Walk Features: This loop walk takes you from the front of Parliament House all around the outside through its gardens, down Federation Mall, into the Senate Gardens at Old Parliament House, past the National Library, along the south shore of Lake Burley Griffin, past the National Gallery and up through the National Rose Gardens and the Old Parliament House House of Representatives Garden.
Duration of the walk: About 1 hour and 35 minutes.
Region: South Canberra.
Information about the Suburb: Parkes was gazetted in 1928 and named after Sir Henry Parkes, a Federalist, legislator and one of the founders of the Australian Constitution. Parkes contains many of Canberra’s large institutions and contains no residential area. Its streets are named after monarchs and constitutional references.
Walk Directions
Click here for a pdf version of the walk directions.
To get to the start of the walk proceed to Parliament House and meet at the top of Federation Mall on the L as you look down the Mall.
Note that streets in brackets means there is no street sign at this point of the walk.
- Before starting the walk you may wish to look at Canberra’s Foundation Stone at the top of Federation Mall.
- From the top of Federation Mall proceed to the edge of the Parlt House forecourt.
- Go R alongside bollards and past a grassy slope on your L.
- Cross over Parliament Drive and proceed into the bush on a gravel path just to the L of a ‘guard house’.
- Continue straight ahead on the gravel path past tennis courts on your R.
- Go L on a gravel path.
- Pass a playing field on your R.
- Pass tennis courts on your R.
- Go R on (Parlt Dr) at a ‘guard house’ and proceed around the corner.
- Veer R on a gravel path at the Parliament Drive sign on a concrete block.
- Continue on a gravel path then a concrete path passing a car park on your R.
- At the end of the car park go L on a concrete path.
- Go R onto Parlt Dr and cross over (Melbourne Av).
- Go R then L on a concrete path and follow it alongside the car park on your R.
- Continue straight ahead on the gravel path. Ignore the path on your R.
- Go L on the gravel path out to Parlt Dr.
- Proceed R across to a ‘guard house’.
- Proceed R then L into the bush on a gravel path.
- Pass a large building on your R.
- Go R on a bitumen path.
- Cross over a grass swathe.
- Pass tennis courts on your L.
- Go L up a grass swathe.
- Go R on a gravel path.
- Pass a toilet block on your L and through a pergola and over the lawn.
- Pass basketball courts on your R.
- Cross over a grass swathe. CHECK
- Cross over (Parlt Dr) and continue straight ahead in front of Parlt House and back across the forecourt to the start.
- Proceed down a concrete path alongside Federation Mall on your R. Going over the bridge note a geological formation down below on your R.
- Go L onto (Queen Victoria Tce).
- Cross over (Queen (Victoria Tce) on the pedestrian crossing.
- Go L alongside a hedge on your R.
- Pass the entrance to the Old Parliament House Gardens on your R.
- At the end of the hedge go R on a wide concrete path.
- Pass the entrance to the Old Parliament House Gardens on your R.
- Go L on a concrete path into Magna Carta Place and follow it around to the Magna Carta memorial.
- Retrace your steps and go R on the wide concrete path.
- Go L on a concrete path through the Magna Carta Gate and into the Old Parliament House Gardens.
- Pass the Rex Hazlewood Rose Garden on your R.
- Just before the pergola and tennis courts, go L down a concrete path.
- Proceed out of the gardens and cross over King George Tce.
- Proceed through the rose gardens.
- Veer L towards the National Library and the corner of King Edward Tce and Parkes Pl West.
- Proceed down Parkes Pl West towards the lake.
- Go R to proceed alongside the lake on your L.
- Just before a large iron sculpture behind the National Gallery go R on a concrete path as it runs between concrete walls and past the National Gallery on your L.
- Go R onto King Edward Tce.
- Opposite the Portrait Gallery on your R, cross over King Edward Tce and proceed into parkland.
- Continue straight ahead towards the rose gardens.
- Go through the rose gardens and cross over King George Tce and through white pillars into the Old Parliament House Gardens.
- Go L on a concrete path then R on a concrete path towards a building.
- Pass tennis courts on your R and proceed out of the gardens.
- Cross over Queen Victoria Tce and go R on a concrete path.
- Follow a concrete path around to your L then up alongside Federation Mall on your R.
- Go R at the top of Federation Mall and back to the start.