The nation’s capital has in recent years developed a new found confidence and dash thanks to a flurry of hip hotels and contemporary, stylish eateries. This March take full advantage of the city’s creature comforts as you enjoy the cultural and festival delights being celebrated.

Exclusive to Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia, James Turrell: A Retrospective, opened in December last year with the artist on hand for the occasion. Described by Turrell himself as one of his best shows ever, this exhibition showcases 50 years of his astonishing career. 

The show follows hugely successful exhibitions in Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Guggenheim in New York.

At its epicentre is a piece call Bindu shards, a white dome filled with “behind the eyes light”, which viewers with a premium ticket can experience entirely enclosed inside after signing a waiver.

Light is Turrell's medium which he uses to present projections, holograms, purpose-built installations, photographs and prints for this incredible exhibition.

As the first Turrell retrospective in this country, the work is unlike anything Australians have seen before. Don’t miss out.

James Turrell: A Retrospective until 8 June 2015 National Gallery of Australia

Fab fact #1:  Canberrans are the most cultured Australians with the highest attendance of art galleries, concerts (both classical and rock), theatre, dance, cinemas, musicals and other performing arts. 

Don't miss what is considered one of the best hot air ballooning events in the world. The Canberra Balloon Spectacular is 29-years-old this March.See the Canberra's national icons as you have never seen them before, with a backdrop of colourful balloons. The spectacular starts at 6.15am each morning for its nine day duration when pilots begin laying out and inflating their balloons on the lawns of Old Parliament House. 

This year some visitors from around the globe add to the kaleidoscope of colour and fun with some special shaped and surprise balloons.

Fab fact#2: Back in 1913 names suggested for the capital included Olympus, Paradise, Captain Cook, Shakespeare, Kangaremu, Sydmeladperho, Eucalypta and Myola. Thankfully the name of Canberra was eventually settled on.

Restaurateur and proprietor of eightysix in Braddon, Gus Armstrong was born in Sydney but has lived in Canberra since he was ten. Over the years he has seen the city and its culinary scene come to life.

Q1. What is you all-time favourite place in Canberra?

A. My restaurant. It's where all the magic happens. If I'm away from it for too long, I get depressed.

Q2. Where, outside your own restaurant, is your favourite place to eat in Canberra?

A. My mother in law Patsy is a far better cook than I. A dinner at her table always brings family together and is always special.

Q3. Where would you take a visitor from out of town in Canberra?

A. I would take them to the National Gallery to see the James Turrell exhibition and then to the Glassworks to eat Brodburger.

Q4. What is great about living in Canberra at the moment?

A. Familiar faces. Canberra is small. Everyone helps everyone, especially industry people. It's a great time to be in Canberra. 

Q5. What do Canberra restaurants have over other restaurants in Australia?

A. Eightysix gives us a great connection to our community. We have an amazing location on Lonsdale Street in Braddon. There is a lot of energy here.

Fab fact #3: Later this year production is set to begin on the film of Joe Cinque's Consolation, about a Canberra murder that gripped the city in the 1990s.Filming is also set to begin on the second season of The Code, the edgy ABC thriller that won several awards in which the capital was practically a main character.

Fast becoming the cuisine of choice, modern Australian food is understandably all the rage in the capital. Try one of these established Canberra restaurants for some of the best in OZ.

The vibe is informal and fun where shared plates are the order of the day at this local favourite. A delicious starter is the duck bun with hoisin and hot sauce and the pickled pork terrine with tartare is a must.  Graze your way through cured kangaroo, with cherries and balsamic with a side of cauliflower and pomegranate salad. The signature dessert here is the stunning caramel popcorn sundae which you can tackle alone or with the help of a friend.

Monster Kitchen and Bar has really started something big in Canberra. The lobby restaurant of the much lauded Hotel Hotel, Monster has a distinctly contemporary menu which ranges from innovative snacks (try a yabby jaffle) right up to more elegant dishes such as lamb shoulder smothered in spice, balanced with labne (marinated yoghurt cheese balls). Strap yourself in; Monster is a delicious gastronomic ride.

Two-faced in a good way, by day this eatery is a relaxed café but at night it transforms into an elegant yet informal dining experience.  Locally sourced produce is made the most of in dishes that are both seasonal and simple. The restaurant offers smart service and a changing menu of small, thoughtful plates.

