Points of Interest & Landmarks

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12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Tuesday

12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Wednesday

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Thursday

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Friday

12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Saturday

12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Sunday

12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

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What people are saying

“Best view of Canberra”

Oct 2022

... see along the perfect straight line down to the war memorial, ANZAC parade, and across the lake to the parliament.

“Great view over Canberra and Parliament House area”

May 2022

Nice easy drive to lookout Looking over Canberra, including Parliament House and the Airport Plenty of parking

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Top ways to experience Mount Ainslie Lookout and nearby attractions

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Best nearby

We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.

Restaurants

608 within 3 miles

Pilot.

111

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Australian • Vegetarian friendly • Vegan options

Breizh Cafe

122

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Dessert • French • Cafe

Terrace at the Memorial

32

0.8 mi££ - £££ • Cafe • Australian

Poppy's Cafe

338

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Quick Bites • Cafe • Australian

Edgar's Inn

193

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Bar • Pub • Vegetarian friendly

Sage

1,307

1.3 mi££££ • Australian • Vegetarian friendly • Vegan options

Courtyard Restaurant

100

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Australian • Vegetarian friendly

Olims Bar & Bistro

127

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Quick Bites • Bar • Pub

Mama Dough

26

0.9 mi££ - £££ • Italian • Pizza • Vegetarian friendly

Theo's Takeaway Ainslie

25

0.9 mi£ • American • Fast food • Australian

See all

Attractions

236 within 6 miles

Australian War Memorial

10,295

0.9 miHistory Museums

ANZAC Parade Walk

454

1.3 miHiking Trails

Museum of Australian Democracy

1,336

2.7 miSpeciality Museums • Architectural Buildings

Lake Burley Griffin

1,933

2.8 miBodies of Water

High Court of Australia

346

2.3 miGovernment Buildings

National Library of Australia

705

2.4 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Libraries

Questacon

3,102

2.4 miScience Museums

National Portrait Gallery

1,847

2.5 miArt Museums

Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial

128

1.3 miMonuments & Statues

Parliament House

3,923

Architectural Buildings • Government Buildings

See all

See what travellers are saying

MapsnMemories
22 contributions
Awesome views from Mount Ainslie
Marvellous views - terrific for photos. Interesting information boards. Refreshments were available from a mobile vendor. Easy drive from the city's main attractions, and convenient, free parking. A must-do Canberra experience - would suggest a visit to the National Capital Exhibition first to fully appreciate the planning behind all you will see.
Visited August 2023
Travelled with family
Written 6 October 2023
Johnny H
Belfast, United Kingdom211 contributions
Lovely view but attack of the Lady Birds!
Loads of parking, nice friendly guy with a drinks stand, AWESOME view BUT attack of the lady birds, lol. The vendor had told us they normally come at the start of the year for two months but were running late this year. 1000s of them. At least it wasn’t mosquitoes!
Visited March 2024
Travelled as a couple
Written 29 March 2024
Dan L
Bunbury, Australia8,538 contributions
Great Viewing area
Visited here with our tour group. Very good panoramic views and, in particular, the view of the War Memorial, ANZAC Parade and across Lake Burley Griffin to both Old and New Parliaments. Good information signage titled The Griffin Plan, Marion Mahony Griffin View and From Slow Beginnings. I considered that the area could be better maintained for a prime viewing area. Great place for all the energetic types that enjoy an uphill run.
Visited May 2024
Travelled as a couple
Written 18 June 2024

These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5

2,316 reviews

Excellent

1,418

Very good

786

Average

101

Poor

7

Terrible

4

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Gwendolyn Ang

Singapore, Singapore102 contributions

Spectacular view of Canberra!

