The city of Canberra, the capital of the Australian Union, despite its small population (just over 334,000 people) is Australia's largest city. The capital of Australia, Canberra, arose as a result of the struggle for the title of the capital city of the two cities of Sydney and Melbourne, which are the country's major cultural and economic centers. American architect Walter Burley Griffin developed a project that won an international competition. In this project, everything necessary was developed for the capital city, which was built in the late 20s of the last century.
Now the capital of Australia has become an amazing elegant city full of verdant parks and fragrant gardens. It is harmonious and perfectly thought out. It was originally built according to a well-defined specific scheme and is therefore considered a city of order. Real tropical forests come close to Canberra and it takes very little time for residents and visitors to get out into the countryside. The famous Australian beaches are only two hours away from the city center. Also not far away is Australia's only Thredbo ski resort, located on the Snowy Mountains. In the city itself there are more than 30 wineries.
The city of Canberra has a unique population, as a high percentage of its inhabitants have a university degree. The city houses the Australian National Gallery, which contains one of the largest collections in the southern hemisphere, including more than 70,000 works of art. A common characteristic of Australia is the green continent, fully confirmed by the view of its capital. It looks like a small town, lost among the vast village spaces.
The capital of Australia has many attractions. On an area of 50 hectares on the slopes of the Black Mountain is the National Botanical Garden. It contains more than 6,000 representatives of the unique Australian flora, who here play the role of "living" exhibits. Of particular interest to tourists is the garden, which contains local plants used by natives for medicinal purposes, and a unique eucalyptus grove. About 12 million trees from around the world grow in the city itself. Here you can find along with the usual local eucalyptus trees Russian birch, Japanese sakura, almonds, plane trees and various species of conifers.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in 1820, only two local Aboriginal tribes, called the Ngunnaval and the Valhalla, lived in the area where Canberra is now located. Of the Europeans, the Joshua John Moore family was the first to settle here . On his initiative, a sheep farm was built here in 1924. Another well-known settler in these places was a Sydney merchant Robert Campbell. He and his family helped other settlers and provided them with work. Robert Campbell's house has survived to the present day, it now houses the Royal Military College. Another family of settlers is also known - Murray. Their former manor called Yarralumla is now the residence of the Governor General of Australia.
The capital of Australia has many original buildings and structures, which are its main attractions. In the very center is the “parliamentary triangle”. In its center is the Parliament House of the Australian Union, it has the form of a boomerang. Its front terrace is decorated with a huge mosaic, which was laid out by local Papua natives. Also in the city center in a large artificial lake, Burley Griffin is hit by a stream of a huge fountain named after Captain Cook. The Supreme Court, the National Gallery and the National Library are also located here. Among the original buildings you can distinguish the tower-belfry Carilon and the building of the Australian Academy of Sciences.