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TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANBERRA ::
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OVERVIEW:
The word Canberra is derived from an
aboriginal word for 'Meeting Place' since the location used to be a meeting spot
of the Aboriginal people. Surrounded around Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra's
splendor radiates as it is home to the Australian Federal Parliament, the
National Gallery, the National Museum and myriad of embassies. It is the only
Australian city within its state; the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Canberra's uniqueness also springs from the fact that it was purposely
established as the nation's capital and had every bit of its blueprint detailed
from the beginning. Nowadays more than 300,000 people reside in Canberra where
Australians, international visitors and bureaucrats cross their paths in this
picture-perfect city.
Area: 287 sq km
Population: 309,500
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +10
Telephone Area Code: 02
HISTORY IN BRIEF:
The area of Canberra used to be a
meeting place of the Ngunnawal
people for thousand of years before
the European settlers arrived in
1824. Joshua Moore's purchase of the
first land grant and his stock
station at the foot of Black
Mountain contributed to the growth
of the town. After Australia became
a nation in 1901, fervent debates
ensued about where the nation's
capital would be located. Finally,
the spot was chosen in 1908 at a
compromising half way between Sydney
and Melbourne, and the American
architect Walter Burley Griffin won
the competition to design the city.
His designed involved five main
centers, each with separate city
functions, located on three axes:
land, water and municipal. Roads
were to be in concentric circles,
with arcs linking the radiating
design. However, the completion of
the plan did not come into full
being until after the end of WWII.
Throughout the 1960s departments
from all over the country shifted to
the capital, and nowadays Canberra
is the place where essential
legislations concerning the whole
nation are decided.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE:
Canberra and its suburbs are located
in a portion of the Brindabella
Ranges which is approximately 150 km
inland from Australia's east coast
with the elevations range from 550m
to 700m above sea level. The hottest
days are generally in December and
January. In wintertime, the days can
get very chilly, and once every few
years snow can fall.
Canberra Climate
Max Average Temperature (Deg C/
Deg F)
Winter(June-Aug):12 / 53
Spring(Sep-Nov):20 / 68
Summer(Dec-Feb):28 / 82
Autumn(Mar-May):20 / 68
Canberra Rainfall
Average Rainfall - mm
Winter(June-Aug): 40
Spring(Sep-Nov): 60
Summer(Dec-Feb): 56
Autumn(Mar-May): 53
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This
article is authored and
copyrighted
by Royal Exclusive Travel
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