It’s taken me 40 years to visit our nation’s capital for the first time.  Even more embarrassingly,  all I did in a cultural sense is drive past the Canberra Museum and Gallery

before stepping straight into the pretty swish (and very warm) Canberra Centre’s Big W five minutes before closing.  May I place myself in front of you for judgement by saying several somethings that are ‘so Sydney’?  Everything closes so early in Canberra.  There’s so much space you can even walk around the shops on the weekend without once having your personal space invaded.  Why does Canberra need a 23 stop light rail (oohhh… asking for it with this one…)? You hardly have to line up for anything!

Except for burgers…

On our homeward bound pit stop in Canberra, we had high hopes of taking the boys to Questacon for the afternoon and possibly swinging past Parliament House.

I think it was pretty obvious we were from out of town when we left.  Whilst native Canberrans were sensibly rugged up and walking briskly back to their cars or onwards for biggish night, we had our noses pressed to the window of the dumpling kitchen.

So, tell me everything.  How long would we need to stay to visit Canberra properly next time?  Any suggestions for things to see and do with an adventurous and curious preschooler?