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How To Make a Canberra Homeschool Trip on a Budget

Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Me: What's the capital of Australia? 

 8yo: Sydney?

 Me: Don't tell anyone you said that. No, it's actually Canberra. 

 8yo: Canberra? I didn't even know that was a place.....

 This was the moment I decided that it was time for a trip to our Nation's capital! 

 Canberra is not only home to Parliament house and the Australian war memorial but is an educational hub of museums, cultural centres and activities. It's definitely a must-do trip for homeschoolers with middle to high school aged kids.

But, how do you afford it if the budget is tight? 

Homeschool Australia

1. Get your days activities for FREE


Here's the best part. 

 If you are a registered homeschooler -  almost ALL museums and activities are FREE. 

 Yes, FREE. 

 You apply for a Canberra Teachers Pass here, flash your card and entry is FREE.

 We visited 9 different places and museums and didn't pay a cent.

 The best value is Questacon (the national science and technology centre) as without a pass, it would've cost my family of 6 just under $100 for admission.  

2. Find Budget Accommodation
Homeschool Australia
Look how much fun my kids are having at their 'budget' accommodation! 

 Personally, I prefer a nice hotel over a caravan park but with kids, caravan parks are a winner. Not only do they provide wide open spaces for kids to roam and explore but they also have...other kids to play with! 

 Did someone say socialisation? 

 When we arrived there were about 6 other homeschool families also on a Canberra adventure and then much to my initial disappointment, a school group. However, as you would expect, the school kids didn't have much 'free' time but when they did they were polite and friendly and provided extra kids to play with. Playing red rover is way more fun with lots of kids and I took great joy seeing my 9yo organise a game of bullrush with a large group on the jumpy pillow. Meeting new kids was a huge highlight for my kids and solidified for me why caravan parks are such a great choice for homeschoolers!  

 I highly recommend Capital Country Holiday park.

 It's an older style (cheaper) park but well equipped with jumpy pillow, pool, mini golf, basketball and tennis court. It's in a great location only 20 minutes from Canberra but feels like you're in the middle of the bush with big gum trees and kangaroos hopping around. 

 The cabins are basic but we barely spent anytime in there as the weather was perfect so we finished our days with swimming, jumping and a family game of tennis before hitting the hay!

3. Eat Budget Food


 My weakness is food. I love food. I love eating out but with a large family this gets expensive. 

 We decided that we would pack lunches and cook dinner at the caravan park. This was surprisingly easy as there were no temptations (unless you're tempted by an eat-in servo!) near the caravan park and my kids were so busy playing that we didn't have time! 

 We cooked el-cheapo meals most nights and packed lunches for our days out. 

 We didn't end up spending any more money on food than we do usually at home. 

5. Budget-ish Travel



 The biggest cost is getting to Canberra.

 We drove from Adelaide. It was a long trip. 

 But as a family, we enjoy long car trips with time to chat, read and see new things. Driving gives kids a sense of how big Australia is and also the diversity of lifestyles (e.g farming) that exist across this wide brown land. It also helped our kids to see firsthand the challenges of drought and bushfires. We bravely said no devices on this trip  because we wanted them to take it all in - plus, a little boredom never hurt anyone! 

 The other benefit of driving is that you really need a car in Canberra. 

 The city is quite spread out. If you stayed in the heart of the city then public transport might be okay but you won't have quite the same freedom to explore some places like the deep space museum which are off the beaten track. 

 Another thing that's really cool is that the government offers a Parliament and Civics education travel rebate which is anywhere from $20 to $260 per child depending on how far you have to travel. 

 It's designed for school groups but homeschoolers are also eligible. 

 We chose not to bother as it involves a whole lotta forms and we didn't plan on visiting all the required places. But, if every penny counts then this is worth keeping in mind especially if you have a large family and don't mind a bit of paperwork! 

 So, there you have it - a trip to our Nation's capital doesn't have to be expensive. 

 We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it to every homeschooler! 
Homeschool Australia
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