History of the Australian Capital Territory

The history of the Australian Capital Territory as a separate administrative division began in 1911. Indigenous Australians have lived in the present-day ACT for at least 20,000 years. The population of Canberra increased by more than 50% every five years between 1955 and 1975. The city is now home to more than 100,000 people, and has a population of more than 1.5 million.

About History of the Australian Capital Territory in brief

The history of the Australian Capital Territory as a separate administrative division began in 1911. Indigenous Australians have lived in the present-day ACT for at least 20,000 years. The area formed the traditional lands of the Ngambri people and several other linguistic groups. It was incorporated into the Colony of New South Wales with British settlement in 1788, but no white person reached the area until Joseph Wild in 1820. The oldest gazetted settlement in the ACT is Tharwa, which was proclaimed in 1862. The growth of Canberra and the ACT was slow, with potential residents discouraged by the cold climate and lack of facilities. Development accelerated after World War II, championed by Prime Minister Robert Menzies who regarded the state of the capital as an embarrassment. The National Capital Development Commission was created in 1957 with more power than its predecessors. It ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin, a centrepiece of Canberra, with construction completed in 1964. The ACT gained a seat in the House of Representatives in 1949, initially with limited voting rights. It has had multiple members since 1974, and since 1975 has also elected two members of the Senate. Full self-government was granted in 1988, with the Legislative Assembly electing the Chief Minister of theAustralian Capital Territory to serve as the territory’s head of government. The assembly has most of the powers and responsibilities of state governments, but its actions are subject to a federal veto. It is possible that the area was inhabited for considerably longer, with evidence of an Aboriginal presence in south-western New South.

Wales dating back 40,000 to 60,000 years. The Bogong Rocks is the oldest evidence of Aboriginal occupation at around around around 62–62–62 years old. It contains a bogong moth resting site, which is believed to have been an important source of food for the Aboriginal peoples of the Southern Alps. Following the European settlement of the new colony, increasing demand for arable land led to an increase in the number of arable lands being granted to Aboriginal people. Numerous other culturally significant and archæologically notable sites are known across the territory, including rock art, stone artefact shelters, stone scatters, scarred trees and chert trees and sandstone quarries. Until 1989, the ACT also administered the Jervis Bay Territory, a small coastal region. The territory was originally known as the Federal Capital Territory, adopting its current name in 1938, and became the Australian capital Territory in 1938. The capital city of Canberra is located in the south-west of the ACT, near the city of Sydney. The population of Canberra increased by more than 50% every five years between 1955 and 1975. The city is now home to more than 100,000 people, and has a population of more than 1.5 million people. Canberra is home to Australia’s parliament, the Australian House of Reps, and the Australian Senate. It also has a House of Assembly that was established in 1974, with voting rights granted to members in 1974.

Related posts:

Canberra Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory Waterloo Bay massacre Avenue Range Station massacre