April 10 2025 | CanberraDigest

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: Canberra’s foodie news + why the Lake looks lower.

⛅️ Weather: 25° and partly cloudy.

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Looking Ahead: 🎶 Tim Minchin

Tim Minchin, singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian and actor, is bringing his new show Songs The World Will Never Hear to Canberra in November. Audiences can expect an evening packed with unforgettable songs and stories as Minchin looks back on how a Perth cabaret pianist ended up building one of the most eclectic and extraordinary careers in entertainment. Details here.

🍜 Canberra Eats

AK’s Pop-up: AK’s, the popular hole-in-the-wall lunch spot in New Acton, is hosting a street-style dinner pop-up this Saturday evening from 5pm till sell-out. There will be 32 seats plus some milk crates, loud 90s hip hop all night, and some of the best Malaysian food around town. They’ll be serving up Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang and Prawn Sambal. All the details have been posted on Instagram. Details here.

Big Box Barbecue: Big Box Barbecue, a regular at the Old Bus Depot Markets known for Texas barbecue, is opening Iluka St Market at Narrabundah shops—a collaborative kitchen serving their signature BBQ alongside rotating pop-ups from around Australia. There’s no opening date yet, but you can follow them on Instagram. Details here.

Agostinis Breakfast: Italian restaurant Agostinis at the East Hotel has started doing breakfast. While the menu features all the usual suspects like smashed avo and a bacon and egg roll, there are a few surprises like a breakfast lasagne and carbonara scrambled eggs. Details here.

Beer, Beer, Beer: There is lots of beer news this week. The Canberra Theatre has partnered with BentSpoke to release a 60th-anniversary limited edition Hazy Pale Ale. It’s available at the theatre bar. Parlour (New Acton), which has a new owner and a new menu, also has a new beer on tap, the Parlour Lager—a crisp and refreshing 3.5% ABV. And finally, Capital Brewing’s Anzac Bickie Brew piqued my interest. It’s described as “Sweet, nutty, nostalgic and dangerously sippable.” You can try it at the Capital Brewing Taproom.

L’épi Yarralumla: One of Canberra’s best bakeries, L’épi, is opening a new store at the Yarralumla shops. The grand opening is next Wednesday, April 16 (7am - 5:30pm every day), and to celebrate, all purchases in their first week of opening will receive a free baguette.

Chong Co: A new Chong Co Thai restaurant will be opening soon in Dickson. Chong Co already has restaurants in Belconnen, Kingston Foreshore, and Greenway.

Tidbits:

New Dish: NASA’s Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex near Tidbinbilla is getting a new dish. It currently operates four radio antennas, and preparations have begun to add a fifth dish to increase the network’s capacity. The complex recently celebrated its 60th birthday on March 19. More.

Thor’s Firewood Alternative: I came across these briquettes made by local furniture maker Thor’s Hammer. Wood heaters are being phased out in Canberra, but if you’re still using one, these briquettes made from recycled hardwood sawdust collected in their workshop seem like a better fuel option. They have a lower moisture content than firewood, resulting in less smoke and higher heat efficiency. Details here.

Lake is Getting Lowered: You may have noticed the Lake looking a little lower lately. The NCA has begun lowering the water level of Lake Burley Griffin to support construction works for the Scrivener Dam Dissipator Strengthening Project. The level will drop by 250mm to 500mm until the project wraps up in 2027.

Canberra’s New Bin Collectors: A new company will soon take over bin collections across Canberra. JJ’s Waste & Recycling, awarded the contract last year, will now handle waste, recycling and green waste, which was previously split across four separate contracts. They were required to offer employment to waste workers who worked for the previous companies on the same terms. Collections begin under JJ’s on April 28. If your collection day is changing, you’ll get a notification in your letterbox.

Something to do: 📚 Meet the Author

ANU’s Meet the Author series continues in April and May, with some big names on the program. Ian Rankin, the multi-million copy bestselling author of over 30 novels, will be in conversation with Chris Hammer. Kate Grenville, one of Australia’s most celebrated writers and author of the international bestseller The Secret River, will discuss her new book Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place with Ann McGrath. And bestselling author Dervla McTiernan returns with her much-anticipated new Cormac Reilly novel, The Unquiet Grave, in conversation with Chris Hammer. Details here.

Looking Ahead: 🏉 Brumbies v Lions

Following defeat in the 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour, the best of English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh rugby will come together again in the pursuit of revenge when they take on the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in July. Details here.

Classifieds:

studioMAP: Bookings and early bird rates are now open for studioMAP Term 2 after-school and Saturday art classes for children & teens specialising in painting, drawing & illustration for 6-18 yrs years olds. Tryouts are available too. Term 2 commences on April 29 for ten weeks. Book Now & details : studiomap.com.au

studioMAP is located in studio 3, M16 Artspace / Community Arts Centre, Blaxland Griffith ACT. studioMAP is celebrating its 30th year of service in 2025.

Classifieds support Canberra Digest