Free family fun with an eco theme in Canberra on Australia Day 2010

We usually head out to the Cotter Bush Picnic for Australia Day festivities, but this year it's moving from Cotter to Tidbinbilla. The bush picnic runs from 11am til 3pm on Tuesday 26 January 2010, and it's sure to be just as much fun as the previous Cotter Bush Picnics. Read on for more Australia Day family events in Canberra...

There will be a prize for best dressed Aussie, music by rock covers band The Jukes, whip cracking display, indigenous storytelling and dance by Wiradjuri Echoes, games and face-painting for kids, reptile and environmental displays, and lots more. My kids will probably be most excited about water games with the Tidbinbilla Rural Fire Brigade, the Minister for Household Finance will no doubt enjoy the BBQ and lamingtons, and I might try out some bush crafts or play a spot of mini-golf. Entry to Tidbinbilla Reserve is free on Australia Day. There will be shuttle buses from the event parking area to the bush picnic area (I don't know if that means it's a long walk if you don't use the shuttle bus?). Here's more info.

Canberra's first event for Australia Day is actually the night before - the Australia Day Live concert from 6pm on the lawns in front of Parliament House. Particularly good if you have older kids with more of an interest in pop music and staying up til 10:30pm.

Next morning, head to Stage 88 at Commonwealth Park for the Great Aussie Day Breakfast - free brekky from 7am til 10am, with games and activities for the kids. Hang around long enough, and you can kick straight on to the Children's Festival which runs from 9am til 5pm. There's stage entertainment for the kids from 12pm til 3pm - including Dorothy the Dinosaur Show, and Warehouse Circus. But there's also free jumping castles, slides, and face painting, Gecko Gang activities, and picnicking to be done all day long. There will also be some paid activities at the event, and food and drinks for sale if you don't want to BYO.

The National Museum will have a water theme for their annual Australia Day family festival. Here's the details. There will be arts, crafts, music, science experiments and demonstrations, with lots of info on how you can conserve water at home. It's all part of the 'Water: H2O = Life' exhibition.

At lunchtime, a picnic at the National Carillon's Australia Day recital might help settle young kids before they go home for arvo nap.

The day finishes with the Australia Day Fireworks display. Which will be very pretty, although I do have concerns about fireworks manufacturer ethics. In any case, my kids will hopefully be exhausted and relaxing at home by the time it gets dark, and off to sleep with dreams of ice cream in the sun and bush dancing.