" Parliament selects a site
Parliament selects a site
Parliament selects a site, and the Department of Home Affairs announces a competition for its design
- The Constitution left the location of the seat of government to Parliament, specifying only that it was to be in New South Wales but no closer than 100 miles from Sydney. This provision reflected the bitter rivalry between that city and Melbourne, a conflict that prevented either from becoming the seat of government. Eight years of intense political contention and manoeuvring passed before Parliament finally selected the present site in the valley of the Molonglo River. The topographic map and panoramic views in the exhibition show the features of this lightly-populated and seldom-visited location. The photo below shows newly elected Senators James Long (Tasmania) and Arthur Rae (N.S.W.) pretending to 'settle' the dispute about the Canberra site in 1910. 
Few competitors - even those from Australia - had visited the site, and those who entered the contest thus relied on maps and views supplied to them by the Department of Home Affairs. This information allowed them to visualise the gently rolling land extending back from the river before rising steeply to ranges of hills: Mount Ainslie on the North east, Black Mountain to the north west, Mount Russell (now Russell Hill) on the east, and Red Hill on the south. Within these boundaries Vernon (now City) Hill stood on the north side of the river, while on the south side an elevation named Kurrajong (now Capital Hill) rose near the center of the site. Camp Hill formed its lower extension to the north.
The Judges Consider the Plans
HOMEPAGE.