17 September 2025 | CanberraDigest

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: See Bill Bryson in Canberra + The Canola Trail.

☀️ Weather: 16° and sunny. A slight 30% chance of a shower in the morning.

Looking Ahead: 📚 Bill Bryson is Coming Back to Canberra

"Canberra: Why wait for death?" was how Bill Bryson characterised Canberra in his travelogue Down Under. Twenty-five years have passed since then—I wonder how he feels about the city now? He’ll be stopping by Canberra in February on his “Best of Bill Bryson” tour, sharing the major advances of science uncovered in his complete rewrite of the biggest-selling popular science book of the 21st century, A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0—explaining the Earth, the universe and everything in between. Details here.

Further Afield: 🟡 Canola Trail

Fancy a weekend trip? Just two hours from Canberra, you’ll find the Canola Trail, a self-drive adventure past golden fields of canola. Along the way, you can stop at the Temora Aviation Museum, Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum, Coolamon Cheese Co., the Junee Chocolate and Liquorice Factory, plus plenty of antique and boutique stores. Details here.

This weekend, the region will also be hosting the Riverina Long Lunch. You can purchase a Sunday Drive ticket, which includes $200 worth of vouchers. Details here.

Around Canberra: 🪑 A New Op Shop

A new op shop is opening in Fyshwick. Created by former Green Shed employee Adam Charif, The Shed offers furniture, homewares, tools, books, clothes and more. It’s opening this Saturday at 8am at 3/34 Geelong St, Fyshwick (opposite Down Memory Lane).

🥐 Interesting Talks

Formula 1 and Pastries: You may have seen Kate Reid on Australian Story this week and her story of how a Formula 1 engineer battling a near-fatal eating disorder ended up perfecting pastry. Reid will be in conversation with Alex Sloan at ANU about her new book Destination Moon: A Memoir of Fast Cars, French Pastries and Finding Purpose. The memoir is an open-hearted story of passion and purpose from the woman whose mid-career 180-degree turn led her from the elite world of Formula 1 to opening Melbourne’s famous Lune Croissanterie in 2012, revolutionising the art of croissant-making. Details here.

The Six Seasons: Ngunawal people know what season it is by reading the landscape, not looking at a calendar. The flowering of plants, the hibernation of reptiles and the building of nests signal the changing seasons, which can shift from year to year. Learn more about the six Ngunawal seasons in this fascinating talk by Tyronne Bell, part of the Floriade at Lanyon series. Details here.

Exhibition: 📸 The Essence of Canberra

A photographic exhibition capturing The Essence of Canberra has opened at Civic Library, marking 80 years of the Canberra Photographic Society. The society is the longest-running photographic club in the ACT. Formed in 1945 with a simple invitation in The Canberra Times, CPS has captured Canberra’s evolving story through unique perspectives. Details here.

Kids: 🐨 Holidays at Tidbinbilla

Tidbinbilla has released its spring school holiday activities. Kids can meet King Arthur, Lady Yellow and Dame Scully—the resident koalas—and try bush detective treasure hunts, damper cooking, cubby building, animal-spotting with Poos Give Us Clues, and more. These activities require bookings and often fill quickly! Details here.

📰 Tidbits

Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre to be Demolished: The visitor centre at Tidbinbilla is set to be demolished two years after it was closed due to water leaks and health concerns. A development application to demolish the 25-year-old building has been lodged. The park is currently using a temporary visitor centre.

Floriade Record: 46,386 people visited Floriade this past weekend—beating the previous opening weekend record of 42,672.

Classifieds

✨Stress Reset - Half-Day Meditation Retreats: Kingston & Hawker. Take a morning just for you. Step away from the noise and discover (or refresh) simple yet very effective, science-backed meditation practices that calm your nervous system, ease stress, and restore clarity. Led by an experienced local facilitator. Ready to reset? Just $69. Get info & tickets now.

🩰 Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty has arrived in Canberra! This beloved tale is brought to life through classical dance, stunning choreography, and beautiful glow-in-the-dark costumes. Details here.

Classifieds support Canberra Digest.

🎸 Live Music This Weekend

Thursday

Goldies 2 (Student rock showcase) @ Smith’s Alternative
The Kitchen Table Tour (folk) @ Smith’s Alternative

Friday

Peter Bibby (alternative) @ The Baso
Stella Anning (folk/jazz) @ Smith’s Alternative
Shades and Shadows @ Live at the Polo
STS Fest #4 (mix) @ Dissent
Hank Marvin Gypsy Jazz (folk) @ Harmonie Club
Secret Agents @ Burns Club
Chris Harland Blues Band @ Irish Club
The Sydney Conservatorium Big Band (jazz) @ Smith’s Alternative

Saturday

Day 7 (festival) @ Gang Gang
Ashen (metal) @ The Baso
The Genevieves (rock/experimental) @ Dissent
Ballads @ Smith’s Alternative
Ben Drysdale (fundraising concert) @ All My Friends
Blindsided @ Burns Club

Sunday

Good Hammers (folk/pop) @ Smith’s Alternative
Tiana Young (jazz) @ Smith’s Alternative
Alec Randles @ Smith’s Alternative

Wednesday 17th September