For the second federal election in a row, ACT voters have shown there really is no such thing as a safe seat.

Labor has had few blemishes on its electoral record in the history of ACT federal representation.

But last night, a fresh independent wave swept over Canberra.

Once considered an outside chance of transitioning from the rugby pitch to the Senate, David Pocock has entrenched his position as one of the country's most influential politicians.

In the southernmost electorate of Bean, the count remains agonisingly close between two-term Labor MP David Smith and his challenger Jessie Price.

Several parks and reserves across the ACT will be temporarily closed for an animal control program targeting pest species.

The closures will be staggered over several weeks.

The specific closure dates are below:

Bullen Range Nature Reserve: 8 May – 18 May
Gigerline Nature Reserve: 8 May – 18 May
Rob Roy Nature Reserve (South): 8 May – 18 May
Stony Creek Nature Reserve 8 May – 16 May
Molonglo River Reserve: 12 May – 16 May
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: 15 May – 16 May
Namadgi National Park (West): 16 May – 27 May
Namadgi National Park (Naas – East): 19 May – 28 May
Namadgi National Park (North): 19 May – 28 May
Lower Cotter Catchment: 19 May – 28 May
Googong Foreshore: 26 May – 29 May.

The Interchange Health Co-operative (IHCO), which had 5,000 patients on the books, was closed earlier this month and entered voluntary administration.

A private operator will take over its running and today it was announced the federal Labor government would commit $3.8 million to the clinic, if re-elected.

The administrator said the clinic would reopen shortly and that the return of services was "temporary".

The National Capital Authority has released its vision for the renewal of Commonwealth Park, which includes an aquatic centre to replace Civic pool.

The proposed renewal plans also include an upgrade of Stage 88 and permanent beds and year-round gardens for Floriade.

The concept plans are available on the NCA's website, and public feedback can be made before June 20.

It's variously called skimming, splash'n'dash, or balloon sailing — where a hot air balloonist, with skill and experience, lands the balloon on water and sails with the wind behind them.

From a few hangers on, it's gained a following with hundreds of people being towed.

Politicians, intelligence agencies and spies themselves support the proposal for a National Spy Museum on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

The vision for the new cultural institution is to portray Australia's history of espionage, paying tribute to former and current spies.

A $2.9 million federal budget submission has been made for initial feasibility and planning work for the museum.

Getting into and around Canberra's city centre became a little more challenging at 8pm last night, when part of London Circuit East closed to general traffic until late 2026.

It's to facilitate utility work related to construction of light rail stage 2A, a 1.7 kilometre stretch from Civic to Commonwealth Park.

It follows the closure of the western side of London Circuit, between Northbourne and Edinburgh avenues, a month ago.

There's a F35 flyover happening at ~7.30pm, fireworks display at 8.30, and the usual collections of food vans etc.

Note the list of road closures - if you're not planning on going then it's a good time to avoid the area because there will be a bit more traffic chaos than your typical Saturday (particularly in the evening).

Exact dates and prices are yet to be confirmed, but Mr Gilbo pencilled in 7 or 8 March as the inaugural day, with flights taking off from West Lake every hour between 9 am and 5 pm at a cost of around $295 per person per flight.

Passengers will board and disembark from the floating pontoon on Acton Peninsula, near the National Museum of Australia.

An Amorphophallus titanum or titan arum, commonly known as the corpse flower, has bloomed at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra for the first time.

The 15-year-old plant started unfurling its 135 centimetre-tall flower spike on Saturday afternoon, emanating a putrid stench described by some as smelling like "dead rat".

The bloom is expected to start collapsing by Monday afternoon and will gradually return to a dormant state as an underground corm.

The 2025 National Multicultural Festival will be held from 7-9 February.

The festival is expanding beyond the city precinct and further into Glebe Park. This means more members of the community can enjoy the festival safely and comfortably.

The festival will be spread across Civic Square, City Walk, Bunda Street, Akuna Street and Glebe Park.

Canberra’s award-winning Old Bus Depot Markets may be in for a shake-up or face competition from a rival operator after the ACT Government put the heritage-listed venue in Kingston out to tender.

The Markets have operated on Sundays at the former transport depot for 30 years, but the government is now looking to get more out of the 5000 sqm site by opening it up to other operators and opportunities, including on Saturdays and during the week.

These new ideas could include more markets, events and arts activities, particularly given its location as part of the to-be-developed Kingston Arts Precinct.

Canberrans who bought tickets to a water lantern festival on Lake Burley Griffin, advertised mainly on social media, now suspect the event could be illegitimate.

The festival's website says the National Capital Authority is an event partner, but the planning authority has denied approval.

A parliamentary committee has met to investigate draft laws to hold social media companies responsible for scams on their platforms.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council plans to auction 38 properties that have thousands of dollars in overdue rates owing on them.

The council's general manager says "every effort" has been made to contact the property owners, who have today been named in local newspapers alongside the amount they owe.

The auctions are scheduled to go ahead on May 2.

Of the almost 40,000 calls to triple-0 received by ACT police in 2024, 36 per cent were related to non-emergency situations.

Police say that included a call from a teenager whose parents had switched off the Wi-fi and a man who wanted police to arrest a stray cat on his street.

Police are urging members of the public to call their non-emergency line 131 444 if an immediate police presence is not required.

I've been looking at these three islands for a while now on the map and from the shore, so today I fished out the drone and kayak and decided to finally get around to seeing what's on them. If anyone else has been similarly curious here's what you'll find:

Unnamed island off Black Mountain Peninsula:

On the island it's a small area with dense tree cover and little undergrowth.

Spinnaker Island:

On the island it's mainly low dry grass cover with a few trees around the edge and a lot of seagulls. Quite a lot of dead seagulls too, and a few young gulls at the end of fledging stage so I didn't explore very much.

Springbank Island:

This larger island also has a fair amount of low dry grass cover with trees around the perimeter. In addition though it has a dock for boats, a selection of picnic tables (some in open sun, some in shady areas), an undercover picnic area, a barbecue, and even toilets. It did look to be a nice place to bring some lunch to in warmer parts of the year.

Vikings Group wants to build a club with 160 poker machines in Jerrabomberra, near the NSW-ACT border.

Anti-gambling advocates have expressed concerns over the potential gambling harm to the regional town.

The Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is completing an assessment report before the Southern Regional Planning Panel makes the final decision.

Inspired by me watching the long queues of people turning Iron Knob St into a parking lot leading back to Newcastle St while the other entrances to the area remain much less trafficked.

Twelve people were rescued on Sunday afternoon after the boat they were on sank on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

Police said they received a call about 12:30pm to say the boat was taking on water in an area of the lake near Yarralumla, in the city's inner-south.

Canberra's maritime police responded and the passengers were all taken safely to a nearby embankment.

Nobody was injured.

The New Year will again start with a bang, with the ACT Government reinstating the midnight fireworks display over Lake Burley Griffin.

Last year, the late-night pyrotechnics was scrapped in favour of a bigger bang at the family-friendly hour of 9 pm, with the show lasting 15 minutes.

But this year, the traditional format resumes with a 9 pm display and one as the clock strikes midnight.