Neighbourhood: Mawson
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One of the best things about Canberra is its multitude of neighbourhoods – each with its own individual charm and attractions. And whether you’re looking to make that suburb your home or just explore its offerings, it’s always good to have an expert guide to show you around.
That’s where our Neighbourhood series comes in. In collaboration with our friends at HIVE, we’ll help you discover the soul of Canberra’s suburbs.
In Canberra’s Woden Valley, just a short drive from the Woden Town Centre, Mawson is an established suburb with a thriving and multicultural shopping centre which generously provides the city with tastes beyond our shores. A place for young families and retirees alike, here is a harmonious melting pot worth a visit, not only for its shops but for its various clubs, sporting facilities and proximity to the Isaac Ridge Nature Reserve.
SUBURB SNAPSHOT
Established in the late 1960s and named after the Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson, this suburb maintains some architectural gems from the 1970s and ’80s, including the Gary Willemsen-designed development of Shackleton Park, which is a collection of solar passive townhouses blended into the landscape.
Nestled between the Diplomatic belt of O’Malley and the blue-chip suburb of Farrer, Mawson is renowned for its thriving Southlands Shopping Centre and warm embrace of multicultural hubs, including the Austrian Club and an array of Middle Eastern and Asian grocery shops and restaurants.
Just a stroll from the commercial district of Phillip and the Woden Town Centre, Mawson is loved for its location and access to amenities. The Woden District Playing Fields fill quickly on a weekend and families make good use of the walking and bike paths around the nearby nature reserve.
A young but growing suburb, Mawson is now undergoing some level of regeneration.
EAT
Al Manoosh Lebanese Bakery
Al Manoosh is popular for a reason – its incredible menu of authentic Middle Eastern food.
Al Manoosh Lebanese Bakery (47 Mawson Place) is renowned for its huge menu and skill at delivering authentic Middle Eastern flavours. Family-run with a warm and inviting atmosphere, we were treated to a table laden with delicious dishes at our recent visit.
From the selection of crispy pizza bases laden with toppings such as Labne, Zataar and vegetables, to the Kaak and Cheese (Lebanese special sesame bread stuffed with cheese) to the Musabaha of chickpeas, lemon, garlic, and olive oil, and meat dishes featuring their signature lamb, this is absolutely a place for a feast, with the added bonus of charging the most reasonable prices for generous serves.
Truly a suburban gem worth adding to your list. Bring friends, bring family, all feel very welcome.
Jabal Halal Market
Jabal Halal Market has some of the city’s best priced fruit, veg and meat.
Speaking of low-cost, it is hard not be impressed by the quality and prices of goods at the Jabal Halal Market (2/79 Mawson Place) which is a thriving fruit and vegetable market with an extensive Halal meat range, including chicken, veal, goat, spring lamb and yearling grain-fed beef.
Owned by Tarik Jabal and operated for 24 years, this market is always heaving with people from all nationalities on the hunt for speciality fresh produce. We can confirm the quality and prices make it well worth the drive even if you’re not a local.
Cedars of Lebanon Grocer
This store smells like heaven.
Cedars of Lebanon Grocer (4/9 Mawson Place) is hard to walk past once you have tried their sweet treats and fresh nuts and spices. Another exotic emporium in operation since 2001, here is a place for friendly service and advice if you want to expand your cooking repertoire and don’t quite know where to start.
From the creamiest Medjool dates, to homemade Dubai Chocolate at the front counter, more olives than you could reasonably poke a stick at, and a selection of heavenly smelling Middle Eastern beauty products, this is a place to get lost in.
Mawson Asian Groceries
Mawson Asian Groceries caters for more south-eastern in nature and is bursting with pantry stables like noodles, jarred spices, enormous sacks of rice and speciality desserts.
And if there is something less exotic you need, there’s a Woolies around the corner!
Under
If you manage to get a loaf of Under bread before they sell out each day, then it is worth kissing.
Bread lovers rejoice as Mawson is home to the legendary bakers of Under (1/30 Mawson Place).
Since opening in 2019, this bakery has been drawing a steady stream of bread aficionados who know the drill – get there early or go home empty-handed.
With a few chairs and tables outside this serving window, don’t be surprised to see people diving into their various sweet buns, scrolls, focaccia squares, sandwiches and loaves within moments of grabbing them, fresh out of the oven.
