Townscape
Canberra (alt 550 m), situated half way between Sydney and Melbourne, is surrounded by a semi-circle of hills (Mount Ainslie, Red Hill, Mount Pleasant, Black Mountain). A central feature of the city is Lake Burley Griffin, a long artificial lake formed in 1964 by a dam on the Molongolo River. The lake separates the northern half of
the city, with its central area (City Hill) on Vernon Circle surrounded by the London Circuit, from the southern half, with the government quarter on Capital Hill (and the embassy quarters). The two parts of the city are linked by Commonwealth Avenue and Kings Avenue, which span the lake. These two avenues, meeting at an acute angle on Capital Hill, are the two sides of a triangle which has Lake Burley Griffin and Parkes Way as its curving base.
Canberra's streets are laid out on a generous scale, with many of them flanked by gardens. Millions of trees have been planted, producing glorious autumn colors.
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