My first visit to Australia’s Capital took me by surprise. As a travel photographer, I’m often drafted to wide open spaces instead of cities. However, my first visit to Australia’s largest inland city was a great opportunity to explore and think outside everything I know a city to be.

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Three places not to miss when exploring wider Canberra:

Legoland (Namadgi National Park)

Located within Australia’s Capital Territory, Canberra is surrounded by the Great Dividing Range (to the East) and the foot of the Australian Alps (to the West) with over half of the land persevered as national parks and nature reserves making wider Canberra a surprisingly natural wonder .

When you look closer, you discover some amazing locations only a short drive just outside of the city.

Only a 45-minute car ride, Matt, Rob and I set out to spontaneously explore Namadgi National Park and a place we found through googling known as “Legoland.”

We found ourselves adventuring in the most intriguing places of ancient granite boulders in all manner of shapes, sizes, configurations precariously placed and stacked on one another.

Golden light, sweeping views of the Orroral Valley and exploring the caves below well into blue hour - what an afternoon it was!

Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary

On the edge of suburbia lies a beautiful natural haven called Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary. The sanctuary provides a scientific setting for studying woodlands and ecosystem restoration by protecting a diverse range of woodland plants and animals, protecting both the flora and fauna housed within.

An afternoon that began sunset chasing and after the sky turned 360 degrees of pink, we stayed out way past late and got creative under the full moon.

The National Gallery of Australia

Aside from the café lifestyle and foodie status, Canberra is well regarded for its abundance of culture and artistic expression.

We visited the National Gallery of Australia on three different occasions, each time drawn to the ethereal beauty of Fujiko Nakaya's installation "Foggy Wake in a Desert: An Ecosphere" and teleporting to another world.

Between the hours of 12:30 and 2pm the sculpture emits water vapour which creates the appearance of fog. Nakaya’s “environmental works invite audiences to interact with them: she believes beauty exists within the relationship between nature and people.”

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Thank you Visit Canberra for having us  in your beautiful capital for a few days of fun exploring and eating my way through the city (with Lauren and Jewels too).

M. x