Are you wondering, ‘Is Sydney the capital of Australia?’ Well, you’re not alone. In fact, this is one of the most common misconceptions about Australia.
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Read on to find out if Sydney is the capital city of Australia (hint: it’s not!) and what the actual city of Australia is.
When I moved to Sydney, I knew what the actual capital city was, but only because it was a common pop quiz question in the UK! The question catches people out because Sydney is so famous, and we naturally assume it would be the capital.
But while non-Australians presume that Sydney, the largest city in Australia (or otherwise Melbourne, the second largest city) is the capital, this isn’t actually the case.
It’s also worth remembering that before it became a significant city, Aboriginal peoples already lived in the area we now know as Sydney. So I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people, the traditional custodians of the Eora Nation, and pay respects to the elders, past and present.
Is Sydney the capital of Australia?
No, Sydney is not the capital city of Australia. The capital city of Australia is Canberra.
However, Sydney is the biggest city in Australia and home to some of the country’s most iconic landmarks; you’ll seldom meet someone who’s never seen a photo of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In addition, it is considered a major economic and cultural hub.
What is the capital city of Australia?
The capital city of Australia is Canberra.
Canberra was purpose-built to be established as a capital city and officially replaced Melbourne (which served as a temporary capital during the early years of the federation) in 1927. Canberra is home to the Australian Parliament House, the High Court of Australia, and various other government institutions.
Why was Canberra chosen to be the capital city of Australia instead of Sydney?
Although Sydney and Melbourne both advocated to become Australia’s capital city, Canberra was chosen to be the capital for logistic, strategic, and political reasons.
Firstly, Canberra is more geographically neutral than Sydney or Melbourne. So the government wanted a capital city that wasn’t dominated by one of these major cities.
Secondly, Canberra was designed and purpose-built with the specific intention of establishing it as the capital of Australia. The American architects Marion Mahony Griffin and Walter Burley Griffin provided the original blueprint during an international design contest, aiming for Canberra to be a functional and aesthetic city and truly meet the needs of a capital city.
Building a new city to be the capital also had symbolic importance. By selecting Canberra, a new city could be built on a (metaphorical) foundation of representing the ideals of a newly federated nation, such as unity and neutrality between the different states and territories.
Finally, because Canberra is inland, it was also considered less vulnerable to potential naval attacks and more secure than Melbourne and Sydney, which are both coastal cities.
| Candidates for the capital city of Australia: | Canberra | Sydney | Melbourne |
| Years of being the capital city of Australia | 1927 | Never | 1901 – 1927 (selected as the temporary seat of government) |
| Location | Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | New South Wales (NSW) | Victoria (VIC) |
| Population (approx) | 472000 | 5.3 million | 5 million |
| Date Established | 12 March 1913 (construction commenced) | 26 January 1788 | 30 August 1835 |
| Area | 814.22 | 12367.7 km2 | 9993km2 |
| Landmarks & things to see | Parliament House (past and present), Australia War Memorial, Mount Ainslie Lookout, National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Arboretum Canberra and more. | Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, The Rocks, coastal walks and kayaking in the harbour, Royal Botanic Garden, Darling Harbour, Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of NSW, and more. | Sports arenas (such as Melbourne Cricket Ground), Flinders Street Railway Station, photogenic places like Melbourne street art, National Gallery of Australia, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Skydeck, and more. |
Did you know? The origins of the word ‘Canberra’ are still up for debate, with various locals, including the Ngunnawal elder Don Bell, speculating over its true meaning. Possible origins include ‘meeting place,’ women’s breasts,’ and the ‘gap between a woman’s breasts.’ Well, that’s something I didn’t expect to learn today!
Likely, the latter meaning is meant to symbolise a valley nestled between two mountains, which makes more sense when you consider the mountains dominating Canberra’s skyline. However, when asked, perhaps it’s more polite to say that Australia’s capital city’s namesake is ‘meeting place’ and not ‘boobs.’
Why do people mistake Sydney as the capital of Australia?
Well, Sydney is still a prominent city in Australia, although it’s not the capital.
Sydney is also strongly associated with Australian culture due to its famous landmarks, movies and its famous New Year’s Eve fireworks show, which is often broadcast across the world to signal one of the first countries to pass into the new year.
Most of us have seen many photos of Sydney but may have never seen one of Canberra, so the confusion is understandable. Likewise, Sydney has more intentional visibility, leading to it being more familiar to those who grew up outside of Australia. When we picture the Australia capital city, Sydney automatically comes to mind as the most feasible option.
Also, many of us grew up in countries where the biggest city is also the capital. So, for example, London is the biggest city in the UK, Paris is the largest city in France, Berlin is the biggest in Germany, and so on throughout much of Western Europe, and they are also the capital.
So it’s natural that we associate the most populous and largest cities with being the capital. However, when I moved to Australia and later New Zealand, it took some time to get used to the fact that both countries largest cities are different from their capitals. For example, Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand and not Auckland.
However, even though Canberra’s the true capital, both cities are brilliant and worth visiting in their own right. I loved living in Sydney and Melbourne. But I really enjoyed my visit to Canberra, too, and I got to explore a few of Canberra’s key sites, like the National Gallery of Australia, the National Arboretum, and Mount Ainslee Lookout. The city’s layout felt spacious and aesthetic, so it was easy to imagine Canberra being purposefully built to be the capital.
Where is Canberra, the capital city of Australia?
Australia’s capital, Canberra, is located in the aptly named Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which lies in the Southeastern part of Australia.
Canberra is approximately 280 kilometres (170 miles) southwest of Sydney and 660 kilometres (410 miles) northeast of Melbourne. Canberra is located inland, away from the coastal areas, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which is surrounded by the state of New South Wales.
Was Sydney ever the capital city of Australia?
No, Sydney has never been the capital city of Australia. However, when Australia became a federation in 1901, Sydney was considered a potential capital due to its size and prominence.
However, a compromise was reached, and the city of Canberra was selected to be the purpose-built capital of Australia. The construction of Canberra began in 1913 and officially became the capital in 1927. Since then, Sydney has remained the largest and most populous city in Australia, but it has never held the status of being the capital.
Is Sydney a capital city of New South Wales?
Yes, although Sydney is not the capital of Australia, Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, one of the six states of Australia.
New South Wales (NSW) is the most populous state in the country and is bordered by three other states, Queensland, South Australia, and Victoria, alongside the Tasman Sea to the east.
Summary: Is Sydney the capital city of Australia?
I hope this blog post answered all your questions and helped you learn about what the capital of Australia is (Canberra!), as well as giving some interesting background information on why Sydney isn’t the capital.
As I wrote before, I love all of the Australian cities listed in this blog post. So whether or not Sydney, Melbourne, or Canberra ended up being the capital, they all have an essential part to play in Australian history and culture.
