Australian Capital Territory, Australia Genealogy

Background Information
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT, known as the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, until 1938) was envisioned by the Australian Constitution as the seat of government for the Commonwealth of Australia. It contains only one city, Canberra, the national capital. The site of the territory was chosen by parliamentary commissioners and control of the land formally passed from New South Wales to the Commonwealth in 1911. The traditional custodians of the land are the Ngunnawal people,

Jurisdictions
The land currently forming the Australian Capital Territory was originally part of the State of New South Wales. On 1 January 1911, the Federal Capital Territory was ceded by New South Wales to the Commonwealth of Australia and in 1938 this was renamed the Australian Capital Territory. In 1915, further territory was surrendered by New South Wales on the coast at Jervis Bay which became the Jervis Bay Territory of the Commonwealth as a port for the Australian Capital Territory and it was administered from Canberra as part of the Federal Capital Territory. The Australian Capital Territory was granted a form of self-government on 6 December 1988.

The New South Wales town of Queanbeyan lies close to the Australian Capital Territory and a significant number of people who work or study in the ACT live there. If you are unable to find a record of a person with a known connection to Canberra, you may find them in New South Wales records with a Quenbeyan address.

Resources and Websites

 * 1913 Census