Canberra is the
capital city of
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
, south-west of
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, and north-east of
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
. 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 cityA new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion.Navi Mumbai, a planned city near Indian city...
. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
architects
Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin was a US architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
and
Marion Mahony GriffinMarion Griffin was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licenced female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School...
was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the
garden city movementThe Garden city movement is an approach to urban planning that was founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained, communities surrounded by greenbelts, containing carefully balanced areas of residences, industry, and...
and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, it emerged as a thriving city after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
As the seat of the
government of AustraliaThe Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, Canberra is the site of
Parliament HouseParliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia. It is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was opened on 9 May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. Its construction cost was over $1.1 billion. At the time of its construction it was the most expensive...
, the
High Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
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 MemorialThe Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
,
National Gallery of AustraliaThe National Gallery of Australia is the premier art gallery and museum in Australia, holding over 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Government of Australia as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
,
National Museum of AustraliaThe National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
and the
National Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
. The federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra.
History
Before European settlement, the area in which Canberra would eventually be constructed was seasonally inhabited by the
NgunnawalThe Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra, Australia and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory...
and
WalgaluThe Walgalu one of the two aboriginal peoples who originally lived in the region now occupied by Canberra, the capital of Australia, and is officially recognized as the original indigenous australian custodian of country...
tribes. The
NgarigoThe Ngarigo is the Aboriginal people group whose traditional lands lie south-east of the Canberra area ,According to Norman Tindale in his 1974 catalogue of Australian Aboriginal people groups, the specific areas lands of the Ngarigo are...
lived south-east of the Canberra area, the Gundungurra to the north, the
YuinYuin people are those Australian Aborigines from the South Coast of New South wales who are considered to be the traditional owners of the land and water from Merimbula to Port Jackson.- Country :...
on the coast and the
WiradjuriThe Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
to the west. Archaeological evidence from the Canberra region suggests human habitation in the area for at least 21,000 years. The word "Canberra" is derived from the word Kanbarra meaning "meeting place" in the old
Ngunnawal languageNgunnawal or Ngunawal is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Ngunawal people.-Classification:Ngunawal is currently classified as a sub-tribe of the larger Ngarigu/Ngarigo dialect area that covers the limestone plains of Monaro/Maneroo in NSW to ACT across the Monaro...
of the local Ngabri people. Alternatively the name was reported to mean "
woman's breastsThe breast is the upper ventral region of an animal’s torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. The breasts of a female primate’s body contain the mammary glands, which secrete milk used to feed infants....
", by journalist
John GaleJohn Gale was the founder of the Queanbeyan Age, the first newspaper to serve Queanbeyan District. However Gale is mostly remembered for his strong advocacy of Queanbeyan - Canberra as the ideal site of a future Australian Capital...
in the 1860s, referring to the mountains of Mount Ainslie and
Black Mountain-Australia:*Black Mountain , a mountain in Canberra the capital city of Australia*Black Mountain, New South Wales*Black Mountain, Queensland, a suburb of Noosa...
. The Ngunnawal name was apparently used as a reference to
corroboreeA corroboree is a ceremonial meeting of Australian Aborigines. The word was coined by the European settlers of Australia in imitation of the Aboriginal word caribberie. At a corroboree Aborigines interact with the Dreamtime through dance, music and costume. Many ceremonies act out events from the...
s held during the seasonal migration of the
Ngunnawal peopleThe Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra, Australia and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory...
to feast on the
Bogong mothThe Bogong moth is a temperate species of night-flying moth notable for appearing in large numbers around major public buildings in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during spring...
s that pass through the region each spring.
Colonial
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, DuntroonThe Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment.It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911...
. The Campbells sponsored settlement by other farmer families to work their land, such as the Southwells of "
WeetangeraWeetangera is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Belconnen.It is next to the suburbs of Hawker, Page and Macquarie. The Canberra Nature Park of The Pinnacle Nature Reserve borders it to the south across Springvale Drive. It has a primary school, Weetangera primary, and Weetangera...
". Other notable early settlers included the inter-related Murray and Gibbes families, who owned the
YarralumlaYarralumla is a large inner south suburb of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 kilometres south-west of the city, Yarralumla extends along the south-west bank of Lake Burley Griffin...
estate - now the site of the official residence of the
Governor-GeneralA governor-general, also known as governor general, is a vice-regal representative of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription...
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 graves of many of the district's pioneers. As the European presence increased, the indigenous population dwindled, mainly from disease such as smallpox and measles.
Federation
The district's change from a New South Wales (NSW) rural area to the national capital started during debates over
FederationThe federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed a federation...
in the late 19th century. Following a long dispute over whether
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
or
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
should be the national capital, a compromise was reached: the new capital would be built in New South Wales, so long as it was no closer than to Sydney, with Melbourne to be the temporary capital while the new capital was built.
Newspaper proprietor
John GaleJohn Gale was the founder of the Queanbeyan Age, the first newspaper to serve Queanbeyan District. However Gale is mostly remembered for his strong advocacy of Queanbeyan - Canberra as the ideal site of a future Australian Capital...
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
surveyorSurveying or land surveying is the technique and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional space position of points and the distances and angles between them...
Charles ScrivenerCharles Robert Scrivener was an Australian surveyor, and the person who surveyed numerous sites in New South Wales for the selection of a site for the Australian Capital Territory and Australia's capital city, Canberra....
. 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 Walter Burley Griffin was a US architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
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. The plans included proposals for railed transport within the city, however none were to eventuate with Canberra's single interstate passenger station and goods yard remaining to the south at Eastlake (now
KingstonKingston is the oldest and most densely populated suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after Charles Cameron Kingston, the former Premier of South Australia and minister in the first Australian Commonwealth Government. It is adjacent to the suburbs of...
). During the construction of the principal buildings, there were a number of temporary construction railway lines laid to Civic in central Canberra.
On 12 March 1913, the city was officially given its name by Lady Denman, the wife of the then
Governor-GeneralThe Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
Lord DenmanThomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman GCMG, KCVO, PC , was a British Liberal politician and the fifth Governor-General of Australia.-Early years:...
, at a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, which has since become Capital Hill and the site of the present
Parliament HouseParliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia. It is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was opened on 9 May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. Its construction cost was over $1.1 billion. At the time of its construction it was the most expensive...
.
Canberra DayCanberra Day is a public holiday held annually on the second Monday in March in the Australian Capital Territory to celebrate the official naming of Canberra...
is a public holiday observed in the city and the surrounding
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
(ACT) on the second Monday in March to celebrate the founding of Canberra.
The federal government moved to Canberra on 9 May 1927, with the opening of the
Provisional Parliament HouseOld Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building was opened in 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament following its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
. The Prime Minister,
Stanley BruceStanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
, had officially taken up residence in
The LodgeThe Lodge is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia in the national capital, Canberra. It is located on Adelaide Avenue, Deakin.-History:...
a few days earlier. Planned development of the city slowed significantly during the
depressionThe Great Depression of the 1930s was an economic catastrophe that severely affected most nations of the world, and Australia was not immune. In fact, Australia, with its extreme dependence on exports, particularly primary products such as wool and wheat, is thought to have been one of the...
of the 1930s and during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Some projects planned for that time, including Roman Catholic and
AnglicanThe Anglican Church of Australia, a member church of the Anglican Communion, was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
cathedrals, were never completed. The development of Canberra gained pace after the Second World War, and it has grown beyond the original planners' expectations since then. Several Government departments, together with public servants, were moved to Canberra from
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
following the war.
Government housingGovernment built housing in Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory has a history stemming from the decision to build the National Capital in the bush. In the early years Canberra's housing was entirely government-built and even after private development took over there has been a number of...
projects were undertaken to accommodate the city's growing population. Parts of Canberra's
northNorth Canberra, also known as the Inner North, is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 14 suburbs with 19,115 dwellings housing 42,113 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory...
and
southSouth Canberra or the Inner South is a central district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia.South Canberra is located to the south of Canberra's city centre, on the south bank of Lake Burley Griffin....
were further developed in the 1950s, and urban development in the districts of
Woden ValleyWoden Valley is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Its name is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by Dr James Murray who named the homestead after the Old English god Woden in October 1837. He named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom and...
and
BelconnenBelconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
commenced in the mid and late 1960s respectively. Many of the new suburbs were named after Australian politicians, such as
BartonSir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
,
DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including...
