Canberra, Australia

Canberra Australian Capital Territory
250px Location of Canberra within Australia
Population: • Density:	323,056 (2006 Census) (8th largest city in Australia) 401.0/km²
Established:	12 March 1913
Area:	805.6 km²
Time zone:  • Summer (DST)	AEST (UTC+10) AEST (UTC+11)
Location:	•280 km from Sydney • 650 km from Melbourne • 890 km from Adelaide • 1032 km from Brisbane • 3039 km from Perth
Assembly Electorate:	Molonglo, Ginninderra, Brindabella
Federal Division:	Canberra, Fraser
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Rainfall 19.6 °C 67 °F 6.5 °C 44 °F 611 mm 24.1 in

Canberra is the federal capital of the Commonwealth of Australia and with a population of over 323,056, is Australia's largest inland city. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 kilometers (177 miles) southwest of Sydney, and 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest Australian cities. It is unusual among Australian cities as it began as an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony 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." The ‘bush capital” term has a dual meaning as “bush” also refers to any rural area away from the main cities in Australian colloquialism. Although the growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city after World War II and realized Walter Burley Griffin’s vision of a modern, cultured, diverse city with all the amenities of a modern city but few of the disadvantages. As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and numerous government departments and agencies, including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Defence Force Academy (Duntroon). It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance. The federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra. Canberra is, as Walter Burley Griffin predicted, 'unlike any other city in the world'.

History

Before European settlement, Indigenous Australian tribes including the Ngunnawal and Walgalu seasonally inhabited the area in which Canberra would eventually be constructed. The Ngarigo lived southeast of the Canberra area, the Gundungurra to the north, the Yuin on the coast and the Wiradjuri to the west. Archaeological evidence from the Canberra region suggests human habitation of the area for at least 21,000 years. The word "Canberra" is derived from the name of the local Ngabri people dialect, one of the Ngunnawal family groups, from the word Kanbarra meaning "meeting place" in the old Ngunnawal language. The Ngunnawal name was apparently used as a reference to corroborees held during the seasonal migration of the Ngunawal people to feast on the Bogong moths that pass through the region each spring.

European exploration and settlement started in the Canberra area as early as the 1820s. There were four expeditions between 1820 and 1824. White settlement of the area probably dates from 1824, when Joshua John Moore built a homestead or station on what is now the Acton peninsula by stockmen employed. He formally purchased the site in 1826, and named the property Canberry. The European population in the Canberra area continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th century. Foremost among them was the Campbell family of "Duntroon"; their imposing stone house is now the officers' mess of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. The Campbell’s sponsored settlement by other farmer families to work their land, such as the Southwells of "Weetangera." As the European presence increased, the indigenous population dwindled, often attributed to diseases such as smallpox and measles.

Blundells' Cottage, built around 1860, is one of the few remaining buildings built by the first European settlers of Canberra

Opening of Parliament House in May 1927

Two of Canberra's best-known landmarks, Parliament House and Old Parliament House (foreground). Commonwealth Place runs alongside the lake and includes the International Flag Display.

The district's change from a New South Wales (NSW) rural area to the national capital started during debates over Federation in the late 19th century. Following a long dispute over whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the national capital, a compromise was reached: the new capital would be built in New South Wales, so long as it was no closer than 100 miles to Sydney, with Melbourne to be the temporary capital while the new capital was built. Canberra was chosen as the site in 1908, as a result of survey work done by the government surveyor Charles Scrivener. The NSW government ceded the Federal Capital Territory (as it was then known) to the federal government. In an international design competition conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, on January 1, 1910, the design by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was chosen for the city, and in 1913 Walter Burley Griffin was appointed Federal Capital Director of Design and Construction and Construction began. On 12 March 1913, the city was officially given its name by Lady Denman, the wife of the then Governor-General of Australia, Lord Denman at a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, which has since become Capital Hill and the site of the present Parliament House. In honor of the founding of the city, Canberra Day is a public holiday observed in the city and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on the third Monday in March.

