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The Limestone Plains area (Canberra-Yass) had been settled from as early as the 1820s, but there was no city in the region. The first settler was Joshua John Moore who took up land in the area in 1824, naming it Canberry. He took this name after hearing the local indigenous people use the word Kamberra when they conversed. Moore's land was situated at the base of Black Mountain, although much of his land now lies submerged by Lake Burley Griffin.

Because Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, had been rivals since before the goldrush days, it was decided that the nation's capital should be situated between the two cities. The Limestone Plains area was chosen, which was 248km from Sydney and 483km from Melbourne.

On 1 January 1911, the Federal Capital Territory was established as an area of 2 360 square kilometres in the Yass-Canberra district. The first survey peg marking the beginning of the development of the city of Canberra was driven in on 20 February 1913. The man who drove in the peg was King O'Malley, Minister for Home Affairs and who played a prominent role in selecting the site of the future capital of Australia.

The city did not yet have a name. A variety of names had been suggested, some tongue-in-cheek, such as Kangaremu, Australific and Meladneyperbane, which was a combination of the other state capital's names. The final choice remained a secret until the laying of the foundation stones on 12 March 1913. Lady Denman, wife of the Governor-General, then announced the name of the city as Canberra, believed to be a derivation of an Aboriginal word for 'meeting place'.

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Q: When was Canberra founded?
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How long has Canberra existed?

Canberra was founded in 1913.


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How Canberra originally spelled?

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How was Canberra originally spelled?

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Why is lake burly griffen called lake burly griffen?

Lake burly griffin in Canberra is named after Mr Burlygriffen who founded and designed canberra


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How old is Canberra?

The area where Canberra now stands was first settled in the early 1800s under the name "Limestone Plains". The modern city of Canberra was founded in 1913, but the Federal Parliament did not sit there until 1927.


Which year made Australia?

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Did canberra open in 1925?

Canberra is a city, so it did not "open" at a particular time. It was officially founded with the turning of the first sod of earth in 1913, and it gradually grew from there. The original Parliament House opened in 1927, but there were people living in Canberra many years before that.


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