Three Ways to Experience Ease

In Canberra, you needn't herd cats. Pack the kids into the car and head to Gold Creek Village. One stop, multiple worlds, a full day of whatever floats their boat: dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, tiny replicas of important things. This is ease in full flight — and affordably priced.

Some return from a UK holiday with an ever-so-slight accent. Others return with a do-or-die mission to build a model village in honour of the Motherland. Doug and Brenda Sarah came back from Devon in 1972 with exactly the latter — and after seven years of planning and red tape, Cockington Green was born. Four generations of Sarahs later, it remains one of Canberra's most enduring icons: 35,000 flowers grown on-site each year, miniature buildings from 30 countries, and a steam train that's been huffing and puffing its way around this little land for 36 years.

When tiny things grow tiresome, let the dinosaurs step in. They reigned for 186 million years. Stomping and chomping their way around the globe, dinosaurs' tenure on Earth is — as it stands — 26 times longer than ours has been. By any measure, we remain the newcomers, with much to learn about these prehistoric giants — especially considering we've only recognised them as dinosaurs for around 200 years. The National Dinosaur Museum is an excellent place to answer questions and stoke new ones.

Round out the afternoon at the Canberra Walk-In Aviary — hand-feed birds that have no interest in your personal space. And marvel at the fact that birds and dinosaurs are closer friends than you think — our feathered friends descended from theropod dinosaurs, the same group as T-Rex and Velociraptors, meaning a T-Rex actually shares considerable DNA with modern chickens. Blow the kids' minds with wild facts while you move to the Canberra Reptile Zoo, where dinosaurs' closest living relatives are ready and waiting to be held.

Buy the Gold Creek Adventure Ticket and do all four. Like everything in this city, it's all right there — no rushing, no backtracking, no piling in and out of the car. Simply arrive curious and leave calmed.

In keeping with Canberra's architectural edge, the LESS Sculpture lets you know you've arrived at Dairy Road — only fifteen minutes from the city centre. Walk the ramp to the viewing platform amid 36 concrete columns, and imagine the future where, consumed by the 8,500 plants around it, the sculpture — by Chilean art and architectural practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen — comes to resemble an urban utopia reclaimed by nature. From here, take a moment to ponder your peckishness — depending on urgency, your options fan out in several directions, each involving a breezy walk through Dairy Road's rabbit-warren buildings.

If hunger registers as peak priority, beeline for Canteen. Spicy ramen is one of the city's best bowls, especially when paired with a whisky-based, forehead-cooling highball. Take a moment to appreciate the immaculate hand-carved ice — it tells you everything you need to know about Canteen's standards. Reservations are recommended and keep your eye on the time: the kitchen closes at 2pm. Is missing out on Hot Daddy ramen a day ruiner? Best not to find out.

If a leisurely stroll-before-bowl is more the mood — and if there are kids in tow — The Stream is open from 10am til 2pm. Let the little ones splash about in shallow running water and grassy mounds while you watch from a shady patch of native grass.

Starting with sweet is never a dull idea, and Under Bakery is ready to prove it. The cardamom buns are alone worth travelling for, and having a baguette on hand certainly doesn’t hurt.

Food isn't compulsory here. Capital Brewing Co serves some of Canberra's best beers, ready to slake a well-earned thirst. If you've come for BlocHaus bouldering — a fantastic activity for families — beers and burgers are best left til last.

Park once. Stay as long as you like. Those who move unrushed through the buildings’ winding halls — or Fern Alleys — are rewarded.