Don’t know what to get Dad this Father’s Day? “CityNews” has a handy guide to help find him something special.

DON’T know what to get dad this Father’s Day?

Don’t fret, because throughout Canberra there are plenty of businesses with items and experiences that’ll make for perfect gifts.

Whether dad wants some fancy new furniture or to fly a jet simulator, “CityNews” has compiled a handy guide to help make him feel special this Father’s Day.

Award-winning meats, perfect for dads

SOUTHLANDS Quality Meats has been serving “fresh and quality” products to the Canberra community for 26 years, says owner Reece Travers.

“What we offer is fresh meat. A lot of other butcher shops do cooked meat. We do cooked meat, too, but we pride ourselves on fresh quality meat,” he says.

“We also have a smoke oven where we do all our smoking of our own fish and bacon. As well, we won best bacon in Australia twice, which is pretty good so bacon is a huge one for us, and we do all our own hams and smallgoods which we pride ourselves on, too.”

Reece says customers who shop at Southlands Quality Meats will get an experience they won’t get in a supermarket or anywhere else.

“They are going to get awesome customer service, we’re going to be able to help you find the cut that suits your needs, help you learn how to cook it, and you’re also going to get a better experience when you eat it because it’s going to be full of flavour and it’s going to be fresh,” says Reece.

Southlands will also be offering some Father’s Day specials that will be announced shortly.

“Dads know what they want. They want good meat, and they just want to BBQ, so we will be getting plenty of dads in for sure.”

Southlands Quality Meats, Shop 1/93 Mawson Place, Mawson. Call 6286 2993, or visit Southlands Quality Meats on Facebook and Instagram.

Shows to experience with dad

JOEL Horwood, acting marketing officer at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (The Q), says experiences are better when they’re shared. “And who better to share the experience of music and joy with than your dad.”

Joel says The Q has a few shows around Father’s Day to appeal to dad’s and family groups.

“The major show for dads is called ‘Good Morning Vietnam’,” he says, which will be running on September 3.

“It’s music from the Vietnam War era, including music from bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, Steppenwolf, The Beatles, Nancy Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, The Animals, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye.

“It’s a real mix of some of the most iconic pop, folk, soul and rock songs of all time.”

On September 7, Joel says The Q has John Paul Young coming, which some dads will be interested in, and some dads might even be interested in the Abba show on September 24.

“As a day out for families, we’ve got a ‘My Fair Lady’ musical, which would be a good one for the whole family, and it’s playing right through until September 25.

“The other one that could be fun for the family – maybe not super young kids – is ‘HMS Pinafore’, which is in October so people can buy in advance,” says Joel.

The Q, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Call 6285 6290, or visit theq.net.au

A taste of India with a modern twist

THIS Father’s Day, Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant will help you spoil your dad, says owner Reddy Manne.

“Blu Ginger consistently uses the age-old recipes with a modern twist,” he says.

“The restaurant covers all regions of ethnic India, all meals are cooked fresh with local and imported ingredients and all spices are ground in store.”

First established in 2000, Reddy says the restaurant has become renowned in Canberra for its butter chicken, jhangiri and shahi gosht, among other choices.

“We serve gluten-free meals and accommodate any dietary requirements,” he says.

“Blu Ginger caters fresh made to order with affordable prices.”

Blu Ginger Indian Restaurant, 2/5-21 Genge Street, Civic. Call 6247 2228 or visit bluginger.com.au

Find something special at Canberra’s all-hemp shop

SOUTH Pacific Hemp, Canberra’s first all-hemp shop, has plenty of gifts to surprise dad with this Father’s Day, says manager Sue Booth.

“Our clothing is designed for wearability and versatility, is breathable, natural and easy to care for,” she says.

“Hemp protects your skin by naturally filtering UV light. It also resists bacterial growth and breathes excellently, preventing odours, has four times the strength of cotton and it won’t weaken when washed.”

Sue says the store sells delicious salad dressings and a range of hemp flour, hemp protein and hulled hemp seeds that contain the highest quality ingredients and are certified organic, vegan-friendly, gluten and GMO free.

“We see the shop as an alternative to mass-produced, quick-fix shopping,” she says.