,
ReidGeorge Reid may refer to:*George Reid , American Revolutionary War general*Sir George Reid *Sir George Reid , Prime Minister of Australia...
,
BraddonSir Edward Nicholas Coventry Braddon, KCMG, PC , Australian politician, was the Premier of Tasmania from 1894 to 1899, and was a Member of the First Australian Parliament in the House of Representatives...
and
ParkesSir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the then colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he is generally considered the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers...
.
Lake Burley GriffinLake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1964 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
was completed in 1964.
On 27 January 1972 the
Aboriginal Tent EmbassyThe Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
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 AssemblyAustralian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
sat at its offices in London Circuit, Civic, on 11 May 1989. The
Australian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party.Known as the ALP for short, the party is the current governing party of Australia, since the 2007 federal election...
formed the ACT's first government, led by the Chief Minister
Rosemary FollettRosemary Follett AO , Australian politician, was the first Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory. She was the first woman to become head of government in an Australian state or territory....
, 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 UniversityThe Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public teaching and research university located in Canberra, Australia, the federal capital city...
's
Mount Stromlo ObservatoryMount Stromlo Observatory located just outside of Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University .-History:...
.
Geography
Canberra covers an area of 814.2 square kilometres (314.3
sq. miThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
) and is located near the
Brindabella RangesBrindabella Ranges is a mountain range in New South Wales, Australia. The Brindabellas are visible to the west of Canberra and form an important part of the city's landscape.The name is said to mean “two kangaroo rats” in the language of the local Aborigines...
(Brendy Bear Ranges), approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) inland from Australia's east coast. It is located at elevations that range from 550 metres to 700 metres (1,800 to 2,300 ft)
AHDThe Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent...
. The highest point is
Mount MajuraMount Majura, is a small mountain located in Canberra, Australia. Mount Majura lies close to the more prominent Mount Ainslie and at 888 metres is the highest point in Canberra...
at 888 metres (2,913 ft). Other large hills include
Mt TaylorMount Taylor is a prominent hill located between the Woden Valley, Weston Creek district and Tuggeranong Valley, in Canberra, Australia. Mount Taylor is part of the Canberra Nature Park. The hill is 856 metres above sea level. It is surrounded by the suburbs of Kambah, Fisher, Waramanga, Chifley,...
,
Mt AinslieMount Ainslie or Mount Ainslie-Majura is a part of Canberra Nature Park. It borders on the inner suburbs of Campbell, Ainslie and Hackett...
, Mount Mugga Mugga and
Black MountainBlack Mountain is situated close to the central business district of Australia's capital city Canberra. Like all major hills in Canberra it is protected from development by the Canberra Nature Park. It is covered in native bushland and is a haven to native wildlife.With its peak at 811.987m AHD,...
. The surrounding
bushlandThe term bushland usually refers to an area that has only a sparse flora and fauna.This term was first used to describe the harsh Australian Outback, the red semi-desert that covers a significant part of the inner continent. The soil is usually very salty and therefore only specialized plants and...
and the original bushland that Canberra was built in is a mixture of eucalyptus
savannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close...
, open grassland,
scrublandScrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation composed largely of shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Scrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
,
swampA swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types...
and dry eucalyptus forests.
The urban environs of the city of Canberra straddle the
Ginninderra plainGinninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered for development of Canberra beginning in the mid 1960s. The name referred originally to the Ginninderra Plains which corresponds with the Ginninderra Catchment, and is now occupied by the Canberra districts of Belconnen and...
,
Molonglo plainThe Molonglo Plain generally refers to the flood plain of the Molonglo River and specifically the one located in the Australian Capital Territory that was inundated during the mid 1960s in order to create Lake Burley Griffin...
, the Limestone plain, and the
Tuggeranong plainTuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
(Isabella's Plain). The
Molonglo RiverThe Molonglo River rises on the western side of the Great Dividing Range of eastern Australia in the state of New South Wales. Its source is on the other side of the mountain range from where the Shoalhaven River rises, in Tallaganda state forest at ~1200 metres altitude...
which flows across the Molonglo plain has been dammed to form the body of water in the centre of the city called
Lake Burley GriffinLake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1964 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
. The Molonglo then flows into the
MurrumbidgeeThe Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee travels from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains, through the ACT, and to a...
north-west of Canberra, which in turn flows north-west toward the New South Wales town of Yass. The
Queanbeyan RiverThe Queanbeyan River is a tributary of the Molonglo River and part of Murray-Darling Basin. The river is 70 kilometres in length and the river catchment is 96,000 hectares in size...
joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the ACT. A number of creeks, including Jerrabomberra and Yarralumla Creeks, flow into the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee. Two of these creeks, the Ginninderra and Tuggeranong, have similarly been dammed to form
Lakes GinninderraLake Ginninderra is an artificial lake located on the Ginninderra Creek in Canberra. It is adjacent to the Belconnen Town Centre. The lake was constructed in 1974 to collect stormwater discharge from a 98.8km² catchment that includes the surrounding suburbs of Aranda, Macquarie, Cook, Bruce,...
and
TuggeranongLake Tuggeranong is an artificial lake in the Canberra district of Tuggeranong. The lake was created by the construction of a dam in 1987 coinciding with urban development in the district. The lake was built as a sediment trap to stop sediment from entering the Murrumbidgee River.The lake is a...
. Until recently the Molonglo had a history of sometimes lethal floods; the area was a flood plain prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin.
Climate
Canberra has a
marine west coastal climateAn oceanic climate is the climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia...
(Köppen Classification
Cfb) with four distinct seasons, because of its latitude, elevation and distance from the coast. Whereas the climates of most Australian coastal areas, which include all the state capital cities, are moderated by the sea. Canberra experiences hot, quite dry summers, and cold winters with heavy fog and frequent frosts, with a rare spot of snow in the
CBDA central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city...
but the surrounding areas get annual snowfall through winter and often the snow capped mountains can be seen from the CBD. The highest recorded maximum temperature was 42.2 °C (108 °F) on 1 February 1968. The lowest recorded minimum temperature was −10.0 °C (14 °F) on 11 July 1971. Light snow falls in the city in one out of approximately three winters but is usually not widespread and quickly dissipates.
Canberra is protected from the West by the Brindabellas which create a slight rain shadow in Canberra's valleys, however the effect is not as pronounced as in the
MonaroMonaro may refer to several topics:* Monaro, New South Wales is a region in the south of New South Wales, Australia* the Monaro Highway is the main state highway from Canberra to the Monaro region...
region just south of Canberra. Annual Rainfall is the third lowest of the Capital cities (after
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
and
HobartHobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2008, the city had a greater area population of approximately 209,287...
) but is spread fairly evenly over the seasons, with late spring bringing the highest rainfall.
ThunderstormA thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, a hailstorm, or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically-assigned cloud type associated with the...
s can occur between September and April, and may occur at any time during the day. However severe hail and wind producing thunderstorms usually only occur in the heat of a summer's afternoon or evening. The variability of rainfall across the city is high in Summer, due to the 'hit and miss' properties of storms, which are the main producers of rain for Canberra in Summer.
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| colspan="14" style="text-align:center;" | Canberra Airport Latitude: -35.3049S Longitude: 149.2014E Elevation: 578.4 m ASL
|}
Urban Structure
Canberra is a
planned cityA new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion.Navi Mumbai, a planned city near Indian city...
that was originally designed by
Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin was a US architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
, a major 20th century American architect. Major roads follow a wheel-and-spoke pattern rather than a grid. The city centre is laid out on two perpendicular axes: a water axis stretching along
Lake Burley GriffinLake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1964 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
, and a ceremonial land axis stretching from Parliament House on
Capital HillCapital Hill , is the location of Parliament House, Canberra, at the south apex of the land axis of the Parliamentary Triangle....
north-eastward along
ANZAC ParadeThis article is about the road in Canberra. For other uses, see Anzac Parade.ANZAC Parade, a significant road and thoroughfare in the Australian capital Canberra, is used for ceremonial occasions and is the site of many major military memorials....
to the
Australian War MemorialThe Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
at the foot of Mt Ainslie. The area known as the
Parliamentary TriangleThe Parliamentary Triangle is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The triangle is formed by Commonwealth, Kings and Constitution avenues...
is formed by three of Burley Griffin's axes, stretching from Capital Hill along
Commonwealth AvenueCommonwealth Avenue is a major road in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It connects Civic with South Canberra. Specifically, it runs between City Hill and Capital Hill....
to the Civic Centre around City Hill, along Constitution Avenue to the Defence precinct on Russell Hill, and along Kings Avenue back to Capital Hill.
