Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Territory flag (In detail) Coat of Arms (In detail)
Area — Land — Marine — Total	2 358 km² (2432 including Jervis Bay) 0 km² 2 358 km² (2432 including Jervis Bay)
Population: (2003) Density:	308 700 137/km²
Time zone:	UTC+10 (except during daylight saving time—UTC+11)
Highest point:	Bimberi Peak (1 912 m)
ISO 3166-2 code:	AU-CT
Floral emblem:	Royal Bluebell
Faunal emblem:	Gang-gang cockatoo

Australian Capital Territory (ACT), chiefly the site of Canberra (population 308,700), Australia's capital city, is situated between the country's two largest and rival cities, Melbourne and Sydney.

Description

The ACT is wholly surrounded by New South Wales. For administrative purposes, the ACT also incorporates uninhabited external territories. Attempts have also been made to incorporate Norfolk Island within the Australian Capital Territory for the purposes of representation in Federal Parliament.

Apart from Canberra, there is a some agricultural land (sheep, dairy cattle, some vinyards and a very small area of crops), and a large area of national park (the Namadgi National Park), much of it mountainous and forested. Two small townships, Tharwa and Hall, are located in the territory. The area and population is quite similar to the nation of Luxembourg but the pattern of settlement is very different.

In Australia's Federal Parliament, the ACT is represented by four members (two senators, and two Members of the House of Representatives). It is governed internally by a Ministry headed by a Chief Minister (currently Jon Stanhope, ALP), and laws are made in a 17-member Legislative Assembly, that has all state and local government functions. However, its decisions can be overruled by the Federal Government.

History

The area now known as the ACT was inhabited by three Aboriginal tribes from about the 11th century onwards. These were the Ngunnawal,Walgalu and Ngarigo tribes.

White exploration and settlement there did not occur until the 1820s. From 1824 onwards, settlements and homesteads, and ultimately some small townships such as Hall and Tharwa, were established in the future ACT.

One homestead of special historical interest was Lambrigg, near Tharwa. This homestead was the place in which William Farrer developed the rust-resistant Federation wheat strain that had a major beneficial effect on Australia's wheat industry. Farrer died at Lambrigg in 1906.

When the constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia was being negotiated between the colonies, Melbourne and Sydney each wanted to become the capital. As a compromise, it was agreed that the capital would initially be Melbourne, until a new capital city could be built. The final constitution required that the new capital city would be located in territory taken from New South Wales, and be at least 100 statute miles from Sydney.

The present site was chosen in 1908, with additional territory at Jervis Bay (now a naval base on the NSW coast) allocated so the national capital could have a sea port. In 1911 an international competition was held, and Canberra was begun. The Federal Government officially moved there from Melbourne in 1926. At first the Public Service continued to be administered from Melbourne, but the various departments were gradually moved to Canberra over the years.

The territory was initially known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In 1938, the territory was formally named the Australian Capital Territory.

External Links

The ACT Government website

Referenced By