Canberra is filled with monuments, grandiose buildings and state-of-the-art facilities. Virtually every structure in town serves a specific purpose and is also open for guided tours led by experts on local history and politics. Walking tours are viable within certain parameters, though you'll want to arrange transportation to get from one quadrant of the city to the other.

Australian Institute of Sport
This is where Australia's most promising athletes receive their training. While this is a genuine training facility, it also receives a steady stream of curious visitors and the institute offers special tours and facilities to accommodate visitors. The Sportex exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to try their hand at various sports, and there is plenty of opportunity to watch athletes training in various places. Visitors can make use of the facilities (specifically the sauna, swimming pool and tennis courts) upon payment of a fee. Website: www.ais.org.au/.

Australian War Memorial
The focal point of this monument is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with the soldier’s remains having been transported from a WWI resting place to Canberra in 1993. There are several noteworthy exhibits onsite, all of which chronicle Australia and New Zealand's involvement in international conflicts. One of the most moving exhibits explores the price Australian soldiers paid at Gallipoli during WWI. The facility also includes a Lancaster bomber flight simulator and a film related to the surrender of Singapore.

Black Mountain
Black Mountain can be reached by a road of the same name which heads directly west of Canberra city centre. Before ascending the 2,660ft peak, visitors skirt the perimeter of the Australian National Botanic Gardens, which hosts roughly 6,000 native plant species. Continuing on, the peak itself is around 650ft above Canberra city centre. For the best views, climb the Telstra Tower, which will gain you an additional 216ft and some outstanding panoramas of the well-planned city. There's a revolving restaurant at the top of the tower serving contemporary Australian fare.

Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex
As the name suggests, this facility is dedicated to extra-worldly endeavours. Exhibits explore the lives of astronauts, and include examples of food eaten in space, a space suit and several model spacecraft. Video footage of the moon landings are also on display. In addition to serving as an archive and museum, the facility is an active space exploration facility with rows of satellites tracking the progress of Voyager I, Mars Pathfinder, Galileo and Ulysses space probes to name a few. Phone: +61 2 6201 7880; website: www.cdscc.nasa.gov.

High Court of Australia
This modern concrete-and-glass structure looms over Lake Burley Griffin near the National Gallery. In 1980, Elizabeth II presided over its opening ceremony. Now home to Australia's highest court, the facility operates three separate courtrooms and welcomes visitors with an enormous seven-storey foyer. Visitors are welcome to observe actual sessions of court from the public gallery. Phone: +61 2 6270 6811.

National Zoo
This privately-owned zoo has prospered despite its lack of government funding. It houses Australia's largest collection of big cats as well as 28 endangered animal species. Visitors subscribing to the Zoo Adventure Tour have the opportunity to engage several of the animals in hands-on interactions including hand-feeding a Bengal tiger, a brown bear and a sun bear. One of the most popular animals on display is the liger, a massive cat hybrid made by breeding a lion and a tigress. These enormous beasts lack normal growth hormone inhibitors and are many times larger than their parents. Website: www.zooquarium.com.au/.

Old Parliament House
Formerly the home of Parliament from 1927 until 1988, the Old Parliament House now houses the National Portrait Gallery. The House of Representatives chamber is now used to screen a sound and light production, and the Prime Ministerial Quarters are open for tours. The Old Parliament House is located northeast of Capital Hill between King George and Queen Victoria terraces.

Parliament House
Opened in 1988, this structure is the centrepiece of Griffin's architectural plans for Canberra. Half-buried in capital hill, the front of the Parliament House emerges from the earth and is greeted by two granite walkways. Aside from accommodating Australia's Parliament, this building is also a sort of unofficial art gallery, with a total of 3,000 works exhibited. Also on display is the original constitution and one of four of the world's copies of the 13^th century Magna Carta. The public is invited to attend sessions of Parliament, though seats must be reserved in advance.

Cool off at Big Splash. This small-scale water park is wildly popular during the summer. Eight different water slides weave through the premises, and there's even an outlandish 'dive-in' theatre where you can watch a feature film from the comfort of a floating inner-tube. Public barbeques and picnic facilities are also onsite.

Get a new angle on museums. The hands-on National Museum of Australia is one of Canberra's star attractions. The exhibits are fascinating and highly interactive, and visitors get a first-hand look at all things Australian, be it art, heritage or history. This facility will defy all your prior conceptions about museums.

Go ballooning. A thrilling activity and a fantastic way to get a new perspective on the concentric streets of Canberra, ballooning is at its peak in March during the Balloon Fiesta. However, it's possible to charter a balloon in any season, with most balloon operators launching from the city centre.

Pay homage to Captain Cook. Captain James Cook was the first Englishman to stage an expedition into Australia. Today, Canberra honours his memory with the Captain Cook Memorial Jet which plumes 460 feet above Lake Burley Griffin. Be sure to arrive on time, as the fountain only operates twice daily.

Reconnect with nature. There are several outstanding daytrip opportunities into the surrounding mountains. Black Mountain is within city limits and contains several species of wildlife. More distant, though equally as rewarding, are Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

Relax on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin. This urban green space is home to picnic grounds, biking and walking trails. Named after the city's founding architect, Lake Burley Griffin also offers paddle boats for hire.

Wander through Canberra's roots. In the early 19^th century, Canberra was little more than a rural community of farmers. This legacy lives on at Blundell's Cottage, where this stone heritage building is the centrepiece of a colonial tribute.