2025 12 months in Evaluate: Dwelling the Canberra life-style

Canberra has its characters and its hottest haunts – and Region loves telling their tales. Here’s a glance again on the ACT area’s distinctive life-style in 2025 and 16 tales that had you clicking.

16. Scientists are constructing ‘fish hotels’ in ACT rivers in a race in opposition to time
by James Coleman

Workers establishing a fish lodge within the Namadgi National Park. Photo: ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Facebook.

Australia’s freshwater fish are in hassle – and Canberra is correct on the centre of the rescue mission.

A landmark research led by University of Canberra researcher Associate Professor Mark Lintermans discovered that 37 per cent of the nation’s native freshwater fish are actually susceptible to extinction, with some species predicted to fade inside simply 20 years.

15. The War Memorial’s spectacular copper roof will flip inexperienced, ultimately … however why the delay?
by James Coleman

The copper roof on the brand new Anzac Hall on the Australian War Memorial. Photo: Australian War Memorial.

A brand new roof is glowing beneath the solar on the Australian War Memorial and, in contrast to most roofs around the globe product of copper, that is anticipated to remain like this for fairly some time.

The huge crane that was looming over the constructing’s iconic inexperienced dome has come down and the brand new Anzac Hall, to the rear, is now shielded from the weather.

14. Rubbish thought may show a successful invention
by David Turnbull

Andy Stodulka places his Rotaskip to make use of. Photo: David Turnbull.

A Canberra engineer has invented a tool to make taking a load of garbage to the tip simpler than it has ever been.

With the assistance of an innovation grant from the ACT Government, Andy Stodulka has invented what he calls the Rotaskip.

Essentially, it’s a trailer fitted with a rotating bowl that allows no matter is within the bin to be tipped out just by utilizing a distant management.

13. This Canberra bus fanatic has simply saved you from a number of Googling
by James Coleman

Kyle Hanley purchased his outdated Newcastle college bus. Photos: Kyle Hanley, Public Transport Association of Canberra (PTCBR).

For the primary time, Canberrans trying to journey interstate with out utilizing a automotive now have a one-stop store to see how it may be completed.

Following a web-based competitors, the Public Transport Association of Canberra (PTCBR) has launched a regional public transport map for the town, detailing coach and practice connections between Canberra and locations as faraway as Albury in NSW (and Wodonga in Victoria), Mollymook on the South Coast, and Cowra in Central West NSW – to call just some.

The PTCBR put the call-out final month to Canberrans after discovering how few locals truly find out about these companies.

12. WATCH: Before the Hume Highway, there was the ‘Great South Road’ – and a few of it’s nonetheless left
by James Coleman

The Towrang Bridge was constructed by convicts within the 1830s. Photo: Goulburn Australia.

You’ll have heard how the route between Sydney and Melbourne is without doubt one of the busiest home air lanes on this planet. Some 9,217,377 passengers reportedly flew between the 2 cities in 2024.

So it’s little surprise a portion of this route was additionally among the many first to be related by freeway.

You’ll realize it because the large and sweeping Hume Highway at present, however again throughout the 1800s, the street snaking its approach between Picton, close to Sydney, and Goulburn (and from there, ultimately on to Melbourne) was known as the Great South Road.

11. Exhibition explains architect Enrico Taglietti’s position in giving Canberra its trendy, human face
by Sasha Grishin

Enrico Taglietti in his studio in Griffith Canberra, circa 1976. Photo: Ted Richards, courtesy Taglietti Archive. Photo: CMAG.

Prolific Italian-born architect and designer Enrico Taglietti left a big impact on Canberra’s look over six many years. Art critic Sasha Grishin explores the exhibition at CMAG that brings collectively an enormous quantity of beforehand unseen materials.

10. Canberra to Cooma by practice? The forgotten ‘Snow Express’ locals need again
by James Coleman

The Canberra Monaro Express, pictured right here at Royalla in 1985. Photo: Australian Rail Maps.

Imagine skipping the freeway and using the rails to Cooma. Turns out, as soon as upon a time you can – on board the ‘Canberra Monaro Express’. So what occurred?

9. Former homeowners of Big Splash have an thought to put it aside (and run it year-round)

by James Coleman

Aquatots founder Alena Sarri remembers rising up at Big Splash. Photo: James Coleman.

