Canberra

Canberra is the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia and, with a population of just over 323,000, is also Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 300 km southwest of Sydney, and 650 km northeast of Melbourne. Unique in Australia as an entirely purpose-built, planned city, Canberra was selected as the location of the National Capital in 1908. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra was hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city post-World War II.

External links

• A general Canberra tourist site
• The ACT Government webpage
• Canberra region map - all districts
• ACT Government street names web site
• A scenic look at Canberra's architecture.
• Canberra & The Griffins; A Theosophical View
• An Ideal City? The 1912 Competition to Design Canberra
• Satellite image from Google Maps
• {{wikitravel}}

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