One of the best historical places to visit in Canberra is the Australian War Memorial. This is not just a memorial, this is one of Australia's premier museums covering Australian military history from Federation to the present day and including fascinating exhibits of equipment, memorabilia and battle dioramas. With your family, you can spend a full day here either bringing a picnic lunch if the weather is nice and sit on the lawns at the front. They allow about 4-7 hours of free entry.

The Old Parliament House is a must for political and/or historical junkies. It is in the stripped classical style which is common in Australian government buildings constructed in Canberra during the 1920s and 1930s. The building's design was considered a success because of the clarity of shape, regular composition, dazzling whiteness and pleasantly human scale.

The National Gallery of Australia is one of the historical sites in Canberra that is modern in structure and design. It is one of the country's largest art galleries. The gallery has many collections of paintings and a sculpture collected from Australia and the rest of the world and has excellent Aboriginal artwork. This is free except only for special exhibits. It offers free public one-hour tours for Australian and International art at 11 am and 2 pm daily as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at 11 am on Thursdays and Sundays for about 1-7 hours.