In October of 1913, Walter Burley Griffin traveled to Australia to implement his design. His plan had Capital Hill at the centre of Canberra with wide tree-lined avenues radiating from it. Each avenue was named after an Australian State capital and pointed in the direction of that city. Lack of funds and the First World War resulted in delays in constructing the capital. In 1920, Walter Burley Griffin left Canberra with only the framework of his plan actually constructed or under construction. He was also bitterly disappointed at the lack of progress and frustrated by repeated and continued efforts to change his plan for the city. In 1926 that Federal Parliament was to meet in Canberra and then in a "provisional" Parliament House (Old Parliament House), which was built on a flatter area than that recommended in Griffin's plan. This building was officially opened on May 9, 1927. A few days earlier, the Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, had begun occupying the official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia, The Lodge. At this stage, Canberra consisted of only two government office buildings, a Prime Minister's residence, several hotels and guest houses, a railway connection to Queanbeyan (and therefore Sydney), the Royal Military College, Duntroon, a hospital, a dam, a powerhouse, brickworks, a construction camp for workers and a nucleus of inner suburbs. By this time, some public servants had begun to move to Canberra from Melbourne, but the city’s population was only 7,000. The Great Depression hit and construction of the nation's capital was halted again and Canberra effectively went into hibernation. Work had only recently begun on the Australian War Memorial and the National Library when the World War II again, halted progress. Some projects planned for that time, for example, Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never completed. Post-war shortages caused lengthy periods of stagnation, and it was not till after the war that the majority of the development of Canberra really began. In 1957 The Federal Government established the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) to create a capital city of which all Australians would be proud. The Commission was given the responsibility to: Complete the establishment of Canberra as seat of government Develop it fully as the administrative centre Create the buildings, avenues, lakes, parks and other features appropriate to Australia's national capital Design living areas with high standard of amenities and attractive surroundings. Within twenty years, the NCDC had completed several major projects including, the Russell Offices for the Department of Defence, the Kings Avenue Bridge (1962), the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge (1963), Anzac Parade (1965), the Royal Australian Mint (1965), the National Library (1968), the National Botanic Gardens, the Carillon and Captain Cook Memorial Jet (1970). New office blocks, retail stores, banks, theatres and law courts filled in most of the empty areas around Civic Centre, between 1961 and 1965. The completion of the Kings Avenue Bridge and the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge provided dignified crossings of the Molonglo River that allowed Lake Burley Griffin to be formed in 1963. Public housing projects were undertaken to accommodate the city's growing population.

On 27 January 1972 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was first established on the grounds of Parliament House; it was created to draw attention to indigenous rights and land issues and has been continuously occupied since 1992. On 9 May 1988, a larger and permanent Parliament House was opened on Capital Hill (the originally proposed site under Griffin’s plan) as part of Australia's bicentenary celebrations, and the Federal Parliament moved there from the Provisional Parliament House. In December 1988, the ACT was granted full self-government through an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament. Following the first elections in February 1989, the first ACT government was formed, led by the Chief Minister Rosemary Follett, who made history as Australia's first female head of government.

On 18 January 2003, parts of Canberra were engulfed by a bushfire that killed four people and destroyed 491 homes and the major research telescopes and workshop at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory.

Geography

The location of Canberra within the ACT, Canberra's seven districts are shown in yellow, they are North Canberra, South Canberra, Woden Valley, Belconnen, Weston Creek, Tuggeranong, and Gungahlin

Canberra covers an area of 805.6 square kilometers (311.0 square miles) and is located near the Brindabella Ranges, approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) inland from Australia's east coast. It is located at altitudes that generally range from 550 meters to 700 meters (1,800 to 2,300 feet). The highest point is Mount Majura at 888 meters (2,913 ft). Other large hills include Mount Taylor, Mount 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, open grassland, scrubland, swamp and dry eucalyptus forests.

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 River northwest of Canberra, which in turn flows northwest toward the New South Wales town of Yass. The Queanbeyan River joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the ACT. A number of creeks, including Jerrabomberra and Yarralumla Creeks, flow into the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee. Two of these creeks, the Ginninderra and Tuggeranong, have similarly been dammed to form Lake Ginninderra and Lake Tuggeranong. Until recently the Molonglo had a history of sometimes lethal floods; the area was a flood plain prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin.

Climate

Canberra has four distinct seasons, because of its latitude, elevation and distance from the coast. The climates of most Australian coastal areas, which include all the state capital cities, are moderated by the sea. Canberra experiences hot, dry summers, and cold winters with heavy fog and frequent frosts, with a rare spot of snow in the CBD and surrounding areas. The highest recorded maximum temperature was 42.2 °C (108 °F) on 1 February 1968. The lowest recorded minimum temperature is −10.0 °C (14 °F) 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 September and March, with rainfall maximums in spring and summer.

