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What is the capital of Australia?

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The capital of Australia is Canberra

Canberra is a planned inland city about 150 kilometres from Australia's east coast, laid out around Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial lake formed by damming the Molonglo River, at an elevation of roughly 580 metres.

Canberra is the capital and seat of government of Australia, a role it has held since 1913. Australia itself has an estimated population of 27,614,411 (2025).

Canberra is not the largest city in Australia. That is Sydney, which makes Australia one of the countries whose capital is not their biggest city.

Canberra at a glance

City population484,630 (2025 estimate)
Country🇦🇺 Australia
Founded1913
Capital since1913
Largest city in AustraliaSydney
Time zoneUTC+10:00 (AEST)
CurrencyAustralian dollar (AUD)

About Canberra

Canberra was purpose-built as the national capital; the American architect Walter Burley Griffin won the 1912 competition to design it, and the city was officially named on 12 March 1913.

Canberra has been the capital of Australia since 1913, the site was chosen as a compromise between the rival cities of Sydney and Melbourne; Melbourne served as the interim seat of government until Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927.

Melbourne was the seat of the Australian federal government from Federation in 1901 until Parliament moved to the newly built Canberra in 1927.

Canberra is Australia's largest inland city, but only the eighth-largest Australian city overall: Sydney and Melbourne are far bigger.

It was built specifically to be the capital, which is why the much larger Sydney and Melbourne are not the seat of government.

City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Canberra.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Australia?
The capital of Australia is Canberra.
Is Canberra the largest city in Australia?
No. The capital of Australia is Canberra, but the largest city is Sydney. Canberra is a purpose-built capital and only Australia's eighth-largest city, so it is not close either way. Sydney and Melbourne are the two largest, and they are near enough that the boundary decides it: Sydney leads on the Australian Bureau of Statistics Greater Capital City Statistical Area, while Melbourne leads on the Significant Urban Area measure.
What is the population of Canberra?
Canberra has a population of about 484,630 (2025 estimate).
Where is Canberra located?
Canberra is a planned inland city about 150 kilometres from Australia's east coast, laid out around Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial lake formed by damming the Molonglo River, at an elevation of roughly 580 metres.
When did Canberra become the capital of Australia?
Canberra has been the capital of Australia since 1913, the site was chosen as a compromise between the rival cities of Sydney and Melbourne; Melbourne served as the interim seat of government until Parliament moved to Canberra in 1927.
What was the capital of Australia before Canberra?
Melbourne was the seat of the Australian federal government from Federation in 1901 until Parliament moved to the newly built Canberra in 1927.
What time zone is Canberra in?
Canberra uses UTC+10:00 (AEST).
What currency is used in Canberra?
Canberra, like the rest of Australia, uses the Australian dollar (AUD, symbol $).

See the full profile of Australia on its country page, or browse every capital city.

Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.