In 1908, it was decided that 2 330 square kilometres of sheep grazing land in New South Wales would become the site for the capital city. Three years later the Australian Capital Territory was handed over to the Commonwealth Government and that same year a competition was launched for the design of a city for 25 000 people. The competition was won by the American Walter Burley Griffin whose design, based on a series of geometrically precise circles and axes, was similar to the street patterns of Washington, DC and Paris.
Boating on Lake Burley Griffin in front of the National Library
Today Canberra is a city of great aesthetic beauty with broad roadways, superb parklands, and many elegant buildings.
Parliament House which was built on Capital Hill overlooking Lake Burley Griffin dominates Canberra and can be seen from nearly every part of the city. Designed so that visitors can actually walk on top of the building, the new Parliament House boasts an excellent art gallery and facilities which feature Australian timbers and gracious interiors. There are guided tours every 30 minutes.
The first parliament house in Canberra was completed in 1927 at a cost of triple the initial estimate. It was replaced in 1988 by the new building higher up on Capital Hill overlooking Lake Burley Griffin.
From the War Memorial it is possible to look straight across to the elegant new Parliament House on Capital Hill, down Anzac Avenue.
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