Urban structure

Inner Canberra demonstrates some aspects of the Griffin plan, in particular the Parliamentary Triangle

Canberra is a planned city that was originally designed by Walter Burley Griffin, a major 20th century American architect. 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 along ANZAC Parade 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.

The urban areas of Canberra are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs as well as other industrial areas and villages. There are seven districts, each of which is divided into smaller suburbs, and most of which have a town centre which is the focus of commercial and social activities. The districts were settled in the following chronological order:

• 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, 12 suburbs
• Woden Valley, first 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, 7 suburbs to date

View from Tuggeranong Hill, looking down into Tuggeranong Valley

The North and South Canberra districts are substantially based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs. In 1967 the then National Capital Development Commission adopted the "Y Plan" which laid out future urban development in Canberra around a series of central shopping and commercial area known as the 'town centres' linked by freeways, the layout of which roughly resembled the shape of the letter Y, with Tuggeranong at the base of the Y and Belconnen and Gungahlin located at the ends of the arms of the Y. Development in Canberra has been closely regulated by government, both through the town planning process, but also through the use of crown lease terms that have tightly limited the use of parcels of land. All land in the ACT is held on 99 year leases from the national government, although most leases are now administered by the Territory government.

Most suburbs have their own local shops, and are located close to a larger shopping centre serving a group of suburbs. Community facilities and schools are often also located near local shops or group shopping centres. Many of Canberra's suburbs are named after former Prime Ministers, 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 diplomatic missions are located in the suburbs of Yarralumla, Deakin and O'Malley. There are three light industrial areas: the suburbs of Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume.

Governance

ACT Legislative Assembly & the statue Ethos (Tom Bass, 1961)

Outside Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory has no settlements larger than a village. The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly performs the roles of both a city council and territory government. The Assembly consists of 17 members, elected from three districts using proportional representation. The three districts are Molonglo, Ginninderra and Brindabella, which elect seven, five and five members, respectively. The Chief Minister is elected by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and selects another four MLAs to serve as Ministers to form, with the Chief Minister, an Executive (known informally as the cabinet.) At the 2004 election the Australian Labor Party, headed by Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, won nine of the 17 seats and formed the ACT's first majority government.

The Australian national government retains some influence over the ACT government. In the administrative sphere, most frequently this is through the actions of the National Capital Authority which is responsible for planning and development in areas of Canberra which are considered to be of national importance or which are central to Griffin's plan for the city, such as the Parliamentary Triangle, major approach and processional roads, areas where the Commonwealth retains ownership of the land or undeveloped hills and ridge-lines (which form part of the Canberra Nature Park). The national government also retains a level of control over the Territory Assembly through the provisions of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988. This Act of the national Parliament is the constitution for the ACT and limits the range of matters upon which the Assembly can legislate.

The Australian Federal Police provides all of the police services of a state police force under a contractual agreement with the Australian Capital Territory Government. People who have been charged with offences are tried either in the ACT Magistrate's Court or, for more severe offences, the ACT Supreme Court. Prisoners can be held in remand at the Belconnen Remand Centre in the ACT; as at 2006 there is no prison in the ACT, so people who have been sentenced to imprisonment serve their sentence in NSW. Courts such as a Small Claims Tribunal and a Family Court exist for civil law actions and other non-criminal legal matters.

Economy

Many Canberrans are employed by Government departments such as the Australian Treasury

In July 2006, the unemployment rate in Canberra was 2.8 percent, well below the national unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, with labour shortages reported in some sectors. As a result of low unemployment and substantial levels of public sector and commercial employment, Canberra has the highest average equivalised disposable income of any Australian capital city.

The city's main industry is government administration and defence, which accounted for 26.7% of Gross Territory Product in 2003–04 and employed over 40% of Canberra's workforce. The major public-sector employers in Canberra include the parliament and government departments such as Department of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Treasury. A number of Australian Defence Force establishments are located in or near Canberra, most notably the Australian Defence Force headquarters and HMAS Harman, which is a naval communications centre that is being converted into a tri-service, multi-user depot.

A growing number of independent organizations that deal predominately with government entities, such as software vendors, have based themselves in Canberra, to capitalize on the concentration of government customers. Property and business services, construction, health and community services, and education are other significant contributors to the economy of Canberra.