The larger scheme of Canberra's layout is based on the three peaks surrounding the city,
Mt. AinslieMount Ainslie or Mount Ainslie-Majura is a part of Canberra Nature Park. It borders on the inner suburbs of Campbell, Ainslie and Hackett...
,
Black MountainBlack Mountain is situated close to the central business district of Australia's capital city Canberra. Like all major hills in Canberra it is protected from development by the Canberra Nature Park. It is covered in native bushland and is a haven to native wildlife.With its peak at 811.987m AHD,...
, and
Red HillRed Hill is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after the northernmost hill of the ridge to the west of the suburb. The ridge is a reserve and managed as part of the Canberra Nature Park. The hill is an element of the central Canberra design...
. The main symmetrical axis of the city is along
ANZAC ParadeThis article is about the road in Canberra. For other uses, see Anzac Parade.ANZAC Parade, a significant road and thoroughfare in the Australian capital Canberra, is used for ceremonial occasions and is the site of many major military memorials....
and roughly on the line between Mt.Ainslie and
Bimberi PeakBimberi Peak or Mt. Bimberi is the highest mountain in the Australian Capital Territory at 1912 metres. It is located on the border between New South Wales and the ACT, the NSW portion in Kosciuszko National Park and the ACT portion in Namadgi National Park...
. Bimberi Peak being the highest mountain in the
ACTThe Australian Capital Territory is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
approximately 52 km south west of Canberra . The precise alignment of ANZAC parade is between Mt. Ainslie and
Capital HillCapital Hill , is the location of Parliament House, Canberra, at the south apex of the land axis of the Parliamentary Triangle....
(formally Kurrajong Hill). The
Griffins Walter Burley Griffin was a US architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
assigned spiritual values to Mt. Ainslie, Black Mountain, and Red Hill and originally planned to cover each of these in flowers. That way each hill would be covered with a single, primary color which represented its spiritual value. This part of their plan never came to fruition. In fact, WWI interrupted the construction and some conflicts after the war made it a difficult process for the Griffins. Nevertheless, Canberra stands as an exemplary city design and is located halfway between the ski slopes and the beach. It enjoys a natural cooling from geophysical factors.
The urban areas of Canberra are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs as well as other industrial areas and villages. There are seven districts, each of which is divided into smaller suburbs, and most of which have a town centre which is the focus of commercial and social activities. The districts were settled in the following chronological order:
- North Canberra
North Canberra, also known as the Inner North, is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 14 suburbs with 19,115 dwellings housing 42,113 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory...
, mostly settled in the 1920s and '30s, with expansion up to the 1960s, now 14 suburbs
- South Canberra
South Canberra or the Inner South is a central district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia.South Canberra is located to the south of Canberra's city centre, on the south bank of Lake Burley Griffin....
, settled from the 1920s to '60s, 13 suburbs
- Woden Valley
Woden Valley is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Its name is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by Dr James Murray who named the homestead after the Old English god Woden in October 1837. He named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom and...
, first settled in 1963, 12 suburbs
- Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
, first settled in 1967, 25 suburbs
- Weston Creek
Weston Creek is a district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia which lies west of the Woden Valley district. Belconnen and Tuggeranong lie to the north and southeast respectively...
, settled in 1969, 8 suburbs
- Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
, settled in 1974, 19 suburbs
- Gungahlin
Gungahlin is a district of Canberra, Australia Gungahlin is situated to the north of Canberra's city centre. The name Gungahlin is a regional Aboriginal word meaning "little rocky hill"....
, settled in the early 1990s, 18 suburbs although only 12 are developed or under development
- Molonglo
Molonglo can refer to:*Molonglo River*Molonglo Plains*Molonglo electorate*Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope...
, development to begin in 2009, 12 suburbs planned.
The North and South Canberra districts are substantially based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs. In 1967 the then
National Capital Development CommissionThe National Capital Development Commission was an Australian Commonwealth Government body created to complete the establishment of Canberra as the seat of government. It was created in 1957 through the National Capital Development Commission Act 1957.Under the control of the NCDC Canberra grew...
adopted the "Y Plan" which laid out future urban development in Canberra around a series of central shopping and commercial area known as the 'town centres' linked by freeways, the layout of which roughly resembled the shape of the letter Y, with Tuggeranong at the base of the Y and Belconnen and Gungahlin located at the ends of the arms of the Y. Development in Canberra has been closely regulated by government, both through the town planning process, but also through the use of crown lease terms that have tightly limited the use of parcels of land. All land in the ACT is held on 99 year leases from the national government, although most leases are now administered by the Territory government.
Most suburbs have their own local shops, and are located close to a larger shopping centre serving a group of suburbs. Community facilities and schools are often also located near local shops or group shopping centres. Many of Canberra's suburbs are named after former Prime Ministers, famous Australians, early settlers, or use Aboriginal words for their title.
Street nameA street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...
s typically follow a particular theme; for example, the streets of
DuffyDuffy is a suburb in the Canberra district of Weston Creek. On Census night 2006, Duffy had a population of 2,942 people. Duffy was named in honour of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG the 8th Premier of Victoria. Streets in the suburb of Duffy are named after Australian dams and reservoirs...
are named after Australian dams and reservoirs, the streets of
DunlopDunlop is a suburb of Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Dunlop is located at the far north-west edge of Canberra, nearby the border with the state of New South Wales. Located approximately 11.6 kilometers north-west of the city, Dunlop is situated next to the suburbs of Fraser,...
are named after Australian inventions, inventors and artists and the streets of
PagePage is a suburb of Canberra, in the district of Belconnen. The suburb is named in honour of Sir Earle Page, a former Prime Minister. Streets in Page are named in honour of Australian scientists. On Census night 2006, Page had a population of 2,695 people...
are named after biologists and naturalists. Most
diplomatic missionA diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organization present in another state to represent the sending state/organization in the receiving state...
s are located in the suburbs of
YarralumlaYarralumla is a large inner south suburb of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 kilometres south-west of the city, Yarralumla extends along the south-west bank of Lake Burley Griffin...
,
DeakinDeakin is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Deakin is named after Alfred Deakin, second prime minister of Australia. Streets in Deakin are named after Governors, Governors-General and diplomats...
and
O'MalleyO'Malley is a suburb in the Canberra district of Woden Valley. On Census night 2006, O'Malley had a population of 684 people. There are numerous embassies in O'Malley....
. There are three light industrial areas: the suburbs of
FyshwickFyshwick is an industrial suburb of Canberra, located east of the South Canberra district. On Census night 2006, Fyshwick had a population of 54 people....
,
MitchellMitchell is a light-industrial estate of Canberra, Australia in the district of Gungahlin. Mitchell was named in honour of Major Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell, an explorer of inland New South Wales and Surveyor-General of New South Wales. The streets in Mitchell are named after Australian...
and
HumeHume is a suburb of Canberra in the district of Tuggeranong. The suburb is named after the explorer Hamilton Hume and streets are named after Australian industrialists and businessmen. Hume is a light-industrial suburb and there is no significant housing development. On Census night 2006, Hume had...
.
Governance
Outside Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory has no settlements larger than a village. The
Australian Capital Territory Legislative AssemblyAustralian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
performs the roles of both a
city councilA city council is the legislative body that governs a city, municipality or local government area.-Australia:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council may vary slightly...
and territory government. The Assembly consists of 17 members, elected from three districts using proportional representation. The three districts are
MolongloThe Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, unlike the other two electorates which have five, as it has the largest population, and covers more town centres in Canberra...
,
GinninderraThe Ginninderra electorate is one of the three electorates for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the smallest of the electorates, containing the area of the town centre of Belconnen, suburbs such as, Dunlop, Hawker, Page and Scullin, the suburb of...
and
BrindabellaThe Brindabella electorate is one of the three electorates for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It was created in 1995, when the three-electorate, Hare-Clark electoral system was first introduced for the Australian Capital Territory...
, which elect seven, five and five members, respectively. The Chief Minister is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and selects another four MLAs to serve as Ministers to form, with the Chief Minister, an Executive (known informally as the
cabinetA Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or Executive Committee.- Overview :...
