Which city has been Australia’s national capital since 1913?

Canberra has been Australia’s national capital since 1913.

The city was selected as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s two largest early rivals for the capital. Parliament House and many national institutions are located there, in the Australian Capital Territory between the two cities.

Canberra was planned as a purpose-built capital. American architect Walter Burley Griffin and architect Marion Mahony Griffin won the international design competition in 1912, and the city was officially named Canberra in 1913.

Melbourne served as the temporary seat of the federal government from 1901 until Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927. Sydney remains Australia’s largest city, but it has never been the country’s national capital.