No visit to Australia is complete without taking a trip to the country’s capital city, Canberra. Canberra was given the distinguished title of capital city by the governor-general’s wife, Lady Denman, on March 12th, 1913. Despite its monumental importance to the country of Australia, Canberra is relatively small, only measuring 314.4 square miles. Just for comparison, Sydney, Australia measures in at 4,775 square miles, roughly 15 times larger than Canberra.

Despite its minuscule size, Canberra is home to some of the most important destinations in the entire country. The first places to visit on your tour around Canberra should be the Parliament House.

Australia’s parliament house was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on May 9th, 1988 due to the fact that Australia is a part of the British monarchy, and the only person in the monarchy allowed to distinguish a new place of government is the Queen. The slick modern design was envisioned by architects Romaldo Giurgola of the Mitchell Giurgola and Thorp Architects firm. This building has been home to every single Australian parliament since 1988 and houses the country’s most prestigious events. The parliament house is truly the epicenter of Australia’s government and the beating heart of the capital city, due to the fact that most major celebrations are held in the parliament house.

The second must visit place on your tour around Canberra is the Australian War Memorial. This memorial was opened in 1941, and includes an extensive national military museum. This War Memorial is a tribute to the members of Australia’s armed forces and supporting organizations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia. The beautiful memorial resides in the suburb of Campbell, Canberra and was designed by Emil Sodersten and John Crust. The Australian War memorial museum contains a vast collection of national war relics, official and private records, art, photographs, film, and sound. The museum uses all of these items together in order to manufacture a comprehensive and accurate story of Australia’s experience in world wars, regional conflict, and international peacekeeping.

The next stop on your tour of Canberra should be the Royal Australian Mint. The Royal Australian Mint was created in 1965 and produces all of the circulating coins in the country of Australia. The mint also engages in the production of medals and awards, tokens, medallions, and jewelry items, making it one of the must important and lucrative establishments in the entire country of Australia. In addition to all of the actual coin made at the mint, the establishment also operates an e-commerce portal, which is a network of domestic and international coin dealers that is run entirely online. This helps the Royal Australian Mint procure rare and valuable coins that are important to the history of Australia. So, if you ever find yourself in the possession of a rare and valuable Australian coin, notify the mint through the e-commerce portal and you will be offered a great deal of money. The mint is one of the most important places in Australia because it is the heart and soul of Australia’s economic and monetary system.

Canberra is the most important city in the entire country of Australia. It houses the major hubs of both the legislative and economic systems and is the capital of this great country. Despite its minuscule size, Canberra offers an infinite number of events, activities, and places to experience. I promise, if you choose to visit you will never get bored.