Sketch map showing proposed Federal Territory and capital site at Albury. Parishes of Albury, Mungabarina, Jindera, Bowna and Thurgona, County of Goulburn, New South Wales 1900.

Rare large scale detailed map of the Albury region, made for the City of Albury’s submission to become the Federal Capital of Australia. It shows the proposed territory in red and capital site in blue, with locality diagram.

Albury’s submission was among the most comprehensive and included submissions by experts in various fields and included, ‘Twenty Reasons why Albury Should be the Federal Capital’. Reason number 6. stated, ‘It is far enough from the seaboard to be safe from sudden invasion!’

In 1899, in a last bid to save Federation, the draft Constitution was amended to include Section 125, which required the creation of a federal seat of government within New South Wales and at least 100 miles from Sydney. The battle between the federal and New South Wales governments over a suitable site for a capital continued intermittently for more than a decade. In 1899 the New South Wales Government established a royal commission to investigate possible sites for the federal capital. Many towns in New South Wales were nominated by their residents for the honour and were required to submit details as to climatic conditions, transport accessibility, physical conditions, land ownership and value, plus information on other conditions including food supply, minerals, ability to support a considerable population and conditions for commercial and industrial development. The Commissioner visited many sites and presented his report on 26 October 1900 which favoured the following areas: Orange (or Canobolas), Yass and Bombala-Eden.

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National Library of Australia: Bib ID2022830