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Canberra is the capital city of Australia and the political centre of the country. Its name derives from the local Aboriginal word ‘meeting place’ as it sits in between the other two main cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
Canberra occupies part of the Australian Capital Territory and is around 177 miles from Sydney. It is also around 411 miles from Melbourne. Canberra is the only city of the three not by the coast but it lies on either side of the Molonglo River.
One of the strangest things about Canberra is how small its population is, as opposed to the two cities it sits between. Both Sydney and Melbourne have a population of over 5 million people, but Canberra has just over 400,000.
Before Canberra became what it is today, it was inhabited by Indigenous Australians for over 21,000 years. One of the main groups of people who lived here was the Ngunnawal people. It is estimated that Europeans had settled there in the 19th century, with buildings such as St John’s Anglican Church suggesting so.
What is St John the Baptist Church?
St John the Baptist Church, is now the oldest surviving church in the City. It has been visited by many important people, including politicians, army generals, and even the Royal family!
A very important landmark in the city, it was first designed by Robert Campbell in 1841-45 and consecrated by William Broughton. It holds the very first cemetery of Canberra, which had its first burial in 1844. The first school in Canberra was also opened the very same year as the church.
When Australia became a federation in 1901, one of the most important things they were missing was a capital city. Sydney and Melbourne were both the most popular and obvious choices, but the argument about which one should be named as the capital was getting heated.
Canberra sat direction between Sydney and Melbourne and so it was decided that this would be their new capital in 1901. It was officially declared as such in 1913. The government also decided that Canberra would be a planned city and a competition was put in place to see who would be the one to do so.
The competition was won by American architect, Walter Burley Griffin, and his wife, Marion Mahoney Griffin. Walter then produced his most famous work, the design of Australia’s capital city.
Who was Walter Burley Griffin?
Walter Burley Griffin was born in Illinois, United States in 1876. He was a landscape artist as well as an architect and worked closely with his wife. Together, they designed over 350 various things in a span of 28 years, including houses, theatres, and even incinerators. He is mostly remembered for his design of Canberra, however, and said this about his work:
I have planned a city that is not like any other in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any government authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city – a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future.
There are now so many fun and exciting things to do in Canberra, from visiting historical sites to taking part in Science activities. Full of culture and history, many schools take children on an excursion here in order for them to understand a little more about their Australian heritage. If you’re planning on taking part, you might not know where to start.
Here’s a list of ten top places to visit:
We have heaps of resources to introduce your children to their capital city. Whether you’re planning an excursion or just planning to broaden their knowledge about their country, here are just a few of our activities:
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