Where is Canberra located? Planning and construction of the future capital

Canberra is Australia's largest city located inland rather than on the coast. The city is located in the northern part of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km southwest of Sydney and 650 km northeast of Melbourne. In 1908, the territory of modern Canberra was chosen as the future capital of the Commonwealth of Australia, which became a compromise between the country's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, competing for this status. After an international competition for the best design, the future construction, which began in 1913, was based on the plan of Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin. Canberra's design was based on the concept of a garden city, featuring vast areas of natural vegetation, which is why Australians nicknamed the capital bush capital(translated from English "forest capital"). Although the city's growth and development were hampered by the First World War and the Great Depression, Canberra became a prosperous city after the Second World War.

As the seat of the Australian government, Canberra is home to the Australian Parliament, the Supreme Court and numerous departments and agencies. The city is also home to public and cultural institutions of national significance such as the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia. The federal government is the largest contributor to the city's gross product and is the largest employer in Canberra.

Etymology

Word "Canberra" comes from the name of the dialect of the local Ngabri tribe belonging to the Ngunnawal family group, namely from the word "Kanbarra", which can be translated from the ancient Ngunnawal language as "meeting place". The name was apparently used to refer to a corroboree, or ceremonial gathering among the Australian Aborigines, which was held during the seasonal migration of the Ngunnawal tribe and at which cutworm butterflies of the lat. species were eaten. Agrotis infusa, whose migration route also passed through this area every spring.

Geography

Canberra covers an area of ​​805.6 km² and is located near the Brindabella Mountains. Brindabella Ranges), approximately 150 km off the east coast of Australia. The city is located on a hilly plain at an altitude of 550 to 700 m. The highest point is Mount Majura. Mount Majura, 888 m). Among other hills, the Taylor Mountains stand out. Mt Taylor), Ainsley (eng. Mt Ainslie), Magga-Magga (eng. Mt Mugga Mugga) and Black Mountain (eng. Black Mountain). Canberra is surrounded by forests, which is a mixture of eucalyptus savannas, grasslands, wooded areas, swamps and dry eucalyptus forests.

Question about the capital of Australia

Fundamental changes in life in the area, which began as rural New South Wales and later became the national capital, began with debates over the Federation of Australia in the late 19th century. After much debate about which city should become the capital, Sydney or Melbourne, a compromise was finally reached: the new capital was to be built in the state of New South Wales, provided that it was located no closer than 160 km from Sydney, and Melbourne During the construction of the city it was supposed to become a temporary capital. The Canberra area was chosen in 1908 following surveys by government surveyor Charles Scrivener. Charles Scrivener). The New South Wales Government handed over the Federal Capital Territory (as it subsequently came to be known) to the federal government.

Planning and construction of the future capital

After an international competition for the best design for the future capital, on January 1, 1910, the Australian Department of the Interior selected the design of Walter Burley Griffin. Walter Burley Griffin) and Marion Mahoney Griffin (eng. Marion Mahony Griffin), and already in 1913 Walter Griffin was appointed director of planning and design for the federal capital and construction immediately began. On March 12, 1913, the city was officially given its modern name. Lady Denman did it Lady Denman), wife of the then Governor-General of Australia, Lord Denman. The ceremony took place on Kurrajong Hill. Kurrajong Hill), which later became the site of the Australian Parliament building. Canberra Day is celebrated annually in the city and the Australian Capital Territory on the second Monday in March.

Photo of the new parliament building and the old one (in the foreground).

Unsustainable development of the city

The federal government moved to Canberra on 9 May 1927, the day the country's temporary Parliament House was opened. Prime Minister of Australia, Stanley Bruce Stanley Bruce), officially settled into his residence a few days earlier. Planned development of the city slowed significantly during the Great Depression of the 1930s and during World War II. Some projects, such as the buildings of the Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never realized.

