53 Canberra Facts: History, Culture And Other Interesting Trivia

Canberra is Australia's capital city.

It is the country's biggest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. Canberra was established as the center of power for the new nation.

This was done after the confederation of Australia's colonies, which is where the country's laws are produced.

Facts About Canberra

The term 'Canberra' is widely said to be derived from the Ngunnawal word 'Kambera' or 'Canberry'.

• 'Canberra' means 'a meeting place'.
• Prior to the introduction of European immigration, Ngunnawal was one of the Indigenous languages spoken in the region by Aboriginal Australians.
• It is the traditional name for the two summits, Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie, which are virtually opposite one another.
• In 'Part X' of the 1919 book 'Notes on the Native Flora of New South Wales', the author R. H. Cambage noted that Joshua John Moore, the region's first settler, named the area Canberra in 1823, stating that the original name was a native name. But its meaning is unknown.
• Locals have developed a passion for hot air balloon riding owing to the perfect climate.
• Canberra has a festival dedicated to it known as Canberra Day.
• The Canberra Balloon Spectacular is part of the national Enlighten Festival and is free to attend.
• Hundreds of multicolored hot air balloons are softly floating high over the city, attracting spectators.
• Hot air balloon flights may be booked from various Australian cities to experience this distinctly Canberran thrill over the Australian capital territory.
• The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, is located in Tidbinbilla, Canberra's suburbs.
• It is one of three stations on the globe.
• The other two space stations are in Madrid, Spain, and Goldstone, California, respectively.
• The Canberra station maintains constant two-way radio communication with spacecraft exploring our solar system and beyond.
• Antennae are critical in following NASA's Voyager 1 probe, which has already traveled outside the Solar System.
• Views of the greatest antenna complex in the southern hemisphere, a fragment of the Moon over 3.8 billion years old, and food from astronaut chow can all be found here.

Canberra's History

Canberra has a rich history dating back thousands of years ago when the natives, called the aboriginals, arrived.

• Aboriginal peoples were the first settlers in the area.
• European immigrants came in 1824.
• 'Canberry' or 'Canbury', which is based on the term 'Kambera,' was the name of their settlement.
• 'Kambera' is a phrase from the extinct language Gundungurra, which was spoken by Australia's aborigines and means 'meeting place'.
• The Australian Capital Territory, or ACT, was formed from New South Wales in 1909.
• A competition was held in 1911 to design Australia's future capital city.
• Walter Burley Griffin, an architect from Chicago, in the United States of America, won the competition. He planned his triangle metropolis as a garden town, so its size was spread out across a large region.
• Canberra's development began in 1913 at the center of Lake Burley-Griffin, which was built specifically for the city.
• The federal Parliament was officially relocated from Melbourne to Canberra, the new capital city, in 1927.
• In the '80s, several notable new structures were constructed.
• As Canberra increased in size, the lake was no longer in the center of town, despite assurances from those in charge of national capital city planning.

Canberra's Culture

Canberra has a mix of native as well as modern cultures from the whole country of Australia.

• Canberra's current Australian capital territory population is 457,000 as of 2020.
• At home, the majority of Canberra's residents speak solely English.
• Other languages often spoken at the homes of Canberrans include Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Hindi, and Spanish.
• According to the 2016 census, the largest religious group in the Canberra region was Christians.
• According to figures acquired by the National Australia Bank and reported in The Canberra Times, Canberrans contribute much more money to charity than Australians in the whole country.
• Canberra's economy is heavily reliant on government jobs and other services, including retail commerce, finance, education, health, telecommunications, tourism, and businesses.
• Construction is especially significant since it is the largest non-service industry, employing more than 5% of the workforce.
• Light production of periodicals, processed foods, and electronics has helped to diversify the economy marginally.
• Canberra is fantastic for intellectual pursuits and hosts some of Australia's most intriguing exhibitions. Tourists flock to admire the several national monuments and other prominent landmarks on Capital Hill.
• The most visited places in Canberra are Parliament House, the High Court of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, Telstra Tower, Namadgi National Park, and the National Botanic Garden.
• The Royal Australian Mint and the National Library of Australia are other important places to visit.
• Canberra has three sister cities: the Japanese city of Nara, Beijing in China, and Wellington in New Zealand, which are not in Australia itself.
• Sister city partnerships, which were established to promote culture, community, education, and international trade and tourism, have become a significant aspect of Canberra's rich culture and history.
• Nara, Japan's capital and the seat of Nara Prefecture, became Canberra's first sister city in 1993, followed by Beijing, China in 2000, and Wellington, New Zealand in 2016.
• Every year, Canberra organizes the Nara Candle Festival in Canberra Nara Peace Park as a celebration of peace and compassion.
• At the Nara Candle Festival, there is live music, cultural performances, and a variety of cuisines and market vendors.

Quirky Facts About Canberra

The national capital of Australia is called ACT. It is basically the official name for Canberra city.

• The Australian Prime Minister's official house in Canberra city is known as 'The Lodge'.
• The Leader of the Opposition, James Scullin, battled against the building's high expenses in 1827.
• When his party won the 1929 election and James became Prime Minister, he stood firm in his beliefs and refused to move inside the building.
• Edmund Barton was Australia's first Prime Minister.
• Many events are held in Canberra, including the Balloon Spectacular, the National Folk Festival, and Floriade. This is possible as the climate of the city supports such sports.
• With the exception of bus shelters, advertising billboards along the roadway are prohibited in the ACT.
• The Old Parliament Host was supposed to be a temporary structure for about 50 years.
• The new Parliament House on Capital Hill is intended to house Parliament for 200 years.
• The Royal Australian Mint is located in Canberra and is in charge of creating all of Australia's circulating coins.
• Rare and historical coins can be seen here, as well as the coin-making process, which includes some incredible robots.
• Canberra marked its 100th anniversary as the nation's capital and Parliament House in 2013.
• Many interesting festivities were held throughout the year to commemorate this momentous occasion.
• It's common knowledge that massive multi-level subterranean tunnels link several government buildings beneath Canberra's streets.
• For decades, Canberrans have been whispering about secret tunnels, underground passages, and espionage.
• Numerous exposes and news pieces have attempted to unearth the city's secrets, but no substantial evidence has been discovered.
• Rumors have also persisted for a long time that the Deakin Telephone Exchange was being utilized for espionage by secret organizations such as the NSA and FBI.
• The Captain Cook Memorial on Lake Burley Griffin has the ability to shoot water up to 483 ft (147 m) into the air.
• Canberra is the only city in the world where you may jump over the parliament building.
• Tumut, Bombala, Albury, Orange, and Dalgety in New South Wales will serve as the nation's parliament's headquarters.