Tourism is a growing segment of the economy of Canberra with the most popular tourist seasons being spring and autumn; the annual Floriade Spring Flower Display in September is a major attraction.

Demographics

Shopping at the weekly Old Bus Depot Markets, Kingston

As of 2006 Census, the population of Canberra was 323,056 people,and the city has a population density of 401.0 persons per square kilometer (1,038.8/sq. mi), which is dense compared to other Australian cities. The 2006 census also showed that 1.2% of Canberra's population were of indigenous origin and 21.7% were born overseas. The largest group of people born overseas came from English-speaking countries, led by the United Kingdom and then New Zealand. Significant numbers of immigrants have also come from China, India and Vietnam. Recent immigrants have arrived from countries in east and south Asia.

Canberrans are relatively young, highly mobile, and well educated. The average age is 34 years, and only 9.8% of the population is aged over 65 years. Canberra's population has one of the highest mobility rates of any Australian capital city, probably due to the relatively short terms of many of the government postings. As of May 2004, 30% of people in the ACT aged 15–64 had a level of educational attainment equal to at least a bachelor's degree, significantly higher that the national average of 19%. Approximately 51.5% of Canberra residents describe themselves as Christian, the most common denominations being Roman Catholic (28.1%) and Anglican (16.7%); and 23.3% are not religious.

As of 2002 the most common crimes in Canberra are property related crimes, unlawful entry with intent and motor vehicle theft. They affect 1,961 and 630 of every 100,000 persons respectively. Homicide and related offences affect 1.5/100,000 persons which is below the national average of 4.9/100,000 persons. Rates of assault and sexual assault are also below the national average.

Education

ANU School of Art (formerly the Canberra High School)

The two main tertiary institutions are the Australian National University (ANU) in Acton and the University of Canberra (UC) in Bruce. The ANU was established as a research university in 1946; it continues to have a strong research focus and is ranked among the best universities in the world in The Times Higher Education Supplement and the Shanghai Jiao Tong World University Rankings. Both ANU and UC also have campuses interstate and overseas. There are also two religious university campuses in Canberra: Signadou in the North Canberra suburb of Watson is a campus of the Australian Catholic University; St Mark's Theological College adjacent to the Parliament House is a campus of the secular Charles Sturt University.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Royal Military College, Duntroon are near the suburb of Campbell in Canberra's inner north-east. ADFA teaches military undergraduates and postgraduates and is officially a campus of the University of New South Wales; Duntroon provides Australian Army Officer training. Tertiary level vocational education is also available through the multi-campus Canberra Institute of Technology.

In February 2004 there were 140 public and non-governmental schools in Canberra; 96 were operated by the Government and 44 are non-Government. During 2006 the ACT Government announced closures of up to 39 schools, to take effect from the end of the school year and after a series of consultations the Government announced its "Towards 2020: Renewing Our Schools" plan that closed some schools at the end of 2006 with more in 2007 and 2008, while consolidating school campuses and opening 'superschools' (large public schools for kindergarten through to year 12) through to 2020. Most suburbs are planned to include a primary school and a nearby preschool, and schools are usually located near open areas for play and sports.

Culture

Arts and entertainment

The National Museum of Australia established in 2001 records Australia's social history and is one of Canberra's more architecturally daring buildings

Canberra is home to many national monuments and institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery currently housed at Old Parliament House, the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia, and the National Museum of Australia. Many Commonwealth government buildings in Canberra are open to the public, including Parliament House, the High Court and the Royal Australian Mint. Lake Burley Griffin is the site of the Captain Cook Memorial and the National Carillon. Other sites of interest include the Telstra Tower and the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Black Mountain, the National Zoo and Aquarium on Scrivener Dam, the National Dinosaur Museum and Questacon – the National Science and Technology Centre.

A copy of every book published in Australia is required by law to be held by the National Library of Australia

The Canberra Museum and Gallery in Civic is a repository of local history and art. Several historic homes are open to the public: Lanyon and Tuggeranong Homesteads in the Tuggeranong Valley, Mugga-Mugga in Symonston, and Blundells' Cottage in Parkes all display the lifestyle of the early European settlers. Calthorpes' House in Red Hill is a well preserved example of a 1920s house from Canberra's very early days. Duntroon House, in the suburb of Campbell, was one of the district's earliest homesteads and is now the officers' mess at Royal Military College; it is occasionally open to the public.