“All of our hemp oils, food items, balms and creams are carefully sourced and selected from small businesses and producers in Tasmania, SA, WA and NSW.

“In terms of fabric, there’s everything from belts, bags and bedding to scarves and the kitchen is covered, too, with tea towels, totes, sponges and cookie cutters.”

South Pacific Hemp, 84 Wollongong Street, Fyshwick. Call 0431 318898 or visit southpacifichemp.com.au

Beer, wine and spirits to suit dad’s taste

PLONK is a family-owned specialised beer, wine and spirit store that opened 15 years ago, says Plonk owner Anthony Young.

“We have two locations, one in the Fyshwick markets and one in the Belconnen markets,” he says.

“There’s a Father’s Day homepage pop-up on the website for people to see the options available, we’re developing a Father’s Day beer box. We also have gift cards and gift packs.”

Anthony says Plonk is generally regarded as one of the best bottle shops in Australia.

“We’ve won a few awards, and we’ve also got such a varied selection. You often won’t find the things we’ve got anywhere else.

While Anthony says they do sell a lot of beer, they also sell a lot of wine, whiskey and rum for dads with varying tastes.

“Because we’re located in food markets, our staff are well versed on matching the product we sell, the alcohol we have, to the entertaining ideas of our customers.

“People come into Plonk after doing their food shopping and tell us what they’ve bought, and we’ll pair it with an appropriate product.”

Plonk, Shop 17 Fyshwick Markets, Cnr Nyrang and Mildura Streets, Fyshwick and Shop 27 Belconnen Markets, 10 Lathlain Street, Belconnen. Call 6260 6336 (Fyshwick) or 6253 5507 (Belconnen),
or visit plonk.net.au

Sky’s the limit for this ‘memorable gift’

JET Flight Simulator Canberra is a one-of-a-kind present for dads this Father’s Day, says owner Trevor Vickers. 

He says it provides the everyday person with the opportunity to sit in the most used plane in the world.

“Visitors get to operate a full-size replica of a Boeing 737-800 cockpit and can choose from 24,000 airports around the world to fly in or out of,” he says.

“There’ll be an instructor who’s there to point out what all the buttons and levers do and when to use them, but it’ll be you that’s doing the flying.

Trevor says sometimes people want to fly over where they’ve been on holiday, others want to do things like fly under the Sydney Harbour Bridge – and it’s all possible.

“Lots of dads have always wanted to fly a large commercial plane. It’s a very memorable gift because it’s very unusual,” he says.

But that’s not the only experience they’re offering, says Trevor.

Visitors also have the opportunity for a more fast-paced, virtual reality experience called “ICAROS” which he describes as a “completely different way to fly”.

“The way it works is that you lie on a frame and just by shifting your body weight it steers you in the virtual world,” says Trevor.

“The sensation is more like flying with a wingsuit or like you’re Superman.”

Jet Flight Simulator Canberra, 4 Montford Crescent, Lyneham. Visit jetflightsimulatorcanberra.com.au or call 0438 834026.

A hand cream designed for men

CHARLIE & Chums has everything sorted for dad and his pet best friend this Father’s Day, says owner Sandy Borgo.

The store has a new range of hand creams specially designed for men named “Aussie Man Hands” that Sandy says dads will love.

“A lot of gentlemen who have come into the store have tried it and have found it great,” she says.

“I’ve got some tradies who have said it’s made a big difference for them and a gardener who says it halves the dirt he gets on his hands.”

Sandy says it was a woman in Queanbeyan who created the cream after her plumber son had to deal with inflammation of a hand.

“She’s created a tough container with aluminum lids so the guys can throw it in their toolbox as well,” says Sandy.

“The range also includes a lip balm that’s opaque and SPF 15 and we also have an all-in-one cleaning hair and body wash.”

For man’s best friend (whether dog or cat) Sandy says the store also always has plenty of unique gifts.

“We’ve got pet collars, leads, toys, stuff they can play with and heaps more,” she says.

“We’ve also got really high-quality car seats for pets. I’ve had mine since 2016 and it’s still going strong.”

Charlie & Chums, Tuggeranong Southpoint across from Target. Call 0402 097580 or visit charlieandchums.com.au