Sutherland Studios

The Canberra Puzzle Book

The Canberra Puzzle Book

Puzzle Links

The Blackline Masters page includes free sample pages for you to download!

The Canberra Puzzle Book is the ideal companion to your school trip to our national capital! Keep your students occupied and engaged during the journey, as well as at your accommodation. They'll be having fun, and learning at the same time!

It is aimed at students in Grades 5 - 12, and adults. It covers the history of the Canberra region, from pre-European settlement to the modern day. The entire book has been checked by local historians for accuracy.

Subjects include :

  • Aboriginal culture
  • Aboriginal names used around Canberra
  • Early pioneer settlers
  • The selection of Canberra as our capital
  • Construction of Parliament House
  • Walter Burley Griffin's plan
  • Life in Canberra during Word War II
  • The flag and emblems of the city
  • Multicultural life in Canberra
  • Early maps of the city turned into mazes
  • Flora and fauna of the region
  • Notable Canberrans
  • Outstanding architecture in Canberra
  • And more!

There are find-a-words, mazes, crosswords, story crosswords, a silly story (good grammar practice), clueless crosswords, colouring-in, dot-to-dots, codes, and spot-the-differences, amongst others!

Download these free samples to see for yourself:

There are detailled 'Puzzle Maker's Notes' for the book, adding further detail and depth to each puzzle.

You can either order the B5 workbooks, so each child gets their own book, or a Blackline Master for photocopying.

Simply download the Order Form and post it (PO Box 3849, Weston Creek ACT 2611). We accept credit card (via PayPal), direct deposit and cheques. Schools will be billed on a 30-day invoice.

Please order books for your Canberra trip at least 3 weeks before you leave, to give time for them to arrive.

Where did it all start?

In 2004 Sutherland Studios won an ACT Heritage Grant which enabled Denise to research, write and publish The Canberra Puzzle Book in 2005. As part of the grant, a free copy of the book was given to every Year 6 student in ACT government schools.

In 2006 Sutherland Studios published its companion volume, The Junior Canberra Puzzle Book, for younger 'puzzle historians' (the B5 workbooks are currently sold out, but still available as a Blackline Master).

The Canberra Puzzle Book is in its third printing, and continues to sell well to the schools market and in national attractions in Canberra.

National Library best-seller
Australian Bookseller & Publisher, July 2005, page 40
Listed at #6 on the Bestsellers List at the National Library Shop!

"This book is a delight. Innovative, inspired, engaging - and right on target in the way it communicates complex topics with clarity and with fun.

"Heritage is about learning to read the rich library of our surroundings so that we better understand our past, and our own responsibilities to the future. It's a tall order as heritage professionals will agree. Yet here Denise Sutherland has produced the essential primer for this process, conveying accurate information in the most enjoyable and arresting format, a puzzle book that includes crosswords, mazes, codes, 'what's missing' pictures, and my favourite - the silly story.

"This is a book for kids - but it is really for us all, I don't think there is anyone who could resist trying at least some of these."

Dr Lenore Coltheart, National Archives of Australia/Australian National University

National Trust review
Heritage in Trust Winter 2005, page 17

Where to find your own Canberra Puzzle Books around Canberra

Last Modified:   02 May 2011

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