History
When the Australian states federated in 1901 it became necessary to decide on the site for a capital city. The two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria were old rivals and both wanted the capital to be located in their state. A number of different sites were suggested but eventually, in 1908, a site was selected diplomatically situated between Sydney and Melbourne. In 1911 the Commonwealth Government created the Federal Capital Territory and on the 12th of March 1913 the the city was officially named Canberra, from an Aboriginal term meaning meeting place. The American architects, Walter Burley Griffin and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, won an international competition to design the new city, and in 1927, with the first sitting of the Australian government in its new capital, Canberra took over from Melbourne as the seat of national government.
Before it was chosen as the site for the nation’s new capital, Canberra already had a long history. The Ngunnawal are the traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the Canberra region. When Europeans first moved into the region the Ngunnawal had already occupied the region for at least 20,000 years. This was a harsh environment and required skilful guardianship by the traditional custodians of the land. People normally moved around in small family groups but, on occasions, large groups came together to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources such as the Bogong moth and the Yam Daisy. Their hunter-gatherer lifestyle continued into the early 19th century when Europeans, with their sheep and cattle, moved into the area. The arrival of introduced diseases, such as small pox and measles, quickly affected Aboriginal numbers. Graziers, claiming ownership of vast tracks of land, also had an impact on traditional movement in the region. The Ngunnawal workers for the pastoralists and the traditional lifestyle could no longer be maintained. The Ngunnawal, however, have a continuing connection with the region, and in recent years have become increasingly involved in local and national affairs.
Europeans first settled in the region in 1823 when Joshua John Moore established a sheep station at what is now Acton, the site of the National Museum of Australia. Robert Campbell’s station was the second established in the region. Campbell, a wealthy Scottish merchant, was given a grant of 4,000 acres and chose a site at Pialligo where he erected a substantial residence which he named Duntroon. Duntroon became an important grazing property and remained with the Campbell family until taken over by the Commonwealth in 1910 as the site for the Royal Military College. A visit to Brundell’s Cottage, built in the 1860s on the Duntroon estate, is included in an Odyssey small group tour. Yarralumla, now home to Australia‘s Governor General, was purchased by another member of the Campbell family. Further settlement occurred near the Murrumbidgee River in 1834 with the development of the Lanyon property using convict labour. Lanyon, and nearby Tuggeranong, homesteads are now open to the public and the person interested in Australian colonial history will be fascinated by the history revealed at these sites visited on a guided tour. William Farrer, famous for his experiments in developing a rustproof wheat, also settled in the region, and the National Museum devotes a section to his invaluable discoveries.
St John the Baptist Church, built of local bluestone and sandstone, became a centre for European life in the area after it was built in the 1840s, and consecrated in 1845. A schoolhouse, adjoining the church, was also opened in the early 1840s. The church, its graveyard and schoolhouse are a reminder of Canberra‘s pioneering farming families and just a short walk from Blundell’s Cottage. All of these will be included on our guided tour.
This quiet farming community underwent a change when it was chosen as the nations capital. Growth was initially slow. Although construction began in 1913, work was interrupted by the first world war and again by the Great Depression of the 1930s. By the time the second world war began in 1939, Canberra was still little more than a small town with a big plan. At the end of the war Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies regarded the state of the national capital as an embarrassment and during his time in office the the development of the capital sped up rapidly. The National Capital Development Commission was formed in 1957 and ended four decades of dispute over the shape and size of Lake Burley Griffin, the centre piece of the architect’s design. Construction of the lake was finally completed in 1964 and the population of the city grew by more than 50% in every five year period between 1955 and 1975. On 9th of May 1988, a larger and permanent parliament House was opened on Capital Hill and the Commonwealth Parliament moved into its new premises. Canberra continues to grow and is now more than simply a centre of government. With just under a third of Canberrans employed in the public sector, tourism, accommodation, construction, retail and food are also major employers.
Travelling to Canberra and the ACT.
