ACT Historic Places

16/10/2026

🎻 It's concert day! Live at Lanyon is TODAY! 💃

There's still time to grab your tickets and join us for an afternoon of music with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra!

This year's Latin inspired program has plenty of surprises in store, from live tango dancing and classical guitar to orchestral renditions of Shakira, Ricky Martin and Despacito.

🌞 20 degrees and no rain forecast during the concert. All that's left to do is book your tickets, pack a picnic and head to Lanyon!

📍 Lanyon Homestead, Tharwa
🕓 Gates open 4.15 pm
🎶 Music starts 5 pm

🎟️ Last chance to join us! Book your tickets now | https://events.humanitix.com/live-at-lanyon-with-the-canberra-symphony-orchestra-2026/tickets

16/10/2026

☀️ 20 degrees, no rain and live music beneath the Brindabellas. Tomorrow is looking pretty good! 🎶

The forecast is looking beautiful for Live at Lanyon tomorrow, with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra bringing Latin rhythms, tango and pop favourites to the lawns of Lanyon Homestead.

Bring a picnic, gather your friends or family and enjoy a spring afternoon in one of Canberra's most spectacular settings.

📅 Tomorrow, Saturday 17 October
🕔 Gates open 4.15 pm, concert begins 5 pm
📍 Lanyon Homestead, Tharwa

🎟️ Still haven't booked? There's a beautiful afternoon ahead. Grab your tickets and join us!

Tickets | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/live-at-lanyon-with-the-canberra-symphony-orchestra-or-2026

14/10/2026

Who would have thought that this children's desk at Calthorpes House would reveal a secret message?

Hidden inside this desk's storage compartment are the words: “The Fonz”, “Man O’ Man”, “Cool” and “Groovy”. These inscriptions reference the iconic character Fonzie from the popular television series Happy Days (1974-1984).
These references to television, popular culture and the slang of the 1970s provide a glimpse into the lives of the young Waterhouse children who once called Calthorpes House home. They remind us, and our visitors, that the house represents much more than the period in which it was built. It was a lived-in family home where children grew up, developed their own interests and identities, and eventually became adults.

29/09/2026

Spring is in full colour at Lanyon Homestead, Floriade’s satellite site 🌷

Join a guided garden tour and discover how Lanyon’s landscape has changed across generations, from productive gardens to ornamental planting, all while enjoying the seasonal blooms and sweeping views.

There is plenty for families too. During the school holidays, kids can get creative with botanical collage, make wooden cyanotype bookmarks or explore the gardens through imaginative drama.

Come for a tour, stay for the gardens, and enjoy a different side of spring at Lanyon Homestead.

Explore the remaining program and book now | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/floriade-at-lanyon-2026

31/08/2026

Help shape the future of Canberra’s museums, collections and heritage

The Cultural Facilities Corporation (CFC) is seeking Expressions of Interest for membership of its Museums and Heritage Advisory Committee.

This strategic advisory committee will provide independent advice to support the stewardship of museum collections, heritage places and cultural storytelling, while helping guide audience engagement, digital access, major projects and the future development of Canberra’s Civic and Cultural District.

We are seeking a diverse mix of expertise and perspectives, including but not limited to:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, cultural authority, knowledge systems and lived experience

Museums, heritage or cultural sector expertise

Strategic, commercial and governance capability

Major project, infrastructure or precinct development experience

Audience development, marketing and tourism insight.

We are committed to building committees that reflect the diversity of our community and welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from multicultural backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disability, and people with lived experience of mental illness.

Further information on the Museums and Heritage Advisory Committee Charter can be found at https://www.culturalfacilities.act.gov.au/about-us/advisory-committees

To apply, please submit the following to [email protected]

✅ A short statement of interest (maximum one page)

✅ A current CV

Be part of shaping Canberra’s cultural future.

Applications close: 24 September 2026

28/08/2026

Floriade's Find Floyd's Family has begun, and we're proud to be one of the venues hosting a gnome! Floyd, Floriade's much-loved mascot, has lost his family of 39 gnomes across Canberra, and we're one of the stops on the hunt.

Follow the clues at floriadeaustralia.com, make your way to us, and scan the QR code when you find our gnome. Track down all 39 and you'll go in the draw to win.

The hunt runs until 27 September, so come say hello, find our gnome, and enjoy a little of the Floriade spirit before the festival begins.

27/08/2026

From this Saturday, we'll be displaying a collection of Dawn Waterhouse’s wattle-themed memorabilia to honour her lifelong love of Australia’s national floral emblem at Calthorpes House.

Read the story and book a tour via our website.

Tales of Gold: The Dawn Waterhouse Wattle Collection will see the lifelong passion of one of Canberra’s best-known heritage advocates celebrated in a new exhibition opening at Calthorpes House on August 29, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA.

17/08/2026

Looking forward to the warmer months ahead? So are we! To celebrate, we will be decorating Calthorpes House in wattle this spring, in honour of Dawn Waterhouse’s love of National Wattle Day (1 September), a day which Dawn believed should become Australia’s national day of celebration:
‘It has long been my desire that Wattle Day, the first day of spring, should be the date of our national celebration, as we recognise our bountiful and beautiful land. Together, we could share the loyalty, love, joy and privilege of being part of this great island.’

For the duration of spring, Calthorpes House will be adorned with wattle-themed memorabilia, including birthday cards, jewellery, crockery, sheet music and souvenir ware collected by Dawn, as well as fresh flowering wattle from the garden.

Dawn’s wattle collection will be on display from Saturday 29 August to Saturday 28 November 2026. Guided tours of the house run every Saturday from 1-4pm.
Artist Cheryl Hodges will lead a watercolour wattle workshop in the Calthorpes garden on Saturday 5 September. Bookings are essential.

Learn more | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/exhibitions/tales-of-gold-the-dawn-waterhouse-wattle-collection

Book workshop | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/workshop-wattle-in-watercolour-with-cheryl-hodges

13/08/2026

🎶 Live at Lanyon returns with a Latin twist! 💃

On Saturday 17 October, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra returns to the lawns of Lanyon Homestead with a program inspired by the music of Spain, South America and Latin America.

From Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango and Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 to Shakira, Ricky Martin, La Bamba, Despacito and We Don’t Talk About Bruno, expect classical favourites, tango, Latin rhythms and songs the whole family will know.

Acclaimed classical guitarist Minh Le Hoang joins the ensemble as featured soloist, while Serkan and Christian Alasya from TengoTango bring live tango to the Lanyon lawns.

Pack a picnic or pre-order a ploughman’s board, find your place beneath the Brindabellas and settle in for an afternoon of music, movement and Latin rhythms.

📅 Saturday 17 October
⏰ 5.00 pm to 6.45 pm, gates open 4.15 pm
📍 Lanyon Homestead
🎟️ Tickets are on sale now: https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/live-at-lanyon-with-the-canberra-symphony-orchestra-or-2026

15/07/2026

Rural Fire Service hazard reduction burns continue at Lanyon this weekend, 18—19 July.

Lanyon Homestead will remain open to the public. There may be smoke in the area, if you are asthmatic or sensitive to smoke and wish to cancel a pre-booked a tour, please contact us at [email protected]