Canberra

The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory. 

The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title of the "bush capital". The growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the ineffectiveness of a sequence of bodies that were to oversee the development of the city. The national capital emerged as a thriving city after World War II, as Prime Minister Robert Menzies championed its development and the National Capital Development Commission was formed with executive powers. Although the Australian Capital Territory is now self-governing, the federal government retains some influence through the National Capital Authority.

As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Australian Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum and the National Library. The Australian Army's officer corps are trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital. 

As the city has a high proportion of public servants, the federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra. As the seat of government, the unemployment rate is lower and the average income higher than the national average, while property prices are relatively high, in part due to comparatively restricted development regulations. Tertiary education levels are higher, while the population is younger.

HISTORY

Before European settlement, the area in which Canberra would eventually be constructed was seasonally inhabited by Indigenous Australians. Anthropologist Norman Tindale suggested the principal group occupying the region were the Ngunnawal people, while the Ngarigo lived immediately to the south of the ACT, The Wandandian to the east, the Walgulu also to the south, Gandangara people to the north, and Wiradjuri to the north west. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the region includes inhabited rock shelters, rock paintings and engravings, burial places, camps and quarry sites, and stone tools and arrangements. The evidence suggests human habitation in the area for at least 21,000 years.

Blundells' Cottage, built around 1860, is one of the few remaining buildings built by the first European settlers of Canberra. The word "Canberra" is derived from the word Kambera or Canberry meaning "meeting place" in the old Ngunnawal language of the local Ngabri people. Alternatively the name was reported to mean "woman's breasts", by journalist John Gale in the 1860s, referring to the mountains of Mount Ainslie and Black Mountain.[8] The Ngunnawal name was apparently used as a reference to corroborees held during the seasonal migration of the Ngunnawal people to feast on the Bogong moths that pass through the region each spring. European exploration and settlement started in the Canberra area as early as the 1820s. There were four expeditions between 1820 and 1824. White settlement of the area probably dates from 1824, when a homestead or station was built on what is now the Acton peninsula by stockmen employed by Joshua John Moore. He formally purchased the site in 1826, and named the property "Canberry".

The European population in the Canberra area continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th century. Among them was the Campbell family of "Duntroon"; their imposing stone house is now the officers' mess of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. The Campbells sponsored settlement by other farmer families to work their land, such as the Southwells of "Weetangera". Other notable early settlers included the inter-related Murray and Gibbes families, who owned the Yarralumla estate—now the site of the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia—from the 1830s through to 1881.

The oldest surviving public building in the inner-city is the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, in the suburb of Reid, which was consecrated in 1845. St John's churchyard contains the earliest graves in the district. As the European presence increased, the indigenous population dwindled, mainly from disease such as smallpox and measles.

The district's change from a New South Wales (NSW) rural area to the national capital started during debates over Federation in the late 19th century. Following a long dispute over whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the national capital, a compromise was reached: the new capital would be built in New South Wales, so long as it was at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney, with Melbourne to be the temporary seat of government (but not referred to as the "capital") while the new capital was built.

20th century

Newspaper proprietor John Gale circulated a pamphlet titled 'Dalgety or Canberra: Which?' advocating Canberra to every member of the Commonwealth's seven States Parliaments. By many accounts, it was decisive in the selection of Canberra as the site in 1908, as was a result of survey work done by the government surveyor Charles Scrivener. The NSW government ceded the Federal Capital Territory (as it was then known) to the federal government. In an international design competition conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, on 24 May 1911, the design by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was chosen for the city, and in 1913 Griffin was appointed Federal Capital Director of Design and Construction and construction began.

