Australian Towns & Cities
Australian Capital Territory: Parkes
Incorporating photos and Information from Michael Greenslade's former Australian Towns, Cities and Highways site

Parkes is located in the South Canberra district of the ACT, and covers most of the Parliamentary Zone, and includes landmarks such as Old Parliament House (Museum of Australian Democracy), The Carillon, The High Court, The National Library and several other buildings significant to the Commonwealth of Australia. Parkes encompasses both the north and south side of the ornamental lake, Lake Burley Griffin, which was formed by damming the Molonglo River and named after the city's original architect, Walter Burley Griffin. Parkes contains many of Canberra's large institutions and contains no residential area.

Parkes is named in honour of Sir Henry Parkes, a Federalist, legislator and one of the founders of the Australian Constitution. Streets in Parkes are named after monarchs and constitutional references. 1


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Old Parliment House:
Australia's original parliament house on King George Tce, June 2017. Parliament sat in this location between 1927 to 1988 and was intended to be a temporary structure.

Image © Paul Rands

High Court of Australia:
The High Court of Australia, from Queen Elizabeth Tce, June 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

High Court of Australia:
The High Court of Australia, from Aspen Island, June 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

National Carillon:
View of the National Carillon from Queen Elizabeth Tce, June 2017. Located on Aspen Island, within Lake Burley Griffin, the National Carillon was a gift from the British Government to the people of Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national capital. Queen Elizabeth II accepted the National Carillon on behalf of Australians on 26 April 1970. 3

Image © Paul Rands

National Carillon:
View of the National Carillon, November 2017. Located on Aspen Island, within Lake Burley Griffin, the National Carillon was a gift from the British Government to the people of Australia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national capital. Queen Elizabeth II accepted the National Carillon on behalf of Australians on 26 April 1970. 3

Image © Paul Rands

Commonwealth Place:
View of the boardwalk and international flag display at Commonwealth Pl, with Black Mountain and Telstra Tower in the distance, November 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Lake Burley Griffin:
View of Lake Burley Griffin from Aspen Island, November 2017. The High Court rises above the trees, with Black Mountain and Telstra Tower in the distance, and the Captain Cook Memorial Jet flowing to the right.

Image © Paul Rands

National Library:
View of the National Library from Wendouree Dr, November 2017. The National Library holds a copy of every publication released in Australia.

Image © Paul Rands

Parliament House:
View old Old and New Parliment Houses from The Rond Terraces, November 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Captain Cook Memorial Globe:
The Captain Cook Memorial Globe is located at Regatta Point, and chronicles the voyages made by Captain Cook, November 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

1 ACT Government, Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, Street and suburb names: Parkes
2 Australian Bureau of Statistic,s Parkes (state suburb), 2016 Census QuickStats
3 National Capital Authority, National Carillon

Last updated: 30-Jul-2020 10:26

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