Sita Sargeant’s Insider Guide to Canberra

If someone told me I only had one day left in Canberra, I’d start that last day by hiking Mount Ainslie. I think there’s something so special about the city’s stillness in the early morning. At the summit, there’s a display showing how Marion Mahony Griffin and her husband, Walter Burley Griffin, originally envisioned Canberra. It’s a powerful reminder that Australia’s history has been significantly shaped by women. Canberra is one of the only capitals in the world that was, in large part, designed by a woman. Even Walter said that Marion was the genius in the relationship. She was a trailblazer as the second woman in America to earn an architecture degree and played a pivotal role in defining 20^th century architecture.

I often joke that I’m singlehandedly supporting Canberra’s café economy with how many cups of coffee I consume each week. Post-hike, my go-to is often Stepping Stone in Dickson. Owned by women, this café is a work integration social enterprise that is low on waste and provides employment and training opportunities to refugee and migrant women. What appears to be regular coffee-shop fare draws on the women’s cultural backgrounds – and offers phenomenal flavours. The carrot cake is my favourite and the menu of seasonal specials is always worth exploring. Next, I’d visit the Gallery of Small Things in Watson. Anne Masters, a cornerstone of the local art community, curates rotating exhibits here. The intimate space, once a backyard laundry, displays everything from photography to painting and textiles.

The National Triangle doesn’t seem like a secret but there are so many places here that don’t make many visitors’ to-do lists. For instance, the National Archives of Australia does free exhibitions that explore intriguing tales from Canberra’s past. It’s set in a historic building that once housed ASIO. Unbeknownst to many, Canberra has a rich history of espionage. There are stories about ’50s and ’60s housewives being recruited to infiltrate the Communist Party.

The Ladies Rose Garden at Old Parliament House is a beautiful spot to stop and catch your breath. Check out its Centenary of Women’s Suffrage Fountain. It’s a timeline that starts in 1902, when Australian women won the right to vote and to stand for Federal Parliament. It shares moments when the glass ceiling of federal politics has been broken, finishing when Julia Gillard became prime minister. In spring, the garden’s wisteria blooms, revealing a code: the green, white and violet reflects the letters GWV, a sneaky acronym that suffragettes used for “Give Women Votes”!

Make sure you pop inside the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House to see the offices of Bob Hawke and Joan Child, preserved as they were during their tenure as Prime Minister and Speaker of the House. Once you’re back outside, look out for the sculpture of Dames Dorothy Tangney and Enid Lyons, the first women to walk through the doors as members of parliament.

For lunch, I usually head to Bookplate at the National Library of Australia. The pot pie is my particular favourite and I’ll eat at an outdoor table, reading something from the shop’s fantastic range of Australian authors. On Saturdays in spring or summer, I check out the food trucks at The Little Burley Market by the lake. I’m lactose intolerant so I’ll grab an oat milk soft serve at Future Swirl (also sold at selected supermarkets across Canberra).

In the afternoon, I like to check what’s playing at Arc Cinema at the National Film and Sound Archive. The Archive restores films and puts on an amazing program of classics in an Art Deco building. This is solely responsible for my knowledge and love of Aussie film. Tickets are only about $10.

For a pre-dinner drink, I’ll stop by 11e Cave in Kingston. You have to look behind a red door to find it and there are only 12 spots – no reservations. The drinks list is incredible but you don’t need to know about wine; just tell the bartenders how you’re feeling. They’re grape encyclopaedias and really personalise the experience.

My restaurant pick is Scullin’s Muku Ramen Bar. The owner, Rina Miyata, makes everything from scratch and her menu combines the flavours of Hokkaido – thick, chewy noodles and creamy broths – with Shojin cuisine, a plant-based temple food that uses seasonal ingredients.

For dessert, I love Dickson’s Spilt Milk Bar, where the ice-cream is made with condensed milk. The friendly staff always let me sample as many flavours as I like before I settle on my usual vanilla. I’ll brave my lactose intolerance for that.

She Shapes History’s walking tours run in the Inner South, Inner North and National Triangle.