On 12 March 1913, the city was officially given its name by Lady Denman, the wife of Governor-General Lord Denman, at a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, which has since become Capital Hill and the site of the present Parliament House. Canberra Day is a public holiday observed in the ACT on the second Monday in March to celebrate the founding of Canberra. After the ceremony, bureaucratic disputes hindered Griffin's work; a Royal Commission in 1916 ruled his authority had been usurped by certain officials. Griffin's relationship with the Australian authorities was strained and a lack of funding meant that by the time he was fired in 1920, little work had been done. By this time, Griffin had revised his plan, overseen the earthworks of major avenues, and established the Glenloch Cork Plantation.

The federal legislature moved to Canberra on 9 May 1927, with the opening of the Provisional Parliament House. The Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, had officially taken up residence in The Lodge a few days earlier. Planned development of the city slowed significantly during the depression of the 1930s and during World War II. Some projects planned for that time, including Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never completed.

Two of Canberra's best-known landmarks, Parliament House and Old Parliament House (foreground). Commonwealth Place runs alongside the lake and includes the International Flag Display. Questacon is on the right.From 1920 to 1957, three bodies, successively the Federal Capital Advisory Committee, the Federal Capital Commission, and the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra in the absence of Griffin; however, they were only advisory, and development decisions were made without consulting them, increasing inefficiency.

Immediately after the end of the war, Canberra was criticised for resembling a village, and its disorganised collection of buildings was deemed ugly. Canberra was often derisively described as "several suburbs in search of a city". Prime Minister Robert Menzies regarded the state of the national capital as an embarrassment. Over time his attitude changed from one of contempt to that of championing its development. He fired two ministers charged with the development of the city for poor performance. He ruled for over a decade and in that time the development of the capital sped up rapidly. The population grew by more than 50% in every five-year period from 1955 to 1975. Several Government departments, together with public servants, were moved to Canberra from Melbourne following the war. Government housing projects were undertaken to accommodate the city's growing population.

Most of rapid expansion was achieved after the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) was formed in 1957 with executive powers, replacing its ineffective advisory predecessors. The NCDC ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin—the centrepiece of Griffin's design—and construction was completed in 1964 after four years of work. The completion of the lake finally laid the platform for the development of Griffin's Parliamentary Triangle. Since the initial construction of the lake, various buildings of national importance have been constructed on its shores.

The newly-built Australian National University was expanded, and sculptures and monuments were built. A new National Library was constructed within the Parliamentary Triangle, followed by the High Court and the National Gallery. Suburbs in Canberra Central (often referred to as North Canberra and South Canberra) were further developed in the 1950s, and urban development in the districts of Woden Valley and Belconnen commenced in the mid and late 1960s respectively. Many of the new suburbs were named after Australian politicians, such as Barton, Deakin, Reid, Braddon, Curtin, Chifley and Parkes.

On 27 January 1972 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was first established on the grounds of Parliament House; it was created to draw attention to indigenous rights and land issues and has been continuously occupied since 1992. On 9 May 1988, a larger and permanent Parliament House was opened on Capital Hill as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations, and the Federal Parliament moved there from the Provisional Parliament House, now known as Old Parliament House.

In December 1988, the ACT was granted full self-government through an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament. Following the first election on 4 March 1989, a 17-member Legislative Assembly sat at temporary offices at 1 Constitution Avenue, Civic,[69] on 11 May 1989. Permanent premises were opened on London Circuit in 1994. The Australian Labor Party formed the ACT's first government, led by the Chief Minister Rosemary Follett, who made history as Australia's first female head of government. On 18 January 2003, parts of Canberra were engulfed by bushfires that killed four people, injured 435, and destroyed 487 homes and the major research telescopes of Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory.

