We found ourselves Canberra bound on the second stretch of our road trip for Merrick & Australia, en route to Brissie.
I have long wanted to pop in to Cockington Green, for a number of reasons. One, the most puerile of reasons; the name makes me giggle every time I say it! Super juvenile I know, but I can’t help it!! The second reason was that many moons ago, the fashion editor at the time of the Sunday Mag, Inez Garcia (you can find her here for witty fashion observations and advice Inez Garcia) shot a fashion spread there that was BEAUTIFUL. The clothes, the colours, and the whimsy have stuck with me ever since. I had to go there. Finally, we drive past it every time we drive in to Canberra. My curiosity was well and truly piqued. Cockington Green was calling my name…
For those not in the know, Cockington Green is a miniature village on the outskirts of Canberra in a complex called Gold Creek that also houses the National Dinosaur Museum, a walk in aviary, a reptile zoo & an indigenous art gallery. The miniature village is named after a real village in Devon. Quaint!
We were there in early spring, so the gardens were pretty fab, but also very wet. We were lucky to have had some breaks in the rain, and enjoyed it nonetheless. The model makers seem to have a sense of humour about it all, and in most scenes there are ‘hidden in plain sight’ funnies…Wolfie was beside himself when he spotted Obi Wan Kenobi & Darth Vader completely out of context having a light sabre fight in the middle of one village scenario. Also ace for younger kids are the interactive exhibits where you can control the moving parts on windmills, trains, cable cars… We really loved the International display…excellent attention to detail!
There is also miniature steam train that does hot laps of the park, a playground for very small guests, a cafe and a gift shop… and the park owners are currently working on an Australian houses project, depicting in miniature every style of house constructed here, from Aboriginal structures through to present times…one to keep an eye out for!
It is on the expensive side, but the kids were captivated by it all, so a worthwhile pit stop after all.
As a side note, later that afternoon we also visited QUESTACON…it is incredible, but be sure to go in a team; one adult for each child! There is SO much to do there, and it is SO busy during school holidays, I found it super overwhelming…trying to field questions from both kids, and keep an eye on both kids was too much. This has been a public service announcement…you’re welcome!
Cockington Green
11 Gold Creek Road Nicholls ACT 2913.
+61 2 6230 2273
QUESTACON
02 6270 2800
King Edward Terrace, Parkes, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2600
We stayed at The Alivio Tourist Park Canberra
We at at Tu Do Vietnamese Restaurant
2/7 Sargood St, O’Connor ACT 2602
