What is the capital of Australia?
Australia's capital is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), between Sydney and Melbourne. This planned city has housed the Australian Parliament since 1927.
Canberra, federal capital
Canberra has been Australia's official capital since 1908. Located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it sits halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, approximately 280 km southwest of Sydney.
A city created to be a capital
Unlike Sydney or Melbourne, Canberra is an entirely planned city. It was chosen as the federal capital to end the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne. Construction began in 1913 according to plans by American architect Walter Burley Griffin.
- Australian Parliament: seat of government since 1927
- Official residences: Prime Minister's Lodge, Governor-General's Government House
- National institutions: Supreme Court, Reserve Bank, national museums
Key points
With approximately 430,000 inhabitants, Canberra remains smaller than Sydney (5 million) or Melbourne (5 million), but concentrates all the country's political powers.