Canberra was officially founded and named on 12 March 1913, at a ceremony on Kurrajong Hill (now Capital Hill) where the name “Canberra” was proclaimed for Australia’s new federal capital city.

Key founding facts

  • The site for the national capital in southeastern New South Wales was selected in 1909 after long debate between Sydney and Melbourne.
  • On 12 March 1913, foundation stones were laid and Lady Denman, the Governor-General’s wife, formally announced the name “Canberra,” a date now marked each year around Canberra Day.

Earlier history of the area

  • European settlement in the district began in the 1820s, with pastoral properties such as Joshua John Moore’s “Canberry” station established by the mid-1820s.
  • The name evolved from early forms like “Canberry” or “Canbury,” which likely derived from an Aboriginal word often interpreted as meaning “meeting place”.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.