WINTER—SPRING - Canberra 100

They Built This City
building australia
Canberra is that rarity amongst capital cities
across the world: a capital built virtually
from the ground up. The first structures had
specific Commonwealth purposes, such as
the secure vault for the surveyors' maps at
Surveyors' Park, the purpose-built home for
the James Oddie telescope atop Mt Stromlo
and the Kingston Powerhouse, designed by
the Department of Home Affairs in 1912 and
generating electricity for the first residents
of the Federal Capital Territory as early as
August 1915.
But the range of intermittent activity in the
period from the selection of the capital's
Yass-Canberra site in December 1908 up to
the formation of the Federal Capital Advisory
Commission in 1921, so severely affected
by the privations of the Great War, pales into
insignificance when compared with the first
genuine surge of building, the 'frantic rush' as
one commentator has put it, that took place
from the early 1920s to the onset of the
Great Depression in 1929.
Symbolically commencing with the
turning of the 'first sod' for the Provisional
Parliament House in late 1923, this was
largely the period of Sir John Butter's Federal
Capital Commission (1925-29), when
Commonwealth money and legislative clout
brought so many skilled and unskilled workers
to Canberra. Using local building materials
such as the renowned 'Canberra Red' bricks,
some of Canberra's most elegant buildings
were constructed, masterfully -- among them
John Smith Murdoch's Provisional Parliament
House, East and West Blocks, Albert Hall and
what is now the Hyatt Hotel.
Importantly, the skeleton of the plan of
Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony
Griffin had, amidst much controversy, been
gazetted in the mid-1920s. Canberra had
its visionary plan secured and an impressive
suite of first buildings of national significance.
It would be a long wait for a second building
spike, as economic depression and another
world war exerted a terrible toll, but that
would eventually happen when Sir John
Overall's National Capital Development
Commission articulated the modern city
in the 1960s and '70s.
Today, as we celebrate the big Centenary year,
the nation's capital is experiencing a third,
constant stage of active development. It is
an ongoing challenge, one that excites Master
Builders and home builders alike.
14 November
The Master Builders Australia 2013 National
Conference Building Australia will be held at Rydges
Lakeside Hotel, Canberra. The conference will also
take in iconic venues such as the Australian War
Memorial for an offsite evening dinner, and the Great
Hall of Parliament House for the National Awards Dinner.
The national conference will deliver a comprehensive
program of high profile speakers who will examine
the building industry outlook and feature key national
speakers on topics relevant to today’s building and
construction industry.
The program will also incorporate a site visit on the
Friday afternoon for delegates to experience first
hand some of the recent high quality construction
and development being delivered in Canberra.
The conference provides a unique opportunity for
the exchange of information for anyone involved in
the building and construction industry. An extensive
social and partners program is incorporated into the
conference activities.
Rydges Lakeside Hotel
www.masterbuilders.com.au
building the capital,
building the nation
17 – 20 november
The 17 th Engineering Heritage Australia Conference
has been themed Canberra 100 Building the Capital,
Building the Nation and will explore a wide range of
heritage topics relating to the development of the
national capital and the Australian nation, celebrating
the contribution of engineering to nation building over
the past 100 years.
national portrait gallery
www.engineersaustralia.org.au/
canberra
Image: Courtesy of the National Capital Authority.
Senate Rose Gardens tours of
the four gardens' that form
the Old Parliament House
gardens
from November
Old Parliament House Rose Gardens' unrivalled beauty makes
them a popular venue within the Parliamentary Triangle. With
their formal patterned garden beds, seating pavilions, pergolas,
wisteria arbours, cross paths, trellises and open lawns, they offer
connections to Canberra's early history. When the Provisional
(now Old) Parliament House was opened in 1927, the surrounding
limestone plains were windswept and pastoral. The bush landscape
stood in stark contrast to the established lush gardens of the
temporary Parliament in Melbourne.
From 1931 to 1938, the Secretary of the Joint House Department,
Robert Broinowski, set about establishing gardens to the east and
west of Old Parliament House. Hedges surrounding the gardens
were soon planted to mitigate the wind. Tennis courts, a cricket
pitch and bowling green were established along with four rose
gardens for the exclusive use of members and staff.
In 1988, when 'new' Parliament House opened on Capital Hill,
occupation of the Old Parliament House ceased for a time and the
Gardens became neglected, the tennis courts locked and the grand
floral displays reduced in size.
The Old Parliament House Gardens reconstruction program
commenced in 2000 with the replanting of the hedges, and their
original character and design replicated in appreciation of their
historic and cultural significance to the nation. The four rose
gardens have been replanted with new roses and reconstructed to
their original designs.
National Capital Authority horticultural volunteers and staff will
provide tours of the gardens from November 2013 to March 2014.
Senate Rose Gardens
www.nationalcapital.gov.au
canberra100.com.au 103