The 1820s saw further exploration in the Canberra area associated with the construction of a road from Sydney to the Goulburn plains.
The issue of the Murrumbidgee was solved in 1821 when Throsby mounted a third expedition and successfully reached the watercourse, on the way providing the first detailed account of the land where Canberra now resides.
He reported that the region was suitable for grazing and the settlement of the Limestone Plains followed immediately thereafter. === Early settlement === The first land grant in the region was made to Joshua John Moore in 1823 and European settlement in the area began in 1824 with the construction of a homestead by his stockmen on what is now the Acton Peninsula.
The last expedition in the region before settlement was undertaken by Allan Cunningham in 1824.
He reported that the region was suitable for grazing and the settlement of the Limestone Plains followed immediately thereafter. === Early settlement === The first land grant in the region was made to Joshua John Moore in 1823 and European settlement in the area began in 1824 with the construction of a homestead by his stockmen on what is now the Acton Peninsula.
Moore formally purchased the site in 1826 and named the property Canberry or Canberra. A significant influx of population and economic activity occurred around the 1850s goldrushes.
On 1 January 2020 Canberra had the worst air quality of any major city in the world, with an AQI of 7700 (USAQI 949). ===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.
Moore formally purchased the site in 1826 and named the property Canberry or Canberra. A significant influx of population and economic activity occurred around the 1850s goldrushes.
The first post offices opened in Ginninderra in 1859 and at Lanyon in 1860. During colonial times, the European communities of Ginninderra, Molonglo and Tuggeranong settled and farmed the surrounding land.
The first post offices opened in Ginninderra in 1859 and at Lanyon in 1860. During colonial times, the European communities of Ginninderra, Molonglo and Tuggeranong settled and farmed the surrounding land.
Those who had not succumbed to disease and other predations either dispersed to the local settlements or were relocated to more distant Aboriginal reserves set up by the New South Wales government in the latter part of the 19th century. === Creation of the territory === In 1898, a referendum on a proposed Constitution was held in four of the colonies – New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
Following this result, a meeting of the four Premiers in 1898 heard from George Reid, the Premier of New South Wales, who argued that locating the future capital in New South Wales would be sufficient to ensure the passage of the Bill.
The 1899 referendum on this revised bill was successful and passed with sufficient numbers.
Founded after Federation as the seat of government for the new nation, all important institutions of the Australian Government are headquartered in the territory. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies of Australia was achieved.
Section 125 of the Australian Constitution thus provided that, following Federation in 1901, land would be ceded freely to the new Federal Government. This, however, left open the question of where to locate the capital.
The Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed in 1908, which repealed the 1904 Act and specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region.
In 1906 and after significant deliberations, New South Wales agreed to cede sufficient land on the condition that it was in the Yass-Canberra region, this site being closer to Sydney.
Following discussion and exploration of various areas within New South Wales, the Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed in 1908 which specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region.
The Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed in 1908, which repealed the 1904 Act and specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region.
The territory was transferred to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911, two years prior to the capital city being founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913. While the overwhelming majority of the population reside in the city of Canberra in the ACT's north-east, the territory also includes some surrounding townships such as Williamsdale, Naas, Uriarra, Tharwa and Hall.
The territory was transferred to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911, two years prior to the capital city being founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913. While the overwhelming majority of the population reside in the city of Canberra in the ACT's north-east, the territory also includes some surrounding townships such as Williamsdale, Naas, Uriarra, Tharwa and Hall.
The official naming of Canberra occurred on 12 March 1913 and construction began immediately. After Griffin's departure following difficulty in implementing his project, the Federal Capital Advisory Committee was established in 1920 to advise the government of the construction efforts.
Power was first supplied from a thermal plant built in 1913, near the Molonglo River, but this was finally closed in 1957.
Interest in forestry began in 1915 with trials of a number of species including Pinus radiata on the slopes of Mount Stromlo.
