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.

Geography

Canberra covers an area 805.6 km² and is located near the Brindabella Ranges, approximately 150 kilometres inland from Australia's east coast. It is located at altitudes that range from 550 m to 700 m above sea level. The highest point is Mt. Taylor which is one of several large hills that also include Mt Ainslie, Mt. Mugga Mugga and Black Mountain. The surrounding bushland and the original bushland that Canberra was built in is a mixture of eucalyptus savanna, scrubland, swamp and dry eucalyptus forests.

Related Topics:
Brindabella Ranges - Kilometre - M - Mt. Taylor - Mt Ainslie - Black Mountain - Bushland - Savanna - Scrubland - Swamp

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The Molonglo River flows through Canberra and has been dammed to form the body of water in the centre of the city called Lake Burley Griffin. The Molonglo then flows into the Murrumbidgee northwest of Canberra, which in turn flows along Canberra's south-western outskirts. The Queanbeyan River joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the ACT. A number of creeks flow into the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee, such as Jerrabomberra and Yarralumla Creeks. Two of these creeks, the Ginninderra and Tuggeranong, have similarly been dammed to form Lakes Ginninderra and Tuggeranong. Until recently the Molonglo had a history of sometimes lethal floods; prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin, the area was a flood plain.

Related Topics:
Molonglo River - Lake Burley Griffin - Murrumbidgee - Queanbeyan River - Lakes Ginninderra - Tuggeranong

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Climate

Because of its elevation and distance from the coast, Canberra has four distinct seasons, unlike many other Australian cities whose climates are moderated by the sea. Canberra is notorious for hot, dry summers, and cold winters with heavy fog and frequent frosts. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, January is Canberra's hottest month, with a mean daily maximum temperature of 27.7 °C?the highest recorded maximum temperature was 42.2 °C on 1 February 1968.{{mn|ABM|1}} July is the coldest month, with a mean daily maximum of 11.2 °C and mean daily minimum of −0.2 °C. The lowest recorded minimum temperature is −10.0 °C 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. Thunderstorms can occur between October and March, and annual rainfall is 623 mm, with rainfall maximums in spring and summer (180.6 mm and 168.1 mm) and minimum in winter (128.1 mm). Autumn average rainfall is 146 mm.

Related Topics:
Fog - Frost - °C - 1 February - 1968 - 11 July - 1971 - Thunderstorm - Mm

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Urban structure

Canberra is a planned city that was originally designed by Walter Burley Griffin, a major American architect of the 20th century. The city centre is laid out on two perpendicular axes: a water axis stretching along Lake Burley Griffin, and a ceremonial land axis stretching from Parliament House on Capital Hill north-eastward to the Australian War Memorial at the foot of Mt Ainslie. The area known as the Parliamentary Triangle is formed by three of Burley Griffin's axes, stretching from Capital Hill along Commonwealth Avenue 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.

Related Topics:
Planned city - Walter Burley Griffin - Lake Burley Griffin - Capital Hill - Australian War Memorial - Mt Ainslie - Parliamentary Triangle - Commonwealth Avenue

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The urban areas of Canberra are divided into seven districts. In chronological order of development, they are:

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• North Canberra, mostly settled in the 1920s and 30s, with expansion up to the 1960s, now 15 suburbs
• South Canberra, settled from the 1920s to 60s, 13 suburbs
• Woden, settled in 1963, 13 suburbs
• Belconnen, first settled in 1967, 25 suburbs
• Weston Creek, settled in 1969, 8 suburbs
• Tuggeranong, settled in 1974, 19 suburbs
• Gungahlin, settled in the early 1990s, 5 suburbs

Oaks Estate is a small suburb located near the ACT/NSW border; it is not part of any of the districts and has close ties with the neighbouring NSW town of Queanbeyan, of which it was originally a part, before the ACT was seperated from NSW in 1910. The North and South Canberra districts are based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs. The others are based on land contour design, each with a central shopping area known as the town centre. The districts are typically separated from each other by natural parklands?some 30 Canberra Nature Parks in all. Although the urban development of Canberra after World War II did not follow Burley Griffin's plan, strict urban planning rules still govern the development in the city.

Related Topics:
NSW - Queanbeyan - Canberra Nature Park

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Many of Canberra's suburbs are named after famous Australians, early settlers, or use Aboriginal words for their title. Street names typically follow a particular theme; for example, the streets of Duffy are named after Australian dams and weirs and the streets of Page are named after biologists and naturalists. Most foreign embassies and high commissions are located in the suburbs of Yarralumla, Deakin and O'Malley. Three suburbs are considered to be industrial districts: Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume.

Related Topics:
Suburbs - Street name - Duffy - Page - Yarralumla - Deakin - O'Malley - Fyshwick - Mitchell - Hume

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