In a digital age where professional content often dominates, a heartwarming home video from a Canberra family has captured the nation's attention, becoming one of the capital's most-viewed social media posts of the year. The annual top-performing content from VisitCanberra's Instagram has been unveiled, revealing a stunning mix of major events and authentic local moments that collectively attracted a massive 84.6 million views in 2025.
A Family Moment Takes the Capital by Storm
The standout story is that of Coombs couple Nathan and Natalie Beck. Their captivating reel, filmed in June, shows a serene snowfall along Brindabella Road in the picturesque Brindabella Ranges. Shared on the official VisitCanberra page, this piece of user-generated content soared to become the second most-popular post of the entire year.
Operating under the handle @air.down, the Becks, along with their baby Zoe, are avid explorers who spend significant time camping and hiking in the Brindabellas and Snowy Mountains. The video, a simple yet powerful capture of a wintery Canberra region, amassed just under 300,000 views and was shared almost 6,000 times.
"We certainly didn't expect so much attention from such a simple video," Natalie Beck admitted. "It put us on a lot of people's radar, though, which was cool and having it featured on VisitCanberra and the Australia page was definitely one to remember." Notably, the Beck's reel was the only post in the top five not created by professional content producers.
The Top Five: Canberra in the Spotlight
The honour of the most-watched VisitCanberra post for 2025 went to a preview of the spectacular Flight Canberra drone and light show over Lake Burley Griffin in January. This visually stunning piece of content received close to half a million views.
Following the Beck's snowfall video in second place, the third top post featured the iconic Canberra Balloon Spectacular, which drew 276,900 views. In fourth position, with 215,000 views, was a post celebrating a significant international accolade: Canberra being ranked No.1 in the world for quality of life by the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2025. The index assessed income, housing, life expectancy, crime rate, and recreation across 1,000 global cities.
Rounding out the top five was a poignant April post about Anzac Day commemorations at the Australian War Memorial, which garnered just under 200,000 views.
Digital Inspiration Driving Real-World Visits
Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Andrew Barr emphasised the tangible impact of this digital success. He stated that the posts "don't just look good - they inspire people to plan a visit, explore neighbourhoods and enjoy Canberra's year-round events."
"Canberra's digital presence is a powerful driver of tourism, with VisitCanberra's social media channels inspiring people to plan their next trip to the capital," Mr. Barr said.
Beyond the top posts, the data revealed other key trends that resonated with audiences. Local discoveries, including new bars and dining hotspots, drove high engagement, with a reel from Braddon's Bar Outro being shared more than 5,100 times. Wildlife encounters featuring kangaroos and wombats remained perennially popular, as did seasonal visuals of autumn leaves and sunflowers.
The success of 2025 underscores the powerful blend of professional event coverage and authentic local storytelling in promoting the nation's capital. It proves that sometimes, the most compelling invitation to visit Canberra is a genuine moment of beauty, captured not by a marketing team, but by a family enjoying their own backyard.