.) At the 2004 election the Australian Labor Party, headed by Chief Minister
Jon StanhopeJonathon Ronald Stanhope is the current, and longest serving, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, representing the Australian Labor Party...
, won nine of the 17 seats and formed the ACT's first majority government.
The Australian federal government retains some influence over the ACT government. In the administrative sphere, most frequently this is through the actions of the
National Capital AuthorityThe National Capital Authority is a body of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia....
which is responsible for planning and development in areas of Canberra which are considered to be of national importance or which are central to Griffin's plan for the city, such as the Parliamentary Triangle, major approach and processional roads, areas where the Commonwealth retains ownership of the land or undeveloped hills and ridge-lines (which form part of the Canberra Nature Park). The national government also retains a level of control over the Territory Assembly through the provisions of the
Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988Australian Capital Territory Act 1988 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia enacted on 6 December 1988, that establishes ‘a body politic under the Crown by the name of the Australian Capital Territory’ and is the Territory’s constitutional foundation.From 1930 the ACT was administered by the...
. This Act of the national Parliament is the constitution for the ACT and limits the range of matters upon which the Assembly can legislate.
The
Australian Federal PoliceThe Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
(AFP) provides all of the police services of a state police force under a contractual agreement with the Australian Capital Territory Government. The AFP is responsible for policing in Canberra, Australia’s National Capital and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The AFP provides this service to the people of the ACT through its community policing arm, ACT Policing (
Australian Capital Territory PoliceThe Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for policing the Australian Capital Territory jurisdiction of mainland Australia until 19 October 1979. On this date the agency was merged with the Australian Government's Commonwealth Police agency to become the...
). The Chief Police Officer of the ACT is Michael Phelan, Commander Leanne Close is Deputy Chief Police Officer (Response), Commander Kevin Zuccato is Deputy Chief Police Officer (Investigation and Support) and Mr Paul Williams is the Director of Corporate Services.
People who have been charged with offences are tried either in the
ACT Magistrates CourtThe Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory is a court of summary jurisdiction in the Australian Capital Territory, a territory of Australia. The court deals with the majority of less serious criminal cases and the majority of small civil cases in that territory. The court is...
or for more severe offences, the
ACT Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the superior court for the ACT. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters , and hears the most serious criminal matters...
. Prisoners were held in remand at the Belconnen Remand Centre in the ACT. The new prison,
Alexander Maconochie CentreThe Alexander Maconochie Centre is a new prison and remand centre complex in the Australian Capital Territory.The centre is designed as a multi role facility to replace the Belconnen Remand Centre and provide detention facilities so that prisoners who are currently held in New South Wales...
, was officially opened on 11 September 2008 by
Jon StanhopeJonathon Ronald Stanhope is the current, and longest serving, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, representing the Australian Labor Party...
, the Chief Minister. The total cost for construction was $131 million and took 22 months to build. The police minister,
Simon CorbellSimon Corbell is an Australian politician in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of the seven members of the Legislative Assembly electorate of Molonglo, representing the Australian Labor Party...
, appointed the first official visitor as Craig Sams.
Courts such as a Small Claims Tribunal and a
Family CourtThe Family Court of Australia is a superior Australian federal court of record which deals with family law matters. Together with the Federal Magistrates Court, it covers family law matters in all states and territories of Australia except Western Australia...
exist for civil law actions and other non-criminal legal matters.
Economy
As of July 2006, the unemployment rate in Canberra is 2.8%, well below the national unemployment rate of 4.8%, with labour shortages reported in some sectors. As a result of low unemployment and substantial levels of public sector and commercial employment, Canberra has the highest average disposable income of any Australian capital city. The gross average weekly wage of a Canberra resident is
$The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1,208.50, compared with the Australia wide average of $1,043.10. The median house price in Canberra as of June 2005 was $352,500, lower than Sydney, Melbourne and Perth but higher than all other capital cities. The median house price in September 2006 was $375,000. The average price in November 2006 was $411,305. The median weekly rent paid by Canberra residents is higher than rents in all other states and territories. As at the September quarter of 2006 the median rent for a 3 bedroom house was $320 per week. This is the highest of all capital cities in Australia. The median rent for 'other' dwellings is $300 per week. Factors contributing to this higher weekly rental market include; higher average weekly incomes, restricted land supply, and inflationary clauses in the ACT Residential Tenancies Act.
The city's main industry is government administration and defence, which accounted for 26.1% of Gross Territory Product in 2003–04 and employed over 40% of Canberra's workforce. The major public-sector employers in Canberra include the parliament and government departments such as Department of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Treasury. A number of
Australian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
establishments are located in or near Canberra, most notably the Australian Defence Force headquarters and
HMAS HarmanHMAS Harman provides Navy administrative functions to all Navy personnel located in the Canberra area ....
, which is a naval communications centre that is being converted into a tri-service, multi-user depot. The former RAAF Fairbairn, adjacent to the Canberra International Airport was sold to the operators of the Airport, but the base continues to be used for RAAF VIP flights.
A growing number of independent software vendors have based themselves in Canberra, to capitalise on the concentration of government customers. Notable among these are QSP,
Tower SoftwareTOWER Software is a software development company, founded in 1985 in Canberra, Australia. They provide and support enterprise content management software, such as TRIM Context...
,
RuleBurstRuleBurst Limited is a Canberra, Australia-based independent software vendor that develops and distributes the RuleBurst 8 and Oasis suites of software products.RuleBurst 8 is a Business Rule Management System, or business rules engine...
and The Distillery. Property and business services, construction, health and community services, and education are other significant contributors to the economy of Canberra.
Demographics
As of 2006, the population of Canberra was 323,056 people and the city has a population density of 1,005.0 persons per square kilometre (2,602.9/sq mi), which is dense with respect to other Australian cities. The 2006 census showed that 1.2% of Canberra's population were of indigenous origin and 21.7% were born overseas. The largest group of people born overseas came from English-speaking countries, led by the United Kingdom and then New Zealand. Significant numbers of immigrants have also come from Germany, Italy and
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
. Recent immigrants have arrived from countries in
eastAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
south AsiaSouth Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east...
. Most locals are native speakers of
EnglishAustralian English is the form of the English language spoken in Australia.-Socio-historical linguistic context:...
; many have a second language, the most common being Mandarin, Italian, Vietnamese, Cantonese and
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
.
Canberrans are relatively young, highly
mobilePopulation mobility, geographic mobility or more simply mobility is a statistic that measures migration within a population. It is most commonly used in demography and human geography, it may also be used to describe the movement of animals between populations.Mobility estimates in the Current...
, and well educated. The median age is 34 years, and only 9.8% of the population is aged over 65 years. Between 1996 and 2001, 61.9% of the population either moved to or from Canberra, which is the second highest mobility rate of any Australian capital city. As of May 2004, 30% of people in the ACT aged 15–64 had a level of educational attainment equal to at least a
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, significantly higher that the national average of 19%. Approximately 60% of Canberra residents describe themselves as
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
, the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican; 6% of the population practice a non-Christian religion and 23% are not religious.
As of 2002 the most common
crimeCrime is the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority, via mechanisms such as police power, may ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s in Canberra are property related crimes, unlawful entry with intent and
motor vehicle theftMotor vehicle theft, sometimes referred to as grand theft auto by the media and police departments in the US, is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle, including an automobile, truck, bus, motorcycle, snowmobile, trailer or any other motorized vehicle...
. They affect 1,961 and 630 of every 100,000 persons respectively.
HomicideHomicide refers to the act of a human killing a human being. A common form of homicide, for example, would be murder. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
and related offences (including Murder, Attempted Murder, Manslaughter and Driving Causing Death) affect 1.5/100,000 persons which is below the national average of 4.9/100,000. Rates of
assaultAssault is a crime of violence against another person. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat...
and
sexual assaultSexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may be by a man on a man, woman on a man or woman on a woman. Approximately one in six American women will be a victim of a sexual assault in her lifetime...
are also below the national average.
Education
The two main tertiary institutions are the
Australian National UniversityThe Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public teaching and research university located in Canberra, Australia, the federal capital city...
(ANU) in
ActonActon is a suburb of Canberra, Australia. Acton covers an area west of the CBD, bordered by Black Mountain to the west and Lake Burley Griffin in the south...
and the
University of CanberraThe University of Canberra, also known as UC, is a university located in Canberra, ACT, the national capital of Australia. UC is the second largest tertiary institution in Canberra. There are approximately 9,000 students and more than 800 staff...
