Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra
Encyclopedia
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The triangle is formed by Commonwealth
Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra
Commonwealth Avenue is a major road in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It connects Civic with South Canberra. Specifically, it runs between City Hill and Capital Hill....
, Kings
Kings Avenue, Canberra
Kings Avenue is a road in Canberra which goes between New Parliament House , across Lake Burley Griffin at the Kings Avenue Bridge , to Russell near the Australian-American Monument ....
and Constitution avenues. Buildings within the triangle have been located and designed intentionally for visual effect, and those of national significance are popular tourist attractions.
The Parliamentary Triangle was a significant feature of Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
’s plan for Canberra. The apices of the triangle are Parliament House
Parliament House, Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia...
, the seat of government; the Defence Head Quarters at Russell
Russell, Australian Capital Territory
Russell is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district. Russell is one of the smallest suburbs in Canberra, comprising a number of government offices but no private residences...
; and City Hill
City Hill, Canberra
City Hill is a park located in Canberra, Australia on one of the points of the Parliamentary Triangle, a feature of Walter Burley Griffin's plan for the city. The park is surrounded by Vernon Circle, at the south end of Northbourne Avenue but the precinct extends to London Circuit and is an...
, representing the civilian part of Canberra. Griffin planned the city around two axes which converge in the center of the Parliamentary Triangle. The land axis connects Mount Ainslie
Mount Ainslie (Australian Capital Territory)
Mount Ainslie or Mount Ainslie-Majura is a part of Canberra Nature Park. It borders on the inner suburbs of Campbell, Ainslie and Hackett...
, Capital Hill
Capital Hill, Australian Capital Territory
Capital Hill , is the location of Parliament House, Canberra, at the south apex of the land axis of the Parliamentary Triangle....
and Red Hill
Red Hill, Australian Capital Territory
Red Hill is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after the northernmost hill of the ridge to the west of the suburb. The ridge is a reserve and managed as part of the Canberra Nature Park. The hill is an element of the central Canberra design...
and extends off towards Mount Bimberi the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
's highest mountain. The water axis runs at right angles to the land axis along the length of Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed...
.
The southern shore of the lake bisects the Parliamentary Triangle forming a smaller triangle known as the Parliamentary Zone. The Parliamentary Zone contains almost all of the significant buildings located within the Parliamentary Triangle.
Consistent with Walter Burley Griffin’s Garden City
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
design, the Parliamentary Triangle is characterised by streets lined with large deciduous trees, and buildings set in expanses of grassed parkland. Consequently it has a very open feel and buildings are located several minutes walk away from one another. It was Griffin's original intention for more grand government buildings to be located within the precinct, however these have not eventuated as yet.
Development within the Parliamentary triangle is strictly controlled by the National Capital Authority
National Capital Authority
The National Capital Authority is a body of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia....
– an agency of the Commonwealth Government within the Department of Transport and Regional Services
Department of Transport and Regional Services (Australia)
The Department of Infrastructure and Transport is an Australian Government department. It deals with transport infrastructure, transport security, roads, aviation, and maritime development...
.
Significant buildings and monuments
Parkes, Australian Capital Territory
Parkes is an inner suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located south of the Canberra CBD, Parkes contains the Parliamentary Triangle area. On Census night 2006, Parkes had a population of 4 people....
. Parliament House and Old Parliament House
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
are the most significant features within the triangle. Other buildings significant to the design and symmetry of the triangle are the High Court
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
and the National Gallery
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
, located near the lake, forward of Old Parliament house and to the east, and the National Library
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
and the National Science and Technology Centre (or Questacon) located forward of Old Parliament House and to the west. Commonwealth Place
Commonwealth Place, Canberra
Commonwealth Place is located on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra. It lies along the ‘water axis’ running along the lake from Black Mountain. Commonwealth Place is the location of the , Reconciliation Place, a restaurant and Speakers Square...
is located at the centre of the lakeshore and Commonwealth Park and Kings Park
Kings Park, Canberra
Kings Park is a park in Canberra, Australia on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin.Kings Park is near Kings Avenue bridge on the North side of Lake Burley Griffin's Central Basin. It is bounded to the north by Parkes Way. The best known feature is the Carillon which is located on Aspen Island, just...
line the opposite shore of the lake. Other significant buildings within the precinct include the Department of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury (Australia)
The Department of the Treasury is an Australian Government department. Its role is to focus and develop economic policy.-History:The Commonwealth Treasury was established in Melbourne in January 1901....
, the John Gorton Building which houses the Department of Finance and Administration
Department of Finance and Administration (Australia)
The Department of Finance and Deregulation is an Australian Government department. Its role is to help the Australian Government achieve its policy objectives by contributing to four key outcomes:* sustainable Government finances....
and the Department of the Environment and Water Resources. The National Rose Garden
National Rose Garden, Canberra
The National Rose Gardens are located in Parkes Canberra, Australia, at the sides of Old Parliament House at the side of the Senate and the House of Representatives....
is located beside old Parliament House and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
is located in front of it. Reconciliation Place
Reconciliation Place
Reconciliation Place is an urban landscape design in the Parliamentary Triangle Canberra, Australia, commenced in 2001 as a monument to reconciliation between Australia’s Indigenous people and settler population....
, a monument to reconciliation between Australia’s Indigenous people
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and the settler population is located near the High Court. The National Archives
National Archives of Australia
The National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth Government records. It is an Executive Agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig.The national...
and ‘West Block’ - old departmental offices – are located behind the Old Parliament House near Kings Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue respectively. Other government departments, such as the Attorney-General’s Department
Attorney-General's Department (Australia)
The Attorney-General's Department is an Australian Government Department. Its role is to serve the people of Australia by providing essential expert support to the Government in the maintenance and improvement of Australia's system of law and justice...
and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is an Australian Government department. The Department was first established in 1911...
are located in the suburb of Barton
Barton, Australian Capital Territory
Barton is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Barton is named after Sir Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister. Streets in Barton are named after Governors....
nearby.
Connection with Washington, D.C.
There are similarities with the design of Canberra and that of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Both consist of triangles that link up the House of Government with other monuments and important places.