Development of Canberra after World War II

The development of the city accelerated after the Second World War, with the capital moving beyond the boundaries of the original development plan. After the war, several ministries and civil servants moved to Canberra from Melbourne. At the same time, with the support of the government, the construction of residential complexes began to provide housing for the growing population of the city. The northern and southern parts of Canberra were developed in the 1950s, the Woden Valley districts. Woden Valley) and Belconnen (eng. Belconnen) - in the mid and late 1960s. In 1963, construction of the artificial Lake Burley Griffin was completed.

The main sectors of the economy are government administration and defense, which employ about 40% of Canberrans (overall contributing 26.1% of the territory's gross domestic product). Employers in the public sector include the Ministries of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Treasury. Some of the Australian Armed Forces are located in or near the city. The former Fairbairn military base, located next to Canberra International Airport, has been sold to airport operators and now caters for VIP clients.

The city is also home to a number of software manufacturers that serve government agencies: QSP, Tower Software, RuleBurst And The Distillery.

Demography

Trade at the market in the Kingston area.

Canberra's population is relatively young. The average age of the city's residents is 32 years, and only 8.3% of the population are residents over 65 years of age. Between 2001 and 2001, 61.9% of the population moved in or out of Canberra, the second highest mobility rate of any Australian capital city. As of May 2004, 30% of Australian Capital Territory residents aged 15 to 64 years had completed bachelor's level education, higher than the national rate of 19%. Approximately 50% of Canberra's population consider themselves Christian (either Catholic or Anglican), less than 3% practice other religions, and 23% are atheists.

Education

Canberra's largest educational institutions are the Australian National University. Australian National University, ANU ), located in the Acton area. Acton), and the University of Canberra University of Canberra, UC) in the Bruce area Bruce). The Australian National University was founded in 1946 as a research university. Various research activities continue to be carried out there, and according to journals "The Times" And "Shanghai Jiao Tong" The university is one of the best in the world. Both the Australian National University and the University of Canberra have their own campuses not only in Australia, but also abroad. Canberra is also home to the campuses of two religious universities: the Australian Catholic University. Australian Catholic University ) and Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University).

Other popular games in the city are netball, field hockey, ice hockey and cricket. At the local stadium Manuka Oval play cricket and Australian rules football. The Canberra Marathon is held annually.

The Australian Institute of Sport is located in the Bruce area. Australian Institute of Sport), which is a specialized educational and training institution.

Canberra has a variety of small stadiums, golf courses, skate parks, tennis courts and swimming pool complexes. The city has a wide network of paths for cyclists. Water sports are widely available.

Infrastructure

Healthcare

Canberra Hospital.

There are two public hospitals in Canberra: the 500-bed Canberra Hospital (formerly Woden Valley Hospital), located in the Garren area. Garran), and the 174-bed Calvery Hospital, located in the Bruce area. Both hospitals are also base hospitals where future medical workers are trained. Canberra's largest private hospital is the John James Hospital. John James Memorial Hospital). Other private hospitals include Calvery Private Hospital. Calvary Private Hospital) and the National Capital Private Hospital Healthscope (eng. Healthscope's National Capital Private ). In the past, the Acton Peninsula was also home to a hospital, the Royal Canberra Hospital. Royal Canberra Hospital), however it was closed on 27 November 1991 and blown up in 1997 to facilitate construction of the National Museum of Australia.

Transport

The main means of transportation in Canberra is the car. The urban planning policies pursued in the past have had a positive impact on the existing road system, which is characterized by high quality road surfaces. Canberra's districts are connected by highways, with speed limits of 80-100 km/h. In most counties, areas are connected by access roads.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. A city that is located in the center of the continent, but despite this, surrounded by colorful nature and picturesque beautiful landscapes.

The city is a little over a hundred years old, but it is quite modern and developed, so the number of people wishing to move to Canberra permanently is growing every year.

Canberra was founded in 1908. Before the construction of the city began on this site, the indigenous people of Australia lived here.

In 1820 Residents of European countries came to Canberra for permanent residence. Within three years there was a sheep farm and estate in Canberra.

