Canberra Australias Capital City By Jeremy Hall Federation In 1901 federation occurred in Australia Due to federation the government decided to build a capital city. Forty districts were proposed, 23 of these inspected and the choice narrowed to seven. Albury, Bombala, Lake George, Lyndhurst, Tumut, Dalgety and Yass-Canberra. Building Canberra was chosen and building soon began. Sir Walter Burley Griffin designed most of the buildings. He was born on November the 24 th 1876 in Maywood, Illinois, and died in India at the age of 60 in 1937. Lake Burley Griffin The lake in Canberra called Lake Burley Griffin was named after Sir Walter Burley Griffin. Population The population in Canberra by 1911 was 1`700, but it now is much higher at around 350`000. Distance Canberra is around 300 kilometres from Sydney and around 650 kilometres from Melbourne. Conclusion Now Canberra is a big city and has many tourist attractions. It is a great place to be with many important buildings like The new and old Parliament House The Australian High Court and many others. Fast Facts Canberra is an Aboriginal word meaning Meeting Place. It is believed the land of Canberra used to be inhabited by Ngunnawal tribes. The highest temperature in Canberra is 42.8 and the lowest was .