The capital of Australia; located in southeastern Australia; Also called: Australian capital, capital of Australia.
Capital of Australia (since 1908), situated in the Australian Capital Territory, enclosed within New South Wales, on a tributary of the Murrumbidgee River; area (Australian Capital Territory including the port at Jervis Bay) 2,432 sq km/939 sq mi;
features
It contains the Parliament House (first used by the Commonwealth Parliament 1927), the Australian National University (1946), the Canberra School of Music (1965), and the National War Memorial.
history
The site for the new city was selected 1908, located between Sydney and Melbourne, rivals to be capital of the new country. The city was named Canberra 1913 and was designed by the architect Walter Burley Griffin. Parliament first convened there 1927, but the city's development was slow until after World War II. The new Parliament House was opened 1988.