The Member for Fenner and the ACT Senators also represent the constituents of the Jervis Bay Territory. === Jervis Bay Territory === In 1915, the Jervis Bay Territory Acceptance Act 1915 created the Jervis Bay Territory as an annexe to the Federal Capital Territory.
The official naming of Canberra occurred on 12 March 1913 and construction began immediately. After Griffin's departure following difficulty in implementing his project, the Federal Capital Advisory Committee was established in 1920 to advise the government of the construction efforts.
Calthorpes' House in Red Hill is a well-preserved example of a 1920s house from Canberra's very early days. Canberra has many venues for live music and theatre: the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse which hosts many major concerts and productions; and Llewellyn Hall (within the ANU School of Music), a world-class concert hall are two of the most notable.
The committee was replaced in 1925 by the Federal Capital Commission. In 1930, the ACT Advisory Council was established to advise the minister for territories on the community's concerns.
Popular cultural events include the National Folk Festival, the Royal Canberra Show, the Summernats car festival, Enlighten festival and the National Multicultural Festival in February. === Media === Canberra and the territory have a daily newspaper, The Canberra Times, which was established in 1926.
The Albert Hall was Canberra's first performing arts venue, opened in 1928.
The committee was replaced in 1925 by the Federal Capital Commission. In 1930, the ACT Advisory Council was established to advise the minister for territories on the community's concerns.
In 1934, Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory was established. From 1938 to 1957, the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a federal territory of Australia containing the Australian capital city of Canberra and some surrounding townships.
In 1934, Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory was established. From 1938 to 1957, the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra.
A Senate Select Committee hearing was held in 1954 to address its development requirements.
In 1934, Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory was established. From 1938 to 1957, the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra.
Consequently, the National Capital Planning and Development Committee was replaced by the National Capital Development Commission in 1957.
Power was first supplied from a thermal plant built in 1913, near the Molonglo River, but this was finally closed in 1957.
By the early 1960s, logging had depleted the eucalypt, and concern about water quality led to the forests being closed.
The National Capital Development Commission ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin and construction was completed in 1964 after four years of work.
The last significant snowfall in the city centre was in 1968. Smoke haze became synonymous with the 2019/2020 Australian summer.
The lowest minimum temperature was on 11 July 1971. Rainfall varies significantly across the territory.
The completion of the centrepiece of Griffin's design finally the laid the platform for the development of Griffin's Parliamentary Triangle. === Self-government === In 1978, an advisory referendum was held to determine the views of ACT citizens about whether there should be self-government.
Several major universities also have campuses in the ACT including the Australian National University, the University of Canberra, the University of New South Wales, Charles Sturt University and the Australian Catholic University. A locally elected legislative assembly has governed the territory since 1988.
Nevertheless, in 1988, the new minister for the Australian Capital Territory Gary Punch received a report recommending the abolition of the National Capital Development Commission and the formation of a locally elected government.
Punch recommended that the Hawke government accept the report's recommendations and subsequently Clyde Holding introduced legislation to grant self-government to the territory in October 1988. The enactment on 6 December 1988 of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 established the framework for self-government.
Instead, each territory is governed under a Commonwealth statutefor the ACT, the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988.
The first election for the 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on 4 March 1989. The initial years of self-government were difficult and unstable.
At the first election, 4 of the 17 seats were won by anti-self-government single-issue parties due to a protest vote by disgruntled territorians and a total of 8 were won by minor parties and independents. In 1992, Labor won eight seats and the minor parties and independents won only three.
Stability increased, and in 1995, Kate Carnell became the first elected Liberal chief minister.
In 1998, Carnell became the first chief minister to be re-elected. ==Geography== The Australian Capital Territory is the smallest mainland territory (aside from the Jervis Bay Territory) and covers a total land area of , slightly smaller than Luxembourg. It 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.
Until 2003, the civilian airport shared runways with RAAF Base Fairbairn.
