ACT Historic Places

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

29/07/2026

We are seeking gardening volunteers to help care for the historic grounds and gardens of Lanyon Homestead and Calthorpes House.

Working alongside our horticultural team, volunteers will assist with tasks such as weeding, planting, dead-heading, light pruning, watering and general garden maintenance.

This is a rewarding opportunity to contribute to the preservation of some of Canberra’s most significant heritage places while enjoying the outdoors, learning about historic gardens, and meeting like-minded people. Whether you have gardening experience or simply a passion for heritage and green spaces, we would love to hear from you.

Regular weekly or fortnightly volunteer opportunities are available.

Please email your Expression of Interest (EOI) to [email protected]. Applications close Friday 31 August.

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]

15/07/2026

Floriade's satellite site returns to Lanyon Homestead this spring 🌷

From 12 September – 11 October, experience Floriade’s only satellite site in one of Canberra’s most beautiful landscapes, where flowering gardens meet sweeping views of the Brindabellas.

Come for a guided garden tour, share high tea or lunch accompanied by the National Opera, learn wearable weaving with Wiradjuri artist Jessika Spencer, blend your own botanical tea, create with the kids, or unwind outdoors.

Whether you’re planning a special day out, a creative escape or a family adventure, Floriade at Lanyon offers a different way to celebrate the season.

Many experiences are limited to small groups, so explore the full program and book early.

🌷 View the program and book now

https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/floriade-at-lanyon-2026
Floriade at Lanyon 2026

13/07/2026

Very exciting to see progress on the much-needed conservation works to Canberra’s beloved 1850s Mugga-Mugga Cottage.

An Arborist has cut back branches from the huge, overhanging pine trees that had grown close to the house becoming a fire hazard and dropping pine needles causing decay of the building fabric and clogging gutters, downpipes, and drains.
It is likely that the original inhabitants of the cottage, the Curley family had planted the trees to act as a low, thick hedge or a windbreak rather than allow them to grow to their current size.

The back sheds and charming chicken coup have been cleared of materials; the leaning sections pushed back into place, braced, and decayed structural timbers replaced with recycled hardwood. The external timbers were individually assessed with some able to be retained and others replaced with matched recycled timber.

Pictured the before, during and after images of the sheds and chicken coup.

There’s still work to do but Mugga-Mugga Cottage is set reopen later this year with a carefully considered, heritage-sensitive refresh.

09/07/2026

Turn Back Time returns to Lanyon Homestead this August.

Across two Saturdays, step into the past through live music, traditional crafts and hands on experiences that bring history to life.

On Saturday 22 August, hear the sublime voices of the National Opera perform music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Lanyon’s Victorian drawing room.

On Saturday 29 August, learn pine needle basketry, hand dip a natural beeswax candle, try traditional leatherworking or give children a taste of life on a colonial farm.

Visitors attending programs on 29 August can also add a warming bowl of pumpkin soup from the Lanyon Cafe to their booking.

📅 Saturdays 22 and 29 August
📍 Lanyon Homestead
🎫 Bookings essential

Explore the full program and book your place | https://www.historicplaces.com.au/events/turn-back-time-2026