Monday 7th July

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: This week in Canberra + Family-friendly walks.

☁️ Weather: 15° and cloudy. Slight 30% chance of showers.

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📆 This Week in Canberra

NAIDOC Week: Parliament House will be illuminated tonight and tomorrow night, and there are walks, tours, workshops and more happening around town—including the 10th anniversary of NAIDOC in the North this Saturday. Details here.

Brumbies v British & Irish Lions: A grudge match 12 years in the making! After their 2013 defeat, the best of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales return to Canberra to face the Brumbies this Wednesday night. Details here.

Philatelic Society of Canberra Open Day: Dive into the world of stamp and coin collecting. Expect a diverse array of stamps, coins, and collectables for sale. Details here.

Harrington Circus Show: The Harrington Circus is setting up the big top in Monash for the July school holidays. Expect beautiful aerials, hilarious clowns, magic illusions, and death-defying acts in this 80-minute action-packed show. Details here.

Hawker Christmas in July Markets: Hawker Community Gardens is hosting a Christmas in July market this Saturday with local artisans selling jewellery, felt toys, soaps, cards and more, at the Hawker shops from 10am to 2pm.

Bring Back My Wives: This show fuses the glitz and drama of The Real Housewiveswith the fierce flair of RuPaul's Drag Race. Get up close to the queens as they bring charisma, catfights, and couture to the live stage. Details here.

Winter in the City: Free performances continue this week in the city, including nightly fire shows. Details here.

NRLW Raiders vs Sharks: The Canberra Raiders NRLW team takes on the Cronulla Sharks this Saturday at Canberra Stadium. Details here.

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Something to do: 🥾 Family-Friendly School Holiday Walks

Credit to the ACT Parks and Conservation Service for putting together this list of family-friendly walks:

Cotter Dam Discovery Trail: A 1.4km pram-friendly loop along the Cotter River, with a viewing platform overlooking the Cotter Dam. The trail is lined with stories about Canberra's water history. Details here.

Congwarra Trail: Walk or cycle this 3.1km loop trail in Tidbinbilla. It's an easy track with gentle hills. Details here.

Jerrabomberra Wetlands: There are several easy walks through the wetlands. Stop at the bird hides to learn about the 200 species that visit this habitat. Details here.

Woodland Walk: A gentle 1km loop from the Namadgi Visitor Centre, taking you through endangered Yellow Box–Blakely's Red Gum grassy woodland, with interpretive displays on Namadgi's natural and cultural heritage.

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Canberra Kids: 🦖 Basketball, Dinosaurs and Nature Play

Some more activities happening these school holidays:

Jurassic World Rebirth: There's a pop-up "adventure zone" at Canberra Centre with animatronic dinosaurs, an AR experience, and fossil hunting. Details here.

Basketball World: The Hyperdome is running Basketball World during these school holidays. There are shows from freestyle performer Basketball Man, a reflex reaction wall, basketball connect four, and other games. Details here.

Winter Nature Play: The National Arboretum is hosting a Winter Nature Play day this Friday for young children up to age 5. Details here.

Roundup: I've put together a roundup of all the other winter school holiday activities I've mentioned in the Digest over the last few weeks. Details here.

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Something to do: 🔭 Molonglo Astronomy Night

I keep including these astronomy nights because they're always popular—the Canberra Astronomical Society and Suburban Land Agency are hosting an evening under the stars in Whitlam. This one will be extra special, with a wide range of celestial objects visible. It's free! Details here.

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Tidbits

Proposed Dog Laws: Dogs would be required to have at least three hours of human contact under proposed laws in the ACT. Community consultation for the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs in the ACT is now open. More.

PFAS Clean-up: After years of delays, around 300 kg of toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" will be cleaned up at Canberra Airport. Airservices Australia—under a federal remediation order after a long dispute with Capital Airport Group over responsibility—will begin work in December, decommissioning old fire-training sites and treating or removing contaminated soil. The project is expected to take 18 months.

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Classifieds

🧑‍⚖️ The Jury Experience: Step into the heart of a high-stakes trial with The Jury Experience. In this live theatre show, you are the jury—the power to deliver justice is entirely in your hands. You'll examine every piece of the puzzle, from witness testimonies to forensic data, and ultimately decide: guilty or innocent? Details here.

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Classifieds support Canberra Digest