All 19th century the future capital of Australia was inhabited by European residents, and the population grew every year.

When at the beginning of the 20th century There was a question about choosing a new capital of the continent; Canberra was out of the question. The main contenders for this title were cities such as Melbourne and Sydney.

After much debate between these then largest Australian cities, it was decided to build a new city, which would become the capital of Australia. It was from this moment that the development of Canberra began. Already in 1913 this city gained the status of the capital, and the government moved here in 1927.

Important to know! A powerful economic leap in Canberra's history occurred after the Second World War.

Today the city of Canberra is one of the most original and convenient metropolises Australia. As for the name, it comes from the indigenous Aboriginal word “kanbarra”, which means “meeting place” or “gathering place”.

Geographical location and climate of the city

Canberra's area is 814.2 km². The city is located in the southeast of the country, near the Brindabella Mountains. To the coast - 150 km.

Canberra's territory is located on a hilly plain. The highest point in the capital is Mount Majura. The city is surrounded by eucalyptus forests and ponds.

Molonglo is a river that flows through Canberra and is dammed to help maintain sufficient water levels in an artificial central lake called Burley Griffin.

Canberra Climate tropical continental. That is why the temperature can change significantly over the course of a day. Summer in Canberra (December, January and February) is hot. Temperatures range from +20 to +27 °C.

As for winter, which takes place here in June, July and August, the thermometer may drop at this time of year even down to -10°C. The foothills are covered with snow in winter. It rains in spring and summer. In general, there are about a hundred rainy days in Canberra a year.

Transport

In Canberra, local residents mostly drive their own cars. The road system here is convenient, and the streets move in a circular pattern.

Those who prefer to ride bicycles in the Australian capital also feel at ease, as bike paths are everywhere here.

Those who do not have their own transport use public transport. Thus, the most popular way of transportation in Canberra is Action buses. The route network covers both the city center and its suburbs.

Also in Canberra you can take a taxi. The prices are reasonable, and you can call a car by phone or by catching a car on the street.

City layout

Since Canberra was built with the expectation that it would become the capital, this city is as thoughtful as possible.

Canberra's interesting layout was designed by one of the most famous American architects of the 20th century Walter Burley Griffin.

Central part of the city built on a ring system. There are two axes: land and water.

The rest of the city is based on three hills: Black Mountain, Bimbery and Ainslie.

Canberra has a certain structure: urban centers, counties, industrial villages and districts, and suburbs. The city has seven districts:

• North Canberra;
• Weston Creek;
• Tuggeranong;
• Woden Valley;
• Belconnen;
• South Canberra;
• Gungahlin.

What is also unusual is separate thematic streets. For example, streets in the Duffy area are named after Australian dams and dams, and streets in the Page area are named after famous naturalists and biologists.

Population of Canberra

Lives in Canberra almost 400 thousand people. A little more than 1% of indigenous people live in the capital. Most of the population consists of people who were born outside the continent. The average age of Canberrans is thirty-two years.

Lives in the city large number of immigrants from the UK, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam and Germany. In recent years, people from South and East Asia have been coming to Canberra for permanent residence.

Important to know! There are many Russian-speaking residents in Canberra - several hundred people.

The capital of Australia, Canberra, which has a young population, is a city that in its short history has managed to become a progressive and highly developed metropolis. Here high quality of life, convenient transport system, comfortable accommodation and, of course, picturesque Australian nature!

In conclusion, we invite you to look exciting video about the capital of Australia – Canberra:

Canberra is the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, Canberra is Australia's largest inland city rather than on the coast. The city is located in the northern part of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km southwest of Sydney and 650 km northeast of Melbourne. Coordinates: 35°18′10″ S w. 149°08′30″ E. d. Area: 805.6 km². Time zone: UTC+10, in summer UTC+11.

Canberra map

History of Canberra

Serious changes in the life of the area began to occur at the end of the 19th century. It was during this period that debate began over the capital of the Australian Federation. In 1908 the Canberra area was chosen. A competition was held for the best project of the future city. On January 1, 1910, Walter Burley Griffin's design was recognized as the best. On March 12, 1913, the city began to officially be called Canberra. Capital Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday of March.

