Everything about Parliamentary Triangle Canberra totally explained
The
Parliamentary Triangle is the ceremonial precinct of
Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The triangle is formed by
Commonwealth,
Kings and Constitution avenues. Buildings within the triangle have been located and designed intentionally for visual effect, and those of national significance are popular tourist attractions.
The Parliamentary Triangle was a significant feature of
Walter Burley Griffin’s plan for Canberra. The apices of the triangle are
Parliament House, the seat of government; the Defence Head Quarters at
Russell; and
City Hill, representing the civilian part of Canberra. Griffin planned the city around two axes which converge in the center of the Parliamentary Triangle. The land axis connects
Mount Ainslie,
Capital Hill and
Red Hill and extends off towards
Mount Bimberi the
Australian Capital Territory's highest mountain. The water axis runs at right angles to the land axis along the length of
Lake Burley Griffin.
The southern shore of the lake bi-sects the Parliamentary Triangle forming a smaller triangle known as the Parliamentary Zone. The Parliamentary Zone contains almost all of the significant buildings located within the Parliamentary Triangle.
Consistent with Walter Burley Griffin’s
Garden City design, the Parliamentary Triangle is characterised by streets lined with large deciduous trees, and buildings set in expanses of grassed parkland. Consequently it has a very open feel and buildings are located several minutes walk away from one another. It was Griffin's original intention for more grand government buildings to be located within the precinct, however these have not eventuated as yet.
Development within the Parliamentary triangle is strictly controlled by the
National Capital Authority – an agency of the Commonwealth Government within the
Department of Transport and Regional Services.
Significant buildings and monuments
The area covered by the Parliamentary Triangle corresponds largely with the suburb of
Parkes. Parliament House and
Old Parliament House are the most significant features within the triangle. Other buildings significant to the design and symmetry of the triangle are the
High Court and the
National Gallery, located near the lake, forward of Old Parliament house and to the east, and the
National Library and the
National Science and Technology Centre (or Questacon) located forward of Old Parliament House and to the west.
Commonwealth Place is located at the centre of the lakeshore and
Commonwealth Park and
Kings Park line the opposite shore of the lake. Other significant buildings within the precinct include the Department of the
Treasury, the John Gorton Building which houses the
Department of Finance and Administration and the
Department of the Environment and Water Resources. The
National Rose Garden is located beside old Parliament House and the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy is located in front of it.
Reconciliation Place, a monument to
reconciliation between Australia’s
Indigenous people and the settler population is located near the High Court. The
National Archives and ‘West Block’ - old departmental offices – are located behind the Old Parliament House near Kings Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue respectively. Other government departments, such as the
Attorney-General’s Department and the
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet are located in the suburb of
Barton nearby.
Connection with Washington, D.C.
There are similarities with the design of Canberra and that of
Washington, D.C. Both consist of Parliamentary Triangles that link up the House of Government with other monuments and important places.
Restaurants and recreation
The Parliamentary Triangle has several dining and recreational facilities which cater to the large number of departmental employees, tourists and Canberra locals. Cafes are located in the National Gallery and National Library. ‘The Lobby’ located near Old Parliament House and the ‘Café in the House’ located within it, are restaurants popular with public servants. The Café in the House has recently developed into a trendy bar popular with younger public servants on Friday evenings. The ‘Waters Edge’ is a restaurant located in Commonwealth Place.
External reference
Further Information
Get more info on 'Parliamentary Triangle Canberra'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://parliamentary_triangle__canberra.totallyexplained.com">Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
