Canberra
Canberra is the name of Australia's capital city and largest inland city, though only the 7th largest overall
Canberra is also the name of a jet bomber which was used by many of the world's air forces.
Canberra's 320,000 residents live in a city originally planned by Walter Burley Griffin. With extensive parklands punctuated by landmark buildings, artificial lakes, and its many circle streets, it is perhaps understandable (though possibly unfair) that many Australians regard Canberra as a kind of surreal fantasyland removed from the realities of their own existence. A local government ban on residential front fences and an average income well above that of other Australian cities contribute to this attitude.
Parliament House, Canberra
Suburbs in Canberra are in general named after famous Australians, and in particular politicians. Street names within each suburb also generally follow a particular theme. For instance, the streets of the suburb of Duffy are named after Australian dams and weirs, whilst the streets of Gowrie are named after Australian Victoria Cross winners.
| Table of contents |
|
2 History 3 Universities 4 Media 5 Landmarks 6 Transport 7 See Also 8 External links |
The city's main industry is government and public service, with the Federal Parliament (shifted to a new building in 1988 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of white settlement), most government departments, the High Court, and many national monuments including the War Memorial and the National Museum there.
Canberra's second largest (and most noticeable) industry is tourism, with a large number of Australian and international visitors visiting the city each year. The most popular times are spring and autumn (fall), with the annual Floriade spring flower display (held each year in September/October) being the biggest. Other popular and noteworthy tourist spots in Canberra include the Parliamentary triangle (and in particular both the old and new Parliament Houses), monuments such as the War Memorial, and working national institutions like the Royal Australian Mint.
A legal anomaly allowing the legal production and mail-order sale of explicit pornographic videos has led to a thriving industry exporting them to the rest of Australia.
Prior to white settlement, the Canberra area was inhabited by the Ngunnawal and Ngarigo Aboriginal tribes. When white exploration and settlement began in the 1820s, however, their numbers began to dwindle, mainly from diseases such as smallpox and measles. By 1862, they had been largely reduced to half-castes. They held their last full corroboree by the Molonglo River in that year. The last full-blood Aborginal, Nellie Hamilton, died in Queanbeyan Hospital on January 1, 1897.
The district's change from a New South Wales rural area to the national capital began during debates over Federation in the early 20th century. At the time, Melbourne was easily Australia's largest city and the obvious place for the capital. The western colonies—Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria—supported Melbourne. However, NSW (the largest colony) and (to a lesser extent) Queensland, favoured Sydney—which was older than Melbourne and the only other large city in Australia. Perhaps one or another of the two colonial capitals might have eventually been acceptable to the smaller states, but the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry was such that neither city would ever agree to the other one becoming capital.
Eventually, a compromise was reached: Melbourne would be the capital on a temporary basis while a new capital was built somewhere between Sydney and Melbourne. Section 125 of the Constitution specified that it must be north of the Murray River (placing it in NSW rather than Victoria) but at least 100 miles from Sydney.
After an extensive search, the present site, about 300 kilometres south-west of Sydney in the foothills of the Australian Alps, was chosen in 1908 as a result of survey work done by Government Surveyor Charles Scrivener in that year. The choice of site was a disputed one, and narrowly beat Dalgety, a small town near the NSW/Victoria border.
The NSW government ceded the new Australian Capital Territory to the Commonwealth Government on January 1, 1910. In that same year, the ACT became an alcohol-free area as a result of legislation that politician King O'Malley ran through Federal Parliament in Melbourne.
An international competition was held in 1911 by O'Malley to select a plan for the new city. A variety of names were suggested for the capital, including Olympus, Paradise, Captain Cook, Shakespeare and Myola. The name of Canberra ( meaning meeting place) was eventually settled upon. The city was officially given this name and building officially commenced on March 12, 1913.
Melbourne ceded control of the Federal government on May 9, 1927, with the opening of Parliament House (now known as the old Parliament House) in Canberra. Amongst its first acts was to repeal O'Malley's prohibition laws.
Also in 1927, the city centre was officially established. It was meant to be called Civic Centre, but then Prime Minister Stanley Bruce vetoed the idea and it became officially known as City Centre. However, City Centre is still commonly referred to as Civic.
Canberra's growth over the next several decades was slow, and was indeed far more a small country town than a capital. This was especially the case before World War II, when Canberra was noted for being more trees and fields than houses. Cattle grazing near Parliament House was a common occurrence, something which amazed General Macarthur when he visited Canberra during World War II.
But during and after World War II it began to grow more rapidly. The National War Memorial was opened in 1941, and the Australian National University in 1946. Lake Burley Griffin was filled up in 1964. In 1978, Bruce Stadium was opened. The High Court was formally opened in 1980 and the National Gallery of Australia in 1982. Canberra's population also grew slowly from this period, from 9,000 in 1930 to 13,000 in 1945, 39,000 in 1957, 146,000 in 1971 and 270,000 in 1988.
In May 9, 1988, a new larger Parliament House was opened on Capital Hill in State Circle, Parkes as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations and the Federal Parliament moved there. It has sat there since. Also in 1988, the ACT was granted full self-government. In May, 1989, following elections held in 1988, a 17-member legislative assembly sat for the first time at its offices in London Circuit, Civic, Canberra. Its first government was led by the Chief Minister Rosemary Follett.
In 2000, several Sydney 2000 soccer games were played at Bruce Stadium.
In 2001, the National Museum was opened. This followed a tragic history of construction in which a local Canberra girl, Katie Bender, was killed by flying debris in 1997 when the hospital previously on that spot was destroyed in a bungled demolition display. A small memorial was erected to her memory at the spot at Lake Burley-Griffin where she died.
On January 18, 2003, parts of Canberra were engulfed by a bushfire that destroyed over 500 homes. The suburb of Duffy was especially affected, with some 200 homes burnt down there. Four people died in the flames.
Canberra is the home of the Australian National University, based in Acton, and the University of Canberra, based near Belconnen, as well as the main campus of the Australian Institute of Sport, a quasi-educational body that trains many of Australia's elite athletes.
As Australia's political centre, Canberra is naturally the home of much of Australia's political reportage and thus all the major media organizations, including the commercial television networks, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the metropolitan newspapers maintain bureaus there.
Canberra's own daily newspaper, the Fairfax-owned Canberra Times, is also regarded as more prestigious, particularly for political journalism, than its small circulation in comparison to the Sydney and Melbourne dailies may otherwise imply.
Canberra is approximately four hours by road from Sydney on the Hume and Federal Highways, and seven hours by road from Melbourne on the Hume and Barton Highways.
Canberra Airport has a full schedule of domestic services
to the state capitals, and there is a rail service from Sydney that takes about four hours.
Internally, Canberra's roads are notable for the many circular streets, which confuse visitors. Canberra has a bus-based public transport system, as it has no railway system other than an interstate railway that terminates in the Canberra suburb of Kingston.
Industry
History
Universities
Media
Landmarks
Transport
See Also
External links
