Australia’s Capital
In 1901 when all the states joined as one federation, even
though each state had a capital, it was apparent that the country also needed a
capital. Stiff competition developed between Sydney and Melbourne for the
honor, but Canberra was chosen for its inland location, its clean air and
water, for security reasons, and to put an end to the bickering between the two
large cities.
The 900 square miles of prime sheep country is
in a valley known as the plains of Yass, and is about equal distance from both
Melbourne and Sydney. It is known as the Australian Capital Territory or A.C.T.
for short. The Aboriginal word canberry meaning ‘meeting place’ was
changed to Canberra. The city is referred to as the bush capital, city of the
grey flannel suit, monument valley, or the garden city of the
commonwealth----depending on the view of the speaker. And the inhabitants say, ‘To know Canberra is
to love it’.
The city is a totally planned one.
After an international competition, Walter Burley Griffin from Chicago was
chosen as the architect to design the city. Griffin arrived in Canberra in 1913
to supervise construction. Two World Wars and the depression slowed progress
and by 1947 Canberra still was a country town of 15,000.
Griffin envisioned a spacious city, a city
that could breathe. Development was rapid in the 1950s and the city built for
50,000 is now home to 300,000, with suburbs all around it.
Lake Burley Griffin was originally planned
as three small lakes, but was built as one large lake with three bridges
dividing it. The impression of the city is one of calm and order as well as
spaciousness. The streets are wide. Because the city was built on the plains
originally there were no trees. Thousands of trees have been planted every year
and now the city boasts of 11-15 million trees, all planted by hand! Normal
rainfall is 64 inches a year.
Major public buildings are built on low knolls
around the lake. There are no billboards. All colors are muted and generally
all buildings are low. Canberra is a one company town and the government owns
all the land; 65% of the city’s work force are government employees. The rest
are in service industries.
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| U S Embassy |
One exception to land ownership is the ten
acres the US embassy sits on. Australia deeded this land to the US for its help
in World War II. The Embassy is the largest and sits on the highest knoll. All
of the red brick in the colonial building was imported from the United States.
There are numerous embassies and high
commissions of traditional and unusual design in this capitol city. Countries
related to the Motherland have high commissions instead of embassies.
The top of Mt. Ainslie Pat provides a fantastic
view of the city and suburbs!
The Telstar tower rises 195 meters above the
summit of Black Mountain. Opened in 1980, it is a major tourist attraction,
although its primary function is to provide essential communication facilities.
The new parliament building cost the country a
billion dollars to build. Opposition to tearing down the old parliament was so
fierce it remains standing intact in front of the new building making a nice
contrast. The new parliament is actually five buildings joined together with
glass link-ways; we walked only some of the 23,000 granite slabs covering the
curved areas; the hallways total 20 kilometers.
The foyer of the parliament
building with its wide curved stairways is a show place. The masonry and timber
used throughout is beautiful. The 81-meter flagpole is a central landmark of
the city. The
great hall houses one of the world’s largest tapestries, measuring 20 x 9
meters and weighs 400 kilos. Using 360 colors it took two and a half years to
complete. From a distance it appears to be an oil painting. Only on close
inspection is it evident that it is truly a tapestry—a really magnificent one!
Canberra is not high on many
tourist agendas, but our time there was interesting and the visit was a
worthwhile one. It is a pretty capital city without the trappings of junk-stuff
so often found.
