Spies and Secrets in the Capital: Women in Espionage Walking Tour
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Canberra, Australia
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Canberra is a city with a lot of museums and cultural landmarks that showcase Australia’s history, but many parts of that history often get overlooked. Discover a fascinating side to the Australian capital’s past with a group walking tour that brings you into the history and tradecraft of espionage and covert operations, but specifically highlighting women’s stories of both sides of the fence, spying and being spied upon.
- See a side of Canberra that most travelers miss on a group walking tour
- Go beyond the guidebooks with stories of women involved in espionage
- Visit landmarks tied to Canberra’s covert past, including Old Parliament House
- Insight from your guide adds context to the rest of your sightseeing
What's Included
- Passionate & Professional Local Guide
- Hand-drawn souvenir postcard by a local artist
- A group photo with your guide
- A follow-up list of resources and further reading on the stories shared
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Hyatt Hotel Canberra - A Park Hyatt Hotel120 Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla ACT 2600, Australia
Our tour begins and finishes inside the front lobby of the Hyatt Hotel Canberra. Over two hours, we walk about 3km at a comfortable and relaxed pace.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.2:00 pm
Itinerary
Hyatt Hotel Canberra - A Park Hyatt Hotel (Pass By)
Albert Hall (Pass By)
West Block (Pass By)
Old Parliament House (Pass By)
East Block (Pass By)
John Gorton Building (Pass By)
Aboriginal Tent Embassy (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants must sit on laps
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Guides wear headsets
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 74 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
It was a fun thing to do. Learnt lots. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Nice small group. Found shady places to stop in a warm day. Will look at other tours they run too. Thanks.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lovely review! We're so glad you had a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing you on tour again soon!
Keep shaping history,
Team She Shapes History
Fantastic experience and tour guide!
Will be back next time I'm in Canberra and can't wait to try what they offer closer to home in Melbourne.
Bring a hat and sunscreen and sunglasses!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Cassie,
Thank you so much for joining us on tour and for sharing such a lovely review! Great advice for future tour guests and we look forward to seeing you again very soon!
Keep shaping history,
Team She Shapes History
Because Canberra is so spread out, the distances are greater than the usual walking tour. It wasn’t a problem for us but probably should be provided in the information.Tash our guide, was fantastic.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Fiona,
Thank you so much for joining us on tour, and we're delighted you had a wonderful time! We have noted your feedback about the distance of the tour (about 3km), thank you! We completely agree, Tash is amazing!
Keep shaping history,
Team She Shapes History
Fun and informative day out. Enjoyed learning about female spies in Canberra while having a walk to the relevant stops. Great guide.
Loved this tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable, had great stories and the walk was refreshing. Our tour was in the evening, it was great ambience to hear the stories as the moon glowed in the sky and all the buildings started to light up. If you go in the evening, take bug spray, the mosquitoes are ruthless, but the whole experience was worth it. Highly recommend!
The guide was friendly, knew her history and was a good story teller. The walk from the archives to Kingston was easy and it was a beautiful autumn day. Highly recommended.
The tour guide was warmly inclusive, really knew her topic and had a great delivery style. The information offered was the detail of a fascinating history. Loved it. Thank you.
Interesting stories that captivated us! Highly recommend this engaging tour, there was plenty to learn
It was a fantastic, interesting and entertaining tour! All stories and facts presented are verifiable- you are provided with a bibliography at the end if you have any doubts lol. It is an absolute 'must do' when in Canberra. A visitor note is that there is a bus stop opposite the Russian Embassy conveniently and extremely close to the tours end.
Samantha was a fantastic guide who took the time to get to know everyone over the course of the 2 hour tour. Very highly recommended!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thanks for joining us on a tour and for taking the time to leave a review! Samantha is an amazing guide, and we're so lucky to have her! We hope to have the pleasure of your company again in the future!
Our tour guide Tash took time to break the ice and had everyone laughing, as we explained whether we would make a good spy. Tash was well informed and entertaining as she regaled the group with tales of how women have been involved in espionage. We walked to various significant sites, beginning with a former post office where the earliest ASIO agents would steam open mail, finishing with the home of the Petrov family and then the Russian embassy.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thanks so much Marilyn for joining us on a tour and for taking the time to leave such a lovely review! Tash is a great guide, and we’re lucky to have her!
We're always aiming to deliver a 5-star tour, so if there’s anything we could have done to improve your experience, we would love to hear from you. Our email is hello@sheshapeshistory.com.au 🙂
Warmly
Sita
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Spies and Secrets in the Capital: Women in Espionage Walking Tour
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