In 1927 the federal government moved to Canberra. The city's development slowed slightly during the Great Depression and World War II. In 1972, Australian Aborigines set up a tent city in front of Parliament in order to attract authorities to the problems of the indigenous population. In 2003, the capital was damaged by fires.

Canberra today

The main means of transportation are cars. No more than 5% of the population uses public transport. Canberra Airport provides domestic services.

Canberra sights

The city's main attractions are: the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia and the National Museum of Australia.

Another undoubted attraction of the city is the Anglican Church of John the Baptist (1845). This is the oldest public building that has survived in the central part of the city.

Many government buildings are open to tourists. You can visit the Australian Parliament House, the Royal Australian Mint and the High Court. The monument to James Cook, located near the artificial Lake Burley Griffin, and the National Carillon are interesting.

Other attractions include Telsra Tower, Australian National Botanic Gardens Black Mountain, National Zoo and Aquarium, National Science and Technology Centre.

From a historical point of view, the buildings of the first European settlers are of interest. Leignon and Tukkeranong farms, the Blundells' home and Mugga Mugga are open to visitors.

There are many theaters in the city. The most popular are the Canberra Theatre, where major productions are staged, and Llewellyn Hall. Street theater can be seen on Childers Street. Albert Hall (1928) is the oldest concert hall in the city.

An annual event is the Stonefest music festival. Canberra also hosts folk arts festivals, the Royal Canberra Show, the Summernats Car Festival, the Canberra Multicultural Festival and the Celebrate Canberra festival.

In 1901, the Australians decided to build a new capital of Australia - the city of Canberra. We spent almost ten years choosing the location.

As a result, they decided to build a new city on the route between Sydney and Melbourne in a picturesque area on the shores of an artificial lake. The name chosen for the new capital is Canberra, which translated from the Aboriginal language means a meeting place.

Like any other capital, Canberra is home to parliament, the supreme court, ministries and banks.

House ruler...

For some reason, many people consider Sydney to be the capital of Australia, and some even call it Melbourne. This is absolutely not true, although it could be so. These cities are the largest in Australia not only in terms of population, but also in terms of the location of the cultural centers of this southern continent. Both of them - Sydney and Melbourne first claimed the right to be the capital, but in order to avoid strife, after the declaration of Australian independence in 1901, the Australians decided to build a completely new city for their capital.

A special international competition was announced for the best design of the future capital. It was won by the American architect and designer Walter Burley Griffin. By the way, Griffin received 1,750 pounds and three shillings for his project.

The government of the country officially appointed Walter Griffin as the general director of the planning and design of the capital, and under his leadership the new city was built. In general, Griffin's layout and design concept was retained, although the design was modified somewhat during construction. Griffin was very disappointed that his brilliant idea was not realized, and left Canberra in 1920, but the city continued to be built and developed. Already in 1927, the first meeting of parliament was held in Canberra. But it took many more years for the city to look like what Walter Burley Griffin wanted to build.

It took a long time to choose a name for the new capital. There were many options, such as: Kenguremu, Engirskot, Melandiperbane, Sidmeladperbrisho, but settled on the proposal of Lady Denman, wife of the Governor-General of Australia, Lord Denman, to name the new capital Canberra, which in the Aboriginal language means “meeting place” or “meeting place” . Since then, Canberra Day has been celebrated every year on the second Monday of March.

This is what Kurrajong Hill looks like now, which is now called Capitol Hill, where on March 12, 1913, Lady Denman officially announced the name of the future capital of Australia.

