Different locations for 'Canberra'

Not too sure, although I think logic would dictate that NZers and politicians would prefer to be able to not have to onward travel from a port inland. Sure, once planes are a thing, that is different, but that postdates federation.

It may be possible to review the correspondence/speeches of the time from NZ politicians like Stout, to see if they expressed a preference.

I've been scanning through links without success so far, but here is an interesting summary of various points or positions

http://www.gedmartin.net/index.php?id=152&option=com_content&task=view

That's an interesting link; I'll have to read it tomorrow though. I hate to think of the size of the documents you go through which make this seem a 'summary' :p
 
Spot on Dominic I would opt for Albury/Wodonga as the most logical spot for an Australian capital city. I was in the public service (ATO) for 30+ years & detested going to Canberra (the only good thing was the TA) a really soulless place. Given that really only Vic & NSW were population & economic centre's at federation, it also seems logical (mind you dont know what the population was back then but couldnt have been much different to Canberra).
As to NZ joining an Australasian Federation, they saw Aussies as a bunch of convicts & their pollies had too much to lose by joining, which is quite ironic seeing as how many Kiwis live in Oz these days:eek:
As an Irish Pommie migrant who chose to live in Melbourne, it took me a few years to figure out the Mel/Syd thing (maybe if they stopped calling us "mexicans" it might help, mind you Canberrans are guilty of that as well:D) & at least we play Aussie Rules football instead of thugby:p
 
Totally forgot about this. 50 hour weeks... I must object to the accusation of canberra as soulless! As a former sort-of-Melbournian, Canberra is really a lot nicer than most of Melbourne, other than the city itself. I don't know where you live in Melbourne, but I'd take Canberra over, say, Dandenong, or Footscray, or Franganistan any day!

At federation canberra was literally a sheep station; Albury was a transportation hub as it is today. Part of the attraction of Canberra was building it from scratch, but I don't think that that factor was an overly significant one compared to the politics. I still haven't found out much of the specific reasoning behind the decision to place canberra within the parameters set out in the constitution so I'm not sure if that could be changed to Albury, though at the same time I don't know any reason why not. Still need to read more about NZ, when work/Uni allow.
 

WhiteHawk

Banned
All of y'all silly Southrons need to stop your bickering. Brisbane is obviously the only choice for a capital.
 

katchen

Banned
Check out http://www.visitmallacoota.com.au/mallacoota-maps#mallacootainlet
Malcoota Inlet is Croanjigalong National Park and a world biosphere reserve now and nobody now would develop it for the world, but 100 years ago, a harbor bigger and more spectacular than Port Jackson, equidistant between Sydney Melbourne and Hobart, Right on the corner where the Pacific joins the Bass Strait, plenty of rainfall would have been a perfect compromise choice and perfect setting for a capital city for Australia, particularly if Australia also included New Zealand, which Malcoota would also be closest to.
Frankly, I'm surprised that Malcoota did not get colonized during convict days and become a capital city in it's own right. It would have had Bega just north of it and Lakes Entrance to the west of it.
 
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