Where to eat, shop, play and live in Weston Creek
One of Canberra’s smaller regions, just over 23,000 people call the leafy suburbs of Weston Creek home.
It’s a sporting mecca, with an indoor cricket centre, playing fields, tennis courts and a skate park, and is the stomping ground of some of Australia’s great athletes including Rob De Castella, George Gregan, and Michael Bevan.
The area is easily accessible to the rest of Canberra along major carriageways, but residents get to enjoy some of the city’s most impressive natural assets right on their doorstep, including the National Arboretum and the world-class facilities at Stromlo Forest Park.
PLAY
COOLEMAN RIDGE NATURE RESERVE
Popular for walking, taking the dog for a walk and horse riding, Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve is a 187 hectare reserve in Weston Creek. The Canberra Centenary Trail runs right through the reserve, which connects to a 145 kilometre loop trail around Canberra that’s great for mountain biking. It’s also home to rare plants, woodland birds and a large population of the threatened pink-tailed worm-lizard, which makes it great for spotting wildlife.
Get up close and personal with a range of native and exotic animals at Canberra’s National Zoo and Aquarium. You can also pat a cheetah, feed a bear or become acquainted with a meerkat. Also at the zoo is Jamala Wildlife Lodge, an award-winning luxury safari accommodation experience, which lets guests wine, dine and sleep amongst the resident wildlife.
FETHERSTON GARDENS
Weston residents enjoy easy access to the beautiful Fetherston Gardens, a 3.5 hectare urban parkland that features a small arboretum, woodland gardens, a pond, native garden, secret garden, picnic areas, and gazebos where you can sit and take it all in.
SHOP
A treasure trove of rare and second hand books with more than 180,000 volumes in store, Beyond Q moved from its original location in Curtin to the arcade across from Cooleman Court back in 2017. The venue also has a licensed cafe and plays host to regular live music and comedy nights.
Bursting with fresh blooms, indoor plants, terrariums, and potted succulents, Miss Moss Florals is the region’s go-to for custom floral designs and bouquets. It’s also a great spot to pick up a gift, with a range of Australian-made candles, homewares,
The main shopping hub for Weston Creek, Cooleman Court has supermarkets, specialty stores, a medical centre, gym and eateries all under the one roof.
Known as the place to go for those hard to find items for more than two decades, Songland Records sells a huge range of CDs, vinyls and DVDS. The shop also has its own Ticketek outlet, where you can buy tickets to some of the top events in Canberra and beyond.
EAT
This friendly suburban cafe in Rivett has an all-day menu with breakfasts, burgers, pizzas, salads and cakes. With an industrial fitout inside, there’s plenty of outdoor seating and they’re more than welcoming of visitors of all ages, shapes and sizes, with high chairs for the bubs and water bowls for the pooches.
The main watering hole in Weston Creek, Meating Room keeps the local happy with all day dining. The menu takes you from a healthy acai bowl through to indulgent honeycomb and chocolate pancakes for breakfast, and later in the day, pub classics, pizzas, modern favourites, a menu for the kids, and as the name suggests, you’ll find plenty of meat. Pop up to the bar, lined with milk crate chandeliers, to order and grab a coffee or a refreshing beverage.
Expect good old fashioned customer service at this Weston Creek cafe. Little Billy’s Cafe serves a hearty and affordable range of breakfast and lunch options with a touch of Italian flair.
It may be a long way from the ocean, but locals know that Weston Creek has one of the best seafood restaurants in Canberra. Family-run Maestral Restaurant has been around for 22 years, serving up fresh seafood alongside traditional dishes from the owners’ native homeland of Croatia.
LIVE
The leafy suburbs of Weston Creek have homes across all budgets and sizes, from the more traditional, older houses of Chapman, to terraces near Cooleman Court and on Namatjira Drive, to the newer builds on Cazneau Street. Local parks in every suburb mean you’re never far from nature.
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By Zango Team