Children are required to attend school until they turn 17 under the ACT Government's "Learn or Earn" policy. In February 2004 there were 140 public and non-governmental schools in ACT; 96 were operated by the Government and 44 are non-Government.
There were 30,995 students in primary school, 19,211 in high school, 9,429 in college and a further 340 in special schools. As of May 2004, 30% of people in the ACT aged 15–64 had a level of educational attainment equal to at least a bachelor's degree, significantly higher than the national average of 19%.
In 2005, there were 60,275 students in the ACT school system.
Aerial Capital Group enjoyed monopoly status until the arrival of Cabxpress in 2007.
Canberra Airport is, as of September 2013, designated by the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development as a restricted use designated international airport.
The ACT has four solar farms, which were opened between 2014 and 2017: Royalla (rated output of 20 megawatts, 2014), Mount Majura (2.3 MW, 2016), Mugga Lane (13 MW, 2017) and Williamsdale (11 MW, 2017).
In October 2015, the ACT Government passed legislation to regulate ride sharing, allowing ride share services including Uber to operate legally in Canberra.
In 2015/16, rooftop solar systems supported by the ACT government's feed-in tariff had a capacity of 26.3 megawatts, producing 34,910 MWh.
Of inhabitants born outside of Australia, the most prevalent countries of birth were England, China, India, New Zealand and the Philippines. 1.6% of the population, or 6,476 people, identified as Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders) in 2016. ===Language=== At the 2016 census, 72.7% of people spoke only English at home.
At the 2016 census, 7.1% of the journeys to work involved public transport while 4.5% were on foot. There are two local taxi companies.
The ACT has four solar farms, which were opened between 2014 and 2017: Royalla (rated output of 20 megawatts, 2014), Mount Majura (2.3 MW, 2016), Mugga Lane (13 MW, 2017) and Williamsdale (11 MW, 2017).
This trend continued into 2016, when the territory was ranked the third best performing out of all of Australia's states and territories. In 2017–18, the ACT had the fastest rate of growth in the nation due to a rapid growth in population, a strongly performing higher education sector as well as a significant housing and infrastructure investment. Higher education is the territory's largest export industry.
The ACT has four solar farms, which were opened between 2014 and 2017: Royalla (rated output of 20 megawatts, 2014), Mount Majura (2.3 MW, 2016), Mugga Lane (13 MW, 2017) and Williamsdale (11 MW, 2017).
This trend continued into 2016, when the territory was ranked the third best performing out of all of Australia's states and territories. In 2017–18, the ACT had the fastest rate of growth in the nation due to a rapid growth in population, a strongly performing higher education sector as well as a significant housing and infrastructure investment. Higher education is the territory's largest export industry.
The other major services exports of the ACT in 2017-18 were government services and personal travel.
The major goods exports of the territory in 2017-18 were gold coin, legal tender coin, metal structures and fish, though these represent a small proportion of the economy compared to services exports. The economy of the ACT is largely dependent on the public sector with 30% of the jobs in the territory being in the public sector.
Decisions by the federal government regarding the public service can have a significant impact on the territory's economy. The ACT's gross state product in 2017-18 was $39.8 billion which represented 2.2% of the overall gross domestic product of Australia.
In 2017-18 the ACT economy grew by 4.0 per cent, the highest growth rate of any jurisdiction in Australia.
The last significant snowfall in the city centre was in 1968. Smoke haze became synonymous with the 2019/2020 Australian summer.
While the land is owned by the Commonwealth Government, that area itself is still considered to be under the jurisdiction of New South Wales government, not a separate territory nor a part of the ACT. ==Demographics== The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population of the territory was 419,200 on 31 March 2019.
A light rail line that opened in April 2019 links the CBD with the northern district of Gungahlin.
The highest maximum temperature recorded in the territory was on 4 January 2020.
On 1 January 2020 Canberra had the worst air quality of any major city in the world, with an AQI of 7700 (USAQI 949). ===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.
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