Capital Blooms

This short break from Sydney sees you leave the skyscrapers behind and venture into the bucolic countryside of the Southern Highlands, all heritage villages, vineyards and manicured gardens. The allures all unite in Berrima, the best-preserved Georgian town in Australia – look no further than its convict-era sandstone gaol. Despite its gloomy history, the building awfully pretty to look at. All this touring is hungry work – thankfully, a barbecue lunch awaits on the grounds of working cattle and sheep farm Gold Creek Station, where you’ll learn about life on the land from someone who works it every day. Speaking of working hard for the money, 10,000 people spent years constructing Parliament House, the architecturally eye-catching seat of the nation’s government that was constructed largely from Australian materials. Your Canberra tour guide will take you behind the scenes and reveal all the secrets. Finally, a visit to the Australian War Memorial. Just try to not be moved by the piper’s lament.

There are more than a million bulbs on display annually Floriade, an explosion of colour that transforms the banks of Lake Burley Griffin – as well as some of Canberra’s suburbs in recent years. The month-long affair – the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – was originally designed to celebrate Australia’s Bicentenary and Canberra’s 75th birthday. But it has become a regular on the city’s event calendar. You’ll see why. Continue your weekend in Canberra browsing immaculate flower beds in various patterns and themes, then enjoy entertainment, market stalls and a lively spring vibe.

Yet more flowers await in the Southern Highlands, where Bowral’s Corbett Gardens play host to 75,000 tulips. The aptly named Tulip Time fete here will inspire you to buy some bulbs to plant back at home – it’s that eye-catching. Thirsty? High tea awaits in the Southern Highlands town of Mittagong, where you can toast this action-packed short break from Sydney in style.