The authentic builders of Belconnen’s Big Splash Waterpark are desirous to do a cope with the present homeowners to revive it to its former glory – together with including an indoor 25-metre pool and hydrotherapy facility – if solely they may discover them.

Alena Sarri manages Aquatots, a child and children swim college with 4 services in Forde, Nicholls, O’Connor and Googong. However, her Dad, Andrew Sarri, and brother, Toni Sarri, had been the masterminds behind Big Splash, taking up the lease in 1979 when it was referred to as the ‘Jamo Pool’, which had solely a 50-metre pool and a toddler pool.

8. Step again in time at a pub older than Canberra itself
by Morgan Kenyon

Plenty of pubs serve our nation’s capital, however few boast a historical past as wealthy because the Old Canberra Inn. Photo: Gillespie Collection. Hall Heritage Centre.

Long earlier than Canberra was a metropolis, travellers discovered their strategy to Old Canberra Inn. Here’s why this pub stays a neighborhood favorite after 168 years.

7. The Green Shed is again! Sort of …
by James Coleman

‘The Shed’ comes courtesy of former The Green Shed worker Adam Charif. Photo: The Shed, Facebook.

Welcome to ‘The Shed’.

It’s been greater than a 12 months since The Green Shed misplaced its ACT Government contract to run the recycling and reuse centres on the Mugga Lane and Mitchell “resource management centres” to the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Goodies Junction.

And now it’s again. Well, type of.

6. Tron simply acquired actual: Australia’s first electrical bike is right here
by James Coleman

Savic’s Sam Carter and Victoria Brown with the brand new Australian-built C-Series electrical bike. Photo: James Coleman.

Not everybody was a fan when speak of electrical motorbikes first surfaced, however the market’s modified, in accordance with the corporate behind Australia’s first electrical bike, which has plans to promote 5000 of them a 12 months. James Coleman jumped on the again for its Canberra tour.

5. The secret lifetime of a South Coast van proprietor
by Hayley Nicholls

Essentially glamping, these kooky beachside shantytowns might look just a little unmanicured, however the advantages are inarguable. Photo: Hayley Nicholls.

Have you ever dreamed of a South Coast vacation dwelling? Hayley Nicholls did – till she noticed the value tag. But there are different alternate options …

4. Sidney Nolan’s reward to the nation retains on giving after 50 years
by Sasha Grishin

Sidney Nolan at Lanyon, 11 March 1975, on the launch of the primary public exhibition of works gifted to the nation. Photo: National Archives of Australia 2025.

Sidney Nolan introduced to Australia, the place of his beginning, a wonderful and big reward of artwork that’s saved on the Canberra Museum and Gallery. Now, 50 years later, CMAG is celebrating the importance of this reward. Art critic Sasha Grishin explores some facets of the Nolan legacy for the folks of Canberra.

3. Netflix movie crew falls in love with ‘Canberra’s Kakadu’ whereas capturing survivalist thriller
by James Coleman

Ginninderra Falls is situated on a 55-hectare freehold property in Wallaroo. Photo: Ray White Real Estate.

Filming has taken place at Ginninderra Falls for a brand new Netflix ‘survivalist thriller’ starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton and Eric Bana after the US-based producers occurred to stumble throughout the positioning’s property itemizing on-line.

According to Ray White actual property agent George Southwell, the movie crew has described it “as one of the most amazing sites” and one which “could quite possibly become a permanent fixture for their filming in the future”.

2. Bushwalker’s $2700 shock proves there’s nonetheless gold in them thar South Coast hills
by James Coleman

Gold ore nugget discovered by Robert Keler, close to Mogo. Photo: Have A Go Prospecting, Facebook.

More than 100 years after the gold rush, one South Coast native struck it fortunate – stumbling on a $2700 nugget “sticking out of the ground”. But how frequent is it actually?

1. What occurs whenever you go away a lid on a bottle when recycling? Maybe not what you suppose
by James Coleman

Inside the outdated Hume Materials Recovery Facility, which burnt down when batteries inside a waste compactor overheated. Photo: James Coleman.

The ACT Government can be using some fairly superior tech in its brand-new recycling centre – however what does this imply for the lidded bottle you simply put within the bin? We got down to bust some frequent recycling myths …