The layout of Canberra is very smart and thoughtful. This is truly a business city providing its residents with excellent living conditions. The center of Modern Canberra city is divided by two perpendicular axes: the water axis, stretching along Lake Burley Griffin. And the land axis runs from southwest to northeast from the Houses of Parliament to Mount Ainslie, at the foot of which there is a war memorial. The city consists of two sectors - the northern, where the commercial part is located, and the southern - Capital Hill, where the Australian Parliament building is located on Kurrajong Hill. The government center and residential areas are connected by a network of expressways. Moreover, they are pre-designed to ensure their high throughput. Even if the number of residents increases several times, there will be no traffic jams here.

The central part of the city, known as the "Parliamentary Triangle", is formed by three wide streets: Commonwealth Avenue, Constitution Avenue and King's Avenue. The city uses a zonal structure, in which, in addition to the city center, seven districts are clearly distinguished, which in turn are divided into districts. Each district has its own community and commercial centers. The location of suburbs, nearby villages and industrial areas has been determined. None of them interferes with the other and at the same time they have a clearly established system of interaction. Moreover, they are built up and populated not chaotically, but systematically with an even load of city communications, which are built before the construction of the area begins

Thus, the North Canberra district consists of 15 districts built from 1920 to 1960.

The South Canberra district consists of 12 districts and was settled over a 40-year period from 1920 to 1960.
- Woden Valley district, 13 districts, settled in 1963.
- Belconnen District, 25 districts, first settled in 1967.
- Weston Creek District, 8 districts, settled in 1969.
- Tukkeranong District, 19 districts, settled in 1974.
- Kungahlin district, 7 districts began to be settled in 1990. Currently expanding.

The districts of North and South Canberra were built according to the plan of Walter Burley Griffin. In 1967, the Capital Development Commission adopted the Y-Plan, a plan for the future development of Canberra. New housing estates are being built around a series of "town centers", again connected by expressways. On the plan it looks like a Y, with Tukkeranong County at the base and Belconnen and Coongahlin counties at the branches.

Almost all districts have their own large shopping centers, which serve several neighboring districts, although the districts themselves have many shops, cafes and boutiques. Schools, children's and health care institutions, and public utilities are usually located near shopping centers. It is noteworthy that Australians cherish their history and therefore many areas of Canberra are named after former Prime Ministers of Australia, famous people of the country or early settlers who settled in these areas. This is a kind of fountain-monument to Captain Cook.

Canberra's development and all urban planning and land use matters are controlled directly by the government. Everything is based on monetary calculations. So the land on which Canberra is located is leased from the state for a period of 99 years and the city authorities contribute the cost of the lease to the national government budget.

Canberra is a very green city. For less than four hundred thousand residents of the capital, there are more than 8 million trees. Green areas inside the city organically fit into the natural landscape of the area and give it a unique look

The attractions of Canberra are: the national library, the national gallery of Australia, and a large number of museums. Australians have not forgotten about relaxation. There are many different cultural and entertainment centers, parks, sports complexes and wonderful recreation areas in the suburbs.

Each district has stadiums and sports complexes in which not only various sporting events are held, but all residents of the city can play sports.

Jogging tracks are equipped along the reservoirs, and the reservoirs themselves are used by water sports enthusiasts, of whom there are many here.

So Canberra became an exemplary example of urban planning, a real city of the future.

Video: Capital of Australia:...

The unusual town of Canberra is the capital of Australia, the administrative center where the main political structures of the country are located, with a population of only 290 thousand people. Mostly officials and their families live here. The city is hidden from prying eyes by the Blue Mountains; unlike other large cities in the country, Canberra is landlocked. These geographical conditions have provided the capital of Australia with a calm and moderate pace of life.

In 1901 it was decided to form the Federation of Australian States. The choice of capital between Sydney and Melbourne was resolved in favor of a new capital city following the example of Brazil. This city became Canberra. Australia thus reconciled the two cities. An international competition was announced for the construction of the city; the best project was proposed by the American architect Walter Griffin. An artificial lake was named in his honor. Canberra city center is occupied by official institutions, and residential areas surround the center. Australia has long been famous for its huge eucalyptus trees; the capital differs from other cities in the country for the millions of pines and spruces planted here. In Canberra, green spaces are a big focus.