KidZone Geography: Australia

Cities

Australia’s major cities are found around the edge of the country, with most in the South East.

Australian Gold Coast
Photographed by Matt Barrett on Unsplash

The most well known cities in Australia are probably Sydney and Melbourne. These sit on the South Eastern shores of Australia. Sydney is famous for its natural beauty and harbour, home to the Sydney Opera House. It is the capital of New South Wales and close to the Blue Mountains. In comparison, Melbourne is one of the worlds most livable cities (ranking number 2 in the world in 2018). It has a large culture and sport scene and is the capital of the state of Victoria.

Canberra is actually the countries capital. The city is home to many people who have relocated to work in the government, media or attend the prestigious universities. It is housed within its own territory and is home to the nations parliament. Another smaller city is Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory and on the far Northern shore of Australia. The culture of Darwin is influenced by Aboriginal peoples and Asia due to its promimity to both.