Location: Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory, and is surrounded by New South Wales. The city is 150 kilometres inland and 571 metres above the Pacific Ocean, 281 kilometres from Sydney and 660 kilometres from Melbourne.
History: Canberra is located on the ancient lands of the Indigenous Ngunnawal people and the name is thought to mean ‘meeting place’, derived from the Aboriginal word Kamberra. In the 1830's, european settlers first came to the area and was chosen in 1908 to be the federal capital. Walter Burley Griffin being a Chicago architect with the reputation of master designer, won an international design competition in 1912 and planned Canberra’s special contrast of nature and urban living. In 1927, the provisional Parliament House was opened in what was then a treeless paddock.
Currency: The Australian dollar (AUD$) is a decimal currency with units in dollars and cents.
Voltage: The Australian domestic standard voltage is AC 240 volts, 50 cycle. The standard plug is a three prong type.
Language: English.
Air Travel: Generally, overseas travellers coming to Canberra will need to fly into an interstate airport and then transfer to a Canberra flight as there are few direct flights to Canberra from overseas.
Destination Information for Aust Capital Territory
