The National Triangle, also known as the Parliamentary Triangle, is the ceremonial precinct of Canberra, containing some of Australia's most significant buildings. The Triangle is formed by
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
,
Kings and Constitution Avenues. Buildings within the National Triangle have been located and designed intentionally for visual effect, and those of national significance are popular tourist attractions.
The National Triangle was a significant feature of
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...
's Plan for Canberra. The apices of the triangle are
Parliament House, the seat of government; the Defence Headquarters at
Russell; and
City Hill, representing the civilian part of Canberra. Griffin planned the city around two axes which converge in the centre of the National Triangle. The land axis connects
Mount Ainslie
Mount Ainslie is a hill with an elevation of that is located in the northeastern suburbs of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Mount Ainslie lies within part of the Canberra Nature Park.
Cultural significance
Accordi ...
,
Capital Hill and
Red Hill and extends off towards
Mount Bimberi the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
'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 Lake Burley Griffin bisects the National Triangle forming a smaller Triangle known as the Parliamentary Zone bounded by Kings and Commonwealth Avenues.
Consistent with Walter Burley Griffin's
Garden City design, the National 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, but these have not eventuated as yet.
Development within the National Triangle is strictly controlled by the
National Capital Authority, an agency of the Commonwealth Government (not the ACT Government) within the
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Significant buildings and monuments
The area covered by the National Triangle corresponds largely with the suburb of
Parkes. Parliament House and
Old Parliament House are the most significant features within the National Triangle. Other buildings significant to the design and symmetry of the Triangle are the
High Court and the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
, located near Lake Burley Griffin, forward of Old Parliament House and to the east, and the
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
and
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 and the
John Gorton Building. The
National Carillon, a gift from the British government which marked 50 years since the establishment of Canberra, is located on
Queen Elizabeth II Island.
The
National Rose Garden is located beside old Parliament House and the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy is located in front of it.
Reconciliation Place
Reconciliation Place is an urban landscape design in the Parliamentary Triangle Canberra, Australia dedicated to reconciliation in Australia, reconciliation between Australia's Indigenous peoples and the mainly European settler population. Reconc ...
, a monument to
reconciliation
Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to:
Accounting
* Reconciliation (accounting)
Arts, entertainment, and media Books
* Reconciliation (Under the North Star), ''Reconciliation'' (''Under the North Star''), the third volume of the ''Under the ...
between Australia's
indigenous people and the
settler
A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...
population is located near the High Court. The
National Archives
National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention.
Conceptual development
From the Middle Ages i ...
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., and Brasília
There are similarities with the design of Canberra and that of Washington, D.C., and Brasília. The three cities consist of triangles that link up the House of Government with other monuments and important places.
Restaurants and recreation
The National 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.
See also
*
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
External reference
Parliament Act 1974The National Capital Expands - NCAParliamentary Zone Info Sheet
References
{{Reflist
Canberra urban places
Landmarks in Canberra
Tourist attractions in Canberra