ACTON  2601

National Museum of Australia

Lawson Crescent Acton Peninsula

open daily 9 AM to 5 PM

02 6208 5000

National Film and Sound Archive

McCoy Circuit

open 9 AM to 5 PM weekdays

10 AM to 5 PM weekends/public holidays

1800 067274

Australian National Botanic Gardens

open 8:30 AM to 5 PM

Clunies Ross St

02 6250 9450

CSIRO Discovery

Clunies Ross St

open Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM

closed Saturday

Sunday 11 AM to 3 PM

02 6246 4646

Lake Burley Griffin Boat Hire and Mrs Spokes Bike Hire

Acton Ferry Terminal

Black Mountain Tower

Black Mountain Drive

admission charge

Alto Tower

Black Mountain drive

revolving restaurant with stunning views of Canberra

AINSLIE  2602

Mount Ainslie

from here you get a magnificent perspective of how architect Walter Burley Griffin's plan for Canberra has come to life through the buildings and monuments

Mount Ainslie Dr

Best Western Tall Trees Motel

21 Stephen St

02 6247 9200

AMAROO  2914

ARANDA  2614

BANKS  2906

BARTON  2600

The Brassey of Canberra

Belmore Gardens

02 6270 3766

BELCONNEN  2616

Belconnen Premier Inn

110 Benjamin Way

02 6253 3633

Belconnen Way Motel and Serviced Apartments

corner of Belconnen Way and Springvale drive

1800 559944

BLACK MOUNTAIN  2601

CSIRO Discovery

North science Road off Clunies Ross St

9 AM to 5 PM Monday to Friday

11 AM to 3 PM Sunday

02 6246 4646

charges apply

Australian National Botanic Gardens

open 8:30 AM to 5 PM daily

Clunies Ross St

02 6250 9540

BONYTHON  2905

BRADDON  2612

Gorman House Markets

every Saturday

Ainslie Avenue

Canberra Contemporary Art Space

Gorman House, Ainslie Avenue

open Tuesday to Friday 11 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM

02 6247 0188

BRUCE  2617

Australian Institute of Sport

athlete guided tours take 90 minutes and depart daily at 10 AM 11:30 AM 1 PM and 2:30 PM. Costs apply.

