Australian Capital Territory was conceived in the early 1900s in order to create a capital city in a federal State separate from any of the uniting States.
Spectacular green countryside is ringed by mountains. Lake Burley-Griffin, an artificial lake, is the main feature of this constantly expanding modern capital.
GEOGRAPHY
The ACT is bounded by the Goulburn-Cooma railway line in the east, the watershed of Naas Creek in the south, the watershed of the Cotter River in the west, and the watershed of the Molonglo River in the north-east. The ACT also has a small strip of territory around the southern end of the Beecroft Peninsula, which is the northern headland of Jervis Bay.
Apart from the city of Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory also contains agricultural land (sheep, dairy cattle, vineyards and small amounts of crops) and a large area of national park (Namadgi National Park), much of it mountainous and forested. Small townships and communities located within the ACT include Williamsdale, Naas, Uriarra, Tharwa and Hall.
Tidbinbilla is a locality to the south-west of Canberra that features the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, operated by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of its Deep Space Network.
There are a large range of mountains, rivers and creeks in the Namadgi National Park. These include the Naas and Murrumbidgee Rivers.
CLIMATE
Because of its elevation 650 metres (2,130 ft) and distance from the coast, the Australian Capital Territory experiences four distinct seasons, unlike many other Australian cities whose climates are moderated by the sea. Canberra is notorious for hot, dry summers, and cold winters with occasional fog and frequent frosts. Many of the higher mountains in the territory's south-west are snow-covered for at least part of the winter. Thunderstorms can occur between October and March, and annual rainfall is 623 millimetres (24.5 in), with rainfall highest in spring and summer and lowest in winter.
The highest maximum temperature recorded in the ACT was 42.8 °C (109.0 °F) at Acton on 11 January 1939. The lowest minimum temperature was −14.6 °C (5.7 °F) at Gudgenby on 11 July 1971.
GEOLOGY
Notable geological formations in the Australian Capital Territory include the Canberra Formation, the Pittman Formation, Black Mountain Sandstone and State Circle Shale.
In the 1840s fossils of brachiopods and trilobites from the Silurian period were discovered at Woolshed Creek near Duntroon. At the time, these were the oldest fossils discovered in Australia, though this record has now been far surpassed. Other specific geological places of interest include the State Circle cutting and the Deakin anticline.
The oldest rocks in the ACT date from the Ordovician around 480 million years ago. During this period the region along with most of Eastern Australia was part of the ocean floor; formations from this period include the Black Mountain Sandstone formation and the Pittman Formation consisting largely of quartz-rich sandstone, siltstone and shale. These formations became exposed when the ocean floor was raised by a major volcanic activity in the Devonian forming much of the east coast of Australia.
What does Canberra offer?
Australia's capital, Canberra, is located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) with a population of nearly 300 000. The name Canberra is derived from an Aboriginal word which is held to mean 'meeting place’. Canberra was built between Sydney and Melbourne after a dispute over which would become the Nations Capital. Canberra is just a three hour drive or a 45-minute flight south-west of Sydney. Set in a broad valley in the southern tablelands of New South Wales, Canberra is a well-planned lakeside city of cosmopolitan restaurants, beautiful bushland, parklands and leafy suburbs. The ACT has a warm spring, a hot dry summer, a cool autumn and a cold winter - occasionally with snow. Canberra has an average annual rainfall of 630mm, unevenly distributed throughout the year.
What is available on the Australian Capital Territory Government website?
The ACT Government website provides information about:
- Residents
- Business
- Visitors
- Canberra and region
- Government
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