Tourist Drive 1 takes in some of Australia’s most important buildings and icons, featured within the Parliamentary Triangle. The route is roughly based on Walter Burley Griffin’s original plans for Canberra.
Route Directions
Starting from the City Centre, from Northbourne Avenue at London Circuit, continue through the lights and around Vernon Circle (City Hill) onto Commonwealth Avenue. Turn left onto Albert Street just before Lake Burley Griffin. Here, you will see Commonwealth Park, Regatta Point and the Captain Cook Jet.
Turn Left from Albert St to Commonwealth Avenue. Get in the Right lane before the traffic lights at Coronation Dr and immediately after these, take the upramp to your right. Turn left at the top onto Parliament Drive. Take the next right and go straight ahead through the stop-sign to access the public carpark for Parliament House.
Leaving the carpark, turn left onto Federation Mall, right onto Queen Victoria Terrace, and continue through the lights at Kings Avenue onto National Circuit. Following National Circuit past Canberra Avenue, you’ll find the Serbian Orthodox Church.
From here, continue on National Circuit and turn left onto Melbourne Avenue. Go straight ahead through the roundabout onto Gowrie Drive, which will take you to Red Hill Lookout. Red Hill also features a golf club and restaurant.
Following a visit to Red Hill, take the time to drive around Deakin, Forrest, Red Hill and Yarralumla to check out the Diplomatic Missions. There are many to visit, and it is best to consult a map to select those that are of interest to you.
Resuming our directions from the New Zealand High Commission, continue across Commonwealth Avenue into Queen Victoria Terrace. Turn left onto Langton Crescent, and then right onto King Edward Terrace. Taking a left onto Parkes Place West, you will arrive at the National Library. Across the road you will also find Questacon.
Returning onto King Edward Terrace and then taking a left onto Commonwealth Place will take you to the National Portrait Gallery and High Court. https://www.actbus.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=6388
From here, take a left back onto King Edward Terrace and then left again onto Parkes Place, and a right onto King George Terrace will bring you to Old Parliament House and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Out of the Parliament House Carpark, take a right back onto King George Terrace, and left onto Kings Avenue. Head over the Kings Avenue Bridge and take a left onto Wendouree Drive. Here, you will find the Carillion, Police Rememberance Memorial and Blundell’s Farmhouse.
Following Wendouree Dri\\ve up to Constitution Avenue, take a right, then right onto Russell Drive at the traffic lights. Following Russell Drive you will come across the Australian/American Memorial on Sir Thomas Blamey Square.
Continuing on Russell Drive, take a left onto Vivian Bullwinkel Dr, and around the corner onto Sellheim Avenue. Take the Northcott Dr exit at the large roundabout and take a left onto Fairbairn Avenue. Turn right at Treloar Crescent for the Australian War Memorial.
Exiting along Treloar Crescent will take you to either Limestone Avenue or Fairbairn Avenue. Turn left into Limestone or Right into Fairbairn and then take the roundabout into Anzac Parade and check out the various memorials that line both sides of the road.
To get back to the city, turn into Constitution Avenue and follow it to London Circuit.
This page was last updated on 7 April 2012
