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Canberra

Capital of AustraliaCanberra is an inland, fully planned city in the Australian Capital Territory in south-eastern Australia. The Brindabella Ranges, the northern end of the Australian Alps, rise to its south and west.

Why it's the capital

After Australia's colonies united into one nation, Canberra was created as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne. The new capital had to be in New South Wales but at least 160 km from Sydney, and Parliament met in Melbourne until it moved to Canberra in 1927.

Fun facts

  1. The name comes from the language of the local Ngunnawal people; in 1823 the settler Joshua John Moore called his land 'Canberry', and one suggested meaning of the word is 'meeting place'.
  2. Lake Burley Griffin in the city centre is artificial: it was made in 1963 by damming the Molonglo River and is named after Walter Burley Griffin, who designed Canberra with Marion Mahony Griffin.
  3. The permanent Parliament House opened on Capital Hill on 9 May 1988, as part of the celebrations for Australia's bicentenary.

Finding it on the globe

Aim inland in south-eastern Australia, between Sydney and Melbourne but much closer to Sydney: Canberra is about 285 km south-west of Sydney and about 150 km in from the east coast.

Easy to mix up

Many players tap Sydney or Melbourne on the coast, but Australia's capital is Canberra, the inland city that lies between them.

Sources: Wikipedia: Canberra, Wikipedia: Lake Burley Griffin, Wikipedia: Old Parliament House, Canberra