CLIMATE
The new capital had to be in a "bracing physical situation". As the city would be populated by public servants and legislators, they may fall asleep in a humid tropical environment; the climate must be cool rather than warm, and situated on an elevated site.
SECURITY
The capital must be safe. In the 1900s, attack from the air was not a concern, however attack from the sea was. The location was not to be on the coastline, but still needed a form of port access (which can be seen with the Commonwealth lands at Jervis Bay).
GRANDNESS
The site "had to be worthy to be the capital of a great nation". It mustn't be contaminated by industry or previous urban development. Water supply was essential (for residents, and to create beautiful water "ornaments"). Mountains would also be suitable to provide a grand backdrop for the capital.
Due to the Yass-Canberra region meeting all of these criteria, it was officially chosen for the federal territory in December 1908. Charles Scrivener (a surveyor) was given the task of marking out the boundaries of the actual federal state area; within two months, the territory region was recommended;
- The site was 2,628 square kilometres.
- The site included the Cotter, Molonglo and Queanbeyan river catchments.
- The city itself would sit in the Canberra Valley.
- Railway access to Jervis Bay.
The following quote from Scrivener (1909) describes the advantages of the site;
"A city could be located at Canberra that would be visible on approach for many miles; streets with easy gradients would be readily designed, while prominent hills of moderate altitude present suitable sites for the principal public buildings. The capital would probably lie in an amphitheatre of hills with an outlook towards the north and north-west, well-sheltered from both southerly and westerly winds, and in the immediate vicinity of the capital there are large areas of gently undulating country that would be suitable for the evolutions of large bodies of troops."
Surveyors measuring the contours of the site.
(Image & Information Source: http://www.idealcity.org.au/a_nation_needs-5-the_site.html)
No comments:
Post a Comment