Leverrier Crescent

02 6214 1010

CALWELL  2905

CAMPBELL  2612

The Australian War Memorial

open daily 10 AM to 5 PM except Christmas Day

Treloar Crescent

02 6243 4211

CANBERRA  2600

Canberra Visitors Centre

330 Northbourne Avenue Canberra

02 6205 0044

THINGS TO SEE & DO

Lake Burley Griffin

Parliament House

Capital Hill

open daily 9 AM to 5 PM

02 6277 5399

National Museum of Australia

open 9 AM to 5 PM daily except Christmas Day

Lawson Crescent Acton Peninsula

1800 026132

Canberra Museum and Gallery

corner of London circuit and Civic Square

open 10 AM to 5 PM Tuesday to Friday

midday to 4 PM week ends

02 6207 3968

The National Science and Technology Centre

open 9 AM to 5 PM

closed Christmas Day

admission fees apply

King Edward Terrace

02 6270 2800

Casino Canberra

21 Binara Street

open daily from 12 PM

02 6257 7074

King O'Malley's Irish Pub

131 CityWalk

02 6257 0111

Capital Region Farmers Market

Saturday morning 8 AM to 11 AM

exhibition Park

Lake Burley Griffin Cruises

0419 418846

Explorer Bus

0414 EXPLORER

Hire a Guide

02 6288 7894

Row ‘n’ Ride Canoe and Bike

02 6228 1264

Civic Merry-Go-Round

City Walk and Petrie Plaza

ACCOMMODATION

Canberra City YHA

7 Akuna Street

02 6248 9155

Mantra on Northbourne

84 Northbourne Avenue

02 6243 2500

Capital Executive Apartments

108 Northbourne Avenue

02 6243 8333

Crowne Plaza

1 Binara Street

02 6247 8999

Diamant Hotel

15 Edinburgh Avenue

02 6175 2222

Novotel Canberra

65 Northbourne Avenue

02 6245 5000

Waldorf Apartment Hotel

2 Akuna Street

02 6229 1234

CAUSEWAY  2604

CHAPMAN  2611

CHARNWOOD  2615

CHIFLEY  2606

CHISHOLM  2905

CITY  2601

CIVIC SQUARE  2608

CONDER  2906

COOK  2614

CURTIN  2605

Birch Corner B&B

31 Parker St

02 6281 4421

DEAKIN  2600

Royal Australian Mint

Denison St

open 9 AM to 4 PM Monday to Friday

10 AM to 4 PM weekends and public holidays

closed Christmas Day and Good Friday

1300 554114

Beaver Galleries

81 Denison Street

open daily 10 AM to 5 PM

02 6282 5294

DICKSON  2602

ANCA Gallery

1 Rosevear Place

open Wednesday to Sunday 12 PM to 5 PM

02 6247 8736

Canberra Space Dome and Observatory

open Tuesday to Saturday evenings

Hawdon place

02 6248 5333

ACCOMMODATION

Pavilion on Northbourne

242 Northbourne Avenue

02 6247 6888

Quality Hotel Dickson

corner of Badham and Cape streets

02 6247 4744

Best Western Parklands Apartment Hotel

6 Hawdon place

02 6262 7000

DOWNER  2602

DUFFY  2611

Stromlo Luxury Villa B&B

10 Dolly McGrath St

0433 982938

DUNLOP  2615

DUNTROON  2600

Mount Pleasant Lookout

Morshead drive

overseeing Lake Burley Griffin and Jerrabomberra wetlands

EVATT  2617

FADDEN  2904

FARRER  2607

FISHER  2611

FLOREY  2615

FLYNN  2615

FORREST  2603

Forrest Hotel and Apartments

30 National Circuit

02 6203 4300

FRASER  2615

FYSHWICK  2609

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

off Dairy Flat Road

02 6207 2087

GARRAN  2605

GILMORE  2905

GINNINDERRA VILLAGE  2913

GIRALANG  2617

GORDON  2906

GOWRIE  2904

GREENWAY  2900

GRIFFITH  2603

Diplomat Hotel

corner of Canberra Avenue and Hely Street

02 6295 2277

GUNGAHLIN  2912

HACKETT  2602

HALL  2618

Hall Markets

first Sunday of every month except January

Hall Showground

Redbrow Garden B&B

1143 Nanima Rd

02 6226 8166

HARMAN  2600

HAWKER  2614

HIGGINS  2615

HOLDER  2611

HOLT  2615

HUGHES  2605

HUME  2620

ISAACS  2607

ISABELLA PLAINS  2905

JAMISON CENTRE  2614

JERVIS BAY  2540

KALEEN  2617

KAMBAH  2902

Edwil House

6 Rudder Pl

02 6231 4001

KINGS PARK

Blundell's Cottage

Wendouree Drive

fees apply

02 6257 1068

KINGSTON  2604

Old Bus Depot Markets

open 10 AM to 4 PM Sundays

21 Wentworth Avenue

02 6292 8391

Canberra Glassworks

open 10 AM to 4 PM Wednesday to Sunday

11 Wentworth Avenue

02 6260 7005

ACCOMMODATION

Clifton Suites on Northbourne

100 Northbourne Avenue

02 6262 6266

Oxley Court Serviced Apartments

corner of Oxley and Dawes Streets

02 6295 6216

Canberra Serviced Apartments

4 Tench Street and 16 Eyre Street

1800 655754

KIPPAX  2615

LATHAM  2615

LAWSON  2617

LYNEHAM  2602

Kamberra Wine Company

Corner of Northbourne Avenue and Flemington Road

02 6262 2333

LYONS  2606

MACARTHUR  2904

MACGREGOR  2615

Grevillea Lodge

1 Florey Drive

02 6161 7646

MACQUARIE  2614

MAJURA  2609

Mount Majura Vineyard

open 10 AM to 5 PM Thursday to Monday

RMB 314 Majura Road

02 6262 3070

MANUKA  2603

Manuka Park Serviced Apartments

corner of Manuka Circle and Oxley Street

02 6239 0000

MAWSON  2607

MCKELLAR  2617

MELBA  2615

MITCHELL  2911

MONASH  2904

MOUNT STROMLO  2611

NARRABUNDAH  2604

Hotel Heritage

203 Goyder Street

02 6295 2944

Narrabundah B&B

5 Mosman Pl

02 6295 2837

NGUNNAWAL  2913

NICHOLLS  2913

GOLD CREEK VILLAGE

Cockington Green Gardens

open seven days 9 AM to 5 PM

internationally renowned display of miniature buildings and gardens from around the world

