliament House costs 2$ for Adults, 1$ for Children and 5$ for a Family
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The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places; and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over.
Parliament House and Old Parliament House, as previously mentioned.
Good food and wine in Canberra with lots of good cafes and restaurants in Civic, Braddon, Manuka and Kingston, plus the Poachers' Way for a tour of fine food makers and vineyards north of the city. Bungendore is also good for arts and crafts and some nice eating establishments.
If you want to be active, there's bike hire for a ride around Lake Burley Griffin, which is a nice way of seeing our city hidden in a park.
Some advice on what to bring. Late May is getting quite cool - the mornings could be frosty and the average daytime maximum temperatures are around 16 degrees Celcius (approx 60F). The corresponding weekend this year saw snowfalls in the mountains near Canberra and an early start to the ski season. I would recommend a warm jacket and layers for clothing.
Last edited by rugbyskier; Sep 8, 11 at 4:18 pm..
Reason: typo
Thanks for the heads up guys - have booked C & P for Friday night with a regular reservation for Saturday night. If the Crusaders are playing in the Super 15, I may be tempted to attend, but suspect Ozfest will reign supreme.
Bizis have joined the flock at CP... booked the Reward Nights too.
Not a black sheep, let's be very clear.
PS. Very glad to see some of our great OzFest mates here and previous pages having done the same; thanks for the tip. Can't be repeating our booking fiasco at the pre-OzFest at Kakadu!
To those staying at CP (or those considering the other hotels viz. Rydges, Novotel, Hyatt or others in the city), I'm in the inner city suburb of Braddon, about 15 minute walk from Crown Plaza, so if you have any questions/queries or need something looked into, just ask!!!
For parents bringing their kids along, there's quite a few services apartments near the city centre. Quest, Medina are both a short stroll away from crown plaza (which looks like it will be the focal residential option for FTers)
The nation's capital was built on excellent sheep grazing land..in fact there was a lot of whinging about wasting good land on politicians back in the day...
I have spent a bit of time on properties around the area as a kid and loved it- wondered if others would be interested in an authentic sheep farm experience? This one is nearby and looked quite good and offers a range of activites for a group like us:
Attendees in post 11 updated to post 69
8 days to have 37 Platinum Definite
For Oz Fest 8 is was 100 days for 36 Platinum Definite
Expect we will get at least 75 pax in Canberra. 100 pax would not be a surprise.
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Originally Posted by MargoOz
The nation's capital was built on excellent sheep grazing land..in fact there was a lot of whinging about wasting good land on politicians back in the day...
I have spent a bit of time on properties around the area as a kid and loved it- wondered if others would be interested in an authentic sheep farm experience?
This one is nearby and looked quite good and offers a range of activites for a group like us:
For a Saturday and Sunday full day activity, this sort of thing is the usual thing we aim at.
Perhaps SQ421 or the other locals can check into a 50 person type costing for such a day?
Glen
Only just getting back to this thread. Will shoot them an email this weekend and see what they come back with.
Cheers
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The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places; and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over.
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Fredd and Mrs. Fredd told me about the Oz Festival during our dinner in HNL last night. Looks like a great DO, so please put me as Gold for now. I'll be researching prices when I return to Kansas.
Looks like most people are at Crown Plaza. Is anybody staying at the Hyatt?
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