Capital Territory Travel Guide

The capital aglow © Canberra Tourism

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was created as a compromise; both Sydney and Melbourne thought that they should be Australia's capital city and the authorities decided that the only answer was to create a new city, within its own territory, between the two rivals. ACT is landlocked in the mountainous state of southeastern New South Wales; Sydney is 190 miles (306km) to the northwest. The territory is tiny by Australian standards; it is 50 miles (80km) from north to south and about 20 miles (30km) wide. The capital city, Canberra, and its surrounding suburbs are in the northeast of the territory and surrounded by the artificial Lake Burley Griffin; the parliament and other government buildings are located to the south of the lake, and in the north is Civic, where visitors will find the university, the main shopping and business district and most of the nightlife, which, contrary to reputation, is fairly lively. The Namadgi National Park occupies the whole southwestern area of the Territory.