off the Barton Highway Gold Creek Road

02 6230 2273

The National Dinosaur Museum

corner of Gold Creek Road and Barton Highway

on Saturday to Thursday 10 AM to 5 PM

Canberra Walk-In Aviary

Federation Square Gold Creek Village O'Hanlon place

admission charge

The Australian Reptile Centre

open 10 a.m. to 5 PM daily

Aarwun Gallery

open daily 10 AM to 5 PM

02 6230 2055

Aboriginal Dreamings Gallery

19 O'Hanlon Place

by appointment

02 6230 2922

O'CONNOR  2602

O'MALLEY  2606

OXLEY  2903

PAGE  2614

PALMERSTON  2913

PARKES  2600

National Gallery of Australia

open 10 AM to 5 PM daily except Christmas Day

Parkes Place

02 2640 6502

Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

King George Terrace

open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

02 6270 8222

National Archives of Australia

Queen Victoria Terrace

open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

02 6212 3600

National Capital Exhibition

Regatta Point

open Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM

Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM

close to public holidays except Australia Day

02 6257 1068

High Court of Australia

Parkes Place

open Monday to Friday 9:45 AM to 4:30 PM

02 6270 6811

National Library of Australia

Parkes place

open daily 9 AM to 5 PM

02 6262 1111

National Portrait Gallery

King Edward Terrace

open daily 10 AM to 5 PM

02 6270 8236

Questacon -The National Science and Technology Centre

King Edward Terrace

open daily 9 AM to 5 PM

02 6270 2800

Old Parliament house gardens and the National Rose Gardens

King George Terrace

PARLIAMENT HOUSE  2600

PEARCE  2607

PHILLIP  2606

PIALLIGO  2609

Pialligo Estate Wines

RED HILL  2603

Calthorpe's House

24 Mugga Way

open 1 PM to 4 PM weekends

02 6295 1945

Red Hill Lookout

Redhill Drive

REID  2612

RICHARDSON  2905

RIVETT  2611

RUSSELL  2600

SCULLIN  2614

SPENCE  2615

STIRLING  2611

SWINGER HILL  2606

SYMONSTON  2609

THARWA  2620

Lanyon Homestead

one of Australia's premier historic homesteads

open 10 AM to 4 PM Tuesday to Sunday

Tharwa Drive

02 6235 5677

THEODORE  2905

TIDBINBILLA

The Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla

Paddys River Road

open 9 AM to 4:30 PM in the winter and 9 AM to 5 PM in the summer

admission charge

02 6205 1233

Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex

Discovery Drive

open 9 AM to 5 PM daily

admission free

02 6201 7880

TORRENS  2607

TUGGERANONG  2900

TURNER  2612

URIARRA  2611

WANNIASSA  2903

WARAMANGA  2611

WATSON  2602

Canberra Carotel

corner of Aspinall and Zelling streets

02 6241 1377

WEETANGERA  2614

WESTON  2611

WESTON CREEK  2611

WODEN  2606

Southern Cross Club

92-96 Corrina St

open daily 9 AM to 4 PM

02 6283 7200

YARRALUMLA  2600

National Zoo and Aquarium

open 10 AM to 5 PM every day except Christmas Day

Scrivner Dam Lady Denman drive

02 6287 8400

Lennox Gardens

Flynn drive

Hyatt Hotel

Commonwealth Avenue

02 6270 1234