Canberra is the capital city of Australia, chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia’s Constitution established the need for a federal capital separate from the two rival major cities. The Commonwealth Parliament began meeting in Melbourne temporarily, while planners searched for a suitable site in New South Wales. Canberra was selected in 1908, and the city’s name is commonly associated with an Aboriginal word interpreted as meaning “meeting place,” although the precise linguistic history is debated.
American architect Walter Burley Griffin and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, won an international design competition for the capital in 1912. Their plan used geometric avenues, a central lake, and visual axes connecting important civic buildings with surrounding hills. Construction proceeded gradually, and the federal Parliament moved from Melbourne to Canberra in 1927.
Canberra lies inland in the Australian Capital Territory, about 280 kilometres southwest of Sydney. Lake Burley Griffin, created by damming the Molonglo River, is a defining feature. The city is home to Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, and many other national institutions.