Canberra, almost half way between Sydney and Melbourne, has an international airport with direct flights from all of Australia‘s capital cities. There is also a train link directly with Sydney and it is possible to get from Melbourne to Canberra by train and bus link, but it takes about 13 hours. A number of coach companies also offer services between Melbourne and Canberra and Sydney and Canberra. However, unless you have a car, Canberra can be difficult to negotiate, and the couple or solo traveller may find that a small group tour allows them to explore the city’s attractions in comfort.
Odyssey’s small group tour to Canberra allows participants to explore the city with the benefit of a guide. Not only do we make travel easier, we provide a varied itinerary that covers many of the capital’s lesser known attractions. We visit the National Gallery and the brilliant Portrait Gallery as well as the Australian War memorial and the National Museum. On a walking tour around the lake we visit the city’s oldest church, dating back to the 1840s, and the oldest cottage in the city. Although it only opens on weekends, a visit to Calthorpes’ House provides a window into an almost forgotten world. Built in 1927, this house, still in original condition, offers a window in middle class life in the early years of the nation’s capital. If you have been inspired by the magnificent Leonard French stained-glass windows at the National Library, you might like to visit the Canberra Glassworks. Watch professional glass artists at work and discover more about the beauty and versatility of glass on a visit to the works, housed in the historic Kingston Power House.
There are a number of ‘must see’ sites in Canberra. On a visit to the new parliament house, dug into Capital Hill, there are a couple of surprising exhibits. Did you know that the building houses one of only four known 1297 copies of Magna Carta? The Great hall is embellished with a twenty metre long tapestry inspired by an Arthur Boyd painting of a eucalypt forest and the grey-green marble columns of the foyer also represent a native forest. It is also possible, on days when the house sits, to watch the Australian Government at work from the public gallery. The National Gallery concentrates on its stunning collection of Australian art, but world art is not neglected with a fine Asian collection and pieces from around the world, including the controversial ‘Blue Poles’ by Jackson Pollock. The Australian collection ranges from traditional indigenous art (including burial poles from the Tiwi Islands), through works from the colonial period by the likes of Tasmanians John Glover and Thomas Bock, to significant 20th century works by people such as Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd. The 19th century is also well represented with well known works by Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton.
A visit to the Namadgi National Park provides an introduction to its rich Ngunnawal Aboriginal history. Archaeological sites in the park attest to Aboriginal presence in the region for at least 21,000 years. This was also an important gathering place to neighbouring clans from the Ngarigo, Wolgalu, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri nations. You can also find out more about Aboriginal culture at Tidbinbilla with a ranger guided activity or walk. Namadgi is also home to a variety of native birds and animals including emus, swamp wallabies, wombats, and echidnas. On a cultural heritage walking tour at Tidbinbilla, you can expect to learn much about the Aboriginal history of the area. As traditional custodians of Tidbinbilla, the Ngunnawal have lived and gathered in the valley since time immemorial. Visitors have unique opportunities to learn about culture and history by participating in cultural tours with local Ngunnawal traditional custodians. It is also possible to see koalas and emus in their natural settings on a walk through Tidbinbilla.
A small group tour, with Odyssey, that includes a visit to Canberra and the ACT, allows the senior passenger the opportunity to discover the nation’s capital in a stress free environment. The couple or solo traveller on a guided tour can relax and visit the many attractions that the nation’s capital has to offer, without having to cope with the territory’s public bus network.
Odyssey’s collection of Australia tour packages with a tour manager enable you to explore each state with Odyssey’s escorted tours Australia 2021 portfolio as a city based tour or a Australia holidays package into the Western Australia outback of the Kimberley or South Australia‘s Flinders range or just spend a week on holiday in Hobart learning about a range of subjects on Odyssey’s Summer Schools tour package. This collection of some 70 scheduled small group holiday departures provides plenty of choice for an Australian holiday. You can make your booking direct for your Australia escorted tour with us or via your travel agent or travel consultant.
