Canberra/Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden

Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden (sometimes called Woden Valley) are three districts of Canberra just west and southwest of Acton and South Canberra. They are just on the edge of Country ACT home to the National Arboretum, some of the most impressive greenery one could find in Canberra (without going to Country ACT that is...).

Although Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and Woden are three reasonably sized districts, in many ways, they are often treated as one. They have a single bus network, and Canberra's official tourism website categorises the three districts as one.

Whilst the name of this article might be very lengthy, this article also covers the District of Stromlo, essentially a rural district that starts at the western end of Weston Creek and borders the Murrumbidgee River to its west. It may be rural and devoid of large-scale human activity, but Stromlo is a great place for mountain biking.

Orientation
The following districts that are covered in this article listed from northwest to southeast.

Unlike some other parts of Canberra, these names are commonly used in daily speech, both in government and colloquial conversation. When it comes to signage Woden and Weston Creek are two major focal points, but Molonglo Valley rarely appears; often because you would normally have to enter through Weston Creek. Stromlo, being entirely rural sadly has no mention on the poor, unaesthetic signs; just head west of Weston Creek and you'll eventually arrive at Stromlo.

By car
All three districts are well connected by road: there is a freeway that runs through the centre of the three districts, also making it convenient to get around.

If you are coming from Tuggeranong, use the unnumbered Drakeford Drive up northwest, and the continue on Tuggeranong Parkway once the freeway grade road begins. From here, depending on which district you are intending to visit, you'll have to take different exits. If you are intending to go to either the districts of Weston Creek or Woden, exit onto Hindmarsh Drive, while if you are intending to visit Molonglo Valley, exit onto either Lady Denman Drive or Hindmarsh Drive. The Lady Denman Drive exit has all the important points of interests clearly marked on a brown tourist sign, so make sure to look out for the names of tourist spots, not the ones of the suburbs or Molonglo Valley.

By bus
To get to Woden, the ACTION buses R4, R5 and R6 stop at, all come from South Canberra, while R4 and R5 lines also come from Tuggeranong.

To get into Molonglo, use the R10 ACTION bus from Civic – it too passes South Canberra but passes by the Australian Defence College to the north of the district. Meanwhile if you're looking to get into Weston Creek, use the R7 ACTION bus which runs parallel to R10 until Streeton Dr. After passing Cooleman Court Interchange, the line terminates at.

There are no bus services to Stromlo – if you don't have a car, your best bet to reach Stromlo is to catch a taxi or an Uber. Walking is not advisable due to the long distances involved on non-existent paths. Just to give one example, the distance between the Mount Stromlo Observatory and Weston Creek Town Centre is 9.4 km, on a steep and requires you to walk on the road and you'll be a nuisance to drivers were you to walk on the road. Cycling is a better alternative to get around, but you'll often have to rent one closer to Civic.

See
"The wide brown land for me!"

- Dorothea McKellar

National Arboretum
The National Arboretum opened in February 2013 as part of the celebrations of Canberra's centenary. While the plants still need a bit more time to grow, the site has good views over Lake Burley Griffin. If you need to contact the arboretum, try emailing arboretum@act.gov.au@undefined or calling. It's open June 29, 2024 during daylight savings and June 29, 2024 during non-daylight savings, though individual sections of the garden may have different opening hours.

You can enter the National Arboretum free of charge, but you will need to pay for a parking ticket if you want to park at the village centre. Parking is very inexpensive – the max you'll have to pay is around $8 and funds usually go towards maintaining the arboretum.
 * If you've got small children, the National Arboretum perhaps has one of the most creative-looking playgrounds. The or Pod Playground is one of Australia's big things right next to the village centre between the carpark, village centre and the start of the Central Valley Path. It's kind of hard to not notice it while leaving towards the Central Valley Path and often does dazzle your mind a bit as to who designed it.
 * The, with "STEP" short for Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park, is perhaps the closest that you could find in the region to bush tucker – there's a good albeit rather small bush tucker botanic garden along with the typical grasses, shrubs and trees or anything you would find in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. There's a short 1.5-km walk that you can take starting from the village centre where parking your car shouldn't pose issues.
 * Another must-see in the arboretum, especially during winter is the . Apart from the impressive sculpture that reads "wide brown land", symbolising what inland Australia is like (but not Canberra though), these cedars are about 100 years old (as of 2022, that's more than 10 times older than the arboretum it's located in) and is the most well-grown out of the relatively new arboretum. There's a 2.1-km loop trail starting from the village centre, but alternatively you can take your car up to the lookout and do a shorter walk if you're not feeling like walking the entire trail.
 * The is the furtherest planting from the village centre; it also has the fewest number of plantings. You won't miss much if you leave the arboretum without visiting it, but if you've got the time, it's still worth a visit.
 * Another must-see in the arboretum, especially during winter is the . Apart from the impressive sculpture that reads "wide brown land", symbolising what inland Australia is like (but not Canberra though), these cedars are about 100 years old (as of 2022, that's more than 10 times older than the arboretum it's located in) and is the most well-grown out of the relatively new arboretum. There's a 2.1-km loop trail starting from the village centre, but alternatively you can take your car up to the lookout and do a shorter walk if you're not feeling like walking the entire trail.
 * The is the furtherest planting from the village centre; it also has the fewest number of plantings. You won't miss much if you leave the arboretum without visiting it, but if you've got the time, it's still worth a visit.

Other attractions

 * Government House Lookout is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the official residence of the Governor-General) is in South Canberra, see South Canberra &sect; Government House for details on Government House.
 * Government House Lookout is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the official residence of the Governor-General) is in South Canberra, see South Canberra &sect; Government House for details on Government House.
 * Government House Lookout is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the official residence of the Governor-General) is in South Canberra, see South Canberra &sect; Government House for details on Government House.
 * Government House Lookout is on the border of South Canberra and Weston Creek, but as Government House (the official residence of the Governor-General) is in South Canberra, see South Canberra &sect; Government House for details on Government House.

Eat
Though these three districts are often categorised under one in many contexts, in the culinary world, what you find in each district radically differs. In Woden, you will find many modern Australian restaurants, along with various restaurants serving ethnic cuisines just like Canberra's four other town centres. Weston Creek only has the typical scene that you would find in a rural town in New South Wales; in Weston Creek’s case, most restaurants are in Cooleman Court Shopping Centre. Meanwhile, Molonglo barely has any eateries because it is a newer housing development with only fast-food chains. Stromlo? You'd be foolish to think so if you've read &sect; Orientation — as of 2022, no restaurants have opened their doors, only a cafe at the observatory.

Budget

 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.
 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.
 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.
 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.
 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.
 * Fast food is available in all three urban districts. You'll find a Maccas in all three and a few other fast food chains like Oporto in Molonglo Valley or KFC in Woden, but these are generally not hard to find.

Sleep
Unusually, accommodation within all three districts are very limited and nearly all accommodation can only be found in Woden – the closest point to South Canberra. If you're looking for a better range, you might be better off trying in nearby South Canberra.

Connect
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all have good connection in all three districts. Wi-Fi isn't as freely available in other districts, and you might have to head over to South Canberra for that, but there are still many CBRfree public Wi-Fi locations within Westfield Woden.