You simply have not lived fully until you have tried their pear, raspberry and yoghurt cremeaux Danish.
Tutto Delicatessen
Dom serving all the best Italian flavours at Tutto.
If your bent is Italian, then head over to Tutto Delicatessen (142/152 Mawson Place). Order a coffee from Dom and his expert team and grab a seat in this cute little place while you work out what pasta dish you are going to tackle on the weekend.
With a vast array of Italian deli meats, cheeses, olives, oils, dried goods, and the most divine selection of imported kitchenware (oh, those little Bialetti coffee pots are too cute for words), you are not going to be able to walk out empty-handed, so don’t even try.
Italian Continental Bakery
Cannoli is essential with your coffee from Italian Continental Bakery
Similarly, if your palette tends towards more classic European flavours then Italian Continental Bakery (1/106 Mawson Place) will deliver the cannoli you’ve been craving amid a front counter overflowing with pastry options.
Serving substantial cooked meals and coffee over breakfast and lunch, here is a spot to sit and take your time to refuel before you hit the markets.
Queenie’s
Queenies serving coffee and snacks in an artistic setting.
If your tastes run a little fancier, Queenie’s Café (71 Mawson Place) does great coffee and all-day breakfasts, including a fab smoked salmon Bennie and fluffy pancakes. In an artsy little space with lots of greenery overhead, here is a café to inspire some creativity and kids will love the colourful shakes and smoothies on offer.
Kebab heaven
Hankering for a kebab? Say no more. You have a good choice at Mawson where you can choose from Mawson Kebab N Grill (7/1 Mawson place) or Al-Taher Kebab and Sweets (1/15 Mawson place).
We are not going to pick a favourite, other than to say the pides at Mawson Kebab N Grill are exemplary (including the rosemary, pumpkin, cumin potato, onion, capsicum, fetta and cheddar option) while the Beef Doner Kebab at Al-Taher will be so bursting with ingredients it may take you a while to get through (but please find room in your dessert stomach for the pistachio baklava).
PLAY
Shop the world
It’s genuinely difficult to visit the Mawson Shops without succumbing to the magic tastes and aromas of the Middle East. So if that inspiration extends to home décor, stop in at Canberra Magic Rugs (9 Mawson Place). Knowledgeable staff can take you through the selection of Persian, Afghan, Moroccan Indian Kashmiri and Kazak rugs.
From hand-knotted silk rugs, to machine made runners, you can find a floor covering to suit your needs and colour scheme, learning some inspiring cultural knowledge along the way. The store also offers a comprehensive repair and restoring service.
Buy some blooms
Rosewood Flowers (2/30 Mawson Place) offers fresh, seasonal flowers with same-day delivery, a hands-on Bloom Bar where customers can design their own bouquets or have something made for them, and workshops that run throughout the year. Around a quarter of our flowers come from owner Claire Smith’s micro flower farm in Pialligo, which is active from spring to autumn and grown completely chemical free.
Miss Muffet’s Flower Boutique (Shop 11, Heard Street) offers same-day delivery Canberra-wide if you need flowers in a hurry to suit any occasion. It’s also a pretty shop to browse if you want to spoil yourself.
Move your body
Power Flow Pilates (corner of Heard Street and Mawson Drive) offers reformer Pilates, yoga, mat Pilates, breathwork and mind therapy from an elegant studio with free parking right out front.
If traditional gym workouts are more your thing, head up to Club Lime (Level 1, 1 Mawson Drive) where a more conventional workout awaits.
If team sports and tennis are your preferred recreational pursuits, then Mawson is a perfect spot. The Mawson District Playing Fields (off Beasley Street) provide a wide expanse of green space for all athletic and ball sports and is a veritable hive of activity over the weekends.
Tennis lovers can head on over to the Southland Tennis Club (Heard Street just near the main shopping centre carpark), which has been going strong since 1976 as a volunteer-run organisation which offers classes, competitions and social play on four synthetic courts with a clubhouse.
For those who like their sports with a European flavour, the Austrian Club offers ice stock sport (or Bavarian Curling) while The Mawson Club (10 Heard Street) caters for footy lovers and those who love a good steak or schnitzel with some family and community spirit. The not-for-profit operates a bar, restaurant and functions space as well as running club Rugby League teams from junior to seniors.
- Photography by Andrew Ly, Nineteen Creative
