Let’s talk about Canberra

Canberra is capital of Australia. Canberra is a quiet, green city that has been ranked among the world’s best cities to live and visit. It is approximately 3 hours from Sydney by car, and 7 hours from Melbourne. Australia‘s capital city boasts a population of 430,000 as of 2020 – it is the 8th most populous city in Australia. Canberra is a completely planned city which is a rare feature. The city is located in the northern part of the Australian Capital City (ACT).

Canberra is home to many institutions that run and represent the nation. This includes the federal government, national monuments and museums. Government buildings include Parliament House, Government House, the High Court and the headquarters of a majority of Australia‘s government agencies. The city is home to many important institutions of the Australian Defence Force as well, including the Royal Military College Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy. Canberra is also home to all foreign embassies in Australia as well as regional headquarters of many international organisations, not-for-profit groups, lobbying groups and professional associations.

Size

Canberra stretches from Gungahlin in the north, to Lanyon in the south. Canberra covers an area of 814.2 square kilometres (314.4 square miles).

Climate

Canberra gets very cold, and very hot. Highs of 40+ degrees Celsius are not uncommon during the summer months (with January being the warmest) and lows below zero degrees can be expected during winter months. Light snow falls occur a couple of times a year but nothing significant. Hail storms are also somewhat common but again they tend not to be very significant.

Attractions

Canberra has many attractions. We go into a list of things to do in Canberra in this article, but a quick list would include Lake Burley Griffin, Parliament House, Questacon, the Australian War Memorial, the National Zoo and the Museum. Floriade is also a huge event in the Canberra and Australia calendar with many visitors coming from inter state to enjoy the flowers.

Universities

Canberra is home to many universities with the biggest two being the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Canberra (UC).

Traditional custodians of the land

The area chosen for the capital of Australia was inhabited by Indigenous Australians for around 20,000 years. The main group of Indigenous Australians are the Ngunnawal people.

Is Canberra in New South Wales?

Canberra is part of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). New South Wales is a completely separate state. The ACT is within NSW in that it is surrounded by NSW, but it is not part of NSW.