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View From Bimberi Peak - ACT/NSW State Border Bimberi Range, Namadgi National Park, Australian Capital Territory, Australia The trig station in this view is on the summit of Bimberi Peak, which at 1913 metres (6276 feet) is the highest point in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and is only 318 metres (1043 feet) below Australia's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko. Bimberi Peak is located on the western border of the ACT, with New South Wales (NSW) on the other side of the border. On the first day of January 1901, the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania joined together in a new Commonwealth of Australia. The selection of a site for the National Capital for the new nation was not to be easy. Both before and after Federation there was much public bickering about what and where a federal territory and Seat of Government should be. When the constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia was being negotiated between the colonies, Melbourne and Sydney each wanted to become the capital. The new Constitution directed that the seat of government should occupy its own Territory in New South Wales and said that the Parliament must choose a site at least 100 miles (160 kilometres) from Sydney and that the Parliament would sit in Melbourne until a new parliament house was built in the new capital. The Australian Government took possession of 2357 square kilometres (910 square miles) of land from New South Wales in 1911 to form the Australian Capital Territory as the site for the Australian national capital. That capital, Canberra, lies between Sydney, 307 kilometres north-east, and Melbourne 655 kilometres south-west. The western boundary of the territory follows the watershed of the Brindabella Range, a northern extension of the Snowy Mountains. The southern and western parts of the territory are mountainous, reaching a maximum height of 1913 metres (6276 feet) at Bimberi Peak. In the northeastern section there are broad valleys between rounded hills. The territory is located some 50 to 100 kilometres (30 to 60 miles) from the coast. Its rugged topography leaves only about 775 square kilometres (300 square miles) suitable for urban development. The present site was chosen in 1908. In 1911 an international competition was held, and Canberra was begun. The Federal Government officially moved there from Melbourne in 1926. At first the Public Service continued to be administered from Melbourne, but the various departments were gradually moved to Canberra over the years. The territory was initially known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In 1938, the territory was formally named the Australian Capital Territory. The original plan for Canberra devised by Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin has been realised brilliantly. Capital Hill is the site of today's Parliament House, which is a major feature of Burley Griffin's "land axis", a line running from Bimberi Peak through Red Hill and Capital Hill, across Lake Burley Griffin, then up Anzac Parade to the Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie. This view is taken from the ACT side of the border, in Namadgi National Park. Namadgi was proclaimed as a National Park in 1984. Namadgi National Park is located in the southwestern part of the Australian Capital Territory, bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Canberra, extended in 1991, it now covers 106000 hectares or 45 per cent of the ACT. The park protects part of the northern end of the Australian Alps with its spectacular granite mountains. Its habitat ranges from grassy plains over snow gum forests to alpine meadows. The fauna is also varied: Eastern Grey Kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, magpies, rosellas, and ravens are commonly seen. Among other things, Namadgi contains the most northerly sub-alpine environment in Australia. The Corin, Bendora and Cotter dam catchments, which supply the bulk of Canberra and Queanbeyan’s drinking water, lie mainly within Namadgi. The water catchment area of the park supplies approximately 85% of Canberra's water. Corin Dam, part of the Canberra water supply system, can been seen in the valley below Bimberi Peak in this photo. This close proximity of clean and reliable water flowing from largely undisturbed catchments was a major contributor to the decision to choose the location of Canberra as Australia’s capital. This area of Namadgi National Park is called the Bimberi Wilderness. The Bimberi Wilderness surrounds Bimberi Peak and extends into NSW, where it is at the Northern end of the NSW Kosciuszko National Park. Notwithstanding the January 2003 bushfires, it contains some of the least disturbed ecosystems in the Australian Alps and, as such, is of very high conservation value. The actual ACT/NSW border comes up the mountain on the other side of the trig station, along the ridgeline to the right of the trig station, and then along the ridgelines and peaks off into the distance. When looking at the trig station, ACT is on the left side of the photo, with NSW to the right side behind the ridgeline. Behind the scene : Choosing a Location
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