Where is Canberra?
Canberra is in the territory of the ACT which is on the east side of Australia at
the coordinates of 35.2809° S, 149.1300° E. It is bordered by the state of
Victoria on all sides. The ACT is considered a territory as it is to close to the
New South Wales capital of Sydney. The constitution outlines that to be a state
you must be 100km away from the city of Sydney.
What is important about Canberra?
Canberra is the capital of Australia and is home to the government of Australia.
It is the home to the House of Representatives, the Senate and the High Court.
These three important bodies control all major decisions in Australia.
Canberra also is also home to the National Australian War Memorial. This has
the names of all of those who have fought for Australia and have died to
protect our nation.
History of Canberra
Canberra was formed in 1908 as the capital of Australia. After 1901 both
Melbourne and Sydney wanted to become the capital but, in the end, it was
decided to create a new territory and place the capital in there. In 1912 the
rights to design Canberra were won by an architect named Walter Burley
Griffin. As we see today, he decided on a circular design that pushes outwards
in rings. As building commenced the first world war hit and was abruptly cut
short. It wasn’t until the 40s that building was finished as the great depression
and World War 2 deeply affected the state of Australia.
The location of Canberra was chosen as it was halfway between the two major
cities of Melbourne and Sydney. It was also chosen as it was a flat area with an
already established small colony. There was running water through the area
which also helped the settlement as they could transport materials to the area
by boat.
- Conor L.
