About Canberra

Canberra: The nation's capital

The Australian National University commands a magnificent position between lake and mountain in the centre of the nation's capital, Canberra. It is the political apex of Australia, housing the Federal Parliament. It is the major city of the self-governing province, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Canberra is also the cultural heart of Australia, with the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the High Court of Australia and the National Museum of Australia all a short distance from the city centre.

Find out more about Canberra and the surrounding area

Location:

From Sydney: 288 kilometres (about three hours drive) south west of Sydney, Australia's largest city

From Melbourne: 647 kilometres (about seven hours drive) north of Australia's second largest metropolis

From the beach: about two hours drive from the beautiful beaches of the South Coast of New South Wales

From the snow: about two hours drive to the Snowy Mountains, and two-and-a-half hours to the Mt Kosciusko ski fields

Australian Capital Territory statistics

Area: 2,600 square kilometres

Population: 312,000

Population growth rate: 0.5 per cent

Median Age: 32

Median Individual Income: Between A$500 and A$599 per week

Mean Household size: 2.6 persons

Average winter temperature: 12.1C

Average summer temperature: 27.0 C

(Statistics from the ACT Government, Australian Bureau of Statistics and Bureau of Meteorology. Photograph courtesy Canberra Tourism)