Mr Monopoly arrived in style to launch the Canberra edition of Monopoly, on board a GoBoat that glided across Lake Burley Griffin to the National Museum for the unveiling of the local version.
The first Monopoly edition for the national capital features attractions, landmarks and businesses rather than streets, the same for the other 12 Australian versions of the game.
The Belco Owl, Mooseheads, Telstra Tower, Parliament House and Australian War Memorial were some of the landmarks included on the board.
Winning Moves Australia manufactures and distributes Monopoly for Hasbro.
Winning Moves spokesman Dale Hackett said when developing the Canberra edition, locals provided the most feedback of any other Australian version of the game, reflecting their passion for the city.
"We set up our own Canberra Monopoly Facebook where we got hundreds of suggestions and emails coming through for local suggestions as well," he said.
"We had the most public feedback on this edition compared to any other edition we've done in Australia.
"It made my job a bit easier."
As to any complaints about what may have been left off the board, Mr Hackett said there was a balancing act.
"There's only 22 spots on the board, unfortunately, and the reason Canberra took so long to come to fruition is the fact that we just didn't know how to tackle it," he said.
"Having the support of Tourism ACT and all the feedback from the public, gave us a bit more direction. It's one of those editions I wish the Monopoly board was bigger."
The Canberra board has 22 squares with local attractions on them (from Floriade to Brodburger), four local icons squares (Belco Owl, Telstra Tower, Lake Burley Griffin and GIO Stadium), two utilities squares (Icon Water and ActewAGL) and a Community Chest square (MIX 106.3).
Some places paid to be on the board.
"We work very closely with all the partners in the area to ensure the locations we are putting on are credible to be on the edition and celebrated by the locals," Mr Hackett said.
"So it's that feedback that we decide who goes where."
Mr Hackett said unlike the original English version of the game, the Australian editions of Monopoly did not have street names as the square destinations.
"It's mostly attractions we use now for all the editions we create globally," he said.
"Again, we designed it in a way to try to encapsulate what the city has to offer, whether it's hospitality, tourist attractions, education - they all have their own spot. It's a more accurate representation of the area."
The tokens in the Canberra game remain the classic ones - the boot, the car, the ship, the wheelbarrow, the thimble, the top hat and the dog as well as a cat (which replaced the iron some years ago).
No bus shelter token, unfortunately.
"Everyone's got their favourite token, so we've left that," Mr Hackett said.
Visit Canberra director Jonathan Kobus welcomed the Canberra version of Monopoly.
"It's not everyday your city is immortalised in a board game," he said.
"And for us, this is such a great way to take the many amazing experiences of Canberra to Australia and the world.
"I think probably the hardest thing the team at Monopoly had was to consolidate which things to include. There's so many great things to see and do in this city, from amazing restaurants to our many iconic attractions, which are featured throughout this board."
The custom Canberra themed squares and cards are:
Brown: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Cockington Green Gardens
Light Blue: Canberra Theatre Centre, National Museum of Australia, National Portrait Gallery
Pink: Yarralumla Play Station, GoBoat, National Dinosaur Museum
Orange: Floriade, Enlighten, Canberra Balloon Spectacular
Red: Canberra Outlet, Old Bus Depot Markets, Westfield Belconnen
Yellow: BrodBurger, Mooseheads, AKIBA
Green: Canberra Airport, University of Canberra, Royal Australian Mint
Dark Blue: Australian War Memorial, Parliament House
Local Icons: Belconnen Owl, Telstra Tower, Lake Burley Griffin, GIO Stadium Canberra
Utilities: Icon Water, ActewAGL
- The Canberra edition of Monopoly is $69.95. It is available at Big W, JB-Hifi, QBD, Toyworld Canberra, EB Games, Dymocks, and selected independent retailers. On Wednesday, it is for sale at the National Museum.
