Canberra topographic map
Click on the map to display elevation.
Canberra
The area chosen for the capital had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for up to 21,000 years, with the principal group being the Ngunnawal people. European settlement commenced in the first half of the 19th century, as evidenced by surviving landmarks such as St John's Anglican Church and Blundells Cottage. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies of Australia was achieved. 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. The capital city was founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913. A blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected after an international design contest, and construction commenced in 1913. Unusual among Australian cities, it is an entirely planned city. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks such as Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, Capital Hill and City Hill. Canberra's mountainous location makes it the only mainland Australian city where snow-capped mountains can be seen in winter; although snow in the city itself is uncommon.
About this map
Name: Canberra topographic map, elevation, terrain.
Average elevation: 638 m
Minimum elevation: 395 m
Maximum elevation: 1,238 m
Australia trails, hiking, mountain biking, running and outdoor activities
Other topographic maps
Click on a map to view its topography, its elevation and its terrain.
Sydney
Sydney's topography is characterized by a diverse landscape that seamlessly blends coastal features with inland plateaus. The city is divided into two primary regions: the relatively flat Cumberland Plain to the south and west of Sydney Harbour, and the elevated Hornsby Plateau to the north. The Cumberland…
Average elevation: 53 m
City of Melbourne
Melbourne's topography is characterized by a diverse landscape that transitions from flat coastal plains to rolling hills and mountainous regions. The city is situated at the northern end of Port Phillip Bay, where the terrain is predominantly flat, facilitating urban development. As one moves eastward, the…
Average elevation: 18 m
Victoria
Victoria, Australia, exhibits a remarkably varied topography shaped by the Great Dividing Range, which forms a west-to-east spine across the state. In the northeast, the Victorian Alps rise to the state’s highest point, Mount Bogong at 1,986 meters, amid deep valleys and snow-capped ridges, while westward,…
Average elevation: 179 m
New South Wales
New South Wales (NSW), located on Australia's eastern seaboard, boasts a diverse topography that significantly influences its landscapes and ecosystems. The state's eastern edge is dominated by a narrow coastal plain, featuring regions such as the Illawarra and Shoalhaven near Nowra, characterized by rolling…
Average elevation: 154 m
Queensland
Queensland's topography is characterized by a diverse landscape that includes coastal plains, mountain ranges, plateaus, and expansive inland areas. The Great Dividing Range runs parallel to the state's eastern coast, forming a series of mountain ranges, plateaus, and upland areas. This range influences the…
Average elevation: 122 m
Western Australia
Because the only mountain-building since then has been of the Stirling Range with the rifting from Antarctica, the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the state above 1,245 metres (4,085 ft) AHD (at Mount Meharry in the Hamersley Range of the Pilbara region). Most of the state is a low…
Average elevation: 194 m
Melbourne
Melbourne is also prone to isolated convective showers forming when a cold pool crosses the state, especially if there is considerable daytime heating. These showers are often heavy and can include hail, squalls, and significant drops in temperature, but they often pass through very quickly with a rapid…
Average elevation: 185 m
Melbourne
Melbourne is also prone to isolated convective showers forming when a cold pool crosses the state, especially if there is considerable daytime heating. These showers are often heavy and can include hail, squalls, and significant drops in temperature, but they often pass through very quickly with a rapid…
Average elevation: 185 m
New South Wales
New South Wales (NSW), located on Australia's eastern seaboard, boasts a diverse topography that significantly influences its landscapes and ecosystems. The state's eastern edge is dominated by a narrow coastal plain, featuring regions such as the Illawarra and Shoalhaven near Nowra, characterized by rolling…
Average elevation: 154 m
Tasmania
The most mountainous region is the Central Highlands area, which covers most of the central western parts of the state. The Midlands located in the central east, is fairly flat, and is predominantly used for agriculture, although farming activity is scattered throughout the state. Tasmania's tallest mountain…
Average elevation: 220 m
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs roughly parallel to the east coast of Australia and forms the…
Average elevation: 117 m
Orange
Orange is a city in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. It is 254 km (158 mi) west of the state capital, Sydney [206 km (128 mi) on a great circle], at an altitude of 862 metres (2,828 ft). Orange had an estimated urban population of 40,493 as of June 2018 making the city a significant…
Average elevation: 852 m
Mount Buller
Due to its far south-western location in the alpine region, Mount Buller is more susceptible to cold airmasses which allow it to record some of the lowest maximum temperatures and daytime readings in the country, despite being considerably lower in elevation than other mountain sites to the north-east. On 5…
Average elevation: 824 m
Byron Bay
Byron Bay, located in northeastern New South Wales, Australia, is characterized by diverse topography shaped by its geological history. The town is part of the erosion caldera of the ancient Tweed Volcano, which erupted approximately 23 million years ago, resulting in the rich volcanic soils that define the…
Average elevation: 7 m
Lama Lama National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land)
Average elevation: 86 m
City of Brisbane
Brisbane's topography is characterized by a series of hills and ranges that define its landscape. The city is situated on a low-lying floodplain, with the Brisbane River meandering through its heart, creating a winding course with many steep curves from the southwest to its mouth at Moreton Bay in the east.…
Average elevation: 71 m
Grampians National Park
Mount William is known within the gliding community for the "Grampians Wave", a weather phenomenon that sometimes enables glider pilots to reach extreme altitudes of the order of 28,000 ft (8,500 m). This predominantly occurs during the months of May, June, September and October when strong westerly winds flow…
Average elevation: 262 m
Adelaide
Australia > South Australia > Adelaide City Council
South Australia was officially established as a British Province in England in February 1836. The first governor proclaimed the commencement of colonial government in South Australia on 28 December 1836, near The Old Gum Tree in what is now the suburb of Glenelg North. The event is commemorated in South…
Average elevation: 146 m
Adaminaby
Another site 20 km to the north (Yaouk, since 1969) records significantly greater rainfall due to its higher elevation and proximity to the dividing range. This site is most representative of the areas situated on and around Lake Eucumbene. Rainfall total and pattern here approach those of Khancoban and very…
Average elevation: 1,174 m
Castlereagh River
The Castlereagh rises 20 km west of Coonabarabran in the heart of the Warrumbungle mountains at an elevation of about 850 metres. From its commencement upstream in the mountains the river initially flows east through the town of Coonabarabran. It then arcs round south and southwesterly to the village of…
Average elevation: 240 m
Blue Mountains
A sandstone plateau dominated by a landscape of endless eucalyptus forests, the Blue Mountains are located at the top of a 470-million-year-old quartzite. In the Permian period, a shallow sea covered the region, when rivers brought shales, siltstones and mudstones. Then during the Mesozoic period, rivers…
Average elevation: 566 m