File:Floriade2005.jpg

The Floriade flower festival attracts many tourists each spring

Canberra has many venues for live music and theatre: the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse which host many major concerts and productions; and Llewellyn Hall (within the ANU School of Music), a world-class concert hall. The Street Theatre, also located at the Australian National University, hosts many amateur student and community theatre groups. Stonefest at the University of Canberra is Canberra's largest music festival. Canberra is also the home turf of an Australian hip-hop duo, Koolism. There are numerous bars and nightclubs which also offer live entertainment, particularly concentrated in the areas of Dickson, Kingston and the City Centre. Most town centres have facilities for a community theatre and a cinema, and they all have a library. Popular cultural events include the National Folk Festival, the Royal Canberra Show, the Summernats car festival and the Celebrate Canberra festival which is held over 10 days in March in conjunction with Canberra Day.

Canberra has a number of sister cities, including Atlanta in the United States, Beijing in China, Dili in East Timor, Nara in Japan, and Versailles in France. Cultural exchange happens to some extent with each city. The largest community event associated with a sister city is the Canberra Nara Candle Festival which is held in October.

Media

As Australia's political centre, Canberra is an important centre for much of Australia's political reportage and thus all the major media organisations, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the commercial television networks, and the metropolitan newspapers maintain local bureaus. Many news organisations are represented in the "press gallery," a group of journalists who report on the national parliament. The National Press Club of Australia in Barton has regular television broadcasts of its weekly lunches at which a prominent guest, typically a politician, delivers a half-hour speech followed by a question-and-answer session.

Canberra has a daily newspaper, the Canberra Times, which was established in 1926, and some free weekly suburban and special interest publications. Canberra has free-to-air analogue television stations including two government funded (ABC and SBS) and three commercial stations (Prime, WIN and Southern Cross Ten) as well as two free-to-air digital services ABC2 and SBS News. Prior to 1989, Canberra was serviced by just the ABC, SBS and Capital Television, which later became Southern Cross Ten, with Prime and WIN arriving as part of the Government's regional aggregation programme in that year. Subscription (pay) television services are available from Foxtel via satellite service, and cable by local telecommunications company TransACT who also offer telephone and broadband internet services on their optical fibre cable network covering many suburbs.

A number of community radio stations broadcast in Canberra, including Radio 2XXfm, which offers a multicultural radio broadcast featuring weekly programmes in twenty languages as well as community service and specialty music programmes, Artsound, Valley FM 89.5 based in Tuggeranong, and Radio 1RPH which offers broadcasts for the print handicapped. There are a number of commercial AM and FM radio stations including those belonging to the Capital Radio Network (1053-2CA and 1206-2CC), Canberra FM Radio which incorporates 104.7 and MIX 106.3, both of which were introduced in 1988, and public radio broadcasters SBS & ABC.

Sport

A rugby league match at Canberra Stadium

In addition to local sporting leagues, Canberra has a number of sporting teams that compete in national and international leagues. The best known teams are the Canberra Raiders and the ACT Brumbies who play rugby league and rugby union respectively, and who have both been champions of their leagues. Both teams play their home games at Canberra Stadium, which is Canberra's largest stadium and was used to hold preliminary soccer matches for the 2000 Summer Olympics and matches for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Canberra also has a successful basketball team, the Canberra Capitals. The Canberra Capitals won the 2006 and 2007 women's basketball Grand Final.

There are also teams that participate in national competitions in netball, field hockey, ice hockey and cricket. Manuka Oval is another large outdoor sporting facility where cricket and Australian Rules football are played. The Melbourne based AFL team the Kangaroos played some home games at Manuka Oval until July 2006. Following the move of the Kangaroos' alternative home ground to Carrara in Queensland, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs will play home games at Manuka Oval from 2007 against the Sydney Swans. Canberra is also home to the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament. The historic Prime Minister's XI cricket match is played at Manuka Oval annually. Other significant annual sporting events include the Canberra Marathon and the City of Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon. The Canberra Women's Tennis Classic was held in the lead up to the Australian Open until 2006.

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is located in the Canberra suburb of Bruce. The AIS is a specialised educational and training institution providing coaching for elite junior and senior athletes in a number of sports. The AIS has been operating since 1981 and has achieved significant success in producing elite athletes, both local and international. It is also a popular tourist destination.

