Establishing the nation's capital

Before becoming one country, Australia was six different colonies. Each colony had their own capital city. How did they decide what would be the capital of a united Australia?

Why is being the capital city important?

Capital cities are the political centre of a country. They host the supreme bodies of the powers of a country: its highest court, its national parliament, and its head of state. Businesses set up offices there to be close to political power, hoping to influence it. Other countries set up embassies there so their governments can talk with each other.

All this makes being a capital city (and having it located in your state) prestigious.

The drafters’ dilemma

Sir George Reid
Source: Library of Congress

At the last Federal Convention in 1898, no one could agree on a capital city. New South Wales wanted it to be in Sydney and Victoria in Melbourne. So, they left it out of the draft constitution. When an 1889 referendum on the constitution failed in NSW, it was uncertain if Australia’s largest colony would join a united Australia. Premier George Reid used this uncertainty to negotiate concessions from the other colonies to ensure his state’s support. One of these was that the capital city be in New South Wales.

The states agreed to a compromise. They would build a new capital city in New South Wales, but it had to be at least 100 miles (160 km) away from Sydney. The new federal parliament would decide its exact site. It would meet in Melbourne until it had chosen a new site, and a parliament building was constructed there.

Section 125 of the Constitution reflects this compromise:

Finding the right site

Map of some of the proposed sites for the new Australian capital city
Source: ACT Legislative Assembly (Re-use policy)

Click image to view larger (opens in new window)

The new parliament now had to decide where in New South Wales to build the Australia’s capital city. The constitution required it be at least 100 miles from Sydney. Federal politicians agreed on extra requirements for the site too, including that:

• it have a cold winter climate
• it had access to good quality water
• there was plenty of timber and stone nearby for construction
• it was neither too far nor too close to Melbourne, and
• both the House of Representative and Senate agreed on it.

An early investigation recommended Orange and Yass as preferred sites. Other towns were excluded for being too far (Tamworth) or too close (Albury) to Melbourne. The House and Senate each preferred different sites – Tumut, east of Wagga Wagga, and Bombala, north of the Victorian border.

In 1904 they agreed on Dalgety, a small town on the Snowy River an equal distance between Sydney and Melbourne.

The NSW state government rejected this choice. They believed it was too remote and wanted the site to be much closer to Sydney, arguing that capital was better built at sites like Bathurst. In 1908, the Canberra region was chosen as a compromise.

Creating Canberra

Ceremonial naming of the city of Canberra, 12 March 1913

Source: NLA PIC/12350/1

Federal parliament drew a 2,400km² area of land on the Murrumbidgee River it wanted for the new capital city. In 1909, NSW transferred this to federal control, creating the Federal Capital Territory. Two new challenges now faced parliament: what would it look like and what would its name be?

An international competition to design the city was held in 1911, with over 130 entries received from all over the world. The winning entry was designed by American couple Walter and Marion Burley Griffin. While much of the plan was later abandoned, planners kept the Griffin’s key design: a triangular area at the city’s centre.

The city’s name, Canberra, was announced in 1913. It was already the area’s local name, likely an English spelling of a Ngunnawal word for ‘meeting place’. Construction on the new capital began soon after it was officially named.

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