Secrets of the City: Canberra's Women's History Tour

Unearth the women behind Canberra with this historical walking tour as part of the 2025 ACT Heritage Festival


She Shapes History
She Shapes History
5.0 (30)
8k followers

2 hours

Experience size 1 to 4 (public dates), 10 to 30
  $60 (Afterpay available)

Canberra is full of secrets, but the stories of incredible women shouldn’t be among them.
In this historical and cultural walking tour of Canberra, we’ll unearth the mystery of million-dollar artworks that vanished overnight, iconic protests from the 1970s and 1980s, Canberra’s first female-owned businesses and women’s organisations and the city’s hidden history of women in theatre and palaeontology. From protests at bars demanding the right to drink (and use the loo!) to lesbian-owned nightclubs, pioneering politicians and groundbreaking artists, discover a side of the city you never knew existed.
We’ll begin our tour in the heart of Darlinghurst, once known for its brothels, sly-grog dens, razor gangs and the women who shaped the city from its shadows. Uncover stories from the colonial era to the 1970s—from sex workers and socialites to detectives, reformers, and women who vanished without a trace.
You’ll stand in the places where standoffs, scandals and survival played out, and see how gender shaped who was criminalised—and who was forgotten.
This tour covers just over 3km in 2 hours. There are no stairs on this route.
You can cancel up to 7 days before your tour starts and reschedule up to 24 hours before your tour. Contact us to reschedule.
What you'll get
An evening guided walking tour of Canberra during the 2025 ACT Heritage Festival. Learn about Canberra's hidden history.
What to bring
Please wear comfortable shoes for walking.
Location

King George V Memorial, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT

Secrets of the City: Canberra's Women's History Tour location
More about this experience

This experience is new, and this host has 30 reviews for their other experiences - which you can see here.

This experience is also covered by ClassBento's money-back guarantee.

Your host

She Shapes History
She Shapes History

5.0 (30)
8k followers
female Women-owned

We're on a mission to make Australian women's history accessible, entertaining, and engaging through walking tours, social media and one-off events.
She Shapes History started with a simple question – "Where are the women in the history of Australia?"
Bushrangers, convicts, diggers, blokes and battlers are often seen as the main characters of Australian history. In the story of our nation, women have frequently been cast as minor characters. Countless stories have been lost, left unrecorded, undervalued, and untold. As a society, it's so easy to forget that women were behind many of the moments that shaped Australia.
We believe that by recovering the remarkable stories of the women who shaped history, we can challenge our perception of women today. Closing the respect gap in Australian politics and culture today requires that we recognise and re-imagine what Australian women, particularly First Nations women, queer women, women of colour and women with disabilities, have achieved in the past.
While there are many ways to learn more about our history, there is nothing quite like a walking tour. Walking tours offer a unique opportunity to share history in an inclusive, accessible and non-judgmental context.
We use walking tours to highlight the diverse and often forgotten women behind the moments that shaped Australia. We want all Australians, no matter their race, gender or sexuality, to be able to see themselves in Canberra's landscape, in Australian history, and the story of our nation.
So, where are the women in the story of Australia? Well, as you'll discover on our tours, everywhere.

Gift this experience

With our gift card, they can book this experience at a time that suits them

They can also choose from our 12,000+ other experiences

Gifting options
V48I01Z33L 34c052b7f77f35dccea660a6ce51910d production canberra Canberra ACT AU canberra