Enlighten Festival, Canberra
15 March 2026 / Story: Anda Clayton; Photos: Anda Clayton; Rose Smith; Roger Brook
Enlighten Festival, Canberra run
4th-6th March 2026
Story: Anda Clayton Photos: Anda Clayton, Rose Smith, Roger Brook
Day1:
A full day today with a long list of activities for the 8 of us, as planned by run organisers extraordinaire Roger and Lesley.
- Meeting up at Coffee on the Double, the big red bus, one of our regular meet up places in St Georges Basin were Roger and Lesley B, Rose and Geoff, Kerry and Lesley W and Brian and Anda. Great coffee and an even nicer plant nursery. Note to myself - I must come back with an appropriate car for some plant purchases.
- A few drops of rain for our tops down, then tops up for some drive through Nerriga following a caravan and an even slower Lexus SUV. We were so pleased to see the Lexus continue up the road and the van finally pull over and wave us past. Then, a short stop in to Tarago (also the home of a lone pine)
- Held up by a goods train (or is it waste from Sydney?) at the railway crossing in Tarago - a first for some of us.
- Lunch at The Gathering (very yum) and a leg stretch in Bungendore. We were disappointed to see Wood Works gallery, a favourite place for a browse, has closed down and is now an empty space.
- Check-in at our accommodation in Kingston followed by a run up to Mount Ainslie for a magic view of Canberra. The city layout looks stunning from this vantage point. I'm sure the busloads of school children we soon encountered tended to agree.
- Next stop - the War Memorial, where we viewed the latest exhibition of an F111 and a Black Hawk helicopter. Brian found the name of his great great uncle on the remembrance wall, William McMullin. The poppy which Brian had pinned on the wall was still in place. Viewing the Last Post ceremony at the War Memorial was a first for some of us. Always very moving.
- A relaxed dinner at the football club a short stroll from our hotel rounded off a very enjoyable day.
Day 2:
A warm day today, perfect for our tops down adventures.
- First up, an enjoyable drive out of the city to Tidbinbilla and Cotter Dam. The picnic areas, which I'm told can be chaotic during the weekend, were empty...the joys of being able to travel midweek. We were able to enjoy the park with its magnificent mature trees lining the roadway.
-A wine tasting beckoned (after all, it was approaching 11am!) as we proceeded to Nick O'Leary winery overlooking a spectacular landscape of rolling hills. Four of us (the drivers refrained) enjoyed a wine tasting whilst the drivers enjoyed a chat and the view.
-Not surprisingly, Roger & Lesley had booked lunch in an English style pub, The George Harcourt Inn - delicious pub grub.
-Fortified, we proceeded back to our lodgings via the Arboretum. A great vantage point from the top of the hill of views across Canberra. We marvelled at how much the trees had grown over the past year or two.
-Now it was time for our eagerly awaited Love Boat cruise. Charles, owner Love Boats happens to be a good friend of Roger & Lesley, resulting in "mates rates”.
Roger, then Kerry took the helm of the self drive electric boat for a 2hr cruise around Lake Burley Griffin. Great fun on a very comfortable vessel.
Lesley had, yet again, prepared some fun facts about Canberra. As a punishment for being cheeky we were also given not one, but two trivia quizzes! Quiz 1 was about Canberra, with Geoff the victor. Quiz 2 was about the MX5....shock upon shock, I, the one who knows nothing about cars tied with Geoff...a score of 9/10. Which question did we both struggle with? "What does the MX5 stand for?" Do you know the answer?
-We enjoyed a few drinks and dinner at The Dock, located a short walk from our boat.
-Then it was off to view the lights at Enlighten. Enlighten is like Vivid without the crowds. Only four members decided to do the 30minute walk along the lake to Enlighten while the others retired for the night, arriving at their destination just as the lights came on. Favourites were the display on the Art Gallery and Old Parliament House, well worth the walk.
Thank you to Roger and Lesley for a wonderful couple of days away, your hard work and meticulous organisation. We all appreciated your efforts, and Lesley, we love your fun facts and, despite our complaints, we do love your quizzes.
