The Australian capital may not boast the gorgeous sweeps of shoreline that so invigorate Perth and Brisbane, as well as Melbourne and Sydney, but it has more than enough art, culture, sport and gastronomy strewn among its key institutions and government buildings to make a few days in its company worthwhile.

The city spreads out around Lake Burley Griffin – an “artificial” water feature that was formed by the damming of the Molonglo River. Here is the capital’s favourite playground; a rippled expanse of blue where the locals row, paddle and kayak, or run and bike around the edge.

It makes for a pretty picture as well. Stroll along the lakeside and you will pass both the National Library of Australia (an epic modernist block of a structure, home to seven million publications) and the National Gallery of Australia (a similarly striking complex that is home a vast array of Australian paintings and sculptures).

You can find fine eateries all over the grid; on Barker Street in Griffith, and Bunda Street in the centre. The latter is also surrounded by options for a beer – not least on Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street. And if you want to take your search for a tipple further afield, the capital, like Melbourne and Sydney, has open-door wineries on its doorstep.

Content by Chris Leadbetter – Award winning Telegraph journalist