Canberra has numerous sporting ovals, golf courses, skate parks, tennis courts and swimming pools that are open to the public. A Canberra-wide series of bicycle paths are available to cyclists for recreational and sporting purposes. Canberra Nature Parks have a large range of walking paths, horse and mountain bike trails. Water sports like sailing, rowing and water skiing are popular activities on Canberra's lakes. The Rally of Canberra is an annual motor sport event and a facility for drag racing is currently being planned for construction.

Infrastructure

Health

File:Canberra Hospital.jpg

The Canberra Hospital

Telstra Tower is a landmark and tourist attraction in addition to providing telecommunications

Canberra has two large public hospitals, the 500 bed Canberra Hospital - formerly the Woden Valley Hospital - located in Garran and the smaller 174 bed Calvary Public Hospital located in Bruce. Both public hospitals are also teaching hospitals. The largest private hospital in Canberra is the John James Memorial Hospital in Deakin. Calvary Private Hospital in Bruce and Healthscope's National Capital Private in Garran are also major healthcare providers. The city has 10 aged care facilities. Canberra's hospitals receive emergency cases from throughout southern New South Wales. The ACT Ambulance Service is one of four operational agencies of the ACT Emergency Services Authority.

Transport

The car is by far the dominant form of transport in Canberra. Past planning policies have resulted in well developed good quality roads and a low population density spread over a relatively large area of the city. Canberra's districts are generally connected by 'parkways' - limited access dual carriageway roads with speed limits generally set at 80 km/h to 100 km/h. An example is the Tuggeranong Parkway which links Canberra's CBD and Tuggeranong, and bypasses Weston Creek. In most districts, discrete residential suburbs are bounded by access roads.

A publicly run bus service, the Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network (ACTION), provides public transport throughout the city. Transborder Express and Deane's Buslines are private coach services that operate within Canberra and nearby areas of New South Wales. Only 4.6% of the population use the bus system. Another 5.5% walk or cycle to work, a higher proportion than in any other Australian capital city. A private bus service operates between Canberra and Queanbeyan, an adjoining town in New South Wales. There are two local taxi companies, Aerial Consolidated Transport the parent of the Canberra Cabs service which enjoyed monopoly status for over four decades, and a recent arrival, Cabxpress.

An interstate CountryLink railway service connects Canberra to Sydney. Canberra's railway station is in the inner south suburb of Kingston. Between 1920 and 1922 the train line crossed the Molonglo River and ran as far north as the city centre, although the line was closed following major flooding and was never rebuilt. Train services to Melbourne are provided by way of a CountryLink bus service which connects with a rail service between Sydney and Melbourne in Yass, about one hour's drive from Canberra. Plans to establish a very fast train like a TGV service between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney have been contemplated, but not implemented by both government and private enterprise, as various proposals have not been deemed economically viable. The plan was shelved by former Federal Transport Minister John Anderson in 2000

Canberra is about three hours by road from Sydney on the Federal Highway (National Highway 23), which connects with the Hume Highway (National Highway 31) near Goulburn, and seven hours by road from Melbourne on the Barton Highway (National Highway 25), which joins the Hume Highway at Yass. It is a two hour drive on the Monaro Highway (National Highway 23) to the ski fields of the Snowy Mountains and the Kosciuszko National Park. Batemans Bay, a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales coast, is also two hours away via the Kings Highway.

Canberra International Airport provides direct domestic services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with connections to other domestic centres. There are direct daily flights to Albury and Newcastle in New South Wales. No regular commercial international flights operate from the airport. Until 2003 the civilian airport shared runways with RAAF Base Fairbairn. On 27 June of that year, the Air Force base was decommissioned and from that time the airport was fully under civilian control.

Panoramic view of Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin set against the backdrop of distant New South Wales

Notes

[2]

Sources and further reading

• Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Regional Profile : Australian Capital Territory Retrieved October 7, 2007.
• Wigmore, Lionel. 1972. Canberra: history of Australia's national capital. Austin, Texas. Dalton Publishing Company. ISBN 9780909906061

External links

• WikiSatellite view of Canberra at WikiMapia
• 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
• Travel guide to Canberra, Australia from Wikitravel
• Construction of Early Canberra ca.1912-1920. Photographs in Walter Burley Griffin Collection held at National Library of Australia, Canberra
• Photographic collection-Canberra Life, Daily Life 1996-1997 held in Pictures Collection, National Library of Australia

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