Nov 2019

Walked up from the Australian War Memorial and I have to say, the view is spectacular and unobstructed compared to Black Mountain Lookout/Telstra Tower (which you have to pay to view).
I would say visit during the evening/sunset to get amazing views & to see kangaroos emerge from the forest to forage (they venture as far as the Australian War Memorial grounds!). The kangaroos I encountered happened to be really shy and I would say to keep a respectful distance regardless. Heard a bunch of kookaburras and saw some rabbits too.

Written 9 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eric Z

1 contribution

Astonishing view of Canberra

Jan 2023

A transfixing view of Canberra. You can see the true work of the architects who designed structures there such as the monumental Parliament House and Parliamentary Triangle, especially Anzac Parade. The view is seemingly symmetrical. There is plenty of parking and Mount Ainslie is just around 10 minutes or so from Canberra Central. It's especially spectacular at night when the city illuminates. A breathtaking view of the city.

Written 28 January 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lord M

Jersey, UK296 contributions

Not much of a lookout these days

Feb 2020 • Couples

We drove up early in the morning looking forward to lovely views over Canberra. Well you don’t get to see much of the city these days as everything has grown up too tall for you to see.
The most interesting thing? The boards telling you about Canberra, it’s design, what it was meant to reflect etc.
Don’t bother. Check out the pictures and save yourself a journey.

Written 13 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ross D

Sydney, Australia388 contributions

Best Canberra Lookout

Aug 2022

Located in Canberra Nature Park above the War Memorial it's worth a drive up to the viewing area of Mt Ainslie. Alternatively here are some steep walking tracks. You will be greeted by a good panoramic view of Canberra showing the city's planned layout and the lake. No toilets, food or drinks on offer but a great view from 850m above the city .

Written 1 September 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

royufu

Japan2,071 contributions

Overlooking Canberra

Aug 2024 • Solo

This observation deck overlooks Canberra and may be the best place to visually understand Canberra's urban planning as a fully planned city.
So you never pay too much for car rental from the city. The orderly cityscape is beautiful.

Automatically translated

Written 11 August 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

cougar_df

Sydney, Australia218 contributions

Expansive Views

Aug 2020

As most have said, the views from this lookout is pretty spectacular. Unfortunately the day we went up there was one of the coldest August days Canberra has recorded and with the wind howling away, it did take away from what would have been a very enjoyable experience.

Will attempt another visit the next time I visit Canberra.

Written 10 August 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dan L

Bunbury, Australia8,538 contributions

Great Viewing area

May 2024 • Couples

Visited here with our tour group. Very good panoramic views and, in particular, the view of the War Memorial, ANZAC Parade and across Lake Burley Griffin to both Old and New Parliaments. Good information signage titled The Griffin Plan, Marion Mahony Griffin View and From Slow Beginnings. I considered that the area could be better maintained for a prime viewing area. Great place for all the energetic types that enjoy an uphill run.

Written 18 June 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

inonufing

Whyalla, Australia144 contributions

Superb views

Nov 2019

We were in Canberra when the bushfires where happening and we went to the lookout and you could see the bushfires from here. It was certainly an eye opener to see how close we were to the fires. The 360 degree view from the top is amazing, spend as much time as you can there. There is so much to see of Canberra from here.

Written 10 April 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CRAM-AU

Melbourne, Australia32 contributions

Great hike and views

Jan 2021 • Family

The hike starts at the War Memorial car park and is approx 2km to the top. We saw a great mix of age groups out doing the walk to the top The view at the top is amazing. You can see the whole of Canberra. Definitely worth the visit.

Written 9 January 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

teejayy_xx

Sydney, Australia551 contributions

Views of Canberra from above

Jul 2021 • Friends

The lookout is a must when visiting Canberra. You get to see all of Canberra from this lookout which is beautiful on a nice day. You can either drive straight to the lookout or you can park your car down by the back of the war memorial and take a walk up to the lookout. If you decide to walk to the lookout be mindful that there are lots of stairs and it takes about an hour to get up (it took us an hour as we stopped a few times to rest and enjoy nature).

Written 4 October 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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