The commonwealth of Australia was born in 1901 with both Melbourne and Sydney putting in bids to become the federal capital of Australia.   In 1908 the politicians decided to set aside 2,330 sq. kilometers of sheep grazing land in New South Wales for the new capital, and the Australian Capital Territory and Canberra (pronounced Can-bra - an aboriginal word for meeting place) was born.  Three years later a competition was launched for the design of a city for 25,000 people.  Walter Burley Griffin, an American architect, won the competition.  His design was largely based on the boulevards of Paris and the wide streets of Washington, D.C.  By 1927, the first meeting of parliament took place. Sydney is 190 miles northeast of Canberra and Melbourne is 404 miles southwest.

CANBERRA

Australia's national capital, Canberra, is a relaxed modern city famous for its national monuments and galleries, as well as its lake, parklands and open spaces. A pleasant place to walk and cycle around, Canberra also offers fabulous restaurants and nightlife. Nearby find wineries and wildlife.  Many people who are doing a self-drive between Sydney and Melbourne incorporate Canberra into their itinerary.

This is the Australian  Parliament House built on Capital Hill.  It was designed by  Italian architect, Romalda Giurgola, who has since become an Australian citizen. 

If you want to get outside of Canberra and into the countryside, an interesting place to go is Lanyon Homestead.   Built in stages through the 1800s, Lanyon Homestead -- 30 kilometres south of Canberra city -- comprises different buildings built through convict labor and later with the work of builders in the colonial era.

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