Fab fact #4: Two years ago review website Decaf Sucks was set up. The site is designed to assist Canberra coffee drinkers and visitors to find a good coffee and avoid the bad. It has since become a vibrant and considerably useful resource for location-based café and coffee reviews.

Some of the best ideas are the simplest. This is the thinking behind Lonsdale Street Roaster whose owners came home to Canberra to give the locals a quality locally sourced coffee, roasted and poured all under the same roof in the heart of the city. There are now two LSRs in Lonsdale Street which has since been transformed into an urban hub of boutique, store, restaurants and great coffee. The cafes have since gained a loyal following among Canberra coffee drinkers and addicts alike, with their roast featured in a number of local cafes.

7 and 23 Lonsdale Street, Braddon

The latest in a long line of premier coffee destinations is Coffee Lab. A specialised coffee house rather than a typical café, every cup of coffee at the Coffee Lab uses the finest coffee beans and machinery. 

The high performance machines used by passionate baristas will give you one of the best coffee experiences in Canberra. If you like your coffee served with care and precision then the Coffee Lab may be your cup of beans.

26 Narellan Place Canberra City 

The Kingston Foreshore is blessed with great delights when it comes to food and dining and 38 Espresso stands proud as one of the earliest arrivals along the waterfront. Drop by for their water views, signature blends and light delicious eats. 

4/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston Foreshore

There are lots of places where you can go for a great cup of coffee and the kids will also be happily accommodated. Try A Bite to Eat at the Chifley shops which has a family friendly courtyard out back. A lush garden backdrop at Oaks Basserie in Yarralumla makes it a firm favourite of families and their fur companions. Green Square in Kingston has many options for those with children including; Bittersweet, Kingston Grind and Pizzazz. In Macgregor Tommy and Me has been designed with families in mind and Ricardo’s at the Jamison Centre is set right beside a playground.

Fab fact #5: Cupping is the process coffee roasters and growers use to judge coffees next to each other without bias and this is where the Cupping Room in the city takes it's name from. They also take coffee seriously – try their ‘cupping’ session – a coffee appreciation experience. Open daily.

The National Arboretum

For a completely different perspective of the capital, make a visit to the National Aboretum Canberra. Here you will find one of the world’s largest living collections of rare, endangered and significant trees. Be awed by the panoramic views and see why the complex was the winner of the World Architecture Festival for landscape. Check out the stunning architecture and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of trees and gardens from Australia and around the world.

Visit the Village Centre and admire miniature living artworks in the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection. Relax and refresh at the Sprout Cafe, Conservatory Restaurant and buy a souvenir at the Curatoreum gift shop.

The arboretum is a great place for kids with forests to explore, lookouts to reach, picnic spots, outdoor sculptures, walking and cycling tracks. Children and adults will be captivated by the Pod Playground with its magnificent giant acorn cubby houses and banksia pods.

Fab fact #6: The National Aboretum was born out of the recovery from the 2003 Canberra bushfires when the ACT Government announced a nation-wide competition for the arboretum’s design.

Jerrabomberra Wetlands walking trail

The wetlands are only four kilometres from Canberra’s city centre. A recently opened $340,000 eco-friendly walking trail and boardwalk gets you in amongst the wetlands and provides clearer views of the popular Kelly’s Swamp.

One of the most valuable wetland habitats in the ACT, they are of national and international importance as a refuge for migrating birds from the northern hemisphere and inland Australia.

The area holds environmental and cultural significance as an early Ngunnawal meeting place, a First World War training area and a sanctuary for birds, turtles, platypuses and frogs.

Mount Stromlo 

There is something for every visitor to Mount Stromlo. Drive to the top of the mountain for some of the most spectacular views of the capital and check out the burnt out remains of the Stromlo Observatory destroyed in the 2003 bushfires. Re-development of the observatory is now complete and it is now a major partner in the construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Another iconic remnant from the fires is the Mount Stromlo Director's Residence which recently opened to the public. The building was gutted during the fires that swept through the Brindabella ranges and into Canberra. Added projections inside the residence illuminate lifelike bushfires while other parts of the building have been left untouched since the destruction

For active types the mountain  is home to one of the finest and most well equipped mountain biking facilities in Australia and in 2009 it hosted UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships that attracted more than 30,000 visitors from up to 40 countries.