Questacon

A lakeside installation along the southern edge of Lake Burley Griffin featuring 110 flags. The display represents the United Nations, the European Union, and individual nations that maintain an official diplomatic mission or embassy within the national capital. The flagpoles are fully illuminated at night.

Temporarily suspended. An eco-friendly tour company offering quiet historical sightseeing and morning tea cruises aboard all-electric vessels. Under normal circumstances, the company runs daily tours from mid-September through to mid-May. All public cruises are temporarily offline while the operator undergoes extensive maintenance following a vessel incident.

The library is primarily a research centre, but houses a permanent display of historically significant items as well as temporary exhibitions showing parts of the collection. It's an accessible space, entirely comfortable for anyone to visit. Also notable for its neo-classical architecture.

The Gallery opened to the public on the 4 December 2008, and displays some 400 portraits of people who have shaped and who continue to shape the nation. There are gallery spaces for the collection and temporary exhibitions, public areas including a café, shop, function room, theatrette, education and school group areas, and basement car parking. Portraits are in various media, depending on the era. Galleries are themed by era. The web site gives a good idea of the content.

This vast building is the home of Australia's highest court and contains a vast lobby and three main courtrooms that are open to the public. Tours are available, though restricted when the court is sitting. The building also has a cafeteria. As a matter of etiquette, when you enter or leave a courtroom in session, remember to bow.

The headquarters of the Australian government from the 1920s to 1988, this building is a must for political and/or historical junkies. The building gives a real feel of what it was like when it was in use and has in the past regularly featured rotating exhibitions on the controversies and scandals that rocked Australian politics. It is now a permanent museum. Most of the main rooms - the Prime Minister's office, the Cabinet Room, the various party rooms, the two houses - are open to visitors, as are many smaller rooms like the whips' offices and the broadcasting area. There are also historical photos of Canberra as it used to be, including the times prior to the creation of the artificial lake that shows Canberra under snow during winter (the lake warmed up the city and snow falls rarely on the city now). The gift store has decent souvenirs.