(UC) in
BruceBruce is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Bruce was gazetted as a division on 6 June, 1968 in recognition of Viscount Stanley Melbourne Bruce, the first Chancellor of the Australian National University. S. M. Bruce served as Chancellor from 1951 to 1961...
. The ANU was established as a research university in 1946; it continues to have a strong research focus and is ranked among the best universities in the world in
The Times Higher Education SupplementTimes Higher Education , formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement , is a magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education.-Publication history:...
and the Shanghai Jiao Tong World University Rankings. Using these rankings as a measure, the ANU continues to be Australia's top ranked University. There are also two religious university campuses in Canberra: Signadou in the North Canberra suburb of
WatsonWatson is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district. Watson is named after the third Prime Minister of Australia, John Christian Watson. The suburb name was gazetted on 7 April 1960. Streets in Watson are named after Australian judges and other legal professionals...
is a campus of the
Australian Catholic UniversityAustralian Catholic University, or ACU National, is Australia's only public Catholic university. It has more than 13,000 students and 900 staff on six campuses located in three states and the Australian Capital Territory...
; St Mark's Theological College adjacent to the Parliament House is a campus of the secular
Charles Sturt UniversityCharles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange , Wagga Wagga and Ontario...
.
The
Australian Defence Force AcademyThe Australian Defence Force Academy is a tri-service military Academy that provides military and tertiary academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Regular Army and Royal Australian Air Force .ADFA also provides post-graduate...
(ADFA) and the
Royal Military College, DuntroonThe Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment.It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911...
are near the suburb of
CampbellCampbell is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Covering an area to the South East of the central business district, Campbell sits at the base of Mount Ainslie. On Census night 2006, Campbell had a population of 4,797 people...
in Canberra's inner north-east. ADFA teaches
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
undergraduates and postgraduates and is officially a
campusA campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of the
University of New South WalesThe University of New South Wales, also known as UNSW or colloquially as New South, is a university situated in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.The University was founded in 1949...
; Duntroon provides
Australian ArmyThe Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
OfficerAn officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
trainingThe term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
. Tertiary level vocational education is also available through the multi-campus
Canberra Institute of TechnologyThe Canberra Institute of Technology is a vocational education provider in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of a system of TAFEs. Qualifications offered by CIT range from certificate to degree level. CIT has six campuses across Canberra, located in Bruce, Reid, Weston, Phillip,...
.
In February 2004 there were 140
public and non-governmental schools in Canberra; 96 were operated by the Government and 44 are non-Government. During 2006 the ACT Government announced closures of up to 39 schools, to take effect from the end of the school year and after a series of consultations the Government announced its "Towards 2020: Renewing Our Schools" plan that closed some schools at the end of 2006 with more in 2007 and 2008, while consolidating school campuses and opening 'super-schools' (large public schools for kindergarten through to year 12) through to 2020. Most suburbs are planned to include a primary school and a nearby preschool, and schools are usually located near open areas for play and sports.
Arts and entertainment
Canberra is home to many national monuments and institutions such as the
Australian War MemorialThe Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, the
National Gallery of AustraliaThe National Gallery of Australia is the premier art gallery and museum in Australia, holding over 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Government of Australia as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
, the
National Portrait GalleryThe National Portrait Gallery of Australia is a collection of portraits of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest...
, the
National Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
, the
National Archives of AustraliaThe National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth Government records. It is an Executive Agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig.The national...
, the
Australian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modeled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is an...
and the
National Museum of AustraliaThe National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
. Many Commonwealth government buildings in Canberra are open to the public, including
Parliament HouseParliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia. It is located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was opened on 9 May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. Its construction cost was over $1.1 billion. At the time of its construction it was the most expensive...
, the
High CourtThe High Court of Australia is the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
and the
Royal Australian MintThe Royal Australian Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra, in the suburb of Deakin.Before the opening of the mint, Australian coins were struck at branches of the Royal Mint - the Sydney Mint, Melbourne Mint and Perth Mint. The Royal Australian Mint holds a place in...
. Lake Burley Griffin is the site of the Captain Cook Memorial and the
National CarillonThe National Carillon, situated on Aspen Island in central Canberra, Australia is a large carillon managed and maintained by the National Capital Authority on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia.- History :...
. Other sites of interest include the Black Mountain Tower and the
Australian National Botanic GardensThe Australian National Botanic Gardens are located in Canberra and are administered by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Heritage....
on Black Mountain, the National Zoo and Aquarium on Scrivener Dam, the
National Dinosaur MuseumThe National Dinosaur Museum is the southern hemisphere's largest permanent display of prehistoric material, located in Gold Creek Village near Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia...
and Questacon – the National Science and Technology Centre.
The
Canberra Museum and GalleryCanberra Museum and Gallery is an art gallery and museum in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located on London Circuit, in Civic in the centre of the city. The gallery was opened on 13 February, 1998....
in the city is a repository of local history and art. Several historic homes are open to the public: Lanyon and Tuggeranong Homesteads in the
Tuggeranong ValleyTuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
, Mugga-Mugga in
SymonstonSymonston is a primarily industrial and agricultural suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Symonston is named after Sir Josiah Symon a Legislator, Federalist and one of the Founders of the Constitution of Australia....
, and Blundells' Cottage in
ParkesParkes is an inner suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located south of the Canberra CBD, Parkes contains the Parliamentary Triangle area. On Census night 2006, Parkes had a population of 4 people....
all display the lifestyle of the early European settlers. Calthorpes' House in
Red HillRed Hill is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after the northernmost hill of the ridge to the west of the suburb. The ridge is a reserve and managed as part of the Canberra Nature Park. The hill is an element of the central Canberra design...
is a well preserved example of a 1920s house from Canberra's very early days.
Duntroon HouseDuntroon is a suburb of the city of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-History:Robert Campbell's property Duntroon was situated on the limestone plains of New South Wales in the area that is now covered by the ACT....
, in the suburb of
CampbellCampbell is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Covering an area to the South East of the central business district, Campbell sits at the base of Mount Ainslie. On Census night 2006, Campbell had a population of 4,797 people...
, was one of the district's earliest homesteads and is now the officers' mess at
Royal Military CollegeThe Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment.It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911...
; it is occasionally open to the public.
Canberra has many venues for live
musicCanberra is the federal capital of Australia and is in the Australian Capital Territory. The city is home to a number of important musical venues and institutions, including the Llewellyn Hall performance venue, part of the Australian National University School of Music...
and theatre: the
Canberra Theatre and PlayhouseThe Canberra Theatre Centre is the Australian Capital Territory’s central performing arts venue and Australia’s first performing arts centre, the first Australian Government initiated performing arts centre to be completed, that opened on Thursday 24 June 1965 with a gala performance by the...
which hosts many major concerts and productions; and Llewellyn Hall (within the ANU School of Music), a world-class concert hall are two of the largest.
The Street Theatre, also located on Childers Street, operates as a venue for local professional and amateur production companies, as well as producing a season of professional shows each year.
The Albert HallThe Albert Hall is a hall in Canberra, Australia, used for entertainment. It is on Commonwealth Avenue between Commonwealth Bridge and the Hotel Canberra in the suburb of Yarralumla.- Overview :...
was the city's first performing arts venue, opened in 1928. It was the original performance venue for theatre groups such as the Canberra Repertory Society and the Canberra Philharmonic Society.
StonefestStonefest, once called Stone Day, is a large music festival, held at the University of Canberra annually at the end of October. It is the largest music festival in Canberra and a popular one in Australia...
at the University of Canberra is Canberra's largest music festival. Canberra is also the home turf of an Australian hip-hop duo,
KoolismKoolism is an Australian hip hop duo originating from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.The members are lyricist Hau Latukefu and producer/DJ/musician Danielsan Ichiban .-History:Koolism started out in 1992 when Elleson joined a group by the name...
. There are numerous bars and nightclubs which also offer live entertainment, particularly concentrated in the areas of
DicksonDickson is a suburb in the Inner North of Canberra, Australia. It is named after Sir James Dickson who was a Queensland advocate of Australian Federation and one of the founders of the Australian Constitution...
,
KingstonKingston is the oldest and most densely populated suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after Charles Cameron Kingston, the former Premier of South Australia and minister in the first Australian Commonwealth Government. It is adjacent to the suburbs of...
and the city. Most town centres have facilities for a community theatre and a cinema, and they all have a library. Popular cultural events include the
National Folk FestivalThe National Folk Festival, "The National" or "The Nash" is a five-day festival celebrating Australian folk culture, held each year on the Easter long weekend at in Canberra.-History:...
, the
Royal Canberra ShowThe Royal Canberra Show is an agricultural show that has been staged annually in Canberra since 1927 by the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society. The show has agriculture at its core, however it is moving into new fields every year, with the addition of rides, competitions and educational...
, the
SummernatsSummernats, short for Summer Nationals, is a car festival held in Canberra, Australia. Summernats is held annually, usually at the start of the year. Summernats is the best known car festival in Australia, and an event which attracts many tourists to Canberra, bringing about $12-$15 million to the...
car festival, the Canberra Multicultural Festival in February and the
Celebrate Canberra festival which is held over 10 days in March in conjunction with Canberra Day.
Canberra maintains sister-city relationships with both
Narais the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, (Japan) and
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
(China). Canberra has friendship-city relationships with both
DiliDili , spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital and largest city of East Timor. It lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Dili is the chief port and commercial centre for East Timor, and has approximately 150,000 inhabitants...
(Timor Leste) and
Hangzhou' is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.4 million people...
(China). City-to-city relationships encourage communities and special interest groups both locally and abroad to engage in a wide range of exchange activities. The Canberra Nara Candle Festival held annually in spring, is a community celebration of the Canberra Nara Sister City relationship. The Festival is held in Canberra Nara Park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
Media
As Australia's political centre, Canberra is the most important centre for much of Australia's political reportage and thus all the major media organisations, including the
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
, the commercial television networks, and the metropolitan newspapers maintain local bureaus. Many news organisations are represented in the "
press galleryThe Canberra Press Gallery, officially called the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, is the name given to the approximately 180 journalists and their support staff, including producers, editors and camera crews, who report the workings of the Australian Parliament...
", a group of journalists who report on the national
parliamentThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
. The National Press Club of Australia in
BartonBarton is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Barton is named after Sir Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister. Streets in Barton are named after Governors....
has regular television broadcasts of its weekly lunches at which a prominent guest, typically a politician, delivers a half-hour speech followed by a question-and-answer session.
Canberra has a daily newspaper,
The Canberra TimesThe Canberra Times newspaper was founded in 1926 in Canberra, Australia by Arthur Shakespeare.It was the second paper to be printed in the city, the first being The Federal Capital Pioneer. The paper was sold to the Fairfax group in the 1960s by Arthur Shakespeare on the condition that it continue...
, which was established in 1926, and some free weekly suburban and special interest publications, one of these being CityNews. Canberra has five free-to-air television stations (analogue and digital) including two government funded (
ABCThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
and
SBSThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
) and three commercial stations (
PrimePrime Television is an Australian television network owned by Prime Television Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven...
,
WINWIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions...
and
Southern Cross TenSouthern Cross Broadcasting Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily radio and television.-History:...
) as well as four additional free-to-air digital services Prime HD, WIN HD,
ABC2ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
and SBS News. Prior to 1989, Canberra was serviced by just the ABC, SBS and Capital Television, which later became Southern Cross Ten, with Prime and WIN arriving as part of the Government's regional aggregation programme in that year. Subscription (pay) television services are available from
FoxtelFoxtel is an Australian pay television company, formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media Holdings.-History:...
via satellite service, and cable by local telecommunications company
TransACTTransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and, more recently, mobile phone services using the Vodafone Network, in Canberra and a subset of these services in...
who also offer telephone and
broadbandThe term broadband can have different meanings in different contexts. The term's meaning has undergone substantial shifts.-In telecommunication:...
internet services on their optical fibre cable network covering many suburbs.
A number of community radio stations broadcast in Canberra, including
2XXfm2XXfm is a community radio station, broadcasting on the FM band in Canberra, Australia.2XXfm is one of Australia's longest running community broadcasters. It took over the operation of the former Australian National University student radio station in 1976, broadcasting as 2XX on 1008 kHz AM from...
,
ArtSound FMArtSound FM is a community radio station broadcasting to Canberra from studios in the suburb of Manuka. Its format is fine music and arts programming....
, CMS Radio, Valley FM based in Tuggeranong, and
Radio 1RPHRadio 1RPH 1125 kHz is a volunteer manned AM band radio broadcast station in the Australian Capital Territory. Radio 1RPH is a member of the Radio Print Handicapped Network. Its catch-phrases are, Your information station and Turning print into sound, and it is intended to serve all those who are,...
which offers broadcasts for the print handicapped. There are a number of commercial AM and FM radio stations including those belonging to the
Capital Radio NetworkCapital Radio Network is an Australian radio company, which owns stations in Canberra, Goulburn, Cooma, the Snowy Mountains and Perth.-Owned and Operated Stations:*Canberra**2CC 1206 AM...
(
2CA2CA is a commercial radio station on the AM band in Canberra, Australia, which originally began broadcasting on 1050 kHz changing to 1053 kHz in 1978. 2CA has had many owners since its inception and is currently jointly owned by regional radio operators the Capital Radio Network and Grant...
and
2CC2CC is a commercial radio station on the AM band in Canberra, Australia. It originally began broadcasting on 1210 kHz in 1975 changing to 1206 kHz in 1978. It is jointly owned by regional radio operators Capital Radio Network and Grant Broadcasters.-History:...
), the Austereo/
ARNThe Australian Radio Network is a group of commercial radio stations around Australia and New Zealand. A joint venture of Australian media conglomerate APN News & Media and United States radio company Clear Channel Communications, the group is the largest radio company in Australasia...
owned 104.7 and
Mix 106.3MIX 106.3 is a commercial radio station in Canberra, Australia and is owned by the Australian Radio Network and Austereo....
, both of which were introduced in 1988 and
Raw FMRaw FM is an Australian narrowcast radio network, consisting of stations in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Queensland....
87.6 MHz a dance music station. Public radio broadcasters
ABC RadioThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
and
SBS RadioSBS Radio is a service provided by the Special Broadcasting Service '..to inform, educate and entertain Australians, especially those of non-English speaking backgrounds'. SBS Radio originally began as two stations based in Melbourne and Sydney, set up to provide pre-recorded information about the...
operate a number of stations.
Sport
In addition to local sporting leagues, Canberra has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and international leagues. The best known teams are the
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They compete in the National Rugby League , Australasia's premier rugby league competition. The Raiders' current home ground is Canberra Stadium in Bruce,...
and the Brumbies who play
rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
and
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
respectively, and who have both been champions of their leagues. Both teams play their home games at
Canberra StadiumCanberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
, which is Canberra's largest stadium and was used to hold preliminary
soccerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
matches for the
2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 16 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and matches for the
2003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. Canberra also has a successful basketball team, the
Canberra CapitalsThe Canberra TransACT Capitals are an Australian Women's Basketball League team based in Canberra, Australia. TransACT Communications is the current naming rights sponsor for the Canberra Capitals.-History:...
. The Canberra Capitals won the 2006, 2007 and 2009
women's basketballThe Women's National Basketball League is the premier women's basketball league in Australia.The league was established in 1986, following 5 years of the sport's development through the Women’s Basketball League and the Women’s Basketball Conference...
Grand Final.
There are also teams that participate in national competitions in
netballThe Commonwealth Bank Trophy was the elite national competition in Australian netball from 1997 to 2007.It was established in 1997 as a true national league to replace the ailing, state club-based Mobil League. Designed from the beginning to be more marketable to the general public, it saw large...
,
field hockeyThe Australian Hockey League is Australia’s premier national domestic field hockey competition. Despite its non-professional nature, AHL is considered one of the strongest and most competitive national field hockey leagues in the world. The AHL consists of both men's and women's competition...
,
ice hockeyThe Australian Ice Hockey League is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. It is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia and is run by its own Board of Directors....
and cricket.
Manuka OvalManuka Oval is a 15,000 capacity stadium located in the suburb of Griffith, adjacent to Manuka, a business district of Canberra, Australia's capital....
is another large outdoor sporting facility where
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
and
Australian Rules footballAustralian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory has a history dating back to the formation of the territory in the 1910s.Traditionally, Canberra was considered to be one of the points which define the Barassi Line, however the popularity of Australian rules football suffered...
are played. The Melbourne based
AFLThe Australian Football League is the major professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian football and is arguably Australia's biggest sporting competition in terms of membership, corporate sponsorship and attendances .The league comprises 16 teams which play 22 home and...
team the
KangaroosThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the AFL and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia...
played some home games at Manuka Oval until July 2006. Following the move of the Kangaroos' alternative home ground to
CarraraCarrara is a city in the province of Massa-Carrara , famous for the white or blue-gray marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione river, some 100 km west-northwest of Florence....
in Queensland,
MelbourneMelbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
and the
Western BulldogsThe Western Bulldogs, officially the Footscray Football Club, is an Australian Football League club based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner western suburb of Melbourne...
will play home games at Manuka Oval from 2007 against the
Sydney SwansThe Sydney Swans are an Australian Football League club based in Sydney, New South Wales.The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney Swans...
. Canberra is also home to the
Barassi International Australian Football Youth TournamentThe Barassi Youth Tournament is an international Australian rules football tournament for junior players who are no older than 16 years of age. In conjunction with the Australian Football International Cup senior competition, the youth cup is an important event for the development of Aussie Rules...
. The historic
Prime Minister's XIPrime Minister's XI or PM's XI is the name of an annual cricket match which is held at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, with the Australian team picked by the Prime Minister of Australia playing against an overseas team...
cricket match is played at Manuka Oval annually. Other significant annual sporting events include the
Canberra MarathonCanberra marathon is a standard 42,195m / 26.2 mile marathon around the Australian capital city. The marathon was established in 1976 is said to be the oldest city marathon in Australia...
and the City of Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon. The Canberra Women's Tennis Classic was held in the lead up to the
Australian OpenThe Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year. The tournament is held each January at Melbourne Park. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was contested on grass from then up to 1987. Since 1988, the tournament has been held on hard...
until 2006.
The
Australian Institute of SportThe Australian Institute of Sport is a pre-eminent elite sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce,...
(AIS) is located in the Canberra suburb of
BruceBruce is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Bruce was gazetted as a division on 6 June, 1968 in recognition of Viscount Stanley Melbourne Bruce, the first Chancellor of the Australian National University. S. M. Bruce served as Chancellor from 1951 to 1961...
. The AIS is a specialised educational and training institution providing coaching for elite junior and senior athletes in a number of sports. The AIS has been operating since 1981 and has achieved significant success in producing elite athletes, both local and international. The majority of Australia's team members and medals at the
2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 16 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
were won by AIS graduates. It is also a popular tourist destination.
Canberra has numerous sporting ovals, golf courses, skate parks, tennis courts and swimming pools that are open to the public. A Canberra-wide series of bicycle paths are available to cyclists for recreational and sporting purposes. Canberra Nature Parks have a large range of walking paths, horse and mountain bike trails. Water sports like sailing, rowing and water skiing are popular activities on Canberra's lakes. The Rally of Canberra is an annual motor sport event and a facility for
drag racingDrag racing is a competition in which vehicles compete to be the first to cross a set finish line, usually from a standing start, and in a straight line. First gaining popularity in the USA after World War II , the sport steadily grew in popularity and spread across the globe...
is currently being planned for construction.
There is also a bid under way for Canberra to receive an
A-LeagueThe A-League is the premier Australasian domestic football competition. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia, it was founded in 2004 following the collapse of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005-06...
license in the national soccer competition, see
Canberra A-League BidA Canberra based consortium led by TransACT CEO Ivan Slavich is determined to apply for and receive a license to compete in the A-League, commencing in the 2010-11 season. However Canberra failed to get the 12th licence they had applied for as a Western Sydney bid were given the licence instead....
.
Health
Canberra has two large public hospitals, the 500-bed
Canberra HospitalThe Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra. It is a tertiary level centre with 500 beds and caters to a population of about 520,000...
- formerly the Woden Valley Hospital - located in
GarranGarran is a suburb in the Woden district of Canberra. Garran was named after Sir Robert Garran who made numerous contributions to the development of higher education institutions in Canberra. The streets in Garran are named after Australian writers. On Census night 2006, Garran had a population of...
and the smaller 174 bed Calvary Public Hospital located in Bruce. Both public hospitals are also teaching hospitals. The largest private hospital in Canberra is the John James Memorial Hospital in
DeakinDeakin is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Deakin is named after Alfred Deakin, second prime minister of Australia. Streets in Deakin are named after Governors, Governors-General and diplomats...
. Calvary Private Hospital in Bruce and
HealthscopeHealthscope is an Australian company which also operates private hospitals, a pathology business and medical centres. The company is headquartered in Melbourne in St. Kilda Road, Melbourne. The company operates medical/surgical hospitals as well as a number of psychiatric and rehabilitation clinics...
's National Capital Private in Garran are also major healthcare providers. The
Royal Canberra HospitalRoyal Canberra Hospital was the first hospital in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It opened in 1914 on the Acton Peninsula, as the Canberra Community Hospital. It grew to become the major hospital in Canberra before being closed in 1991 and later demolished in 1997.- Early Years 1912–1939 :In...
was located on Acton Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin; it was closed on 27 November 1991 and was demolished in 1997 in a
controversial implosionThe Royal Canberra Hospital implosion was a failed building implosion with lethal consequences. The implosion occurred on 13 July 1997, when the city's superseded hospital buildings at Acton Peninsula on Lake Burley Griffin were demolished to make way for the National Museum of...
. This was to facilitate construction of the National Museum of Australia. The city has 10 aged care facilities. Canberra's hospitals receive emergency cases from throughout southern New South Wales. The ACT Ambulance Service is one of four operational agencies of the ACT Emergency Services Authority.
NETSNETS is an acronym for newborn emergency transport service or system. Such services provide critical care transport for newborn babies requiring care not available in the hospital of birth. Some provide other services; such as outreach education, return transport and coordination of high-risk...
ACT & Southern provides dedicated ambulance service for inter-hospital transport of sick newborns within the ACT and into surrounding
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
.
Transport
The car is by far the dominant form of transport in Canberra. Past planning policies have resulted in well developed good quality roads and a low population density spread over a relatively large area of the city. Canberra's districts are generally connected by 'parkways' - limited access dual carriageway roads with speed limits generally set at 80 to 100 km/h. An example is the
Tuggeranong ParkwayThe Tuggeranong Parkway is a major dual carriageway link in Canberra, Australia. Often referred to as "The Parkway" by locals, the Tuggeranong Parkway links Civic to the southern Canberra metro district of Tuggeranong, and is a bypass road to the Woden Valley-Weston Creek district of Canberra...
which links Canberra's CBD and Tuggeranong, and bypasses Weston Creek. In most districts, discrete residential suburbs are bounded by access roads.
ACTIONACTION is a public bus service operating in Canberra, ACT, Australia. It is operated by the Department of Territory and Municipal Services. The name ACTION is an acronym of Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network....
, the government-operated bus service, provides
public transportPublic transport comprises passenger transportation services which are available for use by the general public, as opposed to modes for private use such as automobiles or vehicles for hire.Public transport services are usually funded by fares charged to each passenger, with varying levels of subsidy...
throughout the city. Deane's Transit Group provides bus services between Canberra and nearby areas of New South Wales through their
Transborder ExpressTransborder Express is a Canberra, Australia based bus company.Established in 1954 as a Canberra to Yass omnibus service by the Williams family, the company has expanded to provide services to most of South Eastern New South Wales. In 2008 the company was taken over by Deane's Transit Group which...
(
MurrumbatemanMurrumbateman is a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Barton Highway, approximately 30 kilometres north-west of Canberra, and is part of the Yass Valley Shire. At the 2001 census, Murrumbateman had a population of 1,267.Some of the surrounding...
and
YassYass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
) and
Deane's BuslinesDeane's Buslines is a privately owned bus company that operates through Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Canberra. It has over 10 different routes and now runs services to Bungendore....
(
QueanbeyanQueanbeyan is a city and local government area in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is a city overshadowed somewhat by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra: it has effectively become a de facto district of the nearby capital city as it lies on the...
) brands. Deane's Buslines also operates the Airliner service between Canberra City and the
airportCanberra International Airport, now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's national capital, Canberra. Although there are no current international flight services, Air Pacific briefly offered a service to Fiji in 2004. The Airport serves flights to and from domestic...
. In the 2006 census, 7.7% of the journeys to work involved a bus; with 7.4% walking or cycling to work, a higher proportion than in any other Australian capital city.
There are two local taxi companies,
Aerial Capital GroupAerial Consolidated Transport is a taxi and hire car company based in Canberra, Australia. Formed in 1957, it enjoyed monopoly status from 1963 until 2007, when a breakaway company, Cabxpress commenced operations.Aerial comprises three brands:...
the owner of the Canberra Elite and Silver Service brands which enjoyed monopoly status for over four decades, and a recent arrival, Cabxpress.
An interstate
CountryLinkCountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and from New South Wales into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
railway service connects Canberra to
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
.
Canberra's railway stationCanberra railway station is located in Kingston, ACT, Australia. The station is the terminus for CountryLink rail services from Sydney. It is the only operating railway station in the ACT....
is in the inner south suburb of
KingstonKingston is the oldest and most densely populated suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after Charles Cameron Kingston, the former Premier of South Australia and minister in the first Australian Commonwealth Government. It is adjacent to the suburbs of...
. Between 1920 and 1922 the train line crossed the Molonglo River and ran as far north as the city centre, although the line was closed following major flooding and was never rebuilt. Train services to
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
are provided by way of a CountryLink bus service which connects with a rail service between Sydney and Melbourne in
YassYass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
, about one hour's drive from Canberra. Plans to establish a very fast
trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
like a
TGVThe TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by VFE, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator. It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, and is now operated primarily by SNCF...
service between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney have been contemplated, but not implemented by both government and private enterprise, as various proposals have not been deemed economically viable. The plan was shelved by former Federal Transport Minister
John AndersonJohn Duncan Anderson is an Australian politician. He served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the rural-based National Party of Australia from July 1999 to July 2005.-Early years:...
in 2000.
The original plans for Canberra included proposals for railed transport within the city, however none were to eventuate with Canberra's single interstate passenger station and goods yard remaining to the south at Kingston. During the construction of the principal buildings, there were a number of temporary construction railway lines laid to Civic in central Canberra.
Canberra is about three hours by road from
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
on the
Federal HighwayThe Federal Highway is a short highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is a part of the Sydney-Canberra National Highway link....
(National Highway 23), which connects with the
Hume HighwayThe Hume Highway / Hume Freeway is one of Australia's most important and notable interstate highways which runs for 880 km inland between Sydney and Melbourne...
(National Highway 31) near
GoulburnGoulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, and seven hours by road from
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
on the
Barton HighwayThe Barton Highway is a short highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia.The Barton Highway connects Canberra to the Hume Highway at Yass, and it is part of the route from Melbourne to Canberra....
(National Highway 25), which joins the Hume Highway at Yass. It is a two hour drive on the
Monaro HighwayThe Monaro Highway is a State highway in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia. The Victorian section was formerly called the Cann Valley Highway. It became known as the Monaro Highway in the 1980s....
(National Highway 23) to the ski fields of the
Snowy MountainsThe Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD....
and the
Kosciuszko National ParkKosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia...
.
Batemans BayBatemans Bay is a town and a bay in the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is located on the Princes Highway about from Sydney, from Melbourne and from Canberra via the Kings Highway. At the...
, a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales coast, is also two hours away via the
Kings HighwayThe Kings Highway connects Queanbeyan, New South Wales and Batemans Bay, New South Wales. It starts on Canberra Avenue at the border of the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, passing through Queanbeyan, briefly crossing back into the ACT and then heads south-east to Batemans...
.
Canberra International AirportCanberra International Airport, now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's national capital, Canberra. Although there are no current international flight services, Air Pacific briefly offered a service to Fiji in 2004. The Airport serves flights to and from domestic...
provides direct domestic services to
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
,
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
,
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
and
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
, with connections to other domestic centres.
http://www.curfew4canberra.org.au/ There are direct daily flights to
AlburyAlbury is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is also a Local Government Area, administered by Albury City Council...
and
NewcastleThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
in New South Wales. No regular commercial international flights operate from the airport. Until 2003 the civilian airport shared runways with RAAF Base Fairbairn. On 27 June of that year, the Air Force base was decommissioned and from that time the airport was fully under civilian control. Major Australian cities such as
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
have a secondary airport, but in Canberra this airport also provides for charter operations, general aviation, parachuting and flying training.
Utilities
The ACT government owned
ACTEW CorporationACTEW Corporation Limited is an unlisted public company with assets and investments in water, wastewater, electricity, gas and telecommunications. ACTEW is wholly owned by the ACT Government...
manages Canberra's water and sewerage infrastructure.
ActewAGLActewAGL is Australia's first multi-utility to offer electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services in a single organisation. It is the only joint-venture of its kind in Australia.ActewAGL provides utility services in the ACT and South-east NSW....
is a joint venture between ACTEW and
AGLThe Australian Gas Light Company was an Australian gas and electricity retailer. It was a public company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. AGL was initially founded to supply gas in New South Wales although the company has gradually diversified into electricity and a number of different...
, and is the retail provider of Canberra's utility services including water, natural gas, electricity, and also some telecommunications services via a subsidiary
TransACTTransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and, more recently, mobile phone services using the Vodafone Network, in Canberra and a subset of these services in...
. Since 2003 all ACT consumers have been able to choose the electricity retailer of their choice. Canberra's water is stored in four reservoirs, the Corin, Bendora and Cotter dams on the
Cotter RiverThe Cotter River is a fresh water river in the Australian Capital Territory. It is a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River and part of Murray-Darling Basin. The Cotter River is one of two rivers—the Queanbeyan River is the other—that meet the water supply needs of the Canberra and...
and the Googong Dam on the Queanbeyan River. The Googong Dam is in New South Wales but it is managed by the ACT government. ACTEW Corporation owns Canberra's two wastewater treatment plants, located at
FyshwickFyshwick is an industrial suburb of Canberra, located east of the South Canberra district. On Census night 2006, Fyshwick had a population of 54 people....
and at Lower Molonglo on the
Molonglo RiverThe Molonglo River rises on the western side of the Great Dividing Range of eastern Australia in the state of New South Wales. Its source is on the other side of the mountain range from where the Shoalhaven River rises, in Tallaganda state forest at ~1200 metres altitude...
.
Electricity for Canberra comes from the national power grid through substations at
HoltHolt is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen. It is named after Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his sudden death in 1967. It was gazetted on July 2, 1970, and has the postcode of 2615...
and
FyshwickFyshwick is an industrial suburb of Canberra, located east of the South Canberra district. On Census night 2006, Fyshwick had a population of 54 people....
(via
QueanbeyanQueanbeyan is a city and local government area in south eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is a city overshadowed somewhat by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra: it has effectively become a de facto district of the nearby capital city as it lies on the...
). Some limited local renewable power is produced via a hydro generator on the main water supply pipeline for Canberra at Mount Stromlo and methane plants at waste landfill sites at
BelconnenBelconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
and Mugga Lane. The first domestic power supply in Canberra was in 1913 for the suburb of
ActonActon is a suburb of Canberra, Australia. Acton covers an area west of the CBD, bordered by Black Mountain to the west and Lake Burley Griffin in the south...
. Unlike most Australian cities, the power poles in Canberra's older suburbs are located along the rear boundaries of residential housing lots rather than on the street front. In newer areas the power supply and communications cabling are located underground.
As in other parts of Australia, terrestrial and mobile telecommunications services are provided by a range of competing companies. The majority of POTS and ADSL infrastructure belong to
TelstraTelstra or Telstra Corporation Ltd , is an Australian telecommunications and media company, formerly owned by the Australian government...
. GSM and 3G mobile telephony and data services infrastructure has also being established by Telstra along with Optus, Vodafone, Three and Netspeed. Parts of Central and Northern Canberra are services by Fibre-optic data connections established by
TransACTTransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and, more recently, mobile phone services using the Vodafone Network, in Canberra and a subset of these services in...
. The ACT has the highest rate of computer use and internet connection in Australia.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Canberra is
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with:
BeijingBeijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People's Republic of China...
, China
Narais the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
See also
- 1971 Canberra flood
The 1971 Canberra flood was a flash flood that occurred on 26 January 1971 in the Woden Valley of Canberra, Australia. The flood killed seven people, injured 15 and affected 500 people. The insurance damage was estimated at AUD$ 1 million...
- 2003 Canberra bushfires
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture, forests and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed...
- List of planned cities
- List of national capitals
External links