Canberra has two parliament houses: the Art Deco 1920s Old Parliament House and Canberra’s focal point, the new 1980s Parliament House.
Dug into the surrounding green flank of Capital Hill, the grassed roof and triangular metal flagpole of Parliament House are a national symbol.
The building’s central foyer is flanked by the House of Representatives on the east and the Senate on the west. Inside, native timbers, marble, mosaics, tapestries and embroidery feature in the spacious and lofty interior.
Take a guided tour, and if Parliament is sitting you can watch the proceedings from the public gallery.
If you have time, visit the imaginatively curated Old Parliament House adjacent. Clattering typewriters, ringing phones and overflowing in-trays re-create the drama and atmosphere of Canberra’s political life in decades gone by.
Crowning Capital Hill, Parliament House is set on a grand axis with Old Parliament House directly in front of it, and the Australian War Memorial, away over Lake Burley Griffin.
