Where to go
Do you have a longing for fairy floss, show bags, pig races and thrill rides? There's all that and more at the Royal Canberra Show.
The show - which has been a Canberra event for nearly a century - is back from Friday, February 23 to Sunday, February 25 at Canberra Showground, Flemington Road, Mitchell. The woodchopping event is back after a year off (because of a lack of timber) and there's a new Outback Stockman's Show with displays of horsemanship, working dogs and more.
There's plenty for children to see and do including the interactive science extravaganza, demonstrations of milking, shearing and pottery making. Dining choices are many from the traditional dagwood dog to Turkish, Asian, Italian and German food trucks, and bars to buy a beer or other alcoholic beverages. For more details see: canberrashow.org.au
Where to eat
Kingston restaurant Onzieme is recommended by none other than US star Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Barry) who dined there during his recent Australian tour. On Instagram he posted: "FOOD TIP: Canberra, Australia: ONZIEME ... original and consistently tasty and friendly." The menu includes lots of small plates - sugar snaps, macadamia, bush tomato is one, kingfish kokoda, cucamelon, taro crisps is another. If it's good enough for the man who played the eternally cool Fonzie (kids might need to ask their parents about him) - and for The Canberra Times - it should be good enough for just about anyone. See: onzieme.com.au
What to listen to
With the recent death of Canberra writer Marion Halligan, a three-time winner of the ACT Book of the Year and winner of The Age Book of the Year among other accolades, it's a good time to remember her by listening to Season Three, Episode 29 of the podcast Secrets from the Green Room. On it, Canberra writers Irma Gold and Karen Viggers talk to Halligan about her initial inspiration - American poet Sylvia Plath - how writing is a kind of madness, her good and bad experiences with editing and what it was like being edited by her sister. She talks about why essays are her favourite form, the controversies while serving as Chair of the Australia Council Literature Board and why she got angry at Bill Bryson at the Melbourne Writers Festival, among other subjects. See: podcasts.apple.com
What to watch
In case you hadn't heard, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is now in Australia on The Eras tour. If you weren't lucky enough to score a concert ticket, you can still get a Swift experience. You can watch - or revisit - The Eras Tour (Extended Edition) on Prime (amazon.com.au/prime) or Miss Americana on Netflix (netflix.com). Hardcore Swifties will have their own favourites.
What to see
The Royal Australian Mint's gallery is being renovated so the institution has a pop-up exhibition and shop in the Canberra Museum and Gallery in the city centre. The exhibition will explore the ways change has been a key part of the Mint story. You can see objects from the National Coin Collection that have never been displayed at the Mint. See: ramint.gov.au
