Airconditioning has become the capital's most valuable asset this week, with local businesses and tourist attractions reporting a boom in customers attempting to escape the heat.
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Kyle Amor, manager of airconditioned AMF Bowling Tuggeranong, said attendance rates had been more than 50 per cent higher this week than at the same time last year. ''The heat is definitely sending people our way in search of aircon,'' Mr Amor said.
Chloe Turner spent Friday at the bowling alley with a group from her school holiday program.
''We've been doing a lot more indoor activities this week,'' she said. ''It's been fun, but I wish it hadn't been so hot so we could play outside a bit. But you have to be smart about these sorts of things.''
Staff at the National Library of Australia used the heatwave to the institution's advantage on Friday.
An NLA spokeswoman said they had used social media to attract people to the library's airconditioned exhibitions and reading rooms. ''We've been actively tweeting, telling people that the National Library is the cool place to be, literally, during the heatwave,'' she said.
''Our social media followers have been retweeting that message widely. We were even asked what the temperature was in the NLA building.''
The spokeswoman confirmed that the NLA had seen a significant increase in visitor numbers, with more than 5000 visitors to the Mapping Our World: Terra Incognita to Australia exhibition this week.
The National Gallery of Australia also reported a large number of visitors, stating the airconditioned rooms were a factor in attracting both locals and tourists.
''Gold and the Incas has been going extremely well, with tens of thousands of visitors attending,'' an NGA spokesman said. ''The cool interior of the gallery offers a pleasant escape from the extreme heat Canberra has been experiencing.''
Meanwhile, cinema manager Samantha Monk said the past week had been ''crazy'' for her staff.
''We pretty much constantly have queues to the door, and sometimes out the door, with people trying to get out of the heat,'' she said. She said cold drinks and ice creams had been ''flying off the shelves''.
