In 1908, the government of Australia picked a spot 155 mi/250 km southwest of Sydney, named it Canberra and declared that it would be the nation's capital. The compromise site was chosen as it was between Sydney (170 mi/274 to the northeast) and Melbourne (410 mi/660 km to the southwest), the two dominant cities at the time. It is located 93 mi/150 km inland from the coast.
Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was chosen to design the planned city (there were 137 entries from around the globe), and after a few decades of fits and starts, Canberra came into being. Some observers attribute Griffin's wife Marion as being an equally inspiring architect as her husband.
Today, the city is filled with lakes, roundabouts, wide boulevards, gardens and, of course, government buildings. It has a parkland experience of greenness and gardens and never a sense of being crowded. Don't miss the dramatic Parliament House (built partly underground), the lakeside Australian National Gallery, Australian War Memorial and the National Botanical Gardens. There is no council as such, and city affairs are managed by an elected Australian Capital Legislative Assembly.
Canberra can be seen as a fly-in day trip (it is easily reached by air from Sydney and Melbourne) or during a long layover on a Sydney-to-Melbourne connection. For those with time and who drive from Sydney to Melbourne, Canberra is a must-see deviation off the main Hume Highway, which connects the two larger cities.
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