The capital was ranked fifth in the travel company's list of Australia's Top 10 family-friendly destinations and outranked Gold Coast theme parks devoted to offering kid-centric fun.

The list asked would-be holiday-makers to ditch their preconceptions of the ACT and recognise Canberra was "much more than a political filing cabinet".

Reece and Amy Carroll of Dubbo have made their first family trip to Canberra with daughters Mia-Grace, 7, and Chloe, 3.

The 27-year-old mum said so far they'd all had a ball.

"We usually go to the beach and we thought being winter we'd try something new and we are loving it," she said.

"Its just a nice city. It is easy to find your way. You are in a big city but you don't feel like that because it's so relaxed."

The couple said having affordable options was a big plus.

"Even though it is school holidays everything has been affordable and having free entry into the war memorial and other spots makes it easier for parents with small budgets like ourselves," she said.

"It is our first time here but I said to my partner I could do this every winter, so I don't think it will be our last."

Each state and territory was represented on the list, with Sydney Harbour snaring the top spot, and Queensland scoring three individual entries.

Lonely Planet spokesperson Chris Zeiher said Canberra earned points from reviewers who travelled widely across the country to create the list.

He said the ease of parking, numerous picnic spots and variety of stimulating sites and exhibitions for children impressed reviewers.

"It is one of those pilgrimages that I believe every family should make at some stage, to see the national capital, and it's great to see it rank so highly on the list," he said.

"It can be expensive for families to travel so destinations that offer low cost or free options are very appealing."

He said family-friendliness was not all about providing activities for kids but rather offering a variety of accessible and affordable enjoyment.

"In Canberra you can have a picnic, spread yourself out and watch your children play right through to getting involved in stimulating exhibitions at Questacon or embracing Australia's history by going to the war memorial or Parliament House," Mr Zeiher said.

"These are places that are hugely important to us culturally and it's great to be able to think about that over the glitz and glam and chaos of those theme parks on the Gold Coast."

Australia's Top 10 Family-Friendly Destinations according to Lonely Planet are:

1. Sydney Harbour

2. Touring Tasmania

3. Darwin & the Top End National Parks

4. Far North Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef

5. Canberra

6. Gold Coast Theme Parks

7. Victorian High Country

8. Kangaroo Island

9. Brisbane

10. Southwest WA