Guess the Town #2: Canberra

The six clues

1. 1
   Clue 1 of 6, the vaguest

   Frosty winters, hot summers, and a high inland setting about 580 metres above sea level.

2. 2
   Clue 2 of 6, broad

   An international design competition in 1912 drew 137 entries, and an American architect won.

3. 3
   Clue 3 of 6, getting warmer

   It was built from scratch as a planned city, rather than growing around a port or a goldfield.

4. 4
   Clue 4 of 6, distinctive

   A central lake was created here in the 1960s by damming a river.

5. 5
   Clue 5 of 6, nearly named

   Its spring flower festival, Floriade, began in 1988 to mark the city's 75th birthday.

6. 6
   Clue 6 of 6, the giveaway

   Australia's capital city, home of Parliament House, in its own territory, the ACT.

About Canberra

Canberra is Australia's planned capital, designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin after a 1912 competition. Lady Denman announced its name in 1913, a lake was formed in the 1960s, and Floriade fills Commonwealth Park with flowers each spring.

Did you know?

Who announced the name 'Canberra' at the naming ceremony in 1913?

Lady Denman. She was the wife of Governor-General Lord Denman. The ACT marks the city's founding with Canberra Day each March.

Which American architect won the 1912 competition to design Canberra?

Walter Burley Griffin. His design was chosen from 137 entries. His wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, was also an architect.

Canberra's central lake was created in 1963 by damming which river?

Molonglo River. Scrivener Dam's valves were closed on 20 September 1963, but a drought delayed the filling until rain came in 1964.