Canberra has seen in its 100th year with a 100 firework salute and a packed Civic party celebrating the last moments of 2012.
Thousands of Canberrans partied into 2013 in Civic Square, where two centenary-themed fireworks displays marked the beginning of what the crowd was calling a year of celebration.
Families flocked to the 9pm display, where Japanese-inspired ''cherry blossom'' fireworks dazzled the crowd.
The midnight session was ''more rock n' roll'', Fireworks Australia director Martin Brady said, and ended with 100 fireworks shot from a device prepared specifically for the centenary show.
Australian rocker Diesel led the music line-up, but local acts Tuchasoul and Heuristic had the crowds on their feet early in the night.
Jerrabomberra resident Katrina Hampton was spending her first New Year's Eve in Civic with her daughter Ashley, 6, and son Matthew, 19 months.
''We normally go away with family this time of year so it's nice to spend it here with other families,'' she said.
''It's great, a nice family event.''
Sonia McDonnell is a regular at the Civic event and travels from Perth every year to attend.
''Our son lives here and we've come the last six years for this,'' she said.
''They don't have anything like this in Perth.
''It's so family friendly and the music is great.''
Cathy Sforcina was seeing in her second year in Canberra and said the city was starting to feel more like home.
''It's lovely here and, after moving from the Gold Coast, I'm getting used to the cold,'' she said. ''This year is a whole year of celebration and I'm really looking forward to it.''
Leanne Howe said she would not have started the city's centenary year any other way.
The Ngunnawal resident arrived in Civic early with her niece Jade Butters, nephews Aiden Butters and Liam Bolitho and four other family members.
''There's nine of us here,'' she said.
''Grandma, aunties, uncles, cousins, the whole family.
''It's our second year here and at this time of night it's family friendly - it lets the kids celebrate without it being too late, and the music is great.''
Ms Howe, a born and bred Canberran, said the centenary would be a special time for residents of the city.
''We'll definitely be hanging around for Australia Day, Canberra Day, the whole lot,'' she said.
''We love it here.''
ACT Policing said crowds at the early event had been well behaved.
EventsACT marketing manager Adelina La Vita said the number of families in Civic was higher than expected.
''We've never seen crowds like this and teeming through so early in the night as well,'' she said.
''The fireworks were just spectacular, really special and the weather has held out as well.
''It's been just a perfect evening.
''It's a great way to bring Canberra together in the one place.''
Canberra's Century
Canberra's Century
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Canberra's Century
So Perth is a hellhole then? Families are hated and shunned?Gob wrote:
''They don't have anything like this in Perth.
''It's so family friendly and the music is great.''
Sorry to hear it.
yrs,
rubato
Re: Canberra's Century
Yawn.... More shit from the coward....
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Canberra's Century
That's interesting...
I wasn't aware that Canberra was such a relatively new city....
I wasn't aware that Canberra was such a relatively new city....
Re: Canberra's Century
The district's change from a New South Wales (NSW) rural area to the national capital started during debates over Federation in the late 19th century.
Following a long dispute over whether Sydney or Melbourne should be the national capital, a compromise was reached: the new capital would be built in New South Wales, so long as it was at least 100 miles (160 km) from Sydney, with Melbourne to be the temporary seat of government (but not referred to as the "capital") while the new capital was built. Newspaper proprietor John Gale circulated a pamphlet titled 'Dalgety or Canberra: Which?' advocating Canberra to every member of the Commonwealth's seven States Parliaments. By many accounts, it was decisive in the selection of Canberra as the site in 1908, as was a result of survey work done by the government surveyor Charles Scrivener. The NSW government ceded the Federal Capital Territory (as it was then known) to the federal government. In an international design competition conducted by the Department of Home Affairs, on 24 May 1911, the design by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was chosen for the city, and in 1913 Griffin was appointed Federal Capital Director of Design and Construction and construction began.
On 12 March 1913, the city was officially given its name by Lady Denman, the wife of Governor-General Lord Denman, at a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, which has since become Capital Hill and the site of the present Parliament House. Canberra Day is a public holiday observed in the ACT on the second Monday in March to celebrate the founding of Canberra.
The federal legislature moved to Canberra on 9 May 1927, with the opening of the Provisional Parliament House. The Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, had officially taken up residence in The Lodge a few days earlier. Planned development of the city slowed significantly during the depression of the 1930s and during World War II. Some projects planned for that time, including Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals, were never completed
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”