Last year when I was on visit
to my son and his family at Australia, my son prepared to show me the city of
Canberra, the capital of Australia and when I ( at least me) saw this city I was
really amazing bcaz I was almost thinking as I was in the city of Islamabad
,Pakistan.
By the way for the info of U, whew in 1960-61 , Gen Ayub decided to shift
capital from Karachi to another then he send some officials who visited so many
cities( special capital cities) of the world and then it was decided that it
should be constructed /build such as is Canberra, Australia.
HERE I AM GIVING SOME INFO ABOUT CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA FOR U so that u may compare
....
Early Canberra
For thousands of years the indigenous Ngunnawal people lived in the Canberra
region and the name 'Canberra' is believed to be derived from an indigenous word
meaning 'meeting place'. The first European explorers arrived in the Canberra
area in 1820 and the first settlers came in 1824. During the 19th century the
European settlement slowly grew but the indigenous people were devastated by
European diseases.
The Anglican Church of St John the Baptist the oldest building in Canberra. It
was built in 1845 of sandstone and bluestone. It had an adjoining schoolhouse,
which is now a museum.
Another old building in Canberra is Blundell's Cottage, which was built in 1859.
It takes its name from a family who once lived there.
In 1901 the different Australian colonies formed the Commonwealth of Australia.
The new country needed a capital and both Sydney and Melbourne wanted the honour.
However in 1908 it was decided to build a new capital at Canberra. A competition
to design the new city was held and in 1912 American architect Walter Burley
Griffin (1876-1937) won it. He planned a garden city with roads in concentric
circles.
On 12 March 1913 the foundation stone of Canberra was laid by Prime Minister
Andrew Fisher. However the First World War interrupted building. Furthermore the
growth of Canberra was halted by the depression of the 1930s. As a result
Canberra only really began to grow in the second half of the 20th century. In
1947 Canberra still only had a population of 15,000. However by 1967 it had more
than 100,000 people.
Meanwhile Government House was built in Canberra in 1927. It is the official
residence of the Governor General. The Australian National University was
established in Canberra in 1946.
The Growth of Canberra
From 1958 to 1989 the National Capital Development Commission oversaw the growth
and development of Canberra. They created 4 new towns, Woden-Weston Creek,
Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Gungahlin.
Walter Burley Griffin Lake was created in 1963 by damming the Molonglo Rover.
Captain Cook Memorial Jet was added in 1970. It sprays water 147 metres into the
air.
Naturally as the seat of government Canberra is the home of many important
buildings. One of these is the Royal Australian Mint, which opened in 1965. The
National Library of Australia opened in 1968. It is the largest reference
library in Australia and it contains more than 5 million books. The Australian
architect Walter Bunning (1912-1977) designed it. The library is also famous for
its stained glass windows made by Australian artist Leonard French and
tapestries by French artist Mathieu Mategot (1901-2001).
The High Court of Australia is also in Canberra. Work on the building began in
1975 and took 5 years. Its style of architecture was called 'brutalism'. The
High Court in Canberra was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980. The High Court
is known for its murals by Jan Sensberg.
A number of famous judgements were made at the court including the Mabo
judgement (1992) and the Wik judgement (1996).
The Australian Parliament in Canberra by Philippa Hutchings
Old Parliament House was built in 1927. In 1988 New Parliament House opened.
Italian architect Romaldo Giurgola designed it. This huge building has 4,700
rooms. In the centre is a flagpole, which is 81 metres high and weighs 2220
tonnes. Outside the entrance is a mosaic by Aboriginal artist Michael Tjakamarra
Nelson. In the foyer are 48 grey-green marble columns meant to look like a
eucalyptus forest.
The Australian War Memorial, which was built in 1941 and later enlarged contains
the names of over 102,000 fallen Australians. Anzac Walk opened in 1965.
Canberra War Memorial by Philippa Hutchings
In 1970 the British gave the Australians the National Carillon.
Canberra is a thriving tourist destination. It is known for the National Museum
of Australia, which was founded in 1980 and moved to its present site in 2001.
Other attractions in Canberra are the National Zoo and Aquarium and the
Australian Institute of Sport, which opened in 1981. The Australian National
Botanic Garden has over 5,000 species of plants. Cockington Green is a miniature
British village, which opened in 1979. Looking down from the top of Black
Mountain is the 195 metre tall Telstra Tower, which opened in 1980.
Near Canberra is the Stromlo Observatory. It dates from 1924 but it was severely
damaged by a bush fire in 2003 and it had to be rebuilt.
Canberra Stadium was built in 1977 and the National Gallery of Australia opened
in 1982. It includes the Aboriginal Memorial of 1988 and outside the museum is a
sculpture garden. Monaro Mall opened in 1963. It was redeveloped and opened as
the Canberra Centre in 1989. Canberra Museum and Art Gallery opened in 1998.
21st Century Canberra
Today Canberra is a flourishing city. In recent years new amenities have been
added. In 2002 Prime Minister John Howard opened Reconciliation Place. The same
year he opened Commonwealth Place. In 2006 Howard opened R. G. Menzies Walk.
Today the population of Canberra is 356,000.