AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN| 135
(nga.gov.au),cocktails,dinnerandfreewifi.
Weindulgeina pizzanightatagostinis,the
pumpingItalianrestaurantjustoffthelobby.
Snuggledintoourleopardskinboothwe
devourtheGamberipizzawithprawns,
cherrytomatoes,chilli,parsleyandfiordi
latte,accompaniedbya bottleoflocal
CollectorWinesshiraz.
Foodamnesiais theconditionneeded
fora winterweekendateast,becauseby
morningweareallravenousagainand
devourthespicedplumbriocheFrench
toastatMuse,thehotel’sbookshop/cafe
combo.Bynightthisspaceconvertsinto
a coolwinebar.
afterbreakfast,weheadouttoexplore
thecity.thereis handyeducationalsignage
everywhere– justlikeanoutdoormuseum.
Firststopis themagnificent‘Monet:
ImpressionSunrise’exhibitionattheNGa.
thenweswapImpressionistwaterliliesfor
theexcellentcarrotcakeattheNational
PortraitGallerycafe(portrait.gov.au).
Familytravelis oftenaboutcompromise,
butCanberradoesn’tfeellikeoneatall.
It’ssowalkableandcheerfulthateveryone
is thoroughly enjoying themselves.Webegindaytwobyfuelling
upatMocanandGreenGrout
(mocanandgreengroutcom.wordpress.
com),a Newactoncafethatservesthebest
bakedeggswithsumacandchevre.this
wasthefirstcafeinCanberratolooklikea
1970 s potter’sshed,fullofplantsandlovely
ceramics.It’snotatallcynicallyhipster– this
placehassoul.Caffeineated,wepounce
ontheincrediblePodPlaygroundatthe
NationalArboretum(nationalarboretum.
act.gov.au),anadventureplaygroundinthe
middleofa botanicalgardendevotedto
growingtreesforconservationandscientific
research.Nextis geekparadiseQuestacon
(questacon.edu.au),theiconichands-on
museumwherescienceis interactiveand
outrageouslyamusing.
Onourlastnightateastwebookinfor
theatavolafeast,a menuwithsomething
foreveryone,fromtheseven-year-old’slove
of french fries to the husband’s need for anagedrump.thewinelistis heavy-hitting.
thereareseveralrock-starbarolos,butto
geta realtasteoftheregionwealsosample
grapevarietalsfromnearbyCollectorand
Murrumbateman.Canberra!Whoknew
you could be so sensual?#Photography from bauersyndication.com.au (NGA), Scott Hawkins/bauersyndication.com.au (National Portrait Gallery) & Alamy (Monet).
WHAT’SON
The‘Monet:ImpressionSunrise’
exhibitionisonattheNGAuntil
September1. Thepaintingthatgivesthe
showitsname(Impression,SoleilLevant)
rarelyleavestheMuséeMarmottan
MonetinParis.FollowingtheMonet
exhibitionisa voyageintotheworldof
PopArtwith‘LichtensteintoWarhol:The
KennethTylerCollection’,openingon
September7 andfreeofcharge.Floriade
(floriadeaustralia.com),thecity’sannual
celebrationofspringisonfromSeptember
14 toOctober13.Thefloraldisplaysand
culturaleventsarenotto be missed.WHERETOSTAY
TheEasthotelinKingstonoffersa
WeekendinCanberrapackage(tickets
totheMonetexhibitionattheNGA,
accommodationina one-bedroomEast
Apartment,cocktails,dinner,freeparking
andwifi);$380foronenightor$580for
two nights.*Price valid until September 1.