Parking Canberra

While not the hardest place to find parking, parking in Canberra can still get a little pricey and it pays to know where to look when it comes to securing the best spot for the best price. The capital of Australia is located just south of Sydney and about eight hours drive from Melbourne. It's an inland location which means that the closest water is the famous Lake Burley Griffin, with a good three hours of driving distance from the Canberra CBD to the far south coast of New South Wales.

People are brought to Canberra for all kinds of reasons. There are plenty of exciting sporting events and plenty of world-class sporting locations for them to be held in. Home to the Canberra Raiders NRL team, the region boasts excellent sporting facilities at the Australian Institute of Sport in Belconnen, close to the University of Canberra. If you're not in Canberra to enjoy the latest sports then you might have been drawn to the region for its excellent cultural centres, educational institutions and events, and countless world-class eateries. A small city, Canberra makes up for what it lacks in size, in availability of things to do.

As you come into Canberra from Sydney, you will eventually land on Northbourne Avenue, the main arterial road linking the city to the highways. Northbourne Avenue has plenty of street parking available but it's heavily metered and the closer you get to the central business districts, the harder it is to find yourself a car park. At the end of Northbourne Avenue you'll find London Circuit around which are dotted a range of open parking spaces and secure parking lots offering all kinds of hourly rates and daily parking rates. If you have been brought to Canberra for work, and most of the population of Canberra's city are generally brought to the region for their work, then you have a few commuting options and parking lots to choose from.

Weekday rates are, naturally, higher than on weekends. The public parking lots are free to people who ride motorcycles or scooters but for all other vehicles you will need to purchase a parking ticket and have it clearly displayed on your dashboard. Like all major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, there are parking inspectors everywhere and they have no qualms handing out tickets for drivers who have forgotten to purchase their parking or have overstayed their welcome.

Just south of the CBD is the arts district of Canberra including the National Portrait Gallery and a range of other museums and attractions. The National Film Archive is a great place to catch a cheap and cheerful movie, with cheap tickets available every day of the week. Parking is not included in your ticket price so make sure you're choosing the right spot for the time of day or night that you're visiting.

Along Marcus Clarke Street in the CBD, you will find most of the area's offices and skyscrapers with secure parking lots offering early bird specials and other parking deals. These are necessary because there is very little in the way of available street parking and many “buses only” zones that cars are not permitted to enter at all. Disabled parking is clearly marked but these spots are always subject to availability. The Australian National University is located close by and they also offer parking rates for both students and visitors. You can purchase long term or short term parking passes from the university but these are expensive so make sure you know you're alternatives before you sign up. And Parkhound has quite a few.

How much is parking in Canberra?

You can expect to pay an average of $1.59 per hour for parking Canberra but you save yourself the time and hassle of trying to find a parking spot by letting us find one for you. Parkhound is an online network designed to help people who need a car park with the people who have space to rent out. These spaces on offer through Parkhound include residential driveways and carports, private garages with access keys and 24/7 secured gate systems, vacant lots and unused business parking lots. Wherever you can fit a car, Parkhound has found it and it's available to rent online instantly.

The way our services work is simple. You hop online using either our website or our parking app and you locate exactly where you need to park your car. When you have found parking spots that you like, you request to book them with the host. The host who has the car space for rent will get in touch with you and let you know what kind of conditions are applied to the spot, which might include things like the available times, after hours parking restrictions or whether you have to leave it free overnight, that sort of thing. Once you're happy with the conditions, you book immediately. We take care of all the payment arrangements, with monthly parking options available which direct debit from your credit card automatically.

Once your parking in Canberra is booked, you're all done. You can access our service using any smart phone and if you do decide to use our handy app, you'll also find that you can quickly measure the dimensions of the available parking before you book. This way you save even more time making sure your parking is big enough or has the right kind of access.