When was Canberra chosen to be the Capital?

Answer 1

Shortly after Australia's Federation on 1 January 1901, it was decided that the nation's capital should not be either Sydney or Melbourne, but should be situated between the two cities.

Once it was decided that Australia's capital would be neither Melbourne nor Sydney, land for the Australian Capital Territory (originally Federal Territory of Australia) was purchased from New South Wales for the purpose. The Federal Capital Territory was founded, on 1 January 1911, in the Yass-Canberra district. The first survey peg marking the beginning of the development of the city of Canberra was driven in on 20 February 1913. On 9 May 1927, Parliament moved to the new national capital at Canberra, where it met in what is now called Old Parliament House.

Answer 2

The Limestone Plains area (Canberra-Yass) had been settled from as early as the 1820s, but there was no city in the region.

Because Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, had been rivals since before the goldrush days, it was decided that the nation's capital should be situated between the two cities. The Limestone Plains area was chosen, which was 248km from Sydney and 483km from Melbourne. This was shortly after Federation in 1901.

On 1 January 1911, the Federal Capital Territory was established as an area of 2 360 square kilometres in the Yass-Canberra district. The first survey peg marking the beginning of the development of the city of Canberra was driven in on 20 February 1913. On 12 March 1913, Lady Denman, wife of the Governor-General, then announced the name of the city as Canberra, believed to be a derivation of an Aboriginal word for 'meeting place'.