Life gets busy! We get caught up in the everyday and sometimes forget to take time for ourselves. That is why it was nice to get away from the distractions of home and spend the night with the teen at Peppers Gallery Hotel in NewActon for a little urban charm and quality family time.
Charming spaces at Peppers Gallery Hotel in NewActon
Urban is not usually a word used to describe Canberra, but NewActon has elegantly combined doses of art with inner city chic and urban edge. Situated north of Lake Burley Griffin within walking distance of the city, NewActon is a neighbourhood housing a mixture of residential and commercial buildings with a quirky mix of hotels, bars, cafes and an arthouse movie cinema still with plenty of green space throughout. It is just a fascinating place to spend a day or night challenging the perception of Canberra.
First up
After checking into Peppers Gallery Hotel, we stashed our bags and made a beeline for the NewActon bike hire stand just around the corner from the hotel. Both of us are a little rusty on the bikes, we tried our luck and cheered each other on as we (eventually) got into the swing of things and took the bikes over the pedestrian bridge to Lake Burley Griffin.
NewActon bike hire stand
A little Virtual Reality at the National Museum of Australia
Hitting our riding stride, we made our way to the National Museum of Australia, where we enjoyed one of their recent exhibitions – David Attenborough’s Virtual Reality Experiences. Using the latest in virtual reality technology, spectacular footage and David Attenborough’s storytelling ability we dove into the Great Barrier Reef and beyond. I have never used VR before and it was quite an immersive experience – perfect to share with the teen as the exhibition is not recommended for those under 13 years old.
Bookings are required via http://www.nma.gov.au/whats-on/events/attenborough-vr-experience#bc=hpc2-vre
Dinner
Rustic Italian food at Bicicletta
With the bikes returned, we started to turn our minds to dinner and settled into Bicicletta, the cosy onsite restaurant at Peppers Gallery Hotel. They serve up rustic Italian fare and on a warm day or night, be sure to request a table in the courtyard to soak up the coming and goings of NewActon and indulge in some people watching.
And a Movie
We finished off the night at Palace Electric, the elegant and stylish arthouse cinema in NewActon watching a charming French comedy – one of the advantages of traveling with a teen is not all movies now have to be of the cartoon variety and in English!
Palace Electric
To book a stay at Peppers Gallery Hotel, visit the website http://www.peppers.com.au/australian-capital-territory/canberra/
To check in on all things New Acton, visit the website http://www.newacton.com.au/
*Sophia enjoyed her stay as a guest of Peppers Gallery Hotel in NewActon but happily paid for all her own meals and activities.