Parliament House
The working heart of Australian democracy on Capital Hill
On the lands of the Ngunnawal people.
The current seat of the Australian Parliament, opened in 1988 on Capital Hill and designed to be built into the landscape so that citizens can walk on its grass-covered roof. Parliament House contains the House of Representatives, the Senate, the Great Hall and one of the most important art and craft collections in the country.
Parliament House was opened on 9 May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II, exactly 61 years after the opening of the old building down the hill. The architect was Romaldo Giurgola of Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp, who won an international design competition that attracted 329 entries from 29 countries. The winning concept was to bury the building into Capital Hill and cover it with grass so that the public could literally walk over their parliament, symbolising that the people are above the government.
The building is enormous, with more than 4,700 rooms, making it one of the largest buildings in the southern hemisphere. The central axis runs from the main entrance through the Marble Foyer, the Great Hall and the Members Hall to the courtyards at the rear. The House of Representatives (green) sits to the east and the Senate (red) sits to the west, following the Westminster colour tradition. When parliament is sitting, visitors can watch proceedings from the public galleries in both chambers for free.
The Great Hall contains a 20-metre long tapestry based on a painting by Arthur Boyd, one of the largest tapestries in the world. The building also houses a major collection of Australian art, including works by Sidney Nolan, Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Grace Cossington Smith, displayed throughout the public circulation spaces.
The rooftop lawn is open to the public and gives a 360-degree view of Canberra aligned perfectly along the parliamentary axis to the Australian War Memorial, Lake Burley Griffin and Mount Ainslie. It is one of the best free vantage points in the capital and one of the few places in the world where you can stand on top of a working parliament building.
Where to stay
Holiday parks near Parliament House.
2 options via our booking partner
Canberra Holiday Village
4.4km away
Eaglehawk Holiday Park Canberra
14.3km away
Bookings handled by our partner Parkbooker. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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Attribution
Sources & credits
Content
- Background text summarised from Wikipedia: Parliament House , licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images (3)
- Australian House of Representatives - Parliament of Australi... · JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Canberra (AU), Commonwealth Avenue Bridge -- 2019 -- 1811.jp... · Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Canberra (AU), Parliament House and Old Parliament House --... · Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
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,_Parliament_House_and_Old_Parliament_House_